Meet Banyan Counseling Collective

We had the good fortune of connecting with Banyan Counseling Collective and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Banyan Counseling Collective, how does your business help the community?
With the introduction of social media and greater accessibility to information, mental health concerns have become more pervasive. With this, the owners of Banyan Counseling Collective (BCC) have felt it important to lend our voices to the conversation of mental health and provide services to meet the needs of our community. We use our brand and platform to provide a nonjudgmental, inclusive, and welcoming space while offering education and support surrounding mental health concerns.

In order to do this, we have each committed to our own healing journeys to better understand ourselves and how we can show up authentically in helping others. We value honesty and personal responsibility, while encouraging self reflection and exploration to foster a greater understanding of our true selves. We are excited to offer a space for new clinicians to learn from our professional experiences as well as to carry forward the mission of breaking down the stigma of mental health. While each of our clinicians have experience in similar techniques and presenting concerns such as gender specific issues and addictions, we also encourage them to pursue their own interests in order to contribute to a more holistic environment for all of our clients.

We envision a world with less stigma around seeking mental health support while creating a community with more access to holistic techniques for treating these concerns. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to a society rooted in compassion, empathy and a more conscious awareness.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Coming up with the vision of Banyan Counseling Collective was easy, as we were all in agreement about what we wanted this practice to offer. We have faced some challenges in the implementation of our vision. These included learning the ins and outs of working with a marketing team, balancing the needs of seeing our own clients while mentoring and training interns, and even doing an unexpected rebrand and name change. Funny enough, one of our biggest challenges was choosing a color scheme and logo that best reflects BCC and what we are about. We care so much about this practice and what it represents, so we wanted to be very intentional about how we represented it to the community.

We have been able to rise up to the challenge of starting a group practice and not get defeated. We have looked at these challenges as an opportunity to step outside of our comfort zones and look at the problem from a new perspective. This approach has allowed us to discover how capable we are. Plus, it is helpful that there are three of us because we are able to find solutions when we put our minds together. Our strengths compliment each other and allow us to face any hurdle. The three of us value collaboration, as we believe two or three minds are almost always better than one. Although challenges can be frustrating, we approach them in the same way we encourage our clients: acknowledge the frustration, create awareness, practice flexibility and find solutions.

What makes BCC unique is how we have created a space for our therapists to bring in their own therapeutic strengths and authenticity, while also maintaining the common thread of trauma integrated care. Each practitioner is intentional in how they show up for their clients and strive to provide the best care possible. All of our therapists are Licensed Addictions Counselors or are actively working towards their addiction license. The practice offers holistic and niche services including EMDR, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Shamanic Practices. Our Shamanic Practitioner has been part of each of our clinical development at different points in our careers and it has been amazing to incorporate her into this chapter.

We are so proud of how far we’ve come in just a little over a year of being in business together and the ways that BCC has evolved. Our staff is composed of therapists who truly believe in the mission, are always looking to grow and discover ways to better serve our clients. We’re excited to continue to grow the array of services we offer as more therapists join our team or bring in modalities they are passionate about.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
An important aspect to taking care of yourself is to get out and have fun. Here are our recommendations:

Cait’s recommendations:
Colorado is beautiful in a way that most people haven’t experienced. I would recommend anyone check out Rocky Mountain National Park. Being above the clouds on the top of a mountain is an experience that is hard to top. For food and drinks I absolutely recommend Linger. Their rooftop offers an amazing view of the city. Whether it’s to see a show or hike around, Red Rocks Amphitheater is a must see. If supporting local vendors and artisans is your thing, swing by one of the farmers markets during the spring and summer.

Lindsay’s recommendations:
I agree with both Cait and Lauren that getting outside in Colorado is a must! A concert or hike at Red Rocks would be at the top of my list as well as trying out new restaurants in the Rino area or near our office in Sunnyside/Highlands. I also enjoy taking visitors to one of the great museums Denver has to offer, cultural immersion is a huge value of mine!

Lauren’s recommendations:
Absolutely anything outside, which can include skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, paddleboarding, etc. There are so many hikes that range from 20 minutes to 2 hours from Denver. I like to figure out how far I want to drive and search for hikes in that area because there are so many gems to find. I also like to take road trips and see where different roads in the mountains take me, you never know what you will find.

If it is the summer and you want to stay in Denver, it can be fun to explore the many different parks around, such as Washington Park or City Park! I like to go with a good book, my dog or friends. Plus, Denver has an amazing food scene. Some fun activities are jazz in the park, finding different bazaars, farmers markets and the big wonderful. Clearly, I am a summer person. Fortunately, Colorado is an amazing place to explore in every season.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We deeply appreciate all of our mentors, peers, supervisors and agencies that have afforded us the opportunity to develop and embrace our authenticity as clinicians.

Most importantly, our client’s deserve the biggest shoutout. Their ability to demonstrate vulnerability and courage on a daily basis, while also embracing the discomfort of growth is truly remarkable. Each time a client shows up to therapy they are choosing to no longer feed into the stigma surrounding mental health. Instead they find empowerment by stepping into their voice and authenticity. Without our client’s we would not be where we are today. They are the real MVP.

Website: https://banyancounselingco.com

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