Hi Barbie! Your therapist is ready to see you now!

Do you think after becoming a real woman and going to her first gyn appointment at the end of the movie she googled “therapists near me” to address her mental health?

I’m Desiree, a Brooklyn-born, NYC mental health thought leader with over twelve years of experience providing therapy for New Yorkers going through hard times, as well as conducting research, managing outpatient mental health programs and developing group therapy curricula for adults living with chronic mental health challenges due to trauma.

I took a bit of a blogging hiatus over the summer months, but I’m actually excited to share some ramblings about the Barbie movie because it has come up A LOT in session! Lots of mom stuff because how could we not with America Ferrara speaking to pain so recognizable.

Barbie-inspired mental health advice from a NYC therapist:

1. Try IFS therapy with a licensed remote therapist or one in your area
   I have been incorporating this style of therapy into my practice over the last few years and couldn’t NOT make a separate blog getting into the IFS of the Barbie movie characters. This was a HUGE part of my childhood people as a blonde artsy-sciencey-weird Barbie.

2. Get to know your parents and grandparents if it’s safe for you to do so
   It’s understandable and no reason for shame if this wasn’t/isn’t an option for you. If it is however, there might be a wealth of insight into your family’s intergenerational trauma, attachment wounds and scarcity mindset, allowing you to repair some of that damage to free up your energy.
   

3. Address your shadow, and also your -isms

   Taylor has been reminding us of our shadow selves and the parts of ourselves we might want to hide, deny the existence of or mask with. Let’s work together to address the stuff that’s too scary to look at on your own as well as any blind spots you may have, because we all have them!
   

4. Stop letting people call you babygirl!
   Barbie is demeaned by this term at least twice in the movie, towards the end rightfully calling that sh*t out! Pet names are fine if that’s your thing but baby talk and cutesy names can also be used to shrink us down to size and become manipulated. You can be baby, but make sure it’s consensual and you’re not losing yourself in an unhealthy codependency because you haven’t yet discovered who you are on your own.
   

5. Be mindful in all that you do
   Mindful use has been a more frequent topic as we work our way out of our hermit era back into safe community with like minds. Reminding me of:

It’s amazing helping people monitor and consciously manage their use patterns without judgement or shame to prevent herbs and medicines from becoming habits that get in the way of living life in a real way. Experienced cannabis and other substance users often understand the need and benefits of taking a tolerance break. There are many ways to go about this, and it’s not my role to instruct you on how to have a relationship with your substance of choice, it’s to help reduce any harm that may be associated with it so you can do all the other things that bring you joy.

Until next time,
be well!