How Can I Thrive? Part I

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC 

People typically don’t join the helping profession for recognition or appreciation, but every now and then it comes along when it’s most needed! This two-part blog series will share a recent interview I did for the Kellogg School of Management and help you learn how you can thrive by incorporating both mental health and therapy into your own life. Symmetry Counseling has many talented clinicians that you can get matched with today if you are looking to make positive changes within your own life. Give us a call at 312-578-9990.

How Can I Thrive? Part I: Incorporating Mental Health and Therapy into Your Life 

Bridgette is here to help you thrive

As part of Thrive Week, we went straight to an expert on self-care. Daybreak sat down with one of Kellogg’s favorite JVs, Bridgette Gottwald, to learn more about her career as a therapist and pass on a bunch of useful tips to help us take care of our whole selves

What inspired you to become a psychotherapist?

I have always believed that happiness is a choice and that we control our own destinies. Each person is unique in how they interpret themselves and the way they see the world. In order to make sure you are living a life of value, and a life that you desire, it can be helpful to re-evaluate your vision and get the perspective of someone who is able to be objective; professional counselors can give you this unbiased opinion. Through my relationships with clients, I hope to help them learn to examine their thoughts, feelings, attitudes, values, and behaviors and enable them to grow and change in positive ways. My practice is growth-oriented and helps clients to overcome developmental hurdles.

Someone once told me that whatever I decided to do in my life and with my career, ensure that it creates value within the community. Over the years, that has always stuck with me. To me, nothing creates more value than evoking positive change within individuals that feel like they are stuck and can’t move forward.

Although practicing as a full-time therapist with more than 35 clients is my main career, I have also founded a business called ELTIGBA, LCC, which stands for Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright. The name is inspired by Bob Marley, one of my favorite historical artists. ELTIGBA’s mission is to spread mental health awareness and provide psycho-education and self-wellness products that enable you to incorporate mental health into your life in a way that works for you.  

Business school is an unusually stressful time for students. Any tips on how we can avoid burnout?

I have certainly fully seen the ins and outs of the MBA lifestyle watching my husband, Ted Gottwald (’21). Burning the candle at both ends and falling into the endless pit of over commitment can be all-consuming. Here are a few tips I would give to any MBA student:

• Self-reflect: Keep a journal and reflect on how and why you do things the way you do, especially when you run into road blocks or frustrations. When things aren’t going well for you, believe in and respect the capacity for change.
• Prioritize: You cannot do it all. I repeat… you simply cannot physically and emotionally do everything and still maintain your happiness and well-being. Prioritize based upon your values and what is most important to you.

Check out the next part to this two-part blog series to finish the interview, and learn more tips about ways to avoid burnout, good habits for managing stress, and ways for being kinder to yourself. 

Reference:

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