We were lucky to catch up with Ginger Houghton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ginger, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I am absolutely certain that I wouldn’t be where I am at Bright Spot Counseling today if not for amazing parents, My parents not only modeled the value of showing up to work and life when it’s hard but they also modeled how to show up. My dad worked at Ford and my mom worked as a public school teacher and not everyday is a piece of cake in either of those roles. They showed up with positive attitudes and with the desire to make things better in big and small ways. Whether that was bringing in donuts or serving on a committee, they both made the extra effort to help. That’s been really helpful for me in creating a work environment at Bright Spot that values the individuals who work for and with us and their wellness.

Similarly, my parents did a great job teaching my brothers and I that things aren’t just handed to you in life. I grew up obsessed with horses and instead of continuing to pay for a super expensive hobby, they encouraged me to get a job at a horse barn. I loved working a horse barn and it really shaped my idea of how to adapt and get what you need. In starting Bright Spot, it helped me to know that I could just figure out a different vision for therapy or a different person to connect to or a new possibility if I got stuck.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After years at nonprofits, I started Bright Spot Counseling in 2018 to support clients who hadn’t benefitted as much from traditional therapy as they wanted. It’s common to hear people say, “My therapist is really nice but I don’t know what changed from going to therapy.” I hate hearing this because therapy should be transformative. That’s why we focus on outside of the of the box therapies that help people heal their bodies and their brains.

I’m most proud of the amazing therapists that we have at Bright Spot who are so committed to learning and implementing treatment methods to help with rapid healing. While we provide weekly therapy, it’s been really rewarding to offer retreat style treatment so people can get back to their lives more quickly. We’ve seen incredible results from our Connect Couples Retreat and our EMDR/Wellness Intensives. It’s really a joy to see how quickly people’s lives can change when they have the opportunity. For example, after 2-3 days many of our EMDR Intensive clients no longer meet clinical criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. This is major and helps people get back to work, parenting, partnering and finding joy.

Bright Spot Counseling offers online and in-person therapy from our Farmington Hills, MI office. We offer everything from EMDR to Brainspotting to Hypnosis to Culinary Art Therapy for Couples and Families to Equine-Facilitated Therapy. We work really hard to find a path to healing for everyone that comes through our office. We accept most major insurances.

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

I think the most important quality as a therapist is being a seeker. It’s really powerful to always be open and curious and adaptive. If you have a commitment to continually growing and adapting, client’s can feel and benefit from that in their healing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

It can be a struggle for me to let go of perfectionism in building my business. Over the last seven years, I’ve spent a lot of time focusing my energy on just taking the next step and being gentle with myself. Even if I’m not where I ideally want to be, it’s been helpful to focus on the trajectory of where I’m going.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brightspottherapy.com
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