I often get asked by clients and other professionals how I got into the behavioral health field. I thought that for today I would spend some time answering that question and discuss where I am going from here.
How it started:
While I was in college I lived with 9 other guys in a large house (not a fraternity, or officially so) and across the street we met a 30-something year old named Ron. Ron was a very nice guy who worked in construction. We learned that Ron went to KU in the early 90’s, but fell into some bad luck and injuries that put him working lower-waged jobs in construction. Ron was always smiling and pleasant, but did look 10-15 years older than he actually was. As we got to know Ron we learned Ron was an alcoholic that would often drink 20-30 beers a night. He eventually lost his job, became homeless, and started drinking even more. We turned our house into a pseudo-rehab and helped get Ron sober (FYI this is not a good idea, alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, not to mention none of us were trained professionals, but Ron had no resources, nor did our community).
Although the process was painful to watch, as Ron suffered greatly, it did ignite a passion to help those that were suffering emotionally. After undergraduate, I went to get my masters in counseling and became a licensed counselor to complete the training I needed to be the most helpful to those in emotional pain. Since then I have worked the following:
· Court ordered DUI counseling / drug court
· Opiate treatment center (Methadone)
· Director of substance use residential facility for teenagers
· Therapist for families and teenagers with behavioral health issues in residential facility
· Private practice
Each position has equipped me with a great skillset and helped me become more passionate about that I do! This all started by a man named Ron whom needed help and had nowhere else to go.
Where Now:
2018 is going to be a big year for me professionally as I grow my business and the ways I continue to help those that need help. Here are a few things that will be new this year:
· Retreats– I am rolling out a new modality to help those get emotionally and spiritually healthy. These will be two-day retreats and are built on meditation and unplugging from our busy world.
· More Content- My goal is weekly video content to help families and individuals that can’t make it into the counseling office. I will focus on family issues, parenting issues, marital issues, trauma, and addiction.
· Workbook- I hate workbooks, but they can be so effective in helping speed up the process in the counseling office. I am working on building a workbook for kids / teens, with the hope to roll one out for parents as well.
Here’s to a great 2018 and how unbelievably grateful I am for being able to do what I do!