Elisabeth Abbott, MA, LMFT

05/16/2023

I love poppies. Sure, it’s because they represent my home state of California, because their seeds make an excellent bagel topping, and of course because they’re beautiful. But it’s really because of this note about how they grow:

“Plant poppies from seed into poor to average soil in a sunny location.”

It makes me think of resilience in humans. We don’t get to choose where we start out. Sometimes the conditions are less than ideal. Sometimes the soil is truly awful. And yet, we keep peeking up at the sun. We focus on what’s around us right now, what’s okay: the sun, a little rain, the bees that visit and help us along. And we too can bloom into something vibrant, beneficial, and beautiful.

04/17/2023

Does this thought cross your mind? Wouldn’t it be a relief to care less sometimes? Here’s a strategy for when caring is overwhelming.

11 likes, 0 comments - Elisabeth Abbott, LMFT () on Instagram: "Does this thought cross your mind? Wouldn’t it be a relief to care less sometimes? Here’s a s..."

10/10/2022

So you’ve made a mistake or hurt someone’s feelings. It happens—give yourself some compassion—but also, you’ve determined you should probably apologize. But HOW to apologize without making things worse? Here are four key steps.

Elisabeth Abbott, LMFT shared a post on Instagram: "So you’ve made a mistake or hurt someone’s feelings. It happens—give yourself some compassion—but also, you’ve determined you should probably apologize. But HOW to apologize without making things worse? Here are four key steps. ...

10/09/2022

Apologies can be tricky — especially when we’ve been through trauma. Tell me if this resonates for you.

Elisabeth Abbott, LMFT shared a post on Instagram: "Apologies can be tricky — especially when we’ve been through trauma. Tell me if this resonates for you. ...

08/30/2022

Unsure of who you are, what kind of life you want to build, or are you feeling adrift?

You’re not alone, and this is normal!

Elisabeth Abbott, LMFT shared a post on Instagram: "Unsure of who you are, what kind of life you want to build, or are you feeling adrift? You’re not alone, and this is normal! #...

08/05/2022

“‘I know I have some trauma to work through, but I haven’t been able to talk about it.’

I hear this all the time when I’m meeting with new clients. The number-one reason we don’t talk with our trusted loved ones about what happened, and what we’re going through as a result? Shame.”

Earlier this week, I posted with .therapy defining trauma. Today, they’ve posted a piece I wrote on shame and trauma. I’ll post the content in my story, but also feel free to explore this and other bite-sized mental health resources on tryframe.com.

08/02/2022

We hear about trauma a lot, and I’m SO here for it. Talking about trauma, stress, and mental health in general allows us to feel less alone, as well as empowering others to share! But a lot of folks have questions about what trauma is, exactly. And what’s PTSD? I was glad to work with Frame on this short Trauma 101.

elisabethabbottlmft • Original Audio

07/24/2022

*if that’s what you want!

Lots of other clients stay in therapy on an ongoing basis for years, as maintenance. That’s fantastic, too! The point is, we’re rooting for you, and we’re here for what you feel is best.

07/24/2022

Parts work can be healing and transformative. A great place to start, if you don’t have a therapist who uses this model, is Richard Schwartz’s introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS), called No Bad Parts.

(Was this ‘90s girl also star-struck to read the book’s forward by Alanis Morrissette? You oughta know.)

Ruby Amanfu • Hope This Helps Someone

07/17/2022

Posted • Today is a historical day for ***deprevention & in the U.S.! The National Su***de Prevention Lifeline, now known as the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline, can be more easily reached by calling or texting 988, or chatting on 988lifeline.org.

988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the U.S., you can easily access 24/7 emotional support. You do not have to be suicidal to reach out. Our trained crisis counselors can help you through whatever mental health challenges you are experiencing.

We're so grateful to , , the , and our other su***de prevention & mental health partners in the field for working together to get us here, and we look forward to growing and expanding our services and supports in the years to come.

07/15/2022

I was delighted to answer another “Ask a Therapist” question for .therapy, this time about navigating the hard conversation of how to end things with your therapist when it isn’t working. Frame has a ton of free mental health content from licensed therapists right on their Explore page — take a look, if you’re into that sort of thing. 💙

07/07/2022

You don’t have to forgive anyone.

You hear it all the time: “You only have one [insert relationship here] — if you don’t forgive them, you’ll regret it someday.” Or the only-slightly-less-shaming, “Forgiveness isn’t for them, it’s for you! It’ll make you feel better.”

There’s a popular notion that forgiving someone who has done you wrong somehow frees you. But even without forgiveness, are you actually trapped? I don’t think so.

You can absolutely continue to feel the effects of their actions, choose not to forgive, and ALSO choose to move forward with your life — with them or without them.