You may have seen Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, it was developed about 70 years ago and continues to influence the field of psychology. It was Abraham Maslow’s theory of what people needed in their lives to survive and thrive - (basic needs at bottom half of the pyramid and filling one’s potential the upper half). Please take a moment and notice which level(s) resonate most with you in your life today. Does it surprise you where there are deficiencies, where your needs are met, or where you’re thriving? It may lead you to reflect on a time when that was quite different.

Maslow was someone who saw people as continually moving toward their potential, or “becoming.” I see this as aligning with why people seek therapy. They may not define their situation quite like this - not meeting their potential individually, as couples, or families - but more about the problems that they want to try work on or resolve, or their family/friends telling them they need to work on. Yet, this path of “becoming” is another way to frame it, which Maslow said was never motionless.

In regard to therapy/counseling, it’s an option to explore what needs aren’t being met, as well as a support for moving towards fuller potential. Good therapy can open up new ideas, dilemmas better understood, and integrating life experiences. I appreciate how Tara Westover talks about therapy saying, “counseling did nothing at first - I can’t think of a single session I would describe as helpful - but their collective power over time was undeniable. I didn’t understand it then, and I don’t understand it now, but there was something nourishing in setting aside that time each week, in the act of admitting that I needed something I could not provide for myself.”