Dr. Erin was my therapist. She had to fight to have me because I was on another unit and had self-injured. When she came into my room and asked to talk to me, I said, "I'm sorry. I don't feel like talking right now. Can you come back later?" Mind you, I was choked up from crying and had a new injury on my wrist. To her credit, she didn't leave and did not muscle me to talk. She asked some questions, had me fill in a questionnaire then said she'd get me moved to her unit.
She did! I was not excited to be in lock up. I had a hard time being with teenagers at first but then I grew to love them. Dr. Erin checked in to make sure I was doing okay with them. I appreciated her concern for my wellness.
Dr. Erin is an excellent lecturer and teacher. She was one of a few therapists that I looked forward to learning from each day. She has a relaxed and casual walk and comforting voice.
From Dr. Erin, I learned about boundaries, identifying the benefits and costs of self-injuring, taking risks for new experiences so I don't self-injure but most of all, I learned HOW TO SIT IN THE UNCOMFORTABLE FEELINGS. That was HUGE!
It's no wonder I had a wonderful dream last night. I think with all the emotional and mental stress I've been feeling, I needed to talk to Dr. Erin. When I fell asleep, I talked to her.
She was the same as when I was in the hospital. She had her hair up, was very professional, looked me in the eyes and asked what was going on. I told her all the thoughts I've been having. All of them. We talked about the self-injury. I was embarrassed to admit I was still hurting myself. Then I woke up.
Her voice, presence and counsel bring peace to my spirit. I feel like I'm talking to someone who understands. Someone who counsels people like me for a living.
I will always be grateful to God for bringing Dr. Erin Terada into my recovery. I will always be grateful to Dr. Erin Terada for being johnny on the spot with my therapy needs.
Dr. Erin is no longer at ABBHH. She is at Linden Oaks Hospital as a Clinical Therapist.
