About Vered Counseling
Why is this therapy practice called Vered Counseling?
What the heck’s a Vered?
Well, it’s me! Ta da! Kimberly Vered Shashoua.
But there’s more to this than just thinking “I’m so cool; I’m going to name this after myself.” Or “Nobody can pronounce Shashoua - let’s just go one over...”
"Vered" = "rosebud"
I want to help you bloom!
I’m named after a “little baby rose” or “rosebud.” I like that image - a little baby wrapped up tight in her petals – so I named my therapy practice after it.
Every parent wants their baby safe and comfy, sure, but babies can’t stay like that forever. Things that comfort and protect us can become suffocating. If you stayed a rosebud, no one would ever see who you were, the same way that you can’t know how a flower will look until it blooms.
Being a teenager brings you to the crossroads of the familiar and unknown...
Some of the things you’ve relied on are now keeping you small. Maybe they’ve never done a great job of protecting you, but their familiarity is comforting. We keep doing things that we know aren’t working because breaking away seems too hard, too intimidating, too scary.
Blooming is scary as hell. Being who you are sounds like a gamble. What if you’re not good enough? What if you open up your petals and there’s nothing there? Just a giant hole, infinite emptiness? What if the person you actually are… sucks?
Every teen's got something wonderful inside of her, ready to bloom.
Let’s figure this thing out together.
Having gone from a baby Vered to an adult Vered, there are a few things I’ve learned.
Being an adult is so much better than being a teenager. I can make decisions by myself for myself about myself.
Even though it's scary, the process of opening up and showing the world who you are remains most worthwhile thing you can ever do. Not everyone likes me, which is sometimes hard. It’s worth it, though - the people who like me really and genuinely do.
Even if you think there’s nothing there, there IS something beautiful inside of you. I haven’t met a single person that doesn’t have something, (maybe familiar, maybe dormant), that glitters inside of them.
I’ve gone from a vered, a little, baby rosebud, to an adult Vered, petals-a-flying. You can, too.
I believe in you, my veredim.
Parents, ready to start?
Schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation today.
Let's see how we can work together to help bring your teen into a better life.