Guiding Clients Toward Independence: A Conversation with Outpatient Therapist Latosia Logan
At Judson Center, healing often begins with a single conversation — a theme that Outpatient Therapist Latosia Logan, a team member of Judson Center’s Behavioral Health program, returns to again and again as she describes her work and her passion for serving the community.
“The one thing I love about Judson Center,” she shares, “is that we serve a diverse population, in that our services are not just rendered to certain genders or ethnicities but is rendered to those that are in need. It encompasses everyone.”
For Logan, therapy is not a lifelong assignment but a guided journey toward independence. She often reassures clients who wonder how long they’ll need support. “Will I be in therapy forever? That’s a question I’m asked often,” she says. “It all depends on the need. The goal of therapy is not to have you in it forever. The goal is for you to walk independently on your own.”
To explain the process, she uses a metaphor that resonates with both children and adults: “I kind of phrase it like this: It’s like riding a bike with training wheels, and the training wheels are your therapy. Eventually we want to get you to that place where you’re able to ride alone and no longer need the training wheels, yet you still have the handlebars. Your handlebars serve as support.”
Those “handlebars,” she explains, are the coping skills developed during sessions — the tools clients carry with them long after therapy ends. “You learned how to deal with stress. You learned how to deal with anxiety. You learned how to deal with depression. You learned how to deal with feeling overwhelmed. Because of therapy, you’ve been able to do that. And so we try to get you from therapy to independence.”
“Therapy will be your space — a place where you feel safe enough to share what’s been bothering you.”
Logan knows that beginning therapy can feel intimidating, especially for those whose expectations are shaped by movies or television. “For some, it’s scary,” she acknowledges. “When you think of therapy, you may have seen movies or different people on television and therapy seemed so frightening. But therapy is not frightening.”
Instead, she describes it as a safe, conversational space where people can release what they’ve been holding inside. “Therapy is basically a conversation that we have, where you’re able to share what you may be feeling, what you may be thinking, and then I’m able to listen. It’s a place where you can release.”
Even her five-year-old granddaughter understands the value of having space to process emotions. “She has little tantrums at times,” Logan says with a smile. “She says, ‘Give me my space.’ Therapy will be your space.”
From that space, Logan works collaboratively with each person to understand their needs and build a path forward. “I will be able to engage with you and we’ll be able to develop something that works good for you, because the goal is to make sure your needs are met.”
To Learn More About Our Behavioral Health Available Services call us at (586) 573-1810 to speak to a team member or contact us online.