Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

I specialize in trauma, and I am fascinated by it. It’s like an underwater aquarium, teeming with hermit crab peek-a-boos and antenna rubbings; I stick my nose to the glass with darting eyes, absorbing the thousands of client stories, hours of clinical training, and the cries of my own wounds. There’s no monster to blame,Continue reading “Dreamin’ Big”

There’s nothing quite like a mutually beneficial relationship. Today, I received this message “Putting therapy conversations to work!” and a screenshot of a message exchange. It showed a client I work with (the one with fewer needs) and their friend, the one needing more. Predictably, the friend in greater need is experienced as demanding andContinue reading “The Win-Win Relationship”

After a nightcap of confessions, a priest rests his forehead on weathered hands. “Long day, Jack? Everything on the up and up?” the bartender croons, a usually-shouldered rag in hand. This prop grants him entry to the best gossip in town. The greased elbow rub at a spot on the floor, or a wet circledContinue reading “The Bartender’s Burden”

I had a client quit on me today. Another client called in a panic after a disturbing encounter with a family member. And yet another call with a client’s parent fearing their child’s plan of suicide. Each situation felt heavy and helpless, and I wouldn’t have changed anything I did. I provided support, validated theirContinue reading “Wondering Why”

I will write this post poorly. I will write this post poorly. I will write this post poorly. As you can see, I’m brainwashing myself. My perfectionist tells me I’m a sucky writer, and I feel bad for anyone who has clicked all the way here to read this. Since you’re here, I’ll tell youContinue reading “A Soft Place to Fall”

Strung between three thorny salmonberry stalks was a bird’s nest. A lime green cotton candy swirl mixed with a witch’s hair-looking kind. On my walk, I bent one of the stalks and peered inside. Nothing. The back of my head, although not green, is also a gnarled nest. From too much stocking cap wearing. ThoughContinue reading “From the Book”

At 1:15 PM, Dave showed up at the back door of my office, just as a client would. “How was your day? Good to see you. What lovely weather we’re having,” I quipped, leading him down the hallway and up the stairs as if we hadn’t seen each other just hours before. The reason forContinue reading “Positively a Preschooler”

Ladies and gentlemen, enter Helen Reddy (imagine a Vanna White hand gesture accompanied by billowy velvet fabric folding into itself like a cathedral’s accordion). “Yes, I am wiseBut it’s wisdom born of painYes, I’ve paid the priceBut look how much I’ve gainedIf I have to, I can do anythingI am strong (strong)I am invincible (invincible)IContinue reading “Aftershock Smoothings”

“I can’t do stream of consciousness,” a lover of books, words, and a client I counsel told me. “You can’t do stream of consciousness?!” I asked, much too accusatorily, as if I were being asked to teach breathing. The task was simple: to write a letter to their fear, to this jump-scare horror movie feeling,Continue reading “Mourn the Gap”

Do you know water striders? Am I saying that right? The waterborne daddy-longlegs or crane flies, those slender creatures with stilts-like legs that skim across the water’s surface, not quite angelic, but certainly not as clumsy as a moose learning to stand. Well, picture those critters, but thousands of them. Can you visualize it? Now,Continue reading “Sagebrush Showdown”