Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelby Mendell.
Hi Chelby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was young, my mother worked as a pediatric hospice social worker, and I learned about grief, death, and loss at a very young age. It is without a doubt that my mother’s profession and the experiences she exposed me to are what shaped and steered me down the path of becoming a social worker and psychotherapist. Throughout high school and college, I spent time volunteering at a children’s bereavement camp every year. I became very interested in helping those struggling with depression and other mental illnesses. In graduate school at the University of Texas, I chose an internship at Austin State Hospital where I could work with individuals who have severe and persistent mental illnesses. Upon graduation I accepted a full-time position. My experience working with children and adults in psychiatric inpatient settings further strengthened my desire to become a therapist to help individuals learn the skills to improve their mental health and wellbeing. After moving to Houston, I worked at Harris County Psychiatric Center and The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. My time at both jobs was incredibly valuable, and the knowledge and experience I gained was immeasurable. This helped guide me towards my next step of starting my own private practice. With the advice and encouragement of my husband, family, and a close friend, I decided to make the leap and start my own psychotherapy practice.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The Houston community has been amazing. I have been fortunate to meet and network with so many great individuals who have given me useful advice and have been extremely helpful in building my practice. It can be scary and isolating starting a practice on your own, but I could never imagine the community of support and encouragement I have encountered from people I have just met. Everyone wants to help each other succeed and it has been very uplifting. Networking and meeting new people have and continue to be a huge priority for me.
Like with any change, at first, there are several things that were difficult to navigate. I had been very accustomed to working at large agencies where a lot of work such as billing, marketing, and IT is done behind the scenes and not a part of my everyday role. It has been a bit of a learning curve incorporating these new tasks, but I have so many great resources in my network which has made it manageable.
Lastly, making a conscious effort to take time for self-care has been essential. It is very easy to get burnt out in any helping profession. When you are filling your own schedule, the focus is meeting your client’s needs which can lead to forgetting about making time for yourself. This has been something I have been working towards improving, as I always want to be my best self in order to show up for my clients.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) under my private practice: Chelby Mendell LCSW, PLLC. I work with adults 18 years and older and provide psychotherapy via telehealth all throughout Texas, and I accept most insurances. I specialize in grief, loss, anxiety, depression, and trauma. I use various evidence-based treatments to assist clients in working towards their goals, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for those experiencing PTSD. I work from a humanistic approach, as I believe the client should drive the therapy session in order to meet their goals. My hope is for people to know that they can experience growth and benefit from therapy at any point in their lives.
There are several aspects that set me apart from others. My comfort with and awareness of death and loss started at a much younger age than most. Death and loss are often taboo topics which lead to people frequently grieving and mourning in silence. In my family, it was a common topic due to my mother’s job as a hospice social worker. Additionally, my experience working in psychiatric hospitals and a community mental health clinic allowed me to see a variety of severe mental illnesses. I have years of experience working with and learning from other health care workers including nurses, psychiatrists, and psychiatric technicians. I am very comfortable in assisting those in crisis as well as helping clients process traumatic events.
I want anyone considering psychotherapy services to know how crucial it is to find the right therapist for you. You should feel safe, heard, and also challenged to work hard towards the goals you set for yourself. I recognize the courage it takes to enter into a therapeutic relationship which is why I offer a free 30-minute consultation to any potential client seeking services. I always want clients to feel comfortable asking questions and sharing any concerns to ensure they feel we are a good fit.
What matters most to you?
There are a few things that matter most to me that I tell each of my clients. The first is that we are a team. I never want a client to feel that I am the authority, as it should be the complete opposite. Collaborating with my clients is vital to therapy being effective. I also want my clients to feel safe and heard. In my therapy practice, I work from a place of openness and curiosity, without judgment or assumptions. Creating and maintaining a strong rapport with each of my clients is extremely important to me so that my clients truly feel they can share anything during our time together. I believe this helps to foster an environment where my clients can achieve sustainable healing and growth.
Contact Info:
- Email: chelbymendelltherapy@gmail.com
- Website: www.chelbymendelltherapy.com
Image Credits
Dallas Evans
