Janice Shapiro, MA, LMFT California Lic #86051
Psychotherapist for Marriage, Individual and Family Happiness
"To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly."
---Henri Bergson
My Story
My career journey from 4th grade teacher to marriage and family therapist took a lot of twists and turns. Although, believe it or not, it all connects.
Starting the journey as an elementary school teacher, I learned so much about how children absorb, learn, and develop. My first pivotal change occurred during parent-teacher conferences. After the regular part of "How your child is doing", parents would tell me about their family story: the history, struggles, heartaches and joys. They would tell me ALL. I began to see my students in a new light, as family members. I was drawn to the field of marriage and family therapy.
My second pivotal change occurred while working as a therapist. I was able to connect behaviors my clients wanted to change to past negative experiences. And so my motto became: "Whatever you have learned, you can unlearn and learn new ways of being," In other words, it is possible to make changes.
My third pivotal change occurred when I became certified as a pet loss and bereavement counselor. I heard such a strong bond when listening to my clients tell of their loss. As I studied the human-animal bond, I realized how extraordinary the bond can become between ourselves and our beloved pets. This led to further study about human attachment.
My fourth pivotal change occurred while walking my dog, Ranger. Strangers would come up and ask permission to pet him. After a joyful greeting of jumps, slobbers and licks (from him), they actually thanked ME for letting them pet my dog. This happened too many times to ignore. They were getting something out of petting Ranger, but what? They were experiencing unadulterated pure love.
........But WAIT!...................STOP!..........................You ask....
What about human- human relationships? Aren't you a marriage and family therapist for humans????
Yes I am. And this is very important: the human-animal bond is one of pure Love. A love without any prior conditions, hang-ups, past traumas, negative judgements, defense mechanisms, as so often happens in human to human relationships. We can learn so much from our family pets, starting with the skills needed to love in its purest sense.
This is where my expertise comes in as a marriage and family therapist. I help clients bring down the barriers and allow pure love in.
Janice