Morty: Yes. I’d have to know the client well enough, though—and timing is important. My patients would come to me with a long list of challenges they had faced in the week, and I would say, “But besides that, everything’s good?”
Sarah: And besides the ALS, everything’s good?
Morty: Exactly. I’d also use magic or math tricks to make kids like coming to therapy or to reinforce important concepts.
Sarah: How has humor helped you cope?
Morty: Thinking about things in humorous ways has always been helpful. I used to say my Olympic sport was walking to the dining room with my walker. Unfortunately, I can’t do that anymore, so now my Olympic sport is getting out of bed. It’s a team sport.
Sarah: And that’s a good segue to…
Help
Countless studies have shown the impact of social support on health. Good social support can increase resilience, protect against mental illness, and even increase life expectancy.2 Support becomes even more critical when you are physically dependent on others due to illness.
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