Visible Lives

When Adaptability Becomes Exhausting: LGBTQIA+ Therapy and Self-Monitoring By JJ Almond Adaptability can be a strength. It helps people move between social worlds, read a room and decide what a situation requires. For many LGBTQIA+ adults, that awareness may also have been part of staying connected, accepted or safe. The difficulty comes when adaptation becomes constant. You may be successful, socially capable and outwardly at ease while using a great deal of energy to monito

Visible Lives, Invisible Pressure: Therapy Beyond the Public Role By JJ Almond A visible life can be exciting, meaningful and chosen. It can also create a quiet pressure to remain recognisable: confident enough, interesting enough, composed enough, always ready to be seen. For people in public or high-profile roles, the difficulty is often not a lack of insight. You may understand your patterns remarkably well. The difficulty is finding a relationship in which you do not have

A Private Place to Stop Performing: Therapy for Public-Facing Professionals By JJ Almond Some work asks you to be seen. You may lead an organisation, perform, speak publicly, represent a brand or carry responsibility in a community. Other people encounter the version of you that is prepared, composed and able to respond. That version may be real, but it is rarely the whole story. Public-facing professionals often become skilled at managing what is visible. You learn to read a