Peak Pursuits is more than just mental health - it's a movement. Peaks is dedicated to promoting community, creating connection, and curating growth through various outlets and mediums, delivering all things mental health to YOU and for YOU.
Mental and behavioral health awareness and education are a large part of the Peaks mission. Accessibility and relatable delivery are major aspects of the Peaks goals. Authenticity and transparency are the foundations of Peaks values. A part of upholding these ideas is providing the community with information, resources, and tools to help bolster the work you may be doing in therapy, on your own, or with a loved one.
As a professional counseling and psychotherapy service, Peaks specializes in working with people struggling with their self-esteem, identity, anxiety, the issues unique to athletes or other high-performing professions.
What if I'm struggling with things that don't fit into these categories?
Well, I'm sure glad you asked! Peaks works with those dealing with a variety of problems and symptoms. Some examples include:
depression
mood disorders
disordered eating
poor relationships with food
body image
ADD/ADHD
trauma
relationships
marriage problems, infidelity, divorce, or other relationship issues
stress
addictions and compulsions
grief, loss, or bereavement
anger
career choice
fears and phobias
insomnia
codependency
attachment issues
And more…
What makes Peaks different? Lemme break it down...
I describe my method of therapy as a “no frills” approach to mental health care. “No-frills” means I’m probably not going to do this:
or this...
or whatever this is...
My intent is to make therapy feel less like this:
or this...
and certainly not this...
And more like this:
this...
and maybe even this...
Because, why not work on being the best versions of ourselves? We take care of the rest of our bodies. And, we strive to be our best many other areas of our lives. Why aren’t we including our minds on these lists?
Bottom line: Asking for help to better yourself and your life doesn't mean you are weak, it proves you are strong. Just do you boo!
So, what is it that you actually DO? Let me see if I can break it down for ya...
I engage my clients in a collaborative approach to therapy and incorporate various evidence-based therapeutic modalities (the "tools" of my trade) to address the specific needs of each individual, or couple, in order to foster their personal growth and promote change.
The “tools of my trade” are also known as “Approaches”, “Techniques”, or “Interventions” and are a part of a larger theology of therapy, or “type” of therapy. I’ll use a commonly known form of therapy as an example:
> Theory/Type: Behavioral Theory
Behavioral counseling theories hold that people engage in problematic thinking and behavior when their environment supports it. When an environment reinforces or encourages these problems, they will continue to occur.
> Approach: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and behaviors, improving emotional regulation and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems.
> Technique/Intervention: Thought Reframing
Exploring ineffective thought patterns that are contributing to your suffering and working towards restructuring those thoughts so they are more effective, fostering a more positive or helpful mindset.
For me specifically, I work from a psychoanalytic theory and incorporate aspects (ideas, techniques, and interventions) of psychodynamic, behavioral, and cognitive theories. The incorporation of these modalities in my practice means I believe there can be underlying reasons why we think and act the way we do. And, oftentimes, an exploration of what lies beneath can offer us a better understanding of ourselves, how and why we operate. This exploration enables us to rewire the brain's ineffective neural pathways (aka thought/behavior patterns) which ultimately leads to change.
This fundamental understanding of how our brain works is the foundation of my personal belief that we all possess the ability to alleviate our own suffering, foster our own growth, and enact our own change. In sessions, I guide clients through this self-exploration by stimulating self-understanding, self-awareness, and self-reflection. Gaining this insight displays where opportunities for change may be beneficial. From here, we process the past experiences that have produced our current patterns, learn how to reprocess, and empower you towards the changes you want to make.
Are you feeling a little like this right about now?
No worries - I'll be breaking these concepts down, and all things mental health, more in future blogs, so stay tuned!
Anyways...
How did Peaks become Peaks? Another phenomenal question! (In case you're actually wondering)
Peak Pursuits was a birth of necessity. When I moved to Colorado in 2012 I began to uncover a prominent paradigm. As a state showcasing some of mother nature's finest work and providing some of the world's most magnificent playgrounds, Colorado naturally plays host to many professional athletes and recreational enthusiasts pursuing their passions. Living amongst the action, I gained greater insight into this dream world and the untold story from within the glossy snow globe.
I discovered a juxtaposition between the outward-facing appearance of the perceived lives of locals living in vacation destinations and the harsh realities of how these perceptions created a space stigmatizing mental health care. After all, if you're living in a beautiful place and afforded the lifestyle most only see in magazines, how could you possibly ever be anything but happy and content, right?
I saw this population as distinguished from others and noticed how it seemed to be overlooked and underserved by the mental health field in general. So, I began to focus my graduate studies around exploring how to fill this void by providing mental health services, myself, specific to their needs and challenges while simultaneously making an inherently stigmatized service attractive to the population it was imagined to serve.
And thus, the concept behind Peak Pursuits was born. Peaks is the embodiment of this concept and the beginning of my personal movement. Through Peak Pursuits, I hope to work towards shattering stigmas, helping people break through mental barriers and empowering them to make the changes they want for their lives, alongside reaching the peaks of their passions, whatever they may be.
But, that was only the beginning! Currently, Peaks is in the process of more acutely defining it's shape. I've got some big dreams up in the small head and I look forward to sharing them with you all along the way!
Catch ya on the flip side folks. Till then take care and be well!
-B
>> Next Week's Sneak Peak | A Partnership Made in Heaven! <<
I'm pumped to announce an exciting partnership
in the Peak's movement to promote mental health!
