Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Herwig.
Hi Kelly, 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?
I always knew that I wanted to connect with and help people, but I wasn’t sure which path to take to do that. I attended USC to pursue a degree in Psychology, knowing that I would either have to go to graduate school or find another career in a completely unrelated field. In one of my undergraduate psychology classes focused on at risk youth, a clinical social worker from a local treatment program came to talk to us about her job. That was my first exposure to social work and my first time thinking seriously about a potential career path. I moved back home to live with my parents for my senior year of college, and they just so happened to live down the street from a former field director in the Master of Social Work program who told me more about it. I decided somewhat on a whim that I would give it a try, and I feel so lucky that I ended up there even though I didn’t know much about it.
I graduated from the MSW program in 2011 and began my career working with adolescents with substance use disorders in an inpatient facility. It became clear to me quite quickly that substances were the symptom and attempted solution for the actual problem of being traumatized. After that job, I took a position at Midlands Technical College working with students who had disabilities. I am so appreciative for that job as it taught me a lot about accessibility, something that I’m not sure I would have learned to think about in the way that I do now if it weren’t for that experience. It was during my time at MTC that I also started my private practice, Crescent Moon Counseling, and began to build my business focused on working with folks who had experienced some form of trauma in their lives.
I left MTC and went full-time at my practice in 2017. I run my practice as a solo provider and there has been a lot of freedom in that to carve my own path. As I have learned more and evolved in my career, I have really focused on taking a nervous system and neurobiology informed approach to understanding and treating various forms of trauma. I am an EMDRIA Certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist and a Consultant In Training with the goal being to expand into providing training and consultation to other therapists. The more I deepen my understanding of these areas, the more aware I am of the gaps in training for entry level therapists and I’d really like to help close some of those gaps.
Becoming a social worker and therapist has been such a meaningful part of my life. My own personal values align deeply with the values and ethics of the field, and I run my practice with those values at the forefront. I met my best friend on my first day of graduate school and that has been such an anchor point for me, both personally and professionally. I feel so deeply aware of the responsibility I have as a therapist, the trust that my clients give me, and I am incredibly grateful that I have had the opportunity and ability to do this for a living.
Alright, 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?
I wouldn’t say that the road has been smooth, but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the privilege that I have that made it easier for me than it may be for other folks. I’m very fortunate that I have parents who supported me on the journey in various ways which eliminated some of the barriers that I would encounter. That being said, it definitely hasn’t been without challenges. I contemplated leaving grad school during the second semester of my first year after some significant issues in my first field placement. However, with a lot of support, I was able to stick it out and move through it to remain in the program.
A major learning curve for me was when I transitioned into being a business owner. I knew how to be a therapist but I had no idea how to start, run, and maintain a business. There is a reason I didn’t go into a numbers based field! I was able to connect with lots of members of the therapist community, both locally and across the country, to learn the ropes of business ownership. I still break into a cold sweat every tax season, but I have found other professionals that I trust to help me with this part of the business.
The biggest challenge about this journey has been learning how to balance my love for what I do and the people I work with, and my own personal life and self-care. It is not easy to be a container for so much of the pain in the world, but it IS easy to be a container for the connection, healing, and recovery that takes place in my office. Since I work with a lot of complex trauma, many of my clients have been with me for years and it has been so rewarding for us to grow along side each other and deepen the work we do together. I have developed my love of adventure, hiking, the outdoors, and plants as my own self-care. It also helps to have such close friends who are also therapists and understand this special calling.
We’ve been impressed with Crescent Moon Counseling, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Crescent Moon Counseling, the way I would describe my work with clinical jargon is primarily trauma recovery focused with an emphasis on neurobiology. How I would describe it with more nuance is I help people with meeting themselves and navigating their inner worlds, building self-trust, listening to their inner knowings, normalizing the human condition, demystifying their experiences and the strategies they’ve developed to protect themselves, and embracing the courage to live their most authentic lives.
I’m proud to be fostering a progressive, inclusive, and welcoming space for folks who have had challenges in finding safe places. I’m an LGBTQIA2+ affirming, Antiracist, secular, neurodivergent, and Feminist practitioner and I advertise as such. One of my favorite office decor items is my “Maybe Swearing Will Help” sign and when folks who identify with that come into my office, they know they’ve found a home away from home.
Any big plans?
I’m currently in process as a Consultant In Training to become an EMDRIA Approved Consultant for EMDR. I also plan to start providing supervision for social workers who are pursuing their independent clinical licenses, as well as continuing education and certification trainings for all helping professionals. Ultimately, I want to be able to contribute to shaping the next generation of social workers and therapists to make therapy more accessible and safer for all people.
Personally, I’m looking forward to working on my goal of traveling to a new country every year and hopefully hiking an Alta Via in the Italian Dolomites!
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