Meet Bridgett Winters | Therapist, Group Facilitator, Entrepreneur

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

Hi Bridgett, what do you want people to remember about you?
I’d really like to be known for making big strides in the area of social wellness and ultimately starting to heal the loneliness epidemic. I’d like to be known for taking a big social stand that helps teach our society how to work together, heal conflict, and work together to solve some of the species-threatening challenges that weigh on us.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am currently a mental health therapist in my own private practice called The Afterspace. I specialize in working with teens, tweens, and young adults on the hard stuff in life, such as self-worth, identity development, and interpersonal conflict.

I intend to morph my practice into a re-imagined, group-focused social space for healing your relationships with others — and ultimately yourself. It’s a social wellness sanctuary that offers a semi-structured experience of facilitated group experience. Groups and individuals can receive nervous-system-friendly support from interpersonal interaction and targeted sensory spaces.

I earned my Master of Arts in Mindfulness-based Transpersonal Counseling from Naropa University and have trained in group facilitation and restorative justice modalities.

The idea for Afterspace sparked in 2007. It began with my own desire to find a social space that felt “reviving” when I left, that didn’t rely on alcohol to foster connection between patrons. I wanted to offer a dynamic experience with unique modalities that offered guests options for getting the type of nourishment they were craving – whether it’s a quiet space for meditation or a dynamic group space for fun or healing.

It’s evolved over time into something more intentional that considers a sense of physical and emotional safety above all else. It’s an accessible space and meant to feel like a natural social environment that happens to be good for you.

It’s been a long road for me to find tools and ways of supporting this vision as I bring together the creativity, skill, tools and resources necessary to make this vision a reality.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spots in Colorado are mostly in Boulder and Longmont. In Boulder I love Tonic for fun elixirs, oxygen, and snacks,, License No.1 for cocktails, Thrive for smoothies, Trident and Ozo for coffee & tea. For eats in Boulder, I love Sushi Zanmai, Illegal Pete’s, and in Longmont, I love the Pumphouse Brewery. In terms of awesome nature, I love the trails around NCAR.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate my success to all of those who have heard my mission for Afterspace the last 16 years, who have encouraged me to keep going despite all the obstacles. Most notably, this includes Amanda Aguilera, Matt Strombom, and the members of my beloved cohort from Naropa University.

Website: www.theafterspace.com

Image Credits
I don’t have any images of my work right now, so I’ve provided a bunch of original images of my time photographing workshops and group activities at festivals and events that portray the community and relational vibe of what I am hoping to cultivate.