SPECIALTIES
Additional Expertise
Counselor/Therapist
Social Worker
Specialties
Abuse / Survivors of Abuse
Anxiety Issues
Attachment Issues
Depression
Domestic Abuse
Empowering Women
Midlife Crisis
Mood Swings
Post Traumatic Stress / Trauma
Postpartum Depression
Religious Issues
Self-Compassion
Self-Esteem
Social Anxiety
Stress Management
Trust Issues
About JoDee Liebman
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist and co-founder of Liebman Psychotherapy. For the past 10 years I’ve been delighted to see clients find that dreams can come true once they learn to trust their internal wisdom. At first some may protest that no wisdom can be found inside themselves. They cite as proof, life stories filled with trauma, addiction, poor choices, bad relationships, anxiety, depression, etc. Yet my work, my studies, and my own life experiences have taught me that these narratives can change.
I’ve learned that we’re a species wired with a strong survival instinct; it naturally propels our bodies to thrive through circumstances that threaten our life or integrity. That’s why the key to healing is oftentimes locked inside “how” we survived old threats back when they felt most disturbing. If our survival strategy worked once, our bodies try to re-enact that strategy when we encounter a threat that feels similar. Today, however, that well-worn strategy of ours may be a default response on replay that’s creating havoc because it’s no longer necessary.
For example, it “feels” safe for Andy (fictitious name) to stay in a relationship with his partner who is emotionally absent and sometimes abusive. After all, in growing up with an alcoholic mother, Andy got very familiar with the empty feeling inside that was tied to his only source of security. So now, though a part of Andy wants to leave his ill-fated partner, another part is determined to stay with her — firing old neural-networks desperately still trying to earn Mom’s love and acceptance. Once Andy is able to understand and befriend his frightened and neglected internal parts, he can begin the process of healing and respond to the current relationship with more skill, stability, and finesse.
It’s a little like putting a puzzle together. Clients’ pieces and parts come in all shapes and sizes. In addition to discovering and befriending those internal parts that get triggered into survival mode, clients learn they can retrieve and strengthen their skillfully resourced parts that they've also developed throughout life.
Finally, clients get to know there’s a part living inside themselves that truly knows what’s best. Some call this the spiritual self, others call it the higher self. No matter the name, this is the part that provides a witnessing presence and ultimately guides all internal parts of ourselves to safety, integration, and wholeness.
As each client’s puzzle takes shape, I witness their creation of a new life narrative, one with a more positive picture than the stories they thought could never change. That’s the fun of my job. And that’s what I’m excited to be sharing with readers at YourTango.
Since the first paragraph up top stated my truth about trusting your internal wisdom, it seems an oxymoron that I will conclude with Socrates’ quote: “The only thing I know is — I know nothing.” Yet this was the quote that my own internal wisdom grasped for comfort when I went through divorce and everything I thought I knew turned upside down. With this quote I could no longer judge myself harshly, nor could I judge another. I learned that my place in this world is was one of being curious, helping others find with eagerness a healing and wisdom that is all their own.
