We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dena DiStefano. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dena below.

Dena, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I was raised in an Italian household. My parents shared and modeled the most beautiful love story. They nurtured their relationship daily, worked hard, and placed family above everything. When I was 14 years old, my father passed away tragically at the age of 46 of a stroke.

My mom has single handedly had the biggest impact and influence on my life and who I am as a woman, mother, therapist, and friend. She’s taught me perseverance, resilience, the true meaning of unconditional love, how to be selfless and instilled the confidence in me so that I can always bet on myself.

My mom was an LCSW who spent most of her career in private practice working first with adolescents and then transitioned into becoming one of the most sought after couples therapist in the area. She also specialized in working with adults with TBI and ran groups with this special population. She’s always been a fierce advocate for those whose voice often goes unheard. Prior to retirement, she spent the last few years of her career as an Oncology Social Worker as she herself battled stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

She has shown me throughout my entire life that no matter what circumstances life throws my way, I have the ultimate control over how I respond and the power I give to those challenging situations. She has always chosen joy even in the hardest of times and because of that, I ,too, choose joy.

Dena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Dena DiStefano and I am the owner of Balanced Therapy & Wellness, LLC in St. Louis, MO. I am an LCSW, C-DBT, (Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy) CCTP. (Certified Clinical Trauma Practitioner I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2007. In my practice, I specialize in working with emerging young adults (age 18-25), adult individuals and couples as they navigate the complexities of life and self discovery. I also work in a school setting as a clinical practitioner serving middle school and high school aged adolescents.

I am a divorced mother of three beautiful children. Fitness and wellness is a passion of mine and something I love to do daily. I start my mornings each day at 4:30 with coffee and hit the gym at 5:30 before heading to work. For me, this centers me for my day ahead. I also want to model the importance of a healthy lifestyle for my children.

I believe experiencing a divorce, re-discovering who I was as an individual outside of the marriage and learning to successfully co-parent has truly aided me in my work professionally with individuals and couples. My work in schools also gives me an unique perspective when working with clients because I have the expertise to navigate school systems and also an understanding of adolescent mental health.

I truly love meeting clients where they are on their journey and working together to help them create and build the life and relationships they want and envision for themselves.

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

For me, what is most helpful for succeeding in this field is two fold. One is networking and the other is self care. Having been in this field for over 20 years, its imperative to make connections with other practitioners for professional growth, an opportunity to learn from others, consultation and a referral base. I am a life long learner and love connecting with others who continue to challenge me and help me grow. The other piece for succeeding in this field is self care. I can’t stress this enough. Therapy can feel heavy and often as practitioners, we are working with individuals and couples alone. Its so important to find activities and people to surround yourself with that fill you up. For me, a healthy diet, working out, a good book, quality sleep and great friends/family are what keeps me balanced. If I am ever feeling off, I can almost immediately recognize that a component of my self care is suffering, and I will work to correct that. So my advice is to find your self care recipe. Everybody’s is different, but once you find it, the success you will begin to feel in all areas of your life will be incredible.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

About six weeks after I opened my private practice, I collapsed one evening fracturing my skull. I spent a week in the hospital unable to walk unassisted with excruciating headaches and having trouble hearing, After many, many tests, the doctors were never able to determine the root cause of why I collapsed. I came home with a walker and knew I had months of physical therapy ahead of me. I also knew I needed to rest due to the severity of the trauma my brain endured, but I also was a full time therapist and a divorced mother of three kids that needed me. I knew the road to recovery was going to be a marathon and I also had no choice but to start down that path. My mom modeled resilience in every way and I was going to model that for my children. After taking a few weeks off of work, I went back part time for a couple weeks before returning full time. The days were long with physical therapy in the mornings and work and kids activities in the evenings, but I was determined. I wanted my life back. I wanted to work out and feel good and provide for my children and dedicate to my clients what they needed from me. Today, I am happy to report that my practice continues to grow and I am back to working out daily, I feel thankful that I was as healthy as I was prior to collapsing. The village of people that lifted my children and I up during that time is truly awe-inspiring and I will forever pay if forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.denadistefano.com

Image Credits
Jai Mayhew