Beyond the Smile

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on my discussion with Alicia Hite on finding your niche, what we both cringe when asked by a friend, and our collective need to destigmatize mental health overall.    Her energy is contagious and I am excited for you to listen!

Alicia Hite is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2013 with her master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. Prior to living in Colorado Springs, Alicia resided in Las Vegas, Nevada where she owned a private practice and worked in a variety of mental health settings such as drug and alcohol rehab centers, foster care agencies, school-based settings, and community mental health agencies. She is currently the owner of Springs Psychotherapy LLC which a private practice that provides therapy to those that struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, which usually result from less than nurturing early childhood experiences. Additionally, Alicia works with couples who have experienced some sort of betrayal trauma within their relationship and are looking to rebuild and strengthen their connection to one another. Alicia is passionate about helping clients have a safe space in which they can begin to work through their past painful experiences and discover their voice, their strength, and their true selves.

Alicia also enjoys coaching other therapists in their private practice building journey which led her to create an online private practice building course called Prepping the Practitioner: How To Build, Maintain, and Love Your Private Practice. When Alicia is not working, she enjoys hiking or anything nature-related for that matter, reading, dancing, writing, meditation, and spending time with her friends and family.

You can connect with Alicia via her website at: www.springspsychotherapy.com

Or via social media on FB or IG @ @springspsychotherapyllc  

Ever hear about Brainspotting?   Yep - neither had I.  Until I met the incredible Shaina Feingold.   Check out my interview with her and let me know what you think!

Shaina Feingold is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Trauma and Performance Specialist. She is certified in Brainspotting, which she uses to provide clients with lasting results. She received her Masters in Social Work from California State University, Los Angeles with a focus in trauma and forensics. She has spent the bulk of her career working with adolescents and adults who have a history of trauma or chronic stress. She has experience working in residential substance abuse treatment, community mental health, and the school system in Minnesota.

Shaina recently opened Mindful Reflections in Boca Raton, Florida, to offer a new and liberating way of conducting therapy and performance coaching. Through Mindful Reflections, Shaina aims to redefine trauma, performance, as well as addiction, in order for clients to feel heard. She sees people for who they are, not what they have experienced. Shaina helps clients find their truth so they can take back their power.

Connect with Shaina HERE you will be as amazed (and impressed!) as I was!!!

Additional Social Media Links:

YouTube

Facebook

Instagram

Check out my chat with Dr. Schwinn and her thoughts on her Mary Poppin's bag, our culture of workplace identity, and what self-care looks like for her.  So many nuggets of info in this interview - get a pen ready to take notes!

Dr. Schwinn’s passions lie in supporting women, particularly issues surrounding the transition within mamma-hood. In becoming a mother herself, there is a deep connection to those crossing this “rite of passage”, and the deep need to heal (what she calls inviting acceptance) from unmet expectations.

Dr. Schwinn aim’s to meet the patient with compassionate inquiry, towards integration. Building authentic connections through humor and sensitivity, clients report a genuine therapeutic alliance, allowing their vulnerabilities to be held with graceful respect.

She resides in Northern California with her beloved husband, 2 small children, and Australian Shepard. She is naturally drawn to the water, being near it whenever possible. In daily life, you would find her engaging in yoga, while sipping good wine and practicing her Italian.

Check out her website:  Meet Dr. Laura

Or check her out on Instagram:  inpsyful.psychologist

Or even on Facebook:  inpsyful psychological services

Check out my interview with Catherine Lazen - talk about getting real.   We discussed religion, family, feeling like a fraud, and many topics in between.   It is a longer interview than most but the content is so powerful I encourage you to listen the whole way through.   She has some excellent resources for you to check out below as well!  Let me know what you think. While the focus of Catherine's training and experience is children and couples/families, she loves working with individuals of all ages. Her focus is to help her clients overcome and manage mental health challenges, issues associated with ASD, grief/trauma, relationship/family conflict, behavioral difficulties, life change, career planning, and issues associated with identity. As a former educator, she is particularly skilled at differentiating therapeutic interventions to fit individuals to suit their needs. In addition, she helps parents advocate for the educational needs of their children and provide social/emotional skills training to children and adults. Catherine Lazen is a clinical social worker and educational psychologist who specializes in human development over the lifespan. She offers support for healing, growth, learning, and healthy relationships. Her strength-based approach is informed by multiple theoretical frameworks, brain-based research, evidence-based therapies, the expressive arts, and a sense of humor. 

To schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation or learn more about Catherine check out her website at https://www.catherinelazen.com/ 

Resources: 

Chris Hedges https://www.chrislhedges.com/about

Chris Hedges Film / American Psychosis - Chris Hedges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlVLxmGv4yQ

Talk about an energetic conversation!   If I could bottle Leah's energy, I could finally ditch my caffeine addiction.   We touched on SO many topics during our chat that I foresee many more podcasts to come - from culture to mentors (Dana Grossman Lehman rocks!) to knowing your worth in the field.   For all of the social workers out there looking for a summer adventure - wait until you hear what she has planned (and is looking for people to join her!).    If I could only figure out how to leave my puppies....I may join her.  Let me know what you think!

Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Academic Advising and Student Support

Simmons University School of Social Work

Outside of Simmons, Tennen is a teacher and clinical consultant for Girls’ LEAP, a self-defense and empowerment program for Boston-area girls. Before coming to Simmons full-time, Tennen was the mikveh center director at Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh and Education Center. Tennen has also facilitated groups for Isis Parenting, Weight Watchers, and Marathon Physical Therapy. Tennen was the manager of the group mentoring department and a field instructor at the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. She has been a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) since 2004 and served on the IASWG-Massachusetts chapter’s board of directors for eight years.

Contact:  [email protected]

Check out my latest episode with Katie Geer as we talk 6a laundry, ten-page clinical notes, and of course wine & margaritas by the pool.   Always fun having a close friend be willing to be vulnerable with me to discuss life behind the smile!

Katie Geer is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has experience in mental health, family, and school counseling. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. Katie also has an adult son who currently serves in the military. Katie is currently employed full-time in a school setting and also sees clients in a small private practice. In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

Katie can be contacted at (814) 840-1444 or at [email protected].

PART TWO

Check out the second half of my interview with Loretta Adams and Bobbette Trice.   Our discussion continues to review how they manage the stress of their positions, how they balance life outside of work and the impact of their personal experiences with their work with clients.  Our discussion was very direct, had a lot of laughs and continued to the point of needing to split it into two episodes!   Hope you enjoy the laughs and learning more about these two incredible social workers being rockstars in their respective states.

Podcast Background Music provided by Holden Russiano, Nashville, Tennessee

PART ONE

My interview with Loretta Adams and Bobbette Trice was so much fun!  I always find it amazing to connect with such incredible ladies through technology in three separate states.    Our discussion covered their reasons for entering the field of social work, racism, what they wish they learned in graduate school and the impact of their own experiences with their work with clients.  Our discussion was very direct, had a lot of laughs and continued to the point of needing to split it into two episodes!   Tune in next week to hear the second half of our discussion and learn more about these two women that are making their mark on the field of social work in a powerful way.

Podcast Background Music provided by Holden Russiano, Nashville, Tennessee

Check out my interview with Dr. Nikki where we discuss the barriers to mental health treatment, a double standard between medicine and mental health providers with self care & the impact of a very challenging professor.   I love her energy and her passion for her work!

Dr. Lacherza-Drew, or as her patients call her, Dr. Nikki, is a licensed psychologist who works with children, teens, and adults. She is the owner of Vici Psychological Care, LLC, has a physical office in NJ, and provides online therapy to individuals in NJ, NY, and FL. Dr. Nikki has experience treating a range of mental health issues and has worked in a variety of settings including hospitals, community health agencies, schools, in-home, and private practice. She currently works in private practice and most of her work includes helping individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, and difficulties regulating emotions. Dr. Nikki operates from a CBT and humanistic perspective and tailors her approach to what is needed during sessions. Her motto: Therapy is not cookie cutter! When she is not conducting therapy sessions, Dr. Nikki teaches psychology courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels to local colleges and universities.

Dr Nikki can be reached at:

Website: www.vicipsychcare.com

Instagram: vicipsychcare

Twitter: vicipsychcare

Facebook: vicipsychcare

Check out Episode 03 with one of my favorite people as we discuss how the issue of authenticity, the impact of mentoring and empowerment shows up in academia, as well as life.   You will also hear about her recent tour of Anne Frank's House and Tai Chi in a Japanese garden!

Dr. Dana Grossman Leeman is the Senior Associate Director of the Tufts University Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT). Dana works with faculty to help bring their most creative, confident, and intentional selves to their teaching in order to improve student engagement, build community and foster equitable and inclusive professional development to optimize the quality of teaching and learning in face-to-face and online domains. Prior to coming to CELT, Dana was on faculty at the Simmons University School of Social Work for 22 years, during which she built two online degree programs in Clinical Social Work and Behavior Analysis. She was the inaugural Associate Dean for Online Education for the School of Social Work and was then appointed as the Inaugural Provost Faculty Fellow for Online Education in which she provided professional development to all faculty teaching in six online Masters programs across the university. Dana’s work derives from relational cultural theory, experiential learning, and the sociological construct of mattering. She holds an MSW from Boston University School of Social Work and a Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from Simmons University. Dana is a passionate guitarist, balletomane, voracious reader, and is currently co-editing a text on Creating Communities in Online Education. She and her husband, Rafe, have two amazing children- Gabriel and Marissa.

To follow Dr. Leeman you can find her on LinkedIn by clicking --- HERE

Background music provided by Holden Russiano.