Interview with a Therapist

For this week’s blog, I decided to do something a little different. I have a lot of questions about the mental health field, for I want to be a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner when I am older. I know what I want to do, but sometimes I am not so sure of the route I should take to get there. To answer some of my questions, I decided to interview my boss, Amber Madden. I learned a lot from her answers, and hopefully you will too!

How many years of college did it take for you to become a therapist?

       I attended 4 years of college for my bachelor's degree and then another 2-3 years for my masters. How much time one may spend on the masters degree is dependent upon how many classes they may choose to take at a time. I was working full time while pursuing my masters, so I took classes at a bit of a slower pace.

What is your favorite part about your job?

       My favorite part about my job is the amount of creativity it provides. In general, I am the type of person who likes to have the ability to explore different elements of creativity and to have new challenges. I have found the mental health profession to offer a variety of ways to be creative whether it is from developing individualized treatment plans for challenging clients, creating a private practice, utilizing social media to advocate for mental health or writing on a widespread range of topics related to mental health. There are lots of ways to be creative in this field and I find it adaptable to almost any industry as mental health applies to almost everything we do.

To be successful , what are 3 qualities that you believe a therapist should have?

       Self-discipline - I say self discipline, because there is a significant part of mental health that requires devoting extra time and attention to clients in order to make sure they are receiving quality services. There are many times I need to devote extra time to researching about mental health conditions and the best and most effective ways of treating those conditions. At times, this can feel a bit like I'm preparing for a research paper, which may not be ideal to some individuals. However, I find this is important in making sure clients needs are met. Along the lines of self-discipline also comes with documentation. Documentation is a HUGE part of mental health practice and one of the areas that many clinicians have the most suffering because it can be unpleasant to have to spend additional time documenting sessions. It takes a great amount of discipline, especially in private practice, to make sure proper documentation is completed.

       Interpersonal Skills  or "Soft" Skills - I once read a book about becoming a "master" therapist. Actually, the name of the book is, On Being a Master Therapist, by Jeffrey A. Cottler and Jon Carlson. In this book, the duo explored on what elements were believed to become a "master" therapist. Time and time again, they referred to the relationship between the therapist and the client. This was also based on years of research and experience. I also believe this is a very important quality to have for being a good therapist. A therapist needs to have excellent interpersonal skills in order to be able to effectively listen to their clients, as well as convey empathy and caring about their presenting conditions. The relationship often is more important than the therapist skills utilized, as well.

       A Knowledge of Ethical Principles - Do no harm continues to be a message in the medical and mental health professional world that is often stated. Therapists have a responsibility to their clients to ensure they are constantly helping them and not harming them. Many times, this can often refer to any ethical dilemmas that may come up during therapy and how the therapist navigates these challenges. A quality therapist needs to be well versed in the ethical guidelines of how to work with clients and what they can and cannot do to help clients.

What college did you attend, and what degrees did you receive?

       I attended University of the Cumberlands receiving a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I attended Union College to receive a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Lastly, I received a Graduate Certificate in Eating Disorder Treatment from Northern Illinois University.

What made you decide to become a therapist?

       I have always thought of myself to be an analytical person and someone who has enjoyed learning about people. When I was in college for my undergrad, I actually started out as a music major. I played violin and piano growing up and I thought I wanted to become a music teacher. However, I found the classes VERY challenging, the competition was steep between students and at the end of the day, I really did not know how much I actually wanted to teach. As part of my undergraduate basics, I was required to take an Introduction to Psychology course. I was completely fascinated by the material in this course. I loved everything I was learning and the learning felt effortless, so I took another course, Abnormal Psychology. Again, I continued to be intrigued by the material and it all felt very effortless because I was so interested in what I was learning. I switched majors and decided to commit myself to becoming a mental health professional, mostly because I really liked learning about people and the different parts of our lives that makeup who we are as individuals.

What is your preferred style of therapy?

       I would not say I have a preferred style. I utilize a blend of humanistic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and existentialism. The mode of therapy I utilize tends to be based on the presenting problems of the client and how they perceive their problems.

What are some things you do outside of your work to help you maintain a happy, healthy life?

       I love to take walks and listen to an audiobook or podcast. I also really love cooking when I have the time for it. I enjoy reading and of course, watching some Netflix from time to time. Most importantly, I like to spend time with my family.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring therapist, what would it be?

       I would tell an aspiring therapist to make sure they attend an accredited school, one accredited by CACREP. I did not know about CACREP at the time I pursued my degree and the schools were not as widely recognized. I am credentialed through the National Board of Credentialed Counselors now, but a CACREP degree would have been nice, as well. This is a single decision that could potentially have a large impact on the types of employment you can find when you begin looking. I would also advise aspiring therapist to plan well for student loans. I have been fortunate in that I worked for a place that partnered with the National Health Service Corporation and I was able to trade my service for student loan repayment. This has been a huge saving grace for me. I know many others her struggle with upwards of 200k debt and it is so important to make a plan for that when going into this field and how you will plan to pay back those loans or try to work for a place that may help you pay them back.

---

Kylee Roberts, Mental Health Therapist

Co-Written by Amber Madden, LPCC-S

Meet Our New Virtual Assistant!

I’m happy to announce the addition of Miss Kylee Roberts to our practice. Kylee is going to be helping with lots of “behind the scenes” sorts of things including excellent customer service for answering our phones and responding to our email referral requests. I am also excited to say that she is going to be helping out here on the blog with writing some posts herself! In addition, you’ll get glimpses of her work through our social media accounts and many other helpful tasks.

You can read more about Kylee below!

Hello! My name is Kylee Roberts and I am the new Virtual Assistant here at Bloom Therapy Services! I am a high school student who plans on going into the mental health field when I am older. Can’t wait to talk with you!

~ Kylee

About Kylee

Kylee Roberts is a Junior in high school. She finished her sophomore year with a 4.7 GPA, and has an ACT score of 30. She is very active in her school’s extracurricular activities, including softball and choir. Kylee recently received the Rogers Scholar Scholarship. She is also very active in her community, where she organized a Christmas gift giveaway at her local nursing home this past year. Her career plans for the future is to go to college and become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Introducing Our New Therapist

We would like to make a special announcement in welcoming Michael Killibrew to the team as a contract therapist. He is excited to begin offering services and is currently accepting new clients via telehealth. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Michael, please contact us via our email at bloomtherapyky@gmail.com or through our Contact form.

Hello my name is Michael Killebrew I am a Licensed Professional Counseling Associate with 3 years of addictions counseling and mental health counseling experience. My theory of choice is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy but I am versed in many other theories. I look forward to working with you.

~ Michael

Professional Bio

Michael graduated from Austin Peay with a Bachelors in Psychology. He received a Masters of Education with concentration on Mental Health Counseling. He worked in Community Mental Health for 1 year with a wide range of populations (depression anxiety schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, grief counseling, school based therapy, geriatrics, and IDD). He has two years experience with substance abuse and addictions counseling and has worked in two Suboxone clinics as a substance abuse counselor.

Introducing Our New Practicum Student

We would like to make a special announcement in welcoming our incoming practicum student for the Fall 2021 term. She is excited to begin offering services and is currently accepting new clients via telehealth. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Alyssa, please contact us via our email at amber@maddenwellnessky.com or through our Contact form.

I’m Alyssa Clary, a student working to finish my masters in Mental Health Counseling. I believe in approaching mental health issues from a holistic approach when addressing issues including trauma, depression, and anxiety. Having previously worked in drug recovery and a mental health facility, I’ve had the privilege to discover what it means to hold hope and journey with others through what can sometimes be very challenging circumstances. I look forward to joining my clients on this journey to become more wholey healthy and filled with hope.

~ Alyssa

Professional Bio

Alyssa is currently a masters level student in the mental health counseling program at Asbury Theological Seminary. Alyssa obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 2015. She has experience working with various age groups as a substitute teacher for Christian Academy of Louisville. From 2015 until 2017, she was the Program Manager for the Teen Challenge of Kentucky program at Priscilla’s Place. In this position, she provided one-on-one meetings with residents of the addiction recovery center, helping them to focus on the development of life skills and relapse prevention. Her studies and interests have focused on sensorimotor psychotherapy, trauma treatment, as well as a focus on children and adolescent treatment. In addition, she is an active member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Kentucky Counseling Association (KCA).