Chelsea McCarty didn’t always know she would be a therapist—that discovery came during a college psychology course.
Fascinated with human behavior and how coursework could be applied to her life, she changed her major to psychology, eager to combine her newfound passion with a lifelong desire to serve others.
While in graduate school, McCarty worked with people diagnosed with both mental-health and substance-use disorders, and continued on to work in the private practice setting.
Throughout her work, McCarty began to understand how traumatic experiences can negatively affect a person’s thoughts, behaviors and overall mental health—which sparked her interest in providing trauma-informed counseling that empowers clients to overcome and achieve their goals.
During the pandemic, McCarty took a leap of faith and started Reflections Counseling & Wellness.
“I left a very secure, stable, happy work environment to take a huge risk, and I started out on my own,” says McCarty. “This was June 2022 and within a year, I went from being an individual in private practice to having a staff of three. Almost three years later, there are five of us, we're in a larger building and we serve over 150 clients.”
Each of Reflectitions’ therapists are equipped with varied skills from specializations in areas such as LGBTQIA+ and trauma-informed care to a variety of therapy styles like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).
“CBT and DBT are both common styles of therapy or intervention,” says McCarty. “CBT is rooted in the idea that we have thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and there's a relationship between them. If we can help an individual better understand one and change the way that they think about or behave in a situation it'll, in turn, affect the other two areas.”
“DBT is designed for people who feel their emotions more intensely,” continues McCarty. “It has a lot of similarities but it also speaks to the idea that some things we just can't change, so we may have to learn how to tolerate that. Some of the skills in DBT are mindfulness, distress tolerance, or emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills.”
In addition to traditional individual counseling sessions, Reflections offers nontraditional therapy options and group sessions. If you’re looking to get out of the bounds of an office and get moving, Reflections offers walk-and-talk therapy. SereneTeens is a program for social-anxious teens and young adults to come together and overcome the social barriers that may contribute to anxiety and loneliness. “One Breath, One Wave” led by Reflections’ Jeremy Behrens is a six-week program centered around the practice of mindfulness as a way to overcome stress and become more present in everyday life.
In June, Reflections’ Rose Fedechko will also begin offering ADHD evaluations.
“I'm really excited about [this] because there are a lot of adults who are misdiagnosed with anxiety disorders when really they have ADHD. The purpose of the evaluation is to help an individual confirm whether they have ADHD and then… to inform the individual of what type of ADHD they have. Beyond that, the evaluation will include specific resources and referrals for that person’s individual needs,” says McCarty. “An ADHD evaluation is great, but if they don't know what to do with this information, it's not really an effective tool.”
Starting therapy can be a daunting endeavor, but the most important thing to remember is that therapy is meant to be a helpful tool towards a more fulfilling and enjoyable life, and it's important to find a therapist with whom you can trust and feel comfortable.
“The most important aspect of therapy is the connection that you have with a therapist. Therapy can be a little awkward in the beginning because there’s a lot of questions and vulnerability, but after 2-3 sessions you will know if that person is the right therapist for you,” says McCarty.
At the heart of Reflections Counseling & Wellness is an understanding of the importance of accessible mental-health care and a desire to lift up its community.
“Our mission as a practice is to offer access to quality mental-health care for our community,” says McCarty. “We know that it can be hard to make space for therapy and we want to help eliminate any barriers that we can for an individual to access therapy—including accepting insurance and offering varied schedules both in-person and virtually.”
Reflections Counseling & Wellness
Mullica Hill
(856) 644-1300
ReflectionsWellness.net
