WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
From the newsletter
I know this may be dramatic (first sign of what you can expect), but it’s damn near tragic to me that I had to go to graduate school to begin the journey of learning how I work as a person. That turned out to be just the beginning of this life-long relationship with myself.
Before I sat my bum in that fated lecture hall at ASU to take Psych 101, effectively changing the course of my life, I thought people treated me poorly because I did something to deserve it. I thought I was far too emotional. I didn’t know feelings were connected to sensations I had in my body. I had no clue about the connection between physical movement and mental wellbeing. I thought if I was perfect, or had the perfect body or perfect partner or perfect job, house, etc., I would unlock some alternate state of being where I loved myself, as would everyone else, obviously.
No dice.
Through my coursework toward becoming a therapist, the decade plus years since as a practicing psychotherapist and my years as an also practicing human, I’ve gathered so much information it’s pouring out of my head and into my Notes app.
Here are a couple bangers in there right now:
-We are all parenting someone, sometimes–most of the time– that person is usually just ourselves.
-Life can feel like, “Oh my god, this is why we are alive.” or “Oh my god, why am I in this prison made up of my very own decisions?”
-Difficulty being present with ourselves is a manifestation of others being unable to be with us when we were young.
So, this is what you can expect.
Ramblings, musings, and collections of actual resources and concepts I’ve come across throughout my work, as well as my own encounters with life on life’s terms.
While I believe myself and my colleagues deserve compensation for the work we do as psychotherapists, I also believe everyone should have access to general mental health information regardless of one’s ability to afford therapy.
Therapy and it’s concepts can feel esoteric at times. I’d like to do what I can to change that.
Also, don’t you find that your wellbeing extends far beyond what occurs in the therapy hour? There is value in discussing, nay dialoguing, how life feels sometimes in an non-clinical and unflinching way.
I’m here to unload my head, but I’m also here to build community. I want to get to know who is reading, what they connect with and why.
dialoguing is about talking with oneself, each other (see you in the comments!!), and the world. Some pieces are more psychoeducational, others are narrative essays. I also periodically do an advice-esque segment and roundups.
Almost forgot, it’s also me talking with my husband…
From the podcast
Every other week, catch my husband and I chatting on our podcast, a therapist and a lawyer walk into a bar.
Some of my readers shared early on that they process information best auditorily. The pod was born there. It started as a way to verbally talk through in more depth the newsletters I publish here. While we still touch on them, we also talk about everything else under the sun ( e.g., Kohl’s cash , Love is Blind, hall passes, and vasectomies). A lawyer and a therapist approach life in very different ways. Come along with us, every other Friday, as we repeatedly confront exactly how different.
Who am I?
You can’t really ask a therapist that. It’s just far too deep.
I’m Kaitlyn (pronouns: she, her/s, herself). That’s me up there ^^ a few tattoos and some bangs ago. I am a psychotherapist, life coach focused on well-being, and business owner located in Denver, CO (although I deeply identify as a midwestern water-baby). I have been married to my lovely husband since 2017 and became a mother to our son, Archie, a few years later. I’m a sober gal who is as original as they come and loves Taylor Swift. I started dialoguing in September 2023. It’s woken up a long dormant part of myself that is just so happy to be free and playing.
I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I have more questions than answers most days, which is where you’ll find me here dialoguing.
The best way to get to know me and what we got going on here is to listen to our pod and read some newsletters from the archive:
Like this one where I go off on myself and where I live:
When You Don't Feel Belonging Where You Belong
This one where I go on my version of a rant:
23. Of Course Not Everyone Needs Therapy, But What If They Want It?
Or one where I do a round-up:
Why upgrade to paid?
Most of my newsletters are free for the first 2 months after they are released. If you find yourself connecting with what I’m sharing, I hope you’ll consider upgrading to paid to get access to my full archive. It is a tangible way to support my work and keep these newsletters coming.
The information provided on dialoguing is for informational purposes only. dialoguing does not provide any professional or medical advice on Substack. Anything written or spoken should not be a replacement for medical, clinical, professional advice, diagnosis, or medical intervention. If you take any action as a result of what you consume on dialoguing, this is based solely on your decision and dialoguing cannot be held liable for the consequences of any action or inaction.
By consuming dialoguing you agree that there have been no guarantees made about the results of taking any actions whether recommended or not. dialoguing provides educational and informational resources that are intended to help readers and listeners thrive in their lives. You nevertheless acknowledge that your ultimate success or failure will be the result of your own efforts, circumstances, and the innumerable factors beyond the control and scope of this newsletter and podcast.
Accessing and otherwise utilizing dialoguing on Substack does not create a therapist-client relationship. Nothing in dialoguing is meant to be a replacement for the services provided by a trained mental health or medical provider.
Contact: If you have any questions or want to connect for any reason, please send me an email at dialoguingsubstack@gmail.com. I love hearing from y’all!
