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Welcome back to BeREAL! This week we have something special: it’s our first minisode! In these minisodes, our therapists will have a roundtable discussion about a certain topic of the week. This week, join Diana, Ednesha, and Gillian Lichter (BeWELL Psychotherapy’s very own) to discuss the idea of identity crisis. They will cover how identity changes as one’s life changes and how identity changes due to factors outside one’s control, such as a pandemic.
Gillian begins the episode by giving a little background on her work as a psychotherapist. She explains how she initially worked with a LGBTQIA+ focused non-profit therapy center in NYC, but now she works at BeWELL (which she joined right at the onset of the pandemic). Gillian is here this week to talk about the topic of identity crisis. She defines identity as the recognition of our own selves at each stage of our lives. Of course with time, identity changes and Diana calls these changes cracks in identity. These identity cracks are not a negative thing, they do not mean that someone is broken or lost, rather they have to learn to recognize these identity changes and understand how and why they occurred.
The conversation shifts to focus on identity changes during the pandemic. As careers and social lives change drastically, it is inevitable that identity will change as well. Ednesha focuses on the American concept of identity that is so closely tied to the workplace. Many people will judge their self worth on a job title, or if they hold a job at the given moment (which is much less likely during a pandemic). Ednehsa pushes forward an idea to discover identity outside of the workplace. This closely ties to her understanding that women of color have been taught that they must remain strong at all times. Strength is hard to muster as the pandemic drags on, but Ednesha and Gillian want people to know that not being strong all the time, should not mean that one values themself as lesser. Instead, Gillian suggests that there is a strength in taking care of your physical and mental health when necessary.
Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week. Make sure to be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to listen to last week’s episode with Randi Zinn on the Going Beyond Movement.
For more information on BeREAL (our psychotherapy podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy practice in New York) visit the links below:
To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today
