Conversations with Deana Bledsoe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deana Bledsoe.

Hi Deana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
My interest for counseling started in high school as a student-athlete when I had my first ACL knee injuries while playing basketball. This sport was my route to college, and it was a big deal to experience an injury that requires a full season to recover from. The negative thoughts and performance blocks you face when recovering was something I wasn’t prepared for. Thankfully, I was able to land a scholarship to college to study Psychology and play basketball and was faced with two other ACL tears. I managed to get to graduation and rehab throughout each year to finish my athletic career and degree. I quickly became fascinated with trauma and how it impacts our mindset and can be stored in the body. Unresolved incidents we experience in the past shows up in the throughout relationships, thinking patterns, and behaviors. I am currently practicing as a Licensed Associate Counselor and specialized in trauma. EMDR is a modality I use to work with traumatic experiences that leaves humans unable to cope. I primarily work with those struggling with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, relationship issues, specializing in Athletes and High Performers.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The 3 torn ACLs during a college basketball career was a major setback. Choosing not to get surgery in my senior year when I tore my ACL for third time, which was about 6 games after I was cleared made a huge impact on mindset. Now, it’s breaking into the athletic space and provide psycho-education about what athletes go through mentally in trying to compete daily and perform at the highest level. It requires high resilience but not much pace to understand the dynamics on a team and dealing with change of injuries, playing time, communicating with coaches/teammates, transitioning out of sports into regular life, etc. This also applies to high performers in their line of work, for example supervisors, entrepreneurs, doctors, and more. It comes down to evolving one’s relationship with identity and learning the best ways to respond to adversity. All humans are faced with challenging events that require them to learn to cope with, and I want to help provide tools to do so adaptively. I needed a space to understand what my mind and thoughts meant and how to meet my needs when my identity in sports was changing – this is the space I am creating for others.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Licensed Associate Counselor and specialize in trauma, anxiety, PTSD, depression, relationships, athletes and high performers. I’m most proud of creating a space to help others through big challenges in their life and work. I use EMDR, which helps clients to find resolution with deeper-rooted memories from the past that impact the present day. My cultural background is from Spain and America, which influences me to be able to understand different cultures, traditions, and adaptations from a curious perspective. I value keeping an openness when I get to work with clients and personalize treatment goals based on the needs they have.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I join mental health professions groups in the Valley and outside, both virtually and in person. One of my favorite groups is the Mental Health Hype Squad, led by Carlie Rousse of Aligned Counseling. All healthcare professionals are invited to network and grow referral contacts. We also explore resources other professionals use to grow our knowledge bank.

Pricing:

• Free 15-minute consultation call
• $135/50 minute Psycho-therapy session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aligned-counseling.com/igdeana
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanabledsoe_therapy/
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/deana-bledsoe-phoenix-az/1184951

Image Credits
@alexandraloraine
@aligned_counseling