247 | You’ve Done the Work- Now What? Staying on Track After Therapy

You’ve done the work in therapy—you’ve faced the hard stuff, built new skills, and started to feel more like yourself again. But now therapy is ending, and you’re left wondering: How do I keep moving forward without losing my progress?

In this episode of the Moms Without Capes Podcast, I share practical ways to stay grounded and continue growing after therapy ends. We’ll talk about creating a plan for yourself, how to use the tools you’ve learned in everyday life, and why your personal growth doesn’t stop just because your sessions do.

If you’ve ever feared slipping back into old patterns after therapy, this conversation will give you hope, encouragement, and concrete steps to keep building the life you want.

Transcript

After Therapy-1

[00:00:00] So you've spent weeks, maybe months, sitting in that therapy chair, you've dug into your past, challenge your thoughts, built new habits, and now you and your therapist decide that you're ready to move on, and instead of feeling nothing but proud. You feel this pit in your stomach? What if I lose all the progress I've made? What if I go backwards? Today we're talking about that exact moment and how to keep growing long after therapy ends. Hey there, friends. Welcome back to The Moms Without Capes podcast.

The place where we talk about reclaiming your sense of self and remembering that you are so much more than just mom. I'm your host, Onnie licensed therapist, mom of six, and fellow traveler on this messy, beautiful journey of life and motherhood. Today we're talking about something that's a little bittersweet.

You've done the work in therapy, dug into the hard stuff, gained insights, practiced new tools, [00:01:00] and now therapy is coming to an end. Maybe you and your therapist agreed that it was time, maybe life just got busy, or maybe. You simply felt ready, but here's the question I hear all the time, what now? How do I make sure I don't lose all the progress that I've made?

That's what we're digging into today, how to keep growing and using what you've learned after therapy ends so that you don't feel like you're on your own without a map. All right. First, let's talk about the fear when therapy ends, there's often this little whisper. What if I slip back into old patterns?

What if all my progress disappears? I get it. Therapy can feel like a safety net. You've had this regular space to talk through things, get perspective, and be challenged, and when that's gone, you might wonder, will I be able to do this without the structure? In reality though, your growth isn't something that your therapist gave you.

It's something that you built Every insight, every aha moment, every hard [00:02:00] conversation you did that your therapist guided you, but really you were the one that was pedaling the bike. I like to think of therapy like training wheels. In the beginning, you need that extra stability, but over time you got stronger, you wobbled less, and one day the training wheels came off.

Sure, you might wobble sometimes still, but you know how to ride. And yes, you might hit a bump or two. Life will keep throwing curve balls. But the difference now is that you have the skills and the self-awareness to navigate them. I tell my clients right at the beginning that just like motherhood, I want you to fly.

I work myself out of a job. I don't want you to continue coming to therapy week after week, after week for years. I want you to build that confidence to use the tools that we have been putting in your toolbox from the very first session.

One of the best ways to protect your progress is to create what I call a maintenance plan. [00:03:00] Think of it like your post therapy survival kit. This isn't a big, fancy document that you need to refer to every time something comes up. It's simply a personalized guide that answers the question, what helps me feel grounded, healthy, and moving forward?

Here are some things that your maintenance plan might include. Your go-to coping skills. Now that might be deep breathing, grounding exercises, prayer, journaling, or taking a walk or any number of things that you have identified while we were working together, of things that you can use, skills that you have developed that help regulate your nervous system, help you feel in control.

Help you get back in touch and feel grounded. Also, included in your maintenance plan are your non-negotiables, things that keep your mental health steady, like getting seven hours of sleep, limiting caffeine, having one unplugged night a week. Now these are things that you may have worked with over your time in therapy that you have already made as part of your life,

[00:04:00] you should also talk about wording signs. What are your personal red flags? That signal that you're slipping into old patterns. Maybe you notice you're more irritable, skipping meals, isolating from friends or staying up away too late scrolling. What are the things that you were doing when you first sought counseling?

These might just be the red flags that will signal, all right, I need to buckle down and go back to those non-negotiables. Maybe it is calling your therapist for a booster session. I don't know if every therapist does this, but when I've worked with clients, when we're ready to finish therapy, I offer booster sessions where my clients can call me back up and I schedule them in and typically all we need is just one, they're all flying again.

You might also wanna include in your maintenance plan, your support network, the people you can text or call when things feel heavy, family, friends, maybe an old group that you participated in for therapy, maybe people that you have [00:05:00] identified while you were working together with your therapist that are part of your support network.

And then here's an important part. Keeping a victory list or reminders of the progress that you've made. You might want to keep this in a note in your phone where you just jot down. It's a running list where you jot down small wins and ways that you've handled situ situations differently. One of the tools that I, or one of the, I guess, homework.

That I love giving clients is for them to start a I can do hard things list, and I've talked about this in past episodes. This is just a running list of all of the hard things that your past self would be in awe of that you have accomplished or that you have gone through. Challenges that you've faced and overcome throughout your life.

Raising a Child. Can definitely be on that list. If you've birthed a child, that too can make the list. Waking up, going for a walk, getting a college degree or graduating high school, making it [00:06:00] through a difficult class. All of the things that your past self would just be amazed that you overcame keeping that list and referring to it often.

It's gonna remind you that you've got this. Your maintenance plan can be as short or as detailed as you need. And remember, it's a living document. As life changes, so will the ways that you take care of yourself. So one of the most common things that I see after therapy is people putting their tools back on the shelf.

It's like finishing a home improvement project, putting the hammer in the garage, and then acting surprise. When you can't hang the next picture, frame the tools that you learned in therapy, whether it's challenging, negative self-talk, setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness. They're not meant to gather dust.

Let me give you an example. If journaling helped you process emotions. Don't wait until you're in crisis to pick up the pen. Make it part of your weekly rhythm. Maybe Sunday evenings just to check in with yourself. If boundaries were a big focus for you, keep practicing [00:07:00] them in small everyday ways. It's not just about saying no to a toxic person.

It's also the micro boundaries, like saying no to staying up late to finish laundry when your body actually needs to rest. Think of it like going to the gym. If you stop completely, your strength fades. Over time, you start losing the muscle that you build up. But if you keep showing up. Even in smaller doses, it's way easier to maintain your progress and to keep building

Therapy may be done, but your personal growth journey that is lifelong. Here are a few ways that you can keep up the momentum. Join a support group or a community like our Moms Without Capes Facebook group. Is an awesome place for you to continue having real conversations about the stuff that matters.

Continue to dive into learning. Read a book that builds on what you explored in therapy. If you worked on anxiety, grab a book like The Anxiety and Phobia workbook, or I am actually in the middle of reading [00:08:00] high functioning Anxiety if you explore boundaries. Read, set boundaries. Find peace. Listen to podcasts.

There's lots of amazing podcasts from other therapists and professionals.

Find a growth buddy, a friend who's also working on their personal development, and hold yourself accountable. Check in with each other once a week. I did an episode, it was quite a while back, but it was all about the benefits of having an accountability buddy. I will link to that in the show notes of today's episode and then take a class or a workshop.

Nowadays, it's so easy to do with all of the virtual options, whether it's emotional wellness, creative writing, or even learning a new hobby. Anything that challenges your brain in a new way. Because growth doesn't mean you're constantly fixing yourself. It means that you're staying curious, flexible, and open to new ways of thinking and being.

Ending therapy doesn't mean that you have [00:09:00] graduated forever. It's not like high school life has seasons. You may go years without needing it, and then a big life change or loss happens and you need that support again. This isn't failure, it's wisdom. It's knowing when to add the extra support back in before things spiral.

Think of it like seeing a physical therapist. You might go for a while after an injury, stop when you've recovered, and then come back later if you tweak something. Again, these booster sessions or tune up sessions can really help and that's actually one of the healthiest things you can do. If you take anything away from therapy, it should be that recognizing and asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

It's actually such a strength. you're listening and you're in that post therapy stage, I wanna leave you with this. You are not starting over. You are building a foundation that's already there. You've learned how to recognize your triggers, challenge your thoughts, and take care of your needs. That knowledge doesn't just disappear.

It's part of [00:10:00] you now, they always say it's like riding a bike. Right? Back to that training wheels metaphor. It may take a little bit of time, but that is why it's so important to have your maintenance plan. Just remember that growth isn't about perfection. You will have off days, you will stumble, you will have bad moments, and that doesn't mean that you failed.

It just means that you're human. The real work is in how you respond, how you get back up. Give yourself grace and keep going. Keep showing up for yourself. Keep practicing the things that keep you grounded and know that the work that you've done has already changed you in ways that you may not even see yet.

Alright, friend, that's what I have for you today. If you're looking for a place to keep that momentum going, then come join our free moms with out Cape Facebook community. We are talking all about self-care boundaries and everything in between, and you'll find women who get it. If this episode resonated with you, hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next.

And if you know someone who's just finished [00:11:00] therapy and could use a boost, send them this episode. Just remember that you are 100% responsible for your own life and for creating the joy that you want to feel. Stop living on autopilot. Slow down. Check in with yourself and please above all, take care of yourself because you, my friend, are worth it.