The Benefits of Therapeutic Tea Service
“Without use of constructs, you will unravel few mysteries. With knowledge of mysteries, your constructs will fail. Find the strength to pursue both, for these are our prayers. And to that end, welcome comfort, for without it, you cannot stay strong.”
-Becky Chambers, Monk & Robot series
I don’t think this is inherently unique to therapists, but something I’ve experienced in my career is this feeling of, “now what?” The process of becoming a licensed therapist is a long one. First you must get your Bachelor’s degree and then enter a Master’s program. While there, you have to do several semesters of internship on top of the course work. Then you (hopefully) graduate and can begin working and accruing hours for licensure. In the meantime, multiple tests are required as well as mandatory supervision hours. And this whole process takes several years after graduating. Eventually, all of the requirements are met, you get licensed, and then…
The road opens up, the path ends. Sure, there are a certain amount of continuing education credits required to maintain the license, but there's no more direction. Pure openness. Which, can be disorienting. I followed this predetermined path for several years and, now what? Ok, I'll open a private practice. Great! I did that. Now what...? It's up to me to figure out how I want the rest of my career to go, what I want to learn, or populations to serve.
I say all of this not to educate you on how to become a therapist, but maybe, like me, you've felt lost in a sea of options and you know that none of them are necessarily good or bad options. They're just options. And it's why I intentionally used the word "openness" a little bit ago, because that's what is required of me, to remain open. And, if you're relating to any of this, you've maybe also been surprised where you've found inspiration along the way.
The quote at the beginning of this post comes from a book series that I did not expect to impact me as it did. Without giving a whole synopsis, one of the main characters in the book, Dex, is referred to as a tea monk. They travel from town to town, set up shop for about a day, and wait for people to come to them and share their difficulties. While Dex may offer reflections or affirmations, the main service offered is to prepare each person a specific cup of tea to be enjoyed based on what was shared.
I found so much beauty in this idea. There is a long history of the tea ceremony and it's representation and practices of mindfulness, connection, reflection, and spirituality. What Chambers’ series also illustrates is a deep, experiential offering of care. To show up, listen, attune, be present with who and what is in front you, and meeting that need with direct, compassionate action.
This inspired me to explore how to incorporate these elements into therapy with clients, but without taking away the time they need in order to appease my interests. Because of this, it's a completely optional service I offer based on each client's willingness and therapeutic goals. The idea of sitting and drinking tea in a room with their therapist may sound confusing, so here are some clear intentions for what are and are not the reasons behind this practice.
THE HOPE FOR THERAPEUTIC TEA SERICE
This service is meant to be a practice of mindfulness while incorporating aspects of Experiential Therapy. If you are someone who tends to put everyone else's needs before yours and longs to be cared for the way that you show up for others, this is an opportunity to allow someone else to hear you and respond to what's shared. To notice how the body and mind responds to being cared for this way. Or, if you're someone who has difficulty advocating for themselves or voicing your needs, there's the option for you to explore the tea options and see which would be best to meet you where you're at today. It's also a moment that's meant to allow yourself to offer comfort, quietness, and stillness in a restorative way. Like life, there's a destructive side of self-care and self-help that demands we constantly be growing, building or changing. But as the Chambers quote suggests, in order to reprocess our trauma, address our addictions, change our views about ourselves and the world around us, that work requires comfort and rest to sustain us and our strength on that journey. Otherwise, we burnout, become apathetic, or worse, believe that it's not possible for us.
WHAT THERAPEUTIC TEA SERVICE IS NOT
This time is not meant to simulate catching up with a friend. It's not meant for gossip or to shoot the shit with me. It's not meant to be spent on your phone to catch up on the news, emails, social media, etc. as you would if you were at home drinking tea. It is not to be seen as a way to kill time in your session because you don't know what to say or explore. It is also not a substitute for traditional therapy, medication, and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any illness, disease or condition.
If this feels like it has the potential to pair well with your therapeutic goals, reach out and schedule a consult call and see what it's like to care for yourself in a new way.