Defining withness
Withness is the practice of consistently and persistently entering and engaging with another person. My desire is to enter and engage with you and your story with curiosity, compassion, and thoughtfulness in such a way that you can begin to be with and stay with yourself while being with others. In order to be with others fully, it is helpful to understand yourself more fully, accept and be kind to yourself in relation to any personal limitations, celebrate your giftings and begin to move with and in freedom in Christ. Withness allows you to risk desiring again or maybe for the first time. Withness allows you to live a more integrated life – a life marked by alignment in what you do, what you feel and what you think.
As much as I want to offer you withness, I want to also help you engage in practicing withness for yourself and in your other relationships. Practice is essential. In counseling, you will have the opportunity to practice how to be withyourself, with me, with others and with God. I take the time to know you and the main characters in your story, past, present and future.
withness noun
with•ness
the quality of being with another evidenced by intentionally practicing presence, emotional intimacy, vulnerability, curiosity, and compassion with others, with God, and with self.
“even though you cannot change the events of your story, you can change the way you experience your story.”
— Curt Thompson