Why a Diagnosis?

“To get to where you want to go, you first have to know where you are”
Even though a strength-based and affirming approaches are very popular, I will like to maintain the importance of naming concepts and experiences.
The key for me here is not to pathologize or more commonly, ‘label’ you; its more to clearly and unambiguously identify what we are dealing with so we can be laser-focused on what we need to do. I call this ‘constructing’ to ‘deconstruct’ and ‘reconstruct’ your life’s narrative.
Picture this: ‘a glass cup’ ‘a plastic cup’ ‘a paper cup’. You can throw a plastic cup on the floor without any repacussion but you would handle a glass cup with more care, right? You can crumple a paper cup with your hands but I don’t know if you can attempt that with a glass cup. You could attempt to crumple a plastic cup (hmm, can I do that? maybe the party cups from Walmart, lol) with some caution so it doesn’t cut your hand because you have an awareness that it could. Get the picture?
In my world, there is a clinical difference between ‘I am sad’ and ‘I don’t quite feel like myself when we spring forward’. The former may be situational or circumstantial. The latter may indicate Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD). Similar spellings but polar clinical impact. And by extension, totally different approaches in treatment.
I’m hoping you have a clearer understanding of why I’d like to work with you to name what is wrong, not to heighten feelings of inadequacy or promote less-than-perfect self-concepts; but to know and quickly move on to solutions.