Embracing Group Therapy and Rebuilding Friendships with Writer and Essayist - Christie O. Tate Artwork

Scoot

Claire Calfo and Howard Cooke are the hosts of "Scoot" and members of The Scooty Fund. Their mission is to create a culture in which young adults practice mindfulness, awareness, and non-judgmental acceptance towards themselves and others, and a culture in which empathy and connection are the norm.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund: https://www.instagram.com/thescootyfund/?hl=en

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Scoot

Embracing Group Therapy and Rebuilding Friendships with Writer and Essayist - Christie O. Tate

November 15, 2023 • Claire Calfo • Season 3 • Episode 5

***Content warning: mention of suicidal ideation and disordered eating.

Today we welcome Christie O. Tate to the pod. Christie is a writer and essayist based out of Chicago, and she has two books on group therapy and friendship. Christie was raised in a home where she wasn’t encouraged to openly share her emotions. She felt compelled to keep secrets and joined group therapy as an affordable alternative to seeing a therapist. At first, she was uncomfortable. Who could possibly be eager to share their intimate feelings and insecurities in a public setting? And yet, she tried anyway, and found relief on the other side of shame.

Group therapy has brought Christie much success, though it didn’t come without the work. She exercised her ability to speak vulnerably and found courage through others. She shares her experience with disordered eating, suicidal ideation, and the loss and rebuilding of friendships. Through it all, Christie realized she never needed a cure, just a witness (or a group of them).

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org/ & learn more about Christie’s work at https://christietate.com/