Shari B. Kaplan, LCSWIntegrative Mental Health

Healing Identity Through Connection, Belonging, and Worthiness

21 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, Shari B. Kaplan, LCSW, explains that rebuilding a person's identity hinges on three core elements: connection, belonging, and worthiness. She emphasizes that group work allows individuals to reestablish their sense of self through relationships with peers and the group leader. In one‑on‑one therapy, the client similarly reconstructs identity by reliving and sharing their story in the presence of the therapist, who provides a safe relational context. The process begins with fostering connection, which leads to a feeling of belonging, and ultimately supports a sense of personal worthiness.

Chapters

You're helping someone rebuild their identity. And how do you do that? Connection, belonging, and then worthiness. So when you are able to work with people in groups, people get to reestablish their identity in relationship to the other people in the group and to you, the leader of that group. When you're in therapy, same thing. They are reliving and experiencing their stories in the face of you. So we have to reestablish their identity, and it first starts here.