We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cori Hildebrandt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

As part of my undergraduate degree from UW-Madison, I studied Criminal Justice. Given I had an interest in those with criminal justice system involvement, when I was in graduate school for Adlerian Counseling & Psychotherapy, I did my clinical internship at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood, Minnesota. I co-facilitated group therapy and provided individual therapy for male and female adult inmates.

It was an extreme environment to intern in. Each day when I reported to work, the jail bars would literally open to let me into the facility and then slam behind me, trapping me within for the day with various “criminals.” Within the facility, as staff we could move around freely. In preparation for meeting my first inmate clients, I remember my department supervisor, Roxanne giving me the simple and profound advice of….”just be with them. Be present, Be interested.”

I remember that wisdom still now. It can get overwhelming, all the things you should know about the human experience and therapeutic interventions. Being a newbie entering the field, it was something to anchor to when I didn’t have all the developed counseling skills and knowledge. I knew, I knew how to truly be with people. To be curious about them. To be present to their experience and perspectives.

Some magical therapeutic work and a lot of learning happened behind those concrete walls over my year long internship. I witnessed unimaginable suffering and pain. The drive of the human spirit to overcome adversity. The humor that’s cultivated through hard knocks. “Hard men and women” who softened when offered compassion. I understood the paradox of life and the capacity to hold two opposing truths. I heard stories that were sadder and weirder than fiction.

Today, I see that the most important piece of being an effective therapist is being able to offer your clients a sense of deep presence. That in itself can be healing. And so I still, “just be with my clients” while I apply therapeutic inventions.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Cori Hildebrandt, MA, LPC WI, LPCC MN, Certified EMDR & Brainspotting Therapist, owner of Coriander Living Collective based out of River Falls, Wisconsin. Open Floor International Teacher.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had the dream of owning my own small business since high school. After graduating college, my life went off in a different direction. In my 30s, I returned to graduate school for psychotherapy and counseling because I believed it would offer me the variety of being able to use business skills and work with people affecting change all while being self-employed. After graduating, I thought it was necessary to work for an agency to gain clinical skills before starting my own practice.

Going into 2020, I had plans of starting my own practice and then the pandemic hit! My first thought was “Oh, no, now my business plans won’t take off.” My agency did the quick pivot to telehealth and I found myself working from home, then I was partially laid off, and I had extra free time on my hands, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to build my own home-based telehealth therapy practice.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I think treating people with decency and respect. Being an active community member. Being willing to lift other professionals up. Moving away from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance. Not being threatened by “competition” instead being open for collaboration. When potential new clients call even if it’s not going to workout to take them on as a client, to be helpful and offer them resources and referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.corianderlivingcollective.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corianderlivingcollective/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coriander-living-collective-llc/
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/cori-m-hildebrandt-river-falls-wi/788051