Trauma Therapy - What Should I Look for in a Therapist?

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What Should I Look for in a Therapist?

What Should I Look for in a Therapist?: Ashley Prill of Good Morning Vail interviews Lana Seiler, Associate Director of Clinical Operations at APN Lodge

Ashley: It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for our health and wellness segment with All Points North Lodge, our new health and wellness facility located right in Edwards. And I’m here with the director of trauma services, Lana Seiler. So good to have you this morning.

Lana: Thank you.

Ashley: Thanks for being here. And, Lana, I think for a lot of people, just even the word therapy, it’s a really scary word.

Lana: Yeah.

Ashley: And then even just thinking about, “Okay, how do I even start with finding a therapist?” Do you have any suggestions about where to even begin that journey?

Lana: Yes. Yes. And I completely understand. There’s still a stigma, unfortunately, and we’re really trying to break that stigma, I think, as the mental health community as a whole. But it still exists, and people are kind of like, oh, where do I begin? So I would say, for sure starting with someone who’s licensed to practice in your state. There are a few reasons why that’s important. One is that we’re sort of governed by the state as licensed clinicians, meaning we have to do certain things. We have to continue our education. We have to abide by a code of ethics. It really makes the person… makes you feel comfortable that the person you’re working with is safe and that they’re committed to what they’re doing because there are things we have to do to stay licensed. Yeah.

Ashley: Yeah. They’re committed. That’s really cool. Yeah. That they’re really passionate about what they’re doing. Okay.

Lana: Yeah. Yeah. So that’s where I would start, finding someone who has a license in your state to practice at his master’s level. And then, there are different therapeutic styles, and it’s all really about the relationship. The therapeutic relationship is different than any other relationship you’re going to enter into in your life, for a lot of reasons. One of them is that, other than the fee for service, it’s really one-sided. I mean, we are here to help you. We’re here to help the people that we’re treating. And so it’s all the attention, all the time, all the effort and energy on the part of the therapist is really to help you on your journey to wellness, which is unique. And then, when you think about what your needs are… And sometimes we don’t even know, right?

When we’re looking for a therapist, it’s like, I just feel weird or I don’t feel right or I feel stuck or I need some help in some area. And so if you do know what you’re looking for, I would suggest finding someone who has some specialty in that area. For example, if you’re struggling with anxiety or if you have some obsessive-compulsive tendencies, for sure find someone who specializes in that. But if it’s more general, which I think that’s a lot of us, is “I’m just not quite sure,” really finding someone that is a partner with you in this journey, kind of walk side by side. And there’s also this really beautiful blend in a therapeutic rapport where we’re not your buddy, right? We’re not going to just tell you what you want to hear. Therapists need to be able to tell you sometimes things that are hard to talk about or things that you don’t want to hear. Otherwise, you’re just talking to your friend.

Ashley: Right? Exactly.

Lana: So finding someone where you can have that relationship, where they can challenge you in a way that’s kind and compassionate and caring is really, I think, the ticket. It’s really the key. And there’s a lot of research out there that shows that the relationship itself is a lot of what constitutes the change.

Ashley: Can you just hang out with me all day? Can we just keep talking about this?

Lana: I can talk about this all day.

Ashley: This is fascinating. Okay. So, Lana, you’re the director of trauma services at All Points North Lodge, and you guys are doing a job fair tomorrow. And so I mean, obviously, the way that you talk about the things that you do, clearly there’s so much passion there. But whether it’s nursing or health or fitness or hospitality or holistic wellness, you have positions in all of those areas that need to be filled. And so there’s this job fair that’s going on. It’s happening from 9:00 to 12:00 or 4:00 to 7:00. There are over 40 different positions, and you could work with Lana, which is amazing. And so people just need to kind of bring their resume, come and see you guys.

Lana: Yeah. Come in. We have some staff that will guide people through the parking lot and shows them where to go. Bring your resume, bring your passion. We really want to build a team of people who love what they do. I think that’s the most important thing in treatment. I mean, you can have the best facility in the world, and I think we do have the best facility in the world, but-

Ashley: The views are certainly spectacular.

Lana: But really, yeah, the team is… If we love what we do and we’re passionate about it, that’s what makes it.

Ashley: Well, and then, people watching this morning and they’re thinking, “Okay, well, first of all, like this looks like a really cool place to work. So maybe we should find out a little bit more about that.” But then also, maybe they really kind of were getting all the feels when you’re talking about therapy and thinking, “Okay, maybe this is where I start.” So what’s the best way to reach out to you guys? If they just have questions, maybe they just need to know where to begin.

Lana: Yeah. So our website and calling the main number.

We have tons of people who answer the phone, and they’re knowledgeable and they’ll help people find the level of care and the service that they need, whether it’s with us or not. Because I know people have questions, and it’s hard to know where to go, where to start, and we’re here to help.

 

Ashley: That’s amazing. Thank you so much for being here, seriously. Like, let’s just hang out for the rest of the day.

Lana: I know. I’ll just stay here.

Ashley: Okay. Just stay here. Just stay here.

Lana: Sorry, job, I’m not coming in.

Ashley: Well, listen, if you want more information, if you are looking for a great place to start or a great place to start your next career, apnlodge.com is that website. And again, don’t forget about that job fair taking place tomorrow. Get that resume ready, look at all of the opportunities that they have in different areas. This could be the great next step in your life. So apnlodge.com for more information. We’ll be right back with more Good Morning Vail.

Anna Mason

Anna Mason

Director of Marketing

Anna is a champion of stories and people person who works as the Director of Marketing for All Points North. Anna's heart beats for the "aha moments" of mental health, and she considers it an honor to create content that fosters these moments for people everywhere.