Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Pickett.
Hi Marie, 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 backstories with our readers?
When I was a teenager, I came from some pretty hard family dynamics. We had several interactions with the Division of Child and Family Services, most of which were not very helpful for me or my family. When I started college in 2000, I was a chemistry major, but soon learned that I had the drive to go into human services. I felt that I had a lot to offer to my community as I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of things. I changed my major and graduated with my master’s degree in Social Work in 2005 from the University of Utah.
I started working for the local mental health authority upon graduation. I stayed there for approximately 8 years, developing relationships in my community with many of the agencies that are responsible for helping some of our most at-risk children and families. In 2013, I started Clear Horizons Clinical Services with an intention of being able to influence the lives of these amazing children and families even more.
Since that time, I have run a proctor care (private fostercare) branch of our company, grew to 15 employees, and continue the work I set out to do almost 20 years ago. I am not going to say that it has been easy, because this work can be heavy at times. I can say there is never a day I regret taking the path I have taken as I have seen the good that can come from loving my community and being a part of something much bigger than myself.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Some of the challenges I have seen and continue to experience include healthcare exclusions and limitations, lack of funding for some of our clients, daily barriers that many of our clients face, and the lack of resources in general.
(There are a limited number of agencies who are willing to work with the funding sources we choose to work with as a result of the reasons listed above.) I also feel like the general expectation on the providers who are willing to work with the populations that we work with are much greater than the expectations on providers who do not work with vulnerable populations.
All of these factors combined have made an impact on how many agencies are willing to do this work.
We’ve been impressed with Clear Horizons Clinical Services, 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?
We are primarily a trauma-based mental health clinic.
We strive to bring treatment modalities that are effective and experiential. We focus largely on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), but also utilize Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Ego State work, and Play Therapy of many kinds. I am a Consultant in Training for EMDR and will be fully credentialed as a consultant in December of this year. I also am a play therapy supervisor (RPT-S).
Furthermore, I am certified in Equine therapy and love to incorporate these modalities in animal-assisted therapy. We have 13 fabulous therapists on staff, as well as 2 amazing office managers and an office cat that is very beneficial in improving the mental health of our clients.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I have found many colleagues in various training.
I feel like my network and mentors are all over the country, from Oregon to Arizona to Oklahoma to California to Texas. I have found this even more helpful with the pandemic because we have been able to connect more readily through virtual means.
The biggest help I have found is to find your people who have similar interests and ask questions. The internet is vast and the resources are readily available.
Pricing:
- $150.00 Individual and Family Therapy
- $400.00 to 600.00 for groups and classes (8 to 12 weeks in length.)
- $150.00 for individual consultation (EMDR and Play therapy–Can be virtual)
- $40.00 for group consultations (EMDR and Play Therapy–Can be virtual)
- Court-ordered Services for family conciliation are also available. Please call for Details.
Contact Info:
- Email: chcs@clearhorizons.org
- Website: clearhorizons.org
- Facebook: Clear Horizons Clinical Services
