Rhea Simonson, MA, LCPC
My name is Rhea (Ree-Uh). My work experiences have brought me many places where I have learned many things. I have always been called to work with children, teens and families experiencing difficulties in regards to their mental health and life stability. I graduated with my Masters Degree in Counseling and Psychological Services in 2013 from St. Mary's University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After graduating I worked wide variety of positions that included working in a domestic violence shelter, the educational system, juvenile and adult justice systems, crisis response, day treatment and juvenile probation. The large majority of my experience has included working with children experiencing severe emotional and mental disorders and trauma that has deeply impacted their overall daily functioning.
Through my work experience, I have been able to hone my therapeutic approach based in attachment. My professional interests and approaches are based in generational trauma and how it continues to impact children throughout generations. I believe that exploring a person’s attachment style, history, interruptions, and desires are vital to re-establishing and maintaining healthy relationships and connections. I believe that events throughout our lives impact our abilities to connect, cope, and succeed and sometimes it is hard to know how deeply events have impacted us. I function from the school of thought that our upbringings and our attachments shape who we are and how we handle stress in our lives. I am driven by a deep desire to assist children and their families/caregivers to flourish despite difficulties they maybe facing. I use a wide variety of therapeutic approaches as I do my best to meet my clients where they are at and connect the therapeutic process to how they learn and process best. I focus on regulation of the physical body and mind through sensory integration. Mental health struggles and experiencing grief, loss and trauma have a profound impact on our minds and bodies and often time regulation of our nervous systems needs to occur before healing can begin. I also use a lot of expressive outlets in my office as sometimes spoken words aren't always the best option.
I have always been and will continue to be a lifelong learner. When I am not working you will generally find me reading a book or listening to music. I am an avid Harry Potter fan and love Marvel movies and comics. I am an animal lover, especially my cats, dogs and chickens. I love to go to concerts, take trips to new places, and spend time with my friends and family. At the end of the day, I work hard to acknowledge that we are all human, just out here doing our best with the information and skills that we have.