We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Paget a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I worked as a child and family therapist for many years prior to starting my own journey to becoming a parent. Like many others, I initially felt more excited than nervous about becoming pregnant, but I quickly realized that I was in a situation in which I had absolutely no control. It was taking longer than I expected, and when I did get pregnant, I experienced an early miscarriage. This was so much harder than I thought it would be. After getting pregnant a second time, it was hard to stay grounded and not get lost in anxious thoughts of losing this pregnancy, too. A defining moment was at my 20-week ultrasound when we found out our baby had a congenital heart defect. It felt like my world was spinning, and I had moments of feeling stuck in my own body. Looking back, I have no doubt that the experience of my second pregnancy led me to the work I am doing today supporting mothers and parents all along the journey to and through parenthood.
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?
My own life experiences, along with my work as a child and family therapist led me to the work I am doing today, supporting mothers and parents to and through parenthood and everything in between. I am a PMH-C, which means I am certified in perinatal and maternal mental health counseling, and able to support mothers, partners and couples through the sensitive pregnancy and postpartum period. I am also certified in a modality called brainspotting, which helps people process and overcome traumatic experiences, as well as, help “smooth” life’s every day static and stress.
I love helping parents explore their identities after the transition of becoming a parent. It is such a huge change but we rarely have the chance to pause and reflect- what’s working and what’s not working, how do I explore the new me after becoming a parent, and so much more. Understanding more about ourselves can help us live a life in line with our values and leads to a better connection with our partner and children.
I also love helping coach parents and couples through the inevitable bumps of parenthood and through the trauma they may have experienced along the way. Even in the least complicated of circumstances, being a parent is hard. We might explore what our own childhood was like or experiment with new ways to communicate as a couple to improve how we relate as parents.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
I love thinking back to my 18-year old self who was majoring in psychology and painting- hoping to be a therapist who worked creatively with clients. Fast forward more than 20 years, and here I am, a therapist working with adults and integrating everything I learned along the way. If I had it to do over, I would do everything the same. I attribute a lot of where I am now to being open to new professional experiences, as well as my own life experiences that shaped who I am.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Working in private practice, I find it is so important to build my own community through networking. I’ve met nurse practitioners, doctors, acupuncturists, physical and occupational therapists, functional health specialists, doulas, and so many others who inspire me and expand my knowledge in the wellness field. By building a community, we can support one another and better support our clients, as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.riseandflowcounseling.com
- Instagram: @rise.and.flow.counseling
