Laurie Groh: Hi, my name is Laurie Groh. I'm the owner of VitalMinds, a new online private practice for counseling services. Today, we have Rachael Sheets with us. Welcome, Rachael.

Rachael Sheets: Thank you so much, Laurie. Great to be here.

Laurie Groh: Great to have you. So today, I wanted to talk a little bit about Rachael and her work. Just so everybody can get to know her better. And the first question I want to ask you, Rachael, is, who do you help? Who's your ideal client? Who's Somebody that's likely to reach out to you, Somebody that you want to work with?

Rachael Sheets: Yeah, I really have a broad interest in working with people across the lifespan, individuals, couples, singles, families, and even interest in working with professionals, helping them to understand who they are, what they bring into the workplace, and also even companies to help them understand who they're hiring, how they fit, how we can capitalize on people's strengths. And if there is a challenge, what can we do to address that as well? So as far as diagnostics go, anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-esteem, and identity type of things are really kind of what I'm focusing on. So I mean, there's so much that's thrown at us on a day-to-day basis with anxiety. I mean, I talk to clients a lot about the words rehearsing and rehashing, rehearsing kind of that like the anticipatory worry of like what if this or what if that and how do we manage that? And then the rehashing is kind of like the retroactive worry of, oh my gosh, what did I do? You know, like into an effect, you know, to a point, those are healthy things to plan and to reflect. But sometimes, when people get stuck in those loops, that can really kind of start to steal some of the life away. Yeah.

Laurie Groh: And so, stay in the present.

Rachael Sheets: How do we stay in the present? How do we manage that? How do we let things go and also like embrace what we need to to be healthy, functioning people who can care about ourselves and other people?

Laurie Groh: Yeah, that sounds wonderful. So, Rachael, it sounds like a wide group of people, a wide amount of individuals, which is great, but it sounds like that focus would be on potentially some professionals or even companies coming in to maybe have you come in there and talk with them a bit. And it also sounds like that typical overthinking scenario that I think a lot of us struggle with of, okay, what is going to happen next, and how can I prep for every single thing that might happen? Which makes a lot of sense. You want to be prepared, but it can get to a point right where that creates anxiety because you cannot plan for everything. And then afterward, looking back and saying, what could I have done differently? But usually, correct me on this, but it usually has kind of a negative spin. Most people are not having the most pleasant thoughts when they're rehashing.

Rachael Sheets: Right, right, right. Yeah. And it's like getting stuck there, which is like what the problem is. Like, you get stuck. You can't. It's not helpful for people moving forward. It makes you stuck instead of progressing. So we kind of try to like to change up that thought pattern of, like, how can this be adaptive in some sense, but how can we get out of the cycle of being stuck and use this good thing to move forward to help you achieve what you want to achieve?

Laurie Groh: Right, Which is great. I feel like I want to come to see you, and you can help me with some of that. That might be something I fall into. I mean.

Rachael Sheets: Who doesn't struggle with that? You know, it's pervasive. It's it's everywhere. We can all get caught in the trap of, you know, like, wanting to do our best even and getting stuck there. So how, yeah, how do we turn that into something that can be helpful to us?

Laurie Groh: Yeah, I think that's awesome. I could talk about that forever with you. I know.

Rachael Sheets: Me too. Me too.

Laurie Groh: Yeah, we do. Yeah. All right, so next, um. Next one. I want to hear a little bit about your approach to helping. Very excited to hear about this.

Rachael Sheets: Yeah. I mean, so many different therapists have so many different great approaches. I think something that really sets therapists apart is, do they take a guiding approach or a more directing approach. I definitely fall into the guiding approach where I don't want it to be about me. I want it to be about the person in front of me and how I cannot necessarily even lead but come alongside and listen well to what they want out of therapy, to what they want out of life, and come alongside them and take a look at and explore what are some of the hang-ups in that process and then help them to look within themselves and find out, okay, this is how I can do that. Yeah. If I give you a list of one through ten and direct, you say this is what you have to do. It's not coming from you. So we work together in the therapeutic relationship to figure out what you want and how we can get that from within the person to really help them step into who they are and achieve what they want to achieve. So yeah, really an approach of like support and empowerment, discovery, reflection, um, and figuring out how we can together get to where they want to be.

Laurie Groh: Right? I love that it's, it's that together guiding side by side not a forceful these are the things you need to be doing, but this is the goal. How do we get there and figure out a way that makes sense for the person? Because I think that's the big piece. Yes. Yes. Because there's a lot of information out there. Um, we've definitely talked about that, but there's a lot of information, and that can be very overwhelming. What actually is going to work for that person is going to be extremely useful. It saves Somebody a lot of time, right, to just think about me like, what's going to work for me?

Rachael Sheets: Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Laurie Groh: All right. So what are your strengths as a therapist?

Rachael Sheets: Yeah, that's that's a great question. And for me, I think what I really bring that's unique is almost kind of difficult to put into words. Like, I really value, like, relationship and presence, um, and being with someone, making them feel comfortable and like, seen and heard and valued and understood. And I'm curious about a person, um, I think oftentimes people fear, oh my gosh, like, I'm stuck. What have I done? I don't know what to do. Like they're going to. And it's like, let's talk about it. Let's say I'm curious like you've had maybe a tough path, and that's okay. And let's explore that, and let's unpack that. And I think I can do a good job of really just like meeting people where they're at, sitting with them, exploring those things from a curiosity perspective, um, and a warm and compassionate understanding way. Um, while we discover together, you know, like what, what's going on here and how can we partner together.

Laurie Groh: Yeah, it is. You're right. It is a hard thing to put into words, you know, just. Just knowing you're so far, it is that comfortable feeling when we've talked. Right. And it's we could talk forever and ever. And that's such a wonderful quality you have where I know I don't feel like I would ever be judged and are just typical work day-to-day kind of conversations. And that is so important when someone's coming in for therapy to feel like, you know, my therapist is going to be there, listen, and I can really feel like I can tell them whatever I need to. You don't have to tell. I always say to clients you don't have to say everything all at once. You don't have to say things you aren't comfortable with yet. But it does help significantly when you trust your therapist. And that takes time sometimes. But I think you have the ability to create that pretty quickly, which is great.

Rachael Sheets: Yeah, Yeah. And I think it's really helpful, too, for people who are on the fence about therapy to, you know, like I think the hardest one of the hardest things about it is taking that first step and making the first call. And if people know that there is like the water's warm, there's a soft place to land. Like I feel like I could really help specifically those people to have a good, like first-time therapy experience and really help them to understand that it doesn't have to be this overwhelming, scary process. But it can start to slow, and it can start easy. Yes. And we go from there. Yeah.

Laurie Groh: I think that's awesome. All right. So now, what can a client expect by coming to a session with you? Um, so if Somebody is looking to come talk to you, what could they expect from that time?

Rachael Sheets: Yeah, I mean, we've talked a little bit about it, but it'll, it'll feel comfortable. It'll feel laid back. Well, I'll spend some time listening. I'll spend some time asking some questions. We'll take a look at, you know, my mind is full of different frameworks and theories I draw from, like attachment theory and systems theory. And then as far as interventions like CBT and narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and schema therapy. So all of these different things are brought into the sessions eventually to really just like help us to conceptualize the problem and then figure out what is going to be a real effective intervention for treatment. And when people hear cognitive behavioral therapy, I mean, really, it's like sorting out fact from fiction. It's figuring out what is real and what is not. What am I thinking is real? That might not be in causing me some anxiety, and addressing that narrative therapy being like, Hey, let's look at the road behind us and what does that mean and what is the significance of that road in this moment? But then also looking ahead at a blank slate and rewriting the story. What do you want this story to look like? We can dream together. We can think together. We can reflect together and look at how the past influences the present and how we want it to influence the future. Schema theory therapy is kind of putting it like our brain filing system. Where do we put information into these different folders, and what do we do if we don't have a folder for that information? And what does that mean about me and myself and how I interact with myself or understand myself and interact with the world? So there's, you know, there's these different processes that you can engage in based on the person in front of me. It's not going to feel robotic, you know; it's going to feel natural. It's going to feel like a person-to-person, human-to-human interaction in a relationship. But certainly, there are goals and processes that are always going on in your mind that don't necessarily need to be going on in your mind because it'll feel natural, it'll feel hopefully helpful, and you'll experience a reduction in your stress, overwhelming depressive type of thoughts and feelings.

Laurie Groh: Yeah, I think that's great, too, to have a handful of different techniques and theories that you use because it is so true that everybody comes in with something different, and everybody's so different. So very different. Yeah, that one type of therapy can't fit everybody. So being able to take pieces too, I think that can be very helpful as well as part of that of, okay, I'm going to use a little of this and this and see how this works and feels with the with that client in front of you. And they let you know, and um, and yeah, I would love to talk more about those therapies with you. So hopefully, we can do that soon. Yeah, absolutely.

Rachael Sheets: That'd be.

Laurie Groh: Great. All right, so. Oh, I missed that one. We're on to the results. So what are our clients expected? Results. What can they expect after seeing you?

Rachael Sheets: Yeah. So, Lori, even as you so nicely said before too. You know, I used to work in an acute setting where people come in, and I meet with them one session and sometimes in a really challenging time. Um, and I've people have said, wow, I feel better. Like, yeah, I didn't; I didn't even know that I wanted to talk to someone. But you know, thanks, thanks for this. Thanks for this hour, you know, like, yeah, so, so people feel that connection. And I mean beyond that, people learn skills, people learn about these diagnoses or about these challenges. So then we can, once we know about what's going on, like from like a psychoeducational perspective, we can take a look at, like what? How can we build our skills to manage these things? So like stress and anxiety coping mechanisms, how do we take depression from a feeling that you know, it's all-consuming to, like, manage it and get it under our control instead of it controlling us? Um, emotional regulation skills, um, coaching and general empowerment and support to the individual. Again, finding out more so being in touch with who they are so they can understand themselves and how they interact with their working world, with their family world, with their friends, and their significant others, so they can better show up as their true and authentic self, understanding who they are and helping the people around them to understand who they are as well. So, um, people generally seem to, yeah, you know, not only feel better but also have skills to take into their everyday life.

Laurie Groh: I think that that is something to where some clients will mention that maybe seen a previous therapist that not to downplay anybody that's in our field, but that sometimes is something people will say of like I'm aware of why but what do I do now. Right. And they might get stuck, or they've been doing a lot of self-work on their own and know the whys. Right So helping them to the skills well first making them feel comfortable right to be able to share and express and then you know if they don't come with some of the whys or they need help with some of the whys or the awareness, help them, help them kind of see some of those patterns and who they are and who they might want to be in relation to that. But then I feel like the most important part that people will want to do is make the changes that they want, whether that's internal, external, whatever those things are, but being able to have the skills to actually do those things. Um, because you are feeling better temporarily, right? We know that that's everything up and down, right?

Rachael Sheets: Temporary. So.

Laurie Groh: So yes, yes. So I love that, that you also focus so much on the skills and coping skills and what is this person actually needs to make their life the way that they would like it to look.

Rachael Sheets: So, yeah, you got it. It was.

Laurie Groh: Amazing, too.

Rachael Sheets: Me. Yeah, it's it's a it's a neat process. Lori, And like you said like you figure out where they're at. Suppose they have the whys, awesome. Then we can, like, fast forward, we can skip ahead to like some skills if they're coming in confused and overwhelmed and like, I just don't understand why I'm feeling like this. We can also start there. We'll start with the why. We'll start unpacking some things. But yeah, wherever they're at, we meet them there and go from there and jump into the process.

Laurie Groh: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Rachael. Yeah, yeah, you have your information on the bottom, but if you would like to reach out to Rachael, you can go ahead and go to Vital minds.com, and you will see your information there. You can schedule it right online. And it was so great meeting with you today.

Rachael Sheets: Yes, you too, Laurie. Thank you so much.

Laurie Groh: All right. Take care.

Rachael Sheets: Bye. You too. Bye bye.