Episode 152: Therapy: Committing to Doing it Differently with Riva Stoudt

<span style='font-weight: 400;'>I didn’t always know I wanted to be a therapist. It took me a while to ADMIT it out loud that I wanted to be a therapist (I was 34 before I got my license). I honestly have a love-hate relationship with the world of therapy and psychology. It endlessly fascinates me—and yet the industry as a whole is notoriously dysfunctional and, at times, archaic. </span> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>At 25, I was getting ready to start my second year of my Masters in Counseling. I had registered for classes and was less than a week from starting when out of the blue, I decided to drop out. I still remember walking from my apartment to the registrar’s office to withdraw. It was a totally irrational decision and 100% based on my gut which was SCREAMING at me to withdraw. I didn’t know why… I just knew I couldn’t go back and continue my studies. </span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>Seven years later, 4 different jobs, and after completing a different Masters’ Degree, I decided to complete my studies and earn my Masters in Community Counseling. This was also a gut decision—and a particularly amazing one because miraculously, I re-enrolled just under the deadline where I would have had to start my studies over. </span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>What happened in those 7 years? A lot of my own work, my own soul searching, my own therapy, and a commitment to doing it differently. Committing to doing therapy differently was how I could ultimately make the choice to continue the work and it’s why I’m here today.</span></p> <p><span style='font-weight: 400;'>It’s rare that I meet another therapist who has this same commitment which is why I was so excited to bring you my conversation with Riva Stoudt of</span> <a href='http://intothewoodsportland.com'><span style='font-weight: 400;'>Into the Woods Counseling</span></a><span style='font-weight: 400;'>.</span></p> <p><strong>Listen to the full episode to hear:</strong></p> <ul> <li style='font-weight: 400;'><span style='font-weigh