Blue Square is a nod to my journey of becoming a skier. At the age of 30, I willingly and purposefully  stepped into immovable boots and slippery sticks to head down, what seemed like a very steep slope, in an effort to “have fun”. That was over 15 years ago and, now, I truly love the sport; skiing as often as I can and looking forward to the winter months. 

How does skiing relate to therapy? Both require: learning, being out of your comfort zone, falling down and getting up, trusting in yourself, and believing in yourself and someone else (therapist or ski instructor). You also experience the rush of accomplishment and the feeling of freedom that comes with breaking through barriers (mental, personal, physical, and emotional). At Blue Square Counseling we want to help you feel in control, believe in yourself, and accomplish what you didn’t think was possible. We will get you off the bunny slopes and, confidently, heading down the blue square trails of life.

My Story: Beginning the learning process was not easy. Being an anxious person, gliding down a hill in the cold did not strike me as the safest or easiest way to develop a new hobby. However, I reluctantly trusted my instructor, the process, and myself. Learning to ski actually starts out on the easiest, flattest (not flat but not steep either) terrain available at the mountain. Those first few runs felt like I was careening down the tallest mountain I’d ever seen. And I also felt like I wasn’t going to be able to stop before crashing. To be honest, I did hit the snow (a lot) before moving downhill 100 yards. But it was the trial and error, picking myself up, asking for help, listening to my instructor, following his example, that made the process of learning to ski so amazing and transformative. I was standing on skis, doing S-turns, and heading down the learn-to-ski terrain (aka bunny slopes) with less fear and increased confidence by the end of my first lesson. I wasn’t ready to take on black diamonds (the hardest trails on a mountain) yet, but I was feeling like a green circle (the easiest  top to bottom trails) was definitely manageable. My goal was to feel comfortable on blue square runs because this meant I could traverse the mountain, without worry (blue square trails make up the majority of runs on ski mountains). This would also mean more fun, as there is much more diversity in the type of skiing available (groomed trails, mogul trails, terrain parks, glade/tree skiing, etc) on blue square runs. By the end of my fist season, I was skiing blue square runs and, making it down the mountain- it wasn’t always pretty to look at but I made it safely to the bottom! The experience of learning to ski allowed me to develop confidence, new skills, and an appreciation for how hard it is to learn something new that is outside of my comfort zone. This has been a process of personal growth and I am forever grateful for that on and off the slopes.