by Harper West | May 8, 2026 | Self-Compassion
Being honest with yourself is the key to accountability and personal growth. Self-honesty and being able to hear the truth from yourself or other people is the real goal of personal growth and psychotherapy. Without this skill of honesty, self-awareness isn’t...
by Harper West | Sep 30, 2024 | Self-Compassion
Andrea was turning 18, an age when we generally assume a teen is eagerly awaiting becoming an adult. We expect they will look forward to enjoying that feeling of approaching independence and autonomy. Instead, Andrea was dreading this birthday, as she had for all of...
by Harper West | Jun 28, 2023 | Self-Compassion
I’m sharing an email from Kristen Neff, PhD, developer of Mindful Self-Compassion and author of books on self-compassion, including Fierce Self-Compassion. This article on balancing compassion in relationships highlights the importance of both warmth for...
by Harper West | Nov 27, 2022 | Self-Compassion, Shame
Some life decisions are life changing — think: getting married, having children, choosing a career, buying a house, etc. They should, rightfully, cause us to pause and consider deeply before jumping in. But some people are so indecisive they don’t just pause, they can...
by Harper West | Jun 20, 2022 | Self-Acceptance, Self-Compassion, Shame
NOTE: I find that everyone can benefit from information on how to strengthen self-worth with self-compassion, so I highly recommend these practices for my therapy clients. I know that learning to be self-accepting was life-changing for me. This information is...
by Harper West | Aug 23, 2021 | Self-Compassion, Shame
I was working with a patient on how to stop ruminating when he said something that was very insightful and perfectly described the process of how to be more compassionate to yourself. Like many people, Ashok (not his real name) ruminated about his past mistakes...
