We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrea Zaleski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrea, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The process behind starting Zia Healing and Wellness, a Group Counseling Practice, is definitely a long and complicated one. I have wanted to be a Mental Health Counselor since I was 10 years old. When my parents were divorcing, I remember meeting with a therapist to talk about my thoughts and feelings. I remember feeling better after a particularly difficult session and thinking “maybe I should do this when I grow up”. A tiny seed was planted at that point, but I really struggled in middle school and high school with academics. My senior year of high school was the year that September 11th happened, so instead of going to college like many of my peers, I elected to join the US Army. In the Army I was a Human Resources NCO and I served in the military for nearly 10 years. While in the Army my absolute favorite part was helping Soldiers. I was frequently the person that Soldiers would come to when they had personal problems, and I would take them to mental health appointments, or to see the chaplain. One day a Soldier of mine told me that I was really good at listening to others and they suggested that I should become a therapist. That tiny seed that had been planted when I was 10 years old immediately grew, and I realized that I wanted to go back to school in order to help other people.

The journey to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado is a 9 year process. First you have to obtain your bachelors degree (4 years) plus your masters degree (2-3 more years), and then you work as Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (2-3 years) before you can finally become a Licensed Professional Counselor. Between the educational requirements and field experience requirements, a lot of people tend to hit burn out when they finally become a Licensed Professional Counselor. When I finally completed all of my educational requirements and became a Licensed Professional Counselor, I was definitely close to burn out. I was hoping that all of the hard work would finally pay off, but when I asked for a raise at the group practice that I was working at, they told me that they could not afford to compensate me appropriately. I felt like all of the hard work that I had poured into my career was just not paying off. I was about to walk away from the field of counseling and let go of my dream, when I met an incredible mentor Dr Reo Leslie from the Colorado School for Family Therapy. He heard my story and validated why I was close to burn out. I had been “used and abused” by the group practice I was working at, and I realized it was time to create my own small business and take control of my own career path.

I thought about how I could use my leadership and business experience from the Army and my counseling education and experience to open my own group practice. I wanted new therapist to feel valued and supported during their professional journey. I could offer them more money, provide more training opportunities, and invest more of my time in them through additional mentorship and supervision. My thought process was that if I treated my clinicians better they would not hit burn out. Instead they would be able to see less clients, earn more money, and have a better work life balance. Zia Healing and Wellness opened in June of 2022 with 2 clinicians. Since opening Zia, I have guided 6 clinicians to their own independent licenses. I have supported several as they open their own private practices, and I continue to mentor and guide new therapists throughout their journey to licensure. We currently have 12 clinicians on staff and I am proud to say that I have the best team of mental health clinicians in Colorado Springs.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Zia Healing and Wellness is a Mental Health Counseling Clinic located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We provide individual counseling, couples counseling and family counseling to clients of all ages across the lifespan. All 12 of the clinicians at Zia Healing and Wellness are Masters level clinicians that work from various theoretical orientations that guide them in their practice. Our clinicians are passionate about helping others with their mental health concerns. They all have obtained multiple trainings and specializations to ensure that they continue to grow professionally and personally. We are confident that there is an clinician on staff that can meet yours or your loved ones therapeutic needs.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We are fortunate to live in Colorado Springs, where there are interesting places that are both indoors and outdoors. My family loves visiting the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the North Pole, Garden of the Gods, and Top Golf. We are also foodies so we enjoy eating at places like Seoul Korean BBQ, Colorado Mountain Brewery, Pig Latin Cocina, Red Gravy and Shuga’s.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The very first person that deserves a shoutout is my husband Derek Zaleski. Derek and I have been together for over 16 years and he has unconditionally offered me love and support so that I could pursue my dreams educationally and professionally. He works full-time in his own professional career, but is always there to help me with anything I need at Zia Healing and Wellness, whether it is running payroll, balancing the budget, building furniture, or taking out the trash. There is absolutely no way I could run this business without his help.

I would also like to thank my children Kiara, Bianca and Gianna. The reason that I pursued my education and decided to become a professional woman is to set the right example for my daughters. Women can do absolutely anything, and my daughters give me the drive to be a better person every single day. I hope that they follow their own goals and dreams and that they are successful at everything they do.

Next I would like to thank Dr. Reo Leslie from the Colorado School for Family Therapy. Dr. Leslie took me under his wing when I was close to burn out and he empowered me to use my strengths to build Zia Healing and Wellness. He is always there for me and my team, and I would not be the leader I am without him.

Finally I want to thank my team at Zia Healing and Wellness. Each and every single one of the clinicians at Zia have their own unique style, theoretical orientation, and specializations. I have the privilege of working with the best clinicians and I know that they are truly making a difference in all of their client’s lives.

Website: https://www.ziahealingwellness.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083025497977

Image Credits
I own the rights to all photos submitted

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