Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Beaumont.
Hi Jon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Since I was very young, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor. Therefore, I started off in college as pre-med. However, after taking my first psychology class, I realized that the main reason I wanted to be a physician was largely due to the doctors and dentists over the years that had taken the time to talk with me about whatever it was that brought me into their office.
Thus, I came to the conclusion that being a counselor, as opposed to a surgeon, would be much more suitable for the type of help I was seeking to provide. My plethora of psychology classes in both undergrad and graduate school only solidified my confidence in this decision.
During grad school, I was able to develop a more specific goal for my career; to have my own private practice. After working for two years in Florence doing Neuropsychological assessments and then eight great years as a therapist at Three Rivers Midlands Residential Treatment facility, I made the decision to finally bring my dream to fruition. I started Beaumont Counseling Services in 2013.
For the first few years, I only saw private practice clients in the evenings, after a full day of work at the treatment facility. I started out with one client, then grew to a few, and so on. After building a large enough client base, I moved to full-time private practice in 2016, where I have been ever since.
I am proud to say I still absolutely LOVE the work that I do. I honestly cannot remember the last time I did not want to go into the office. I am one of the minorities of people that can say they were fortunate enough to find and pursue their passion, which is much more than a job or even a career.
Soon into my career as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor, I also set goals to write a book and present at seminars. Though I knew these methods may not be as profitable as private practice, books and seminars would allow me to reach and help more people than I could ever hope to by only doing individual therapy.
In 2019, I was able to check yet another box when I published my first book, “My Mom is a Big Fat Whale: A New Workbook for Kids & Teens to Take the Power Back from Bullies.” (Don’t be fooled by the title, haha, I love my mother dearly) Furthermore, since publishing the book, I have been presenting seminars and webinars on this topic around the state of South Carolina.
My next goal is to present this information on a national level, as I truly believe the techniques from the workbook can make a difference in reducing bullying nationwide.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth? It depends on your definition of this word. Fortunately, I had already learned many lessons in starting a business from creating my own real estate investment company in 2005, Stress-Free Investments, LLC. I never took a business class in college, so this came from many, many books and also surrounding myself with individuals who were much smarter than me when it came to customer service, finances, marketing/advertising, and all other aspects relating to running a business. Some of these lessons were learned the hard way but learned nonetheless.
I have also been fortunate to have the best family in the world, who have supported me throughout any journey I decide to take. They had a huge part in raising me to have a solution-focused approach to life. Therefore, when I see an obstacle or problem, my mind almost immediately starts working on a solution or at least a way to make the situation better.
So… the short answer to this question is: Yes, of course, there have been struggles, but I work hard to focus on the positive every day. This allows me to view the road as relatively smooth when I look back on this journey in particular.
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?
My official title is a licensed professional counselor, sometimes known in other states as a clinical mental health counselor or therapist. I am also a licensed professional counselor supervisor, in which role I help budding counselors learn the skills they need to become licensed.
I do individual therapy with ages 10 and up, though I sometimes see younger kids that are dealing with bullies. I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for a wide range of issues, but mainly anxiety, depression, and anger management. Since my book was published in 2019, I have focused even more on kids and teens that are being picked on or are the victim of verbal and/or cyberbullies.
Though I am a certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, I also use many techniques that are considered “out of the box.” I feel that clients deserve to benefit from any technique or intervention that I can provide or teach, even if they are not frequently used by many therapists. Through my wide variety of experiences in the counseling profession, I have been able to determine which of these strategies are the most effective in particular situations.
Recently, I have been most proud of the anti-bullying workbook I had published, as well as the corresponding seminars I have been presenting around the state. The workbook is based on the techniques I have been developing and teaching for over 15 years to help kids, teens, and even adults deal more effectively with verbal and cyberbullies. I have more confidence in these techniques than almost anything else in my therapeutic arsenal due to the fact that, when used consistently, I have seen this strategy work hundreds of times.
Thereby, my workbook is what I would most like readers to discover. The title is “My Mom is a Big Fat Whale: A New Workbook for Kids & Teens to Take the Power Back from Bullies.” Please don’t be fooled by the title though, as I love my mother dearly and the title will make sense once you read the story that is explained in the workbook. The strategies taught are very unique and, as I mentioned above, are based on 15+ years of perfecting them in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Readers can find the book on Amazon by going to https://www.amazon.com/dp/1513653903/.
Finally, other services I offer worth mentioning are life coaching, consultation on starting small businesses, stress management, and some family therapy.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Unfortunately due to COVID 19, there was a forced trend for counselors to move to teletherapy, which is counseling by phone or on the web. I personally do not enjoy this type of therapy as much as in-person sessions and my experience is that clients benefit more from the personal interactions in the office. Fortunately, I only had to do sessions this way for a few months; where I was then able to put in safety measures for clients to safely come to the office for in-person sessions.
Another trend seems to be the “mind-body connection.” I am very happy to see this catching on because, due to my background from originally majoring in Biology (pre-med), I have always been and continue to be interested in this topic. I have always tried to incorporate this into my practice whenever possible.
Contact Info:
- Email: jon@BeaumontCounselingServices.com
- Website: https://www.beaumontcounselingservices.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beaumontcounselingservices/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeaumontCounselingServices
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1513653903/
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