Simona Sez . .
. Home is Where We Go for Refueling
It is my pleasure to introduce on my blog, Simona A. Seiderman, the author of a wonderful book, Simona Sez . . . "Home is Where We Go for Refueling." Simona book is based on her vast experience as a psychotherapist and moves readers to evaluate some of their own issues without being intrusive. Simona's concept of being refueled means, "experiencing: love, trust, respect, cooperation acceptance understanding, compassion, mutuality, and privacy." Her book, in my humble opinion, is a great coffee table book for anyone to have on display, after you have read it, of course!
Muriel: Simona, our paths crossed, if I am correct,
in June of 2012. I was going through a
personal trial, because my grandson was in the hospital recovering from a near-drowning.
You are friends with my sister and her family, and you were inquiring about how
my grandson was doing on my sister’s Facebook page. You were also a part
of the tremendous prayer team that we had during that time. Eventually,
you and I became Facebook friends and the rest if history
(ha-ha). Formally, we have never met, but I feel that I know you after
becoming friends on Facebook. I have your book on my Kindle and I must
tell you that I find it to be an easy read, a comfort read, and a new reference
book for me. Your book validates what I’ve always believed; therapy is
good for the soul and mind.
Simona: Muriel, your recollection
of how we became friends is the same as mine. Your sister, Camille, is a dear
friend of mine. Our paths intersected when your grandson, William, was in the
ICU as the result of a near-drowning experience and Camille asked her Fb
friends to pray for him. Loving Camille as I do, I readily began praying for
his recovery and asked everyone I knew to join us in prayer. We were blessed
with William’s full recovery, and, as you said, our friendship grew out of this
experience. Thank you for the kind words about my book--it warms my heart
to know how it has impacted you.
Muriel: Now I don’t want to take the spotlight off of you, so tell us a
little something about you.
Simona: I have
been a social worker since 1981 (I worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse prior
to that). I am 62, married, Jewish, and the mother of three adult
children. I am as happy engaging in deep conversation as I am sitting on
my deck watching the birds and animals interplay with nature.
Muriel: What inspired you
to write this book?
Simona: Years
ago, I wrote a cookbook filled with my favorite recipes and gave copies to
family and friends. A neighbor, happily accepting the gift, commented, “Well,
that’s your first book.” Then in my practice I heard myself saying similar
things over and over again – for example, “Home is where we go for refueling”
when a client was not being emotionally nourished at home – and thought, I
ought to start writing this stuff down.
Muriel: Your title is fantastic and I love the name play; so
how did you come up with the title of your book?
Simona: I played
Simon Says as a child. As I heard myself talking to my clients, it was a
natural fit to call the book Simona Sez.
Muriel: I love how you've taken a much used clique like “practice makes perfect,” and made it a
usable life tools like “Practice makes everything easier.” How did you
come up with this style?
Simona: It’s an
extension of what I believe: if we practice something again and again, it does
become easier. This is especially true if we are using a new behavior, like
being more assertive if we are passive or being more forthcoming with our needs
if we don’t typically verbalize them.
Muriel: Another thing I enjoyed about your book
is that you are not “preachy.” It is an easy read and it makes you
think. Are you currently working on a new project? If so, can you
share a bit of your new project with us?
Simona: I have started working on a new book called Grief & LOSS: Righting a WRONG. I will be interviewing people who have suffered a loss but gone on to transform their grief into something positive. One example that comes to mind is that of a woman who, since losing her 34-year-old daughter two years after a kidney cancer diagnosis, now raises awareness and funds for kidney cancer.
Simona: I have started working on a new book called Grief & LOSS: Righting a WRONG. I will be interviewing people who have suffered a loss but gone on to transform their grief into something positive. One example that comes to mind is that of a woman who, since losing her 34-year-old daughter two years after a kidney cancer diagnosis, now raises awareness and funds for kidney cancer.
Muriel: An OMG moment for
me was when I read “There are at least two sides to every story. And then
there is this maxim: There are three sides to every story. His side,
her side and the truth.” I say this a lot, in different verbiage of
course, and wanted to know is there anything you found particularly challenging
when writing this?
Simona: I
thought a lot about keeping the book universal—I wanted to make sure that what
I wrote was general enough that readers could apply it to their own lives.
Muriel: You
incorporate and share a lot of “you” in your book. How hard was
this? Did you find this to be therapeutic for you?
Simona: I was
very comfortable sharing some of “me” in my book. In my field, we call it
“therapeutic use of self” or sharing with a purpose.
Muriel: I found your
case studies to be interesting and on a few of them, I found myself wanting to know
more about how they are doing currently. How did you choose which case
study to include in this book?
Simona: Most of
the case studies are amalgamations of cases, something I did to protect my
clients’ identities. I know what you mean about wanting to know more about how
someone is doing now; I often wonder how things are going for clients after
they terminate our work together!
Muriel: From a personal standpoint, having lost my dad
almost two years ago, I was intrigued by your section on grief. Although
I won’t say which one, I did find my character represented in this section and
was somewhat comforted by the thought that I handled (and still handle) my
grief for him quite well. Have you considered doing an expansion of this
section as a separate entity?
Simona: My
second book, Grief & LOSS: Righting a WRONG, will
focus exclusively on grief.
Muriel: What was the
hardest challenge you had in writing this book?
Simona: I faced
two competing challenges: first, writing in a way that protected client
confidentiality, and, second, writing any words when I became
stuck.
Muriel: What did you
learn if anything from writing your book?
Simona: Practice
really does make everything easier!
Muriel: I am sure that you
recommend relaxation to your clients as a form of therapy. What do you do
to relax?
Simona: I love
sitting on my deck with family and friends when the weather is nice and in
front of a roaring fire when it is cold out.
Muriel: Would I be
putting you on the spot by asking what do you do when you need to talk to
someone?
Simona: I usually call on a very good friend of mine,
who also happens to be a therapist.
Muriel: Do you have
anything specific that you want to say to your readers and fans?
Simona: I
appreciate all the wonderful feedback you have given me, and I am pleased that
you have found reading my book helpful in your quest to take better care of
yourself!
Muriel: What can we
expect from you in the future?
Simona: My
second book, Grief & LOSS: Righting a WRONG, is
going to be the ultimate self-help book for those who are grieving.
Muriel: How can
readers contact you to find out more about your book.
Simona: They can
find more information at http://www.simonasez.com
Muriel: Simona, one thing I
know for sure, our mental health is just as important as our physical health.
They go hand-in-had if we want to live long, happy and productive lives. By the way, I have a friend who writes books
for children with a moral in each story. Somehow (as I put on my thinking
cap), I could see collaboration between the two of you in the near
future. Thanks so much for your time and for allowing me to introduce your
book on Muriel’s Peach Pit!
Simona: I would
be happy to be introduced to your friend to explore the possibility of
collaboration, and I am thrilled that you asked me to participate in this
interview! Thanks so much, Muriel.
So many times we put the wrong connotation on psychotherapy and we cheat ourselves out of a valuable life tool. Simona's book will relax you, comfort you, answer questions, and ease your mind. Feel free to go to her website http://www.simonasez.com for more information about ordering her book. Happy Reading to All! ~Muriel
