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

McKenzie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I had been in some kind of mental health treatment since I was 12. I struggled a lot and throughout those years I became very comfortable with mental health topics. I didn’t shy away from them. I think in the back of my mind I always knew I was going to be a therapist, but avoided pursuing the career for so long because I thought I didn’t belong there. I was working as an EMT in an emergency department when a patient came in struggling with suicidal thoughts. While the doctors and nurses barely talked to them and left the room, I was assigned to stay and “CO” the patient (constant observation). We got to talking and I was able to empathize and listen to their story without judgment. I decided at the end of that shift that it was time to get go back to school to become a therapist.

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 became a therapist about a year and a half ago. It was something that just made sense after my long history of my own struggles with mental health. I knew I could empathize with people who were at their lowest, and also hold onto hope that it would get better (because it eventually did for me when I didn’t believe it could for most of my life). I think what sets me apart is my deep knowledge of what it is like to be on the other side of the therapeutic relationship. I’ve had so much therapy, and I know what qualities in a therapist helped me feel safe and understood and which made me feel worse. I do not shy away from the hard stuff: the suicidal thoughts, the self harm, the feelings of worthlessness. I am extremely proud of this.

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

Acknowledging your own humanness and struggles. Those don’t make us inept to see clients. On the contrary, they make us more valuable to the other human sitting in the room with us struggling. I don’t think anyone in this field hasn’t had their own fair share of struggles.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

That you have to be ready to start. It’s cliche and it said a lot, but it’s so true! Allow yourself to take a step into the darkness of uncertainty. You will never be fully ready and anytime you are doing something entrepreneurial or creating something, it’s always going to be very vulnerable and a lot of pivoting. I read a quote the other day that said, “Pivoting and learning isn’t failing. Stopping is failing.” I thought I had to have all the money in the world and my life in order to be able to help people and animals, and that simply isn’t true. I’ve been able to help in small ways with the resources I have.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.youareherecounseling.com
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