Introducing: Jessica Ritchey, MA, LMFT

We are so happy to welcome Jessica to our Team! Jessica is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with a Master's degree from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. She has 10+ years of experience working in the mental health field and is excited to continue this work with Birch. She enjoys working with individuals ages 16+ and has a special interest working with couples.

Jessica's areas of specialty include mood-spectrum disorders, trauma, relationship issues, coping with mental illness at home, parenting interventions, as well as grief and loss. Her therapeutic roots are with Gottman Theory and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Brainspotting for trauma treatment, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotion dysregulation challenges, however she tends to be integrative and brings in tools from Internal Family Systems (IFS), as well as mindfulness-based and strengths-based interventions as appropriate with clients.

Outside of the office Jessica enjoys spending time with friends and family, going for walks and hikes with the dog, working on jigsaw puzzles, trying new foods/restaurants, visiting the ocean, and tending to her garden.

Welcoming January 15: Student Therapist Kaelyn Dagon

Kaelyn currently is a graduate student at the Saint Mary’s Master’s Counseling and Psychological Services Program. She is working toward becoming a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Kaelyn received her bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She is passionate about working with emerging adults, older adolescents, and professionals in education with a focus on life changes, stress, occupation burnout, goal-setting, performance enhancement, anxiety, and depression. She enjoys working with a diverse population of individuals from different backgrounds and cultures and believes in incorporating one's unique experience into their healing journey. She looks forward to building a safe and welcoming environment where clients are able to build skills in order to achieve their goals.  Kaelyn incorporate strategies and concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness based and strength based practices, Narrative Therapy, art therapy, and strengths-based approaches.

In her free time, Kaelyn I enjoys working out, listening to music, watching sports, painting and spending time with family and friends. 

Welcoming in September: Andrea Nelson, MA

We are excited to announce that Andrea Nelson, MA will be joining us September 11.

Andrea is graduating with a Master’s degree in Addiction Counseling from Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, with an emphasis on integrated recovery for co-occurring disorders. She will be working toward dual licensure as an alcohol and drug counselor and independent clinical licensure (LADC and LPCC). Andrea is passionate about helping people gain control of their lives, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals.

Welcoming July 10: Kimberly Debeer, MSW, LICSW

Kimberly is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota. She has been practicing outpatient therapy since 2018. Kimberly has experience in both private practice and community based settings. She serves a wide variety of populations and especially enjoys working with adults who are in transitional phases of life. 

Kimberly works with individuals who are struggling with managing life transitions or changes, grief and loss, trauma, maladaptive attachment patterns, chronic illness, anxiety, depression, autism, interpersonal challenges, and self-esteem and self awareness issues. Kimberly utilizes a biopsychosocial approach that draws upon psychoeducation and many different modalities of therapy to develop a therapeutic experience that is designed to meet the goals and needs of each individual. Kimberly uses strategies and concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Attachment Repair Modalities, mindfulness based practices, and strengths-based approaches. 

Kimberly is committed to supporting clients as they navigate life challenges and overcome barriers to change. She believes that all people have great capacity for change within themselves, and utilizes a strong therapeutic relationship as a foundation to support clients in fostering self directed growth and change.  Kimberly helps clients to recognize that human development and learning occurs throughout the lifespan and the impact of past experiences on their current presentation. Through a kind and empathic approach Kimberly strives to cultivate a warm and inviting experience for all clients. 

Welcoming in May: Austin Koester

Austin (He / Him) joins us from Saint Mary’s Master’s in Counseling and Psychological Services Program. He is working on becoming a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Austin received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. John’s University. Currently, Austin works at St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development where he helps to facilitate positive interactions and promote the social development of his clients.

Austin was drawn to the helping profession through his personal experiences and a deep desire to understand emotional processes and healing. He has a passion for emotional healing that improves relationships and the overall quality of daily experiences for each individual and their family.

 Austin enjoys working with teens and adults from all walks of life who are experiencing low self-esteem, anxiety, low mood, substance use challenges, and trauma-related symptoms. His goal is to serve others and make a difference as he assists in navigating the life challenges clients may face and aid them in finding wholeness for themselves and in their relationships.

 Austin believes that therapy, in part, is taking time to learn “why do I feel the way I feel, and what can I do to change how I feel.”  He deems therapy a forward-looking process of what can be done now in order to be more effective in our lives and relationships. His commitment is to have a safe and trusting relationship without judgment and for you to feel heard, understood, and respected. He’s driven by making sure you’re okay, you got what you need, and you are growing into a better version of yourself. He incorporates several approaches to his person-centered counseling, including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance, commitment therapy, and solution-focused therapy.

 In his free time Austin enjoys playing music, reading, running, and spending time with family and friends.

JOINING US IN AUGUST: SONIA COBOS, MS

Sonia (she/her) is passionate about mental health and behavioral science and considers herself privileged to work in this field.  Sonia recently completed a Master’s degree in rehabilitation and addiction counseling. Her training was focused on addiction and mental health counseling, including the special needs of individuals living with disability, congenital or acquired.

Sonia takes a holistic and goal-oriented Adlerian approach. Informed by this perspective, Sonia believes that the person’s wholeness or holistic nature is irreducible, therefore considering parts of the personality while ignoring others undermines the understanding of the individual. Sonia likes to apply contextual psychology, family system theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing in her practice.

As an immigrant, Sonia is mindful of cultural influences as well as the trauma and generational trauma experienced by the immigrant and first and second generation Americans. She approaches multiculturalism as an enriching opportunity to expand our humanity and grow consciousness.

Sonia’s clinical training is patient centered and non-directive. Sonia’s research during graduate school was in neuroplasticity and the promotion of neurogenesis as part of the therapeutic approach for individuals with addictions and co-occurring mental illness.

Sonia enjoys working with individuals of all ages and backgrounds, and has special interest in helping those who experience addictions, domestic violence, developmental trauma, PTSD, grief and traumatic grief, and patients with long-term disability.

Stress in a Stressful Time

Even if your life before this year was relatively smooth sailing, likely, you are not making it through this year unscathed. After all, who could mentally prepared for civil unrest, unemployment, natural disasters, and a global pandemic all at once?

The dramatic events of 2020 are especially difficult for those with a trauma history. People with trauma include those whose past is marked by economic insecurity, frequent moving, homelessness, food insecurity, sudden or unexpected loss, or medical trauma.

Trauma survivors typically develop an “Early Warning System,” alerting against perceived danger. For example, suppose your parents fought a lot when you were a child. In that case, you are likely to be especially sensitive to tension, conflict, or discord around you. This additional sensitivity offers insight as to why today’s upheavals are incredibly stressful for trauma survivors.

 If this sounds like you or someone you know, what can you do?

Become fully aware of your feelings and name them.

If you’re watching the news at home and feel panic starting to flood your system, become consciously aware of your reactions. After acknowledging your feelings, recall that you have heightened sensitivity to current events because of your past traumas. Try watching the feelings as, in most cases, they will fade in time. Also, this is an excellent time to change your environment, like going for a walk.

Use your support system.

By putting your truth on the table with someone you trust and acknowledging the impact it’s having on you, you’re gaining control over the uncontrollable. You’re also modeling to others that it’s okay for them to share with you. If you have a limited support system, it might help do some resourcing online or in therapy.

Self-care is important.

Stretching, yoga, journaling, meditation, cooking, or watching comedy can help you feel safe and present. Taking good care of ourselves requires making your needs a priority. As we take better care of ourselves, we will show up as a better partner, parent, worker, and friend.  

If what helps you happens to be watching puppy videos on Instagram, please tag us so we can also enjoy a little puppy Prozac!

Be kind to yourself.

The world was stressful before 2020, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be winding down any time soon. Allow yourself to feel sad, scared, stressed, exhausted—whatever comes up. Give yourself time to acknowledge and validate these feelings. You may find it helpful to acknowledge at least one positive for every negative thing you noticed.Are you struggling to go back into the office? Remember that you now have half the traffic you used to  Struggling trusting yourself? Remember, it’s okay to not feel like the authority after your entire world has changed. Ask someone you trust what their honest evaluation is of the situation.

Making small adjustments like this work to help you to keep you in balance.

If there was ever an appropriate time to feel a little crazy, this is it. If you find that your internal alarms are going off an awful lot lately, remember you are hardly alone, and at least you know your system is working! Finally, if you are struggling to turn them off, we are happy to connect you with help. Feel free to call us at 866-522-2472 or drop us a line at bizoffice@birchcounseling.com.