For those living in The Bittersweet
Gut Check
Thirty free minutes with a psychologist, for everyone who has started a sentence with "I know I should be grateful, butā¦"
A free, thirty-minute video call. I keep a handful open each month for people who have described everything as "a lot right now" since roughly March.
Made for life in The Bittersweet
You have everything you worked for, and you still feel lost in it.
You've probably picked the feeling that's easier to explain and set the other one aside for later. Later tends to be the car, the shower, or 2 am, whenever there's no one around to be fine for.
ā¦ On paper, you did everything right: the degree, the title, the partner, the place in the good school district. Some nights you look around at all of it and wonder whether you chose this life or just settled into it.
ā¦ You're choosing nursery paint colors the same week your mom starts chemo. You feel guilty every time you're excited, and then guilty about the guilt.
ā¦ You finally got the VP title, and people keep calling you inspiring. At 11pm you're scrolling LinkedIn and envying the friend who quit to open a bakery.
ā¦ You've outgrown people who love you. You're a little relieved, and grieving people who are still alive and still texting you.
You're very good at coping, which is exactly why nobody checks on you, including you. I'd like to be the one person you don't have to be "fine" in front of.
What actually happens
Thirty minutes on video, in three parts.
You Talk.
Bring whatever's going on. There's no script and no correct place to begin, and you don't need to have it figured out before we start.
I tell you what I see.
You get honest, kind feedback on the patterns you're too close to notice, from someone with more than ten years in the field and a whole practice built around life in the bittersweet.
You decide what's next.
If we're a fit, I'll walk you through what working together looks like, including cost and scheduling. If someone else is the better call, I'll give you a name.
Hi, Iām Dr. Carolyn. I work in the bittersweet.
The thing I hear most comes about ten minutes in, always with an apology attached: "I know I should be grateful."
The people I work with are the reliable friend that everyone calls in a crisis. They call what they're feeling stress, or burnout, or just life. Often, it's years of built-up stress from patterns learned long ago, and it's been finding its way out: the knot in your neck, the short fuse with the people you love most, the racing thoughts at midnight.
This is the work I do every day: helping people hold the good and the hard at the same time, without having to hide either one. Thirty minutes is enough to see where to start.
Your Questions Answered
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No, a Gut Check is a consultation to see whether therapy with me is a good fit. We'll talk about what's going on and what working together might look like. You won't leave with a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and you won't be signed up for anything.
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Bring whatever has been taking up the most room in your head lately. You've been living it, so you already know more about it than you think. You don't need a polished version.
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That's what the thirty minutes are for. You'll leave with a clearer answer either way.
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Virtually from Chicago, IL. I see adults located in Illinois and more than 40 PSYPACT states.
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Sessions are $325 and private pay. I can provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for possible out-of-network reimbursement, depending on your plan. We usually start with three sessions as a trial, so you can see how the work feels before deciding on anything longer.
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Send them my way through my contact form, and I'll get back to you personally.
Life is bittersweet, and Iām here with you in it.
A Gut Check isn't for emergencies. If you're in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.