Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Sneller.
Chelsea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story has taken me a lot of different places. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and spent a lot of my childhood playing sports and doing things outdoors (even in the rain!). I went to college at a small private school in California, and following graduation in 2011 moved to Arizona for a job. My first job out of college was working with the developmentally disabled population and it was a life changing experience for me. During that time, I came to understand the freedom there is in being yourself wholeheartedly. Through working with that population, they modeled to me authenticity and also created the space for me to be silly and goofy rather than quiet and shy.
In 2013 I started my Master’s in Social Work at Arizona State University and graduated the following May of 2014. I worked as an ER Social Worker and as a Mental Health Crisis Responder for the first few years following graduation. In 2017, I started pursuing my clinical hours as a therapist and have been working as a therapist with adults, teens, and children for the past three years in a local agency.
When COVID hit in March, my agency had to make some pretty quick changes to move from in person to remote services. I’m sure others can relate when I say – this was a process! During the pandemic I was able to complete my clinical hours and test for independent licensure. I made the decision at that time to slowly transition out of community mental health and into a private practice setting which is how Raising Dandelions Counseling was born.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There have been a lot of bumps including both personal and job-related challenges. I’ve worked in many stressful environments meeting the needs of at-risk populations within a system with limited resources. Would I change my experiences? No. The struggles along the way shaped me into the person and therapist I am now and I’m proud to be that person.
A few months after I graduated from Arizona State with my Master’s degree in Social Work, I came out as gay to my family. I am happy to say that they took the news in stride and even if they had their own feelings about it, their level of support never changed. The main journey has been accepting myself and feeling confident in my identity. There is significantly more to my coming out story that could probably fill more space than we have here. The most important thing is that my being gay has allowed me the insight to create a safe space for my family, friends and my clients who are also going through their own journey.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Raising Dandelions Counseling – what should we know?
The name Raising Dandelions Counseling came about after my partner and I spent hours trying to come up with something that fit my work with both children and adults as well as my therapeutic approaches in DBT and EMDR. There’s a quote on my website that describes the work I want to do with clients. It reads:
“Dandelions are known for their resilience and growing in the hard places. They are fighters. They are the ones that grow in the cracks. This is what I want to teach and foster – growth despite hardship.”
I work with children, adolescents, and adults to help them on their journey to create a life worth living. My approach is focused in relationship building and trust because I recognize the value of connection throughout the healing process. My goal is to create a safe space for everyone who comes to me for their therapy journey. I want to note though, that I especially want to create a safe space for the LGBTQ population. Through my own experience and identifying as gay, I know that having a therapist who understands this population and their experience is SO IMPORTANT.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
COMPASSION. Through my work as a therapist and also through my own trauma healing work, I have come to understand the role that compassion for others and self-compassion play in healing. I would not be where I am today if it were not for my supports who have compassionately pushed me to make decisions that honor my needs. I also would not be in the place of healing that I am if it were not for a therapist meeting me with compassion every single session. Self-compassion is still an ongoing journey for me. It is a journey that I’m choosing, and a journey that I encourage my clients to choose by creating the same space that was given to me.
Pricing:
- $100+
Contact Info:
- Website: raisingdandelionscounseling.com
- Phone: 623-252-0876
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Climbing Arizona Media (C.A.M.)
Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
