Client Success Story
Why I Chose to Share This Story
This client’s story is one of the most meaningful and satisfying experiences of my career. It is not unique, but it is significant — a powerful example of healing and growth. While all of my work centers around these themes, this particular journey stands out as especially striking. I chose to share it here in the hope that it resonates with those seeking meaningful, lasting change in their own lives. My goal is to welcome more people who feel drawn to this kind of deep, transformative work.
“I met Grace in the winter of 2016, after seeking therapy for depression. I was newly married, struggling in the context of that relationship, and was told by my (now ex) wife that I had to go to therapy or get divorced. Over the three years that followed, I saw Grace regularly. Initially, most of our sessions were related to my marriage, and as the process progressed, our discussion grew more specific, detailed, and nuanced.
The process was unlike anything I had ever been a part of—a window of time where the only thing I had to do was examine my thoughts, my memories, the way my thought processes behaved, even to think about thinking. Often these sessions were difficult, and rightly so. To be honest, not just to a third party but to myself in a way that is productive and self-aware requires real mental exertion, and is a skill that is refined over time and practice.
Gradually, I was able to explore and examine childhood/young adult trauma, and acknowledge the impact that trauma had on my life. I discovered a self-worth and love for myself that I had never had before. It was slow, sometimes painful, exciting, stimulating, and enlightening.
Eventually, my marriage dissolved. When this finally happened and the weight of that aspect of my life faded, I was able to examine my childhood trauma more thoroughly.
Mental and emotional hygiene aren’t a battle that is fought once and either lost or won. There is no simplicity to the human mind, and it certainly isn’t easily personified in terms of a conflict.
What Grace gave me were tools to use in the ongoing exploration of self. It is difficult to describe such exploration of self and personal process without including personal details. Instead, I’d like to share where I am presently.
I live by myself doing work that is important to me. The emotional weight I carried for nearly three decades (though not gone) is much easier to carry with the help of the understanding and validation I gained through the work Grace and I did.
I don’t feel depressed in my day-to-day life, and I am able to let myself feel my emotional responses to events in my life without being overwhelmed by them.
I have a happy and healthy romantic relationship, and I am able to pursue the goals I have set for myself without the burden of a constant unknowable malaise. I am able to be more and more present in the moment rather than be caught in the past or overwhelmingly concerned about the potential future.
I love myself, and in doing so have been able to love others more acutely and genuinely.
I strive for authenticity and feel confident in my continued exploration of my mind. I am safe, I am self-reliant, I am confident, and I wouldn’t be the human I am today without Dr. Grace Harlow Klein.”
- Male Client of 5+ Years