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

Ginny , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

There are a few defining moments of my career and I would like to share my most recent. I believe that most turning points in a person’s life/career happen when experience meets dreams. Sometimes you don’t even realize it’s happening, you’re just going through the motions and it just feels right. I recently decided to start a mental health wellness box for my clients. I had been wanting to offer more to my clients for a while but wasn’t quite sure what that would be. One evening I reached out to local business owners and crafters about being a part of this idea. The responses I received were incredible. Not only were people willing to talk about these ideas with me, they were sharing their own stories of why mental health was so important to them. I had over 50 responses in the first evening! I (very quickly) began working with these small business owners. I purchased their products such as relaxing bath bombs, eye pillows, affirmation tokens, candles, etc. in bulk and they ALL offered discounts so we could continue to work together. And then the Down to Earth Wellness Box was born! I announced this new creation to my existing clients, who were all over it, either purchasing for themselves, buying as gifts or sharing with everyone they knew. I felt supported by my friends, family, clients, and local crafters. This was a defining moment for me because I was able to combine my passion for mental health wellness and advocacy along with my creativity. Also, my love language is gift giving, so it feels so good to wrap these up each month and “gift” these to people that believe in the same things I do. The most amazing part is that I have several clients that started their crafting businesses or hobbies within the timeframe of working with me in counseling. I am able to open opportunities for them by featuring their own products within the box as well. When someone buys this box they are supporting their own mental health, my business AND the businesses of so many others, including some of my very own clients. I feel so fulfilled in this idea and believe many people will benefit from this box.

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

After high school I had no idea what I wanted to be or where to go next. I knew college was in the cards for me but didn’t know where I wanted to go or what I would study. I remembered my favorite class was psychology so I went to the community college and started taking general courses and as many psychology courses as I could. I realized I wanted this to be my major. I moved on to a 4-year college and absolutely loved learning about psychology but didn’t know what I’d do with that degree. Again, I took a little break, had jobs that weren’t related to my degree and ultimately felt like I needed more. After beginning a family and learning more about my own mental health, it was clear to me that counseling was my calling. The work to get my master’s degree was challenging, on top of having a small child at home, moving out of state, working, and all the practicum and internships I could handle. However, being that busy wasn’t draining, it’s what kept me energized and inspired…this is how I knew I was moving in the right direction. After graduating, I continued training with incredible supervisors and agencies. I worked with a range of mental health disorders, couples, children, adults and teens. I loved it all. Over time I continued to connect with teen girls and women in their 30’s, especially moms. I believe I connected with these particular clients because my teen years were tough living with undiagnosed anxiety (no one realized that’s what it was at the time), as well as anxiety after having my first child. It’s necessary to have formal training in these areas, but it makes a huge difference when the counselor can relate to clients from their own personal story. I also found some of the most rewarding clients were parents I coached to work with their children with anxiety. I decided to open my own practice as soon as I could after obtaining my state licensure. Because there is still such a stigma around mental health, I opened a practice that’s grounded in both life coaching and counseling. This allows me to reach more people and sometimes in much more casual ways than traditional counseling. I’m most proud of the work I have done with my clients. Seeing my clients conquer fears, gain coping skills, and live the life they want (or they never even dreamed of) is heartwarming and validates my work in best way. I have supported and guided clients through huge life changes-marriage, divorce, starting a family, going to college, starting a business, dealing with debilitating anxiety, setting boundaries, etc. I love having my own private practice because I can offer clients a very genuine, authentic experience the way I see fit. My style may not be for everyone which is understandable, because the clients that do enter therapy or coaching with me get and create the most real counseling/client relationship.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

In the field of mental health counseling, I found having a background in psychology was extremely helpful. It helps me understand how the brain works and what makes people do the things they do. However the MOST helpful experience aside from formal training was my own therapy. Sitting in the chair as a client opened my eyes so much. Understanding the vulnerabilities of what clients feel in the therapy is so valuable. But my own personal growth in therapy is unmatched to any other experience, training, or knowledge. I learned so many things about myself and now I’m so in touch with my own needs that I’m able to offer my full, genuine self to others.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

You know that saying that hindsight is 20/20? That if you could go back in time with the knowledge that you now have, you might do things differently? Well that isn’t the case here. I would absolutely choose this career again. And a part of me would like to say I wish I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I graduated high school. I would have saved so much time and I’d be further in my career than I am know. However, each day that I struggled to decide, or classes that felt irrelevant, the people that I met along the way, the stories I heard, the papers I wrote, the money and time spent all led me to where I’m at right now. I wouldn’t be the counselor/life coach/business owner that I am today if I didn’t live each of those days, even those days that didn’t feel like I was moving forward, especially those days. I would go back and choose this profession over and over again. And I know it’s right for me because I’ve done the hard work to fully understand who I am, how to listen to my intuition and what feels right for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ginnykappel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginny_downtoearth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familycounseling21