Meet Brooke Small | Licensed Professional Counselor, Clinical Director of Riverbend Counseling

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

Hi Brooke, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
When I began Riverbend Counseling in 2019, I knew that there were many things I would have to learn along the way. I set an intention to meet each new challenge and crossroad with an abundance mindset. As a guiding value, abundance allowed us to believe that there was enough for everyone. Assuming the people who needed Riverbend would find it allowed me to make decisions and lean into risk with anticipation instead of fear. This mindset has helped our team navigate a global pandemic and meet our clients with confidence in our ability to help them heal. In the two and half years since we have opened our doors, we have grown exponentially and continue to provide exceptional healing to our community.

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.
My own life experiences, paired with my professional training and research, led me to do this work. It was not an easy journey. I came to this work after healing from the death of loved ones, divorce, parenting teenagers, self-doubt, recovery, and healing from PTSD, and eventually the joy of personal growth and change. Although, I had worked with good counselors, there were things that I had wished I had known and understood about my experience. My hope now is that I can offer to my clients the empathy, acceptance, and information they need to navigate their own healing.

In my work, I came to understand we all have a river of heartache that runs through us. There are times when the current of grief is so strong it threatens to carry us away. Still, at others, we may find ourselves swirling in an eddy, feeling powerless to move into the flow again. Our river can seem so big that we’re afraid to acknowledge that it’s there, let alone move toward it. At Riverbend, our work is to help our clients acknowledge, move closer, and with courage stand in that river, feeling the current while learning how to hold their ground and not get swept away. We believe that one day, they will see they are stronger than the current of their heartache, until then, we will anchor them.

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?
This is an interesting question. I’m an introvert so my version of a good time will be different than most. We would hike every possible trail, eat amazing food, and sit on my back deck talking about life, love, and the best books we have read.

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?
Jesie Steffes has had my back from the very beginning. She believed in my vision and dream when it was still just hatching in my mind. Every step of the way she has cheered me and supported me. I am so happy to say that she will officially be joining as a partner in Riverbend in January.

Website: www.riverbendcolorado.com

Instagram: @riverbendtherapy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-small/

Facebook: Riverbend Counseling CO

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg0KUjX9lzJ7wsDw3WnqEhA/videos