This week, we have a conversation with Mary DiGiovanna. Mary is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor working primarily as a supervisor and clinic director. She has experience working with trauma disorders (specifically dissociative disorder), as well as adolescent disorders, and substance use disorders. Mary is passionate about things like social justice, feminism, and access to care across socioeconomic classes. She finds fulfillment in guiding and educating new counselors. Mary really believes that counselor identity and development is paramount to providing informed and good quality care. She's passionate about fostering counselor development in a way that nurtures the skill building necessary to be successful in the counselor role and also that recognizes the unique strengths that each individual counselor brings to their work.

Some things we chat about include:

-Authenticity vs. toxic positivity 

-How to sit in discomfort

-The role of "helper"/"fixer"

-Feminist theory, social justice, and HAES in context of therapy

-The importance of basic needs (including safety) being met as a foundation to therapeutic work 

-The need for critical thinking as a therapist 

-Naming the power differential

...and more!