The Lighter Side of Transformation

with Lisa Wessan, LICSW

Feb 25

Just for Today, by Sybil F. Partridge

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

1.  Just for today I will be happy.  This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that “most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.

2.  Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires.  I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

3.  Just for today I will take care of my body.  I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.

4.  Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind.  I will learn something useful.  I will not be a mental loafer.  I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

5.  Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways;  I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out.  I will do at least two things I don’t want to do as William James suggests, just for exercise.

6.  Just for today I will be agreeable.  I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor find fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.

7.  Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once.  I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

8.  Just for today I will have a program.  I will write down what I expect to do every hour.  I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it.  It will eliminate two pests, hurry and indecision.

9.  Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax.  In this half hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.

10.  Just for today I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me.

If we want to develop a mental attitude that will bring us peace and happiness, here is Rule #1:

Think and act cheerfully, and you will feel cheerful.

Written by Sybil F. Partridge   1916 and printed in
How To Stop Worrying, And Start Living, by Dale Carnegie, 1951

LW:  I love this credo for living – it covers all areas of life. Yet if you try to do it perfectly you will make yourself miserable. Whenever you set a new intention, or want to develop a positive new habit, or break an old negative habit, start something new, always remember, “Progress not Perfection.” Learn to validate your baby steps, moving forward slowly is good enough! Old ways are tough to change, but it will get done. Slowly, slowly, you can do it. You can do hard things…There is a solution…Never give up.  Yes, aim high, but be always be gentle with yourself. 

This song by Libana, I Will Be Gentle With Myself,  comforts me when I make a mistake, or seem to be delayed in my process.

Just for today, I want to be a WINNER, not a WHINER! Winners take risks, fall down, get up, and start again. May this serve you well 💙

Addictions Anxiety Distress Tolerance Emotional Regulation Interpersonal Effectiveness Mindfulness Resiliency Uncategorized

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Jan 4

What is the 4-week rolling enrollment period for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training?

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

Dr. Marsha Linehan, founder of the DBT psychoeducation curriculum, understood that some people might miss trimester deadlines to start at the beginning of each semester. In classic non-binary, non-dualistic DBT fashion, it’s possible to be both late and on time at the same moment—what does that really mean?

Three times a year, several weeks before and during the Mindfulness Module, new students can join the ongoing DBT group to start at beginning of the next cycle.

Here are a few of the main topics for the Mindfulness Module:

Good, better, best enrollment process?

Best is registering early, completing the intake session and forms in advance, and starting on Day 1.

Better is waiting until the last few weeks, the crunch time—and just managing to finish in time.

Good is joining after the class has begun, missing a week or two, but still getting involved. Continuing and then thriving thereafter. (When this happens, the new student pays a pro-rated fee for the group reflecting the missed sessions.)

If you or someone you know has been wanting to join this group but keeps missing the deadlines, there’s still a chance! The final cut-off for this semester is January 27. Once we finish the Mindfulness Module and begin the Interpersonal Effectiveness material, no new members will be able to join.

There are reasons behind all of this, and this is just the briefest summary! Ideally, all DBT students would register weeks before the class begins, making the experience much more relaxing for everyone involved.

If you or someone you know could benefit from this solution-focused, science-backed, and proven personal growth program, don’t wait to get started. My next Tuesday evening group meets from January 6 – April 7, 2026. You can learn more here: https://www.lisawessan.com/dialectical-behavioral-therapy

Onward and Upward✨

Lisa Wessan

#DBT, #PTSD, #EmotionRegulation #DistressTolerance, #Wellness #Recovery #Peak, #Mindfulness Anxiety Distress Tolerance Emotional Regulation Interpersonal Effectiveness Mindfulness Social Anxiety

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Sep 19

Empower Yourself: Enhance Interpersonal Effectiveness and Reduce Social Anxiety

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

Take charge of your social interactions and personal growth with a 14-week Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Group (DBT). Learn effective strategies from expert Lisa Wessan to build confidence, set boundaries, and communicate assertively.

You can develop skills to set healthy boundaries, communicate clearly, and become resilient to others’ disapproval. Learning effective ways to interact can reduce social anxiety and enhance your success and relationships. You’ll also discover useful strategies for making requests and easing into small talk, such as discussing work, weather, or the weekend. By focusing on skill-building rather than willpower, you can foster more fulfilling social interactions.

Developing interpersonal effectiveness skills also involves investing time, effort, and resources. Many individuals choose to develop these skills when they seek change in their behavioral patterns. Sometimes your inner dialogue says “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! I need to do SOMETHING to turn this around!” Research suggests that focusing attention on skill development leads to improvement in those areas, including social skills.

Neale Donald Walsch once wrote, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Yes, becoming comfortable with discomfort takes time and practice. By learning neuroscience-based skills, you can improve your ability to build new neural networks and succeed in mastering interpersonal skills.

Solution-Focused Therapy

The next virtual DBT Skills Group focused on Interpersonal Effectiveness and Mindfulness will run from September 30 to December 30, 2025. The course is taught by Lisa Wessan, LICSW, CLYL, RM, who trained directly with DBT founder Dr. Marsha M. Linehan and has over a decade of group facilitation experience. This 14-week program features weekly 90-minute sessions at $80 per week, providing participants with hands-on practice in social skills within small groups of 6-10.

To learn more, please visit https://www.lisawessan.com/dialectical-behavioral-therapy

🌀🌀 Register early for DBT groups, as enrollment involves several steps. Avoid waiting until the last week to sign up.

Onward and Upward✨

Lisa Wessan

boundaries Interpersonal Effectiveness Intimacy Uncategorized

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Jun 4

Enhancing DBT: Key Takeaways from Our Class

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

“The best part has been the content of the class. It is all so relevant! I like the way you have created an organized pathway through the workbook. DBT is truly not a “do it yourself” program. I very much appreciate the weekly page numbers for relevant handouts and worksheets. The structure you’ve created is one of the best parts of the class.  I love that each class includes guided meditation.” 
M.M., New York, NY

“I was slightly surprised that the DBT group tends to have several participants who are a bit reticent. Group dynamics are always unpredictable. I thought the participants would be much more dramatic and self-aggrandizing. I expected them to be aggressively talkative or domineering. I also thought Lisa would have had to be very hands-on in managing that. Instead, the group is rather quiet, and everyone seems so delightfully ordinary. It’s been a relief, frankly. I’m not a weirdo for having intense emotions and struggling to manage them. I’m just an ordinary person and so are the other group members.  I also didn’t expect so much humor. Your sense of humor has been quite welcome. It adds levity and makes the class feel less burdensome or “heavy.” C.S.E., Cambridge, MA

Up next: Virtual DBT Distress Tolerance and Mindfulness Skills, June 10 – September 9, 2025. Tuesdays, 7:30 – 9 PM EST. There are still a few spots open. To learn more, visit Summer DBT Group.

Good health is wealth, go for it💙

#DBT, #PTSD, #EmotionRegulation #DistressTolerance, #Wellness #Recovery #Peak, #Mindfulness

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Dec 18

How Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills help you learn to manage and cope better with difficult emotions, as “Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm” – S. A. Jefferson-Wright.

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

I’m excited to announce that we are hastening slowly to transform the world from the inner to outer, one DBT student at a time…

Lisa Wessan, LICSW, DBT Skills Trainer

Up next: we will be exploring “Emotion Regulation and Mindfulness Skills” from January 23 – April 23, 2024 in the Zoom Classroom.  (All registration forms, intake sessions and tuition fees must be completed by January 19, 2024).

Four leaf DBT

The Emotion Regulation module has four sections:

  • Understanding and Naming Emotions
  • Changing Emotional Responses
  • Reducing Vulnerability to “Emotion Mind”
  • Managing Extremely Difficult Emotions
DBT Mindfulness

The Mindfulness material includes:

  • Learning to be a good observer
  • Being non-judgmental
  • Staying in the present
  • Practicing being effective
  • Accessing “Wise Mind” (aka higher self, higher consciousness)
  • Understanding Reality Acceptance and detaching from negative or critical thoughts.

As DBT founder Dr. Marsha Linehan says, “It is difficult to manage your emotions when you do not understand how emotions work. Knowledge is power.”

During this 14-week program:

  • You learn to cope better with social anxiety issues, negative thinking and stop falling into the Blame Game.
  • You learn to abstain from the Compare and Despair syndrome.
  • You practice “Face it, trace it and erase it” as you work the DBT Skills and grow stronger and wiser with effective emotional regulation and self-expression.
  • You learn to access “Wise Mind” and regain your center, remain calm.  You learn to take a stand for your inner peace, and become bulletproof to bullies, others’ judgments and negative, invalidating remarks.
  • You learn to practice Radical Acceptance, as needed, and problem solve when possible. You are no longer living with victim consciousness.

If this DBT Skills training group sounds good to you, please get in touch with me to start your enrollment process. Just complete the Contact Form on my web site to begin (not to worry, this is a No-Spam Zone! Your email will not be added to any mailing lists unless you request it).

🌀 For exact dates, fees, insurance info, FAQs, DBT Flyer, videos and more details, please visit https://www.lisawessan.com/dialectical-behavioral-therapy

Onward and Upward✨

Lisa Wessan

Copyright © by Lisa Wessan 2024. All rights reserved.

#DBT, #PTSD, #EmotionRegulation #DistressTolerance, #Wellness #Recovery #Peak, #Mindfulness Addictions Anxiety BPD depression Emotional Regulation Mindfulness stress Transformation Westford, MA

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May 26

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

by Lisa Wessan, LICSW

Eating dessert is one of the pleasures of life, yet I don’t want to hurt my body by eating inflammatory foods that weaken and compromise my precious instrument…so finding desserts that contain super nutrients is definitely part of my JOYFUL experience.

I did make this recipe over the past weekend, and it’s wonderful. 

Modifications: I used almond milk (instead of oat milk), Stevia instead of Agave, skipped the salt, and I mashed it in a bowl. Came out superb! (I also made it a second time using a hand-held blender, and that works really well too, plus easy clean up.)

Have fun and enjoy this delicious healthy treat💕

Onward and Upward,

Lisa

Source: http://www.TheWeek.com 05 MAY 2023

Good Food, Good Mood Recipes Uncategorized

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