Community Highlights: Meet Margit Henderson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Margit Henderson.

Hi Margit, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In my psychology practice, Resiliency Resources, I help people cope and thrive in the face of life’s challenges. I have been a therapist for almost 30 years. Because my private practice is usually full and waitlisted, I’ve had to find other ways to bring care to more people. I’ve written two books—Optimistic Aging: From Midlife to the Good Life (2015 winner of the Living Now Book Award) and my new 2020 book, From Hope to Habit: Science-Based Solutions to Live Your Best Intentions. I am a professional speaker, creating community experiences focused on lifelong wellbeing, burnout relief, developing self-compassion and creating healthy habits. With the pandemic, I have transitioned my therapy practice to video therapy, which, much to my surprise, I enjoy just as much. Plus, I’ve jumped on Zoom to offer Resiliency Reset presentations and to teach my Habits Deep-Dive Courses. The mental health pandemic quietly preceded the coronavirus and is now terribly exacerbated by the medical, economic and injustice challenges that are pummeling our society. In my small ways, I seek to help people overcome the emotional obstacles before them to survive these challenging time and ultimately to flourish.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Today, I did a zoom presentation for the staff of a community mental health center about Burnout Relief. I shared with the participants about my own past experiences of intense burnout, where the pressures I felt to be helpful in the face of sometimes insurmountable circumstances left me crispy fried. For example, near the end of my graduate training, after several years of doing intense trauma work and suicide intervention, I was so emotionally spent that I almost stopped doing clinical work altogether. I turned toward the faculty/researcher path while I restored myself emotionally. Fortunately, I was required to complete a one-year clinical internship before I could get my degree and that experience brought me to Denver and rekindled my love of being a therapist. A second burnout experience happened when my passion for systemic and policy change inspired me to jump into political organizing work. On top of my full-time psychologist job and raising two young children, I volunteered 15-30 hours per week for the Obama campaigns. After a few years of that, I was exhausted and physically sick again. I needed lots of sleep and support to get through those times where I had pushed myself too hard. I also drew on my knowledge as a trauma therapist to see how my stress was impacting my body, mind and emotions and to find a path back to health, to now again having extra energy to share.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a clinical psychologist, award-winning author and professional speaker. I specialize in embodied resilience. As a therapist, I help people move stress, depression, anxiety, grief and trauma out of their bodies and minds. I teach people research-based mindfulness and movement practices so that they discover how to release their emotional pain. As a therapist, I am especially known for trauma work, and as an advocate for healthy aging. My book and presentations about Optimistic Aging work to change the mindset and reduce prejudice about aging. My pandemic project was finishing and publishing my newest book, From Hope to Habit. Most of our struggles are rooted in unhealthy habits (in our relationships, work, finances, health and thoughts). Writing this book was a labor of love, grappling with what I’ve learned over 30 years about making lasting change and distilling it into a step-by-step process that people can use to become more self-compassionate and take charge of their lives by owning their habits. And now I’m super excited to be supporting the Hope to Habits book with the Habits Deep-Dive Course, where I coach a small group of participants on Zoom to develop personalized solutions to their unique habit challenges. All of these different interests and offerings come back to resilience.

What are your plans for the future?
I am excited to teach more using Zoom classes. As a professional speaker, I get to share ideas and create healing experiences with large groups. As a teacher of the Habits Deep-Dive Course, I get to have rich small-group discussions about self-compassion and change. I’m noodling on other topics I can teach in group settings to expand my reach. As one person with a maxed-out therapy practice and history of burnout I don’t want to repeat, I am finding creative ways to connect with more people using my time and energy mindfully.

Contact Info:

• Email: margit@margithenderson.com
• Website: https://www.margithenderson.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/margithenders0n?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCydVpQeTpQzN4rzSWyZEO6Q
• Other: https://www.margithenderson.com/hope-to-habit-course/

Image Credits:
Nick Zelinger for the book cover
Wonder Works Studios for speaker photo
Susan Daggett for all other photos