I have gained the ability to advocate for myself

Kristin Coffey - North Attleboro, MA

When I first reached out for counseling, I was struggling with a recent break up. I also recognized that I didn't have healthy boundaries in my relationships and was not very good at assertive communication. I lacked proper communication in all aspects of my life - family, personal, and work relationships. Not setting boundaries and not communicating in an assertive manner caused me a lot of anxiety. I went into counseling thinking we were going to talk through my relationship and discuss what went wrong and how it made me feel. Instead, we focused first on fixing ME, starting with building me up in my identity "in Christ" and addressing some rejection issues. There was no way I could have moved forward without first being firm in who I really am. I also liked that Stephanie's feedback was always biblical. 

Since starting counseling, I have gained so much confidence in my ability to advocate for myself. I found that I am much more grounded in my faith and have a newfound confidence in sharing my beliefs with others despite their reactions. I continue to set boundaries and practice assertive communication in my day-to-day life. I am super thankful for taking notes during all of our sessions because I have those to look back on when I need a refresher. 

It has been about a year since my 5-year relationship ended and I am just now starting to date. My relationship with God has become so much stronger because I am obedient even when the conversations are difficult. This season of my life has been lonely and challenging. I have lost relationships as a result of walking with Christ. But I have also gained some amazing friends through church. The more I am obedient to Him, the more I feel like I don't belong here and to this world. And I know that this is just the nature of being a Child of God. I just sometimes need a reminder. My advice to others would be that it is really important when it comes to healing to know your identity. I am so thankful that my eyes were opened to this concept, and I will continue to share that with others.