Returning to Your Present Self, Again and Again.
- Elizabeth Gell
- Mar 15, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 9, 2022
Introduction to my 11-point plan for taking care of yourself while supporting others
I became a psychotherapist more than 30 years ago because, unaware to myself, I wanted to explore my own personality, find a way to be OK with myself, perhaps even be happy – all this under the safe guise of helping others. In retrospect, those are excellent reasons for choosing such a profession: helping others while helping myself. In fact, a therapist worth her salt must really get to know herself. So, I am glad I did it.
When our infant granddaughter was diagnosed with brain tumors, I knew sharing our family’s experience could be useful to others, not just those undergoing medical crisis, but crises and stress in general. We learned a lot about living and loving in the face of uncertainty that I want to explore with you. “Stay Present: A Child, A Diagnosis, A Family’s Way Forward” is just that.
As a marriage and family therapist, mother, grandmother, wife, and spiritual traveler, I offer various perspectives for gaining understanding, harvesting relief and hope, and utilizing specific strategies for navigating life. After covering 5 years of our journey, I added a final chapter providing an 11-point plan for taking care of yourself while supporting others. I will be covering these points individually in this blog, on a weekly basis. I hope you find the blog and the book uplifting, touching, at times amusing, and very practical.
As Kirkus Reviews says of the book:
Overall, Gell provides a heart- wrenching account that not only draws on her personal emotional experience, but also her professional work as a therapist...
An often engaging memoir that will be a valuable contribution to any self-help library.”
Libby Gell is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of Stay Present: A Child, A Diagnosis, A Family’s Way Forward. She shares her extended family’s journey and offers insights and suggestions on creating joy while handling family crises, medical and otherwise.
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