An Invitation
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.
Our therapeutic work often reveals that people sometimes apologize for the very things that help us understand them better.
"I'm sorry I need to write things down."
"I know I talk too much when I'm nervous."
"I need a little more time to process."
"I hope it's okay if I don't make eye contact."
These moments are rarely inconveniences.
More often, they're invitations. They help us understand how someone experiences the world and what helps them feel safe, connected, and able to be themselves.
With July being Disability Pride Month, we've found ourselves thinking about those moments. They remind us that support often begins not with having the right answer, but with being willing to listen. With believing people when they tell us what helps. With making room for different ways of communicating, learning, moving through the world, and connecting with others.
It also leaves us wondering how often people are expected to fit into spaces that were never designed with them in mind. Sometimes the thing that needs to change isn't the person - it's the environment around them.
As therapists, we're continually learning from our clients, colleagues, friends, and the disability community. These experiences remind us that belonging isn't created by asking people to hide parts of themselves. It grows when people are welcomed as they are and when our communities make room for the many ways people experience the world.
We're grateful for the people who continue to expand our understanding of accessibility, belonging, and care. They remind us that creating welcoming spaces isn't something we accomplish once, but it's something we keep practicing, together.
Perhaps that's the invitation of this month.
To stay curious.
To listen a little longer.
To make a little more room for one another.Because everyone deserves more than access.
Everyone deserves to belong.
At Collaboration for Psychological Wellness, we hope to be a place where every person feels seen, respected, and welcomed as their whole self.
About the Author
After spending years in a local community mental health setting and group practice in leadership positions, Tina D. Shah (PsyD, LP) decided to start Collaboration for Psychological Wellness, LLC to expand access and reduce barriers to services.