About Cassidy (she/her)
This is the part of the website where you start to get an idea of whether I am a good fit to work with you, I'll tell you a bit about who I am.
I am nothing if not myself with caregivers. I really believe in having a sense of humor and being creative in my approaches. Because raising kids is hard, and I encourage you to both laugh and cry about it. I am always learning new stuff to make the work I do with you even more kick-ass.
Qualifications (at least according to capitalism and a few other systems of oppression):
When looking for a caregiver coach or educational advocate and are rationalizing using financial resources for that type of support, I imagine it may be helpful for you to know more about my training, education and certification/licensure. I received my Master's Degree at Johns Hopkins University in their Clinical Community Counseling program. I'm a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Maryland, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Vermont, as well as an approved supervisor in the state of Maryland.
I'm also a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S), accredited by the Association for Play Therapy. Becoming an RPT required an additional 150 hours of a combination of graduate studies and continuing education courses, an additional year of play therapy specific supervision, plus ongoing education every year to maintain the title. In addition, I do a combination of required and desired (read: education that doesn't count for continuing education requirements because the licensing system is inherently flawed) continuing education that as of late has included learning from folks with lived experience in neurodiversity affirming approaches, the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically trans folks. I've been actively engaging in a personal and professional anti-racism and anti-oppression unlearning journey through peer supervision, consultation, and personal work. Most recently, I've been learning a lot from a consultation series Silvana at Decolonize Your Practice has been hosting.
Identities and areas of privilege: I'm a cishet, able bodied, white woman with straight size privilege and a graduate degree. I'm an ADHDer and am able to offer that lived experience perspective to clients. For folks of marginalized identities that need to have some shared lived experience with a provider for felt safety, allow me to guide you toward folks who share those important identities.
Click here to schedule your free no obligation 30 minute consultation
Pivot to Caregiver Coaching
After so many years of working with children and their adults, I started to realize that I REALLY enjoy helping caregivers get into alignment with their highest caregiving values and finding small ways to shift their caregiving practices in a way that reflects their truest selves. Cutting through the incessant noise and shoulds (shoulds really are the worst) that caregivers are combatting every moment of most days. So as of January, 2023 I officially launched a separate coaching business. This has allowed me to support more folks while also lending to more flexibility for being location independent more often during the year. As of November, 2023, I stopped working with child clients and am now working as a Caregiver Coach. This allows me to put my clinical experience working one on one with kids and adopt a different approach to helping more humans at once. The world is hard and we all need some spaces to heal. Caregiver coaching may be yours.
I work with caregivers to navigate whatever struggles arise. I use my strong sense of intuition and ability to be present to build a relationship with my clients while helping you feel empowered as a caregiver.
One of the reasons I spent so much time in my career up until now working with kids, is that I was in GRAD SCHOOL before I realized what I now know of as being an ADHDer. I already knew that I had anxiety and was working on that, but the awareness I gained around ADHD piece of my identity and experiences was pretty life changing for me. This lived experience allows me to offer a level of understanding, insights, and resonance that others may not be able to. One of my favorite personal qualities is that I pick up on seemingly minor things that may be creating a huge challenge for the humans you are raising. You can trust that I offer everything I've learned and experienced to help the folks I work with. If I can facilitate you reducing suffering in your home in any way, I know that we are changing the world, one compassionate interaction at a time.
While I do have lived experience as an ADHDer and strive to practice from a neurodiversity affirming approach, I still catch myself uncovering internalized ableism surrounding ADHD. It's also important to name that it can often be beneficial to share an identity or lived experience between client and coach that I do not hold, and therefore I'm not always going to be the best fit for each person who calls me. For example, as a white, Cis-Het female who is child-free by choice, I do not share the identity of a Black, queer, solo parent who experiences both micro-aggressions and exists in a world that is unsafe for them. I strive to be not only neurodiversity affirming as well as affirming of the LGBTQIA+ community and have been actively engaging in anti-racist learning for the last 4+ years. I welcome families of varying makeups. AND, sometimes being affirming is not enough. There are some folks who would be best served by sharing an identity with their coach or at least a higher level of competence and education, and if those folks decide to schedule a consult, we will openly discuss whether I'm the best fit to work with you.
Click here to schedule your free no obligation 30 minute consultation
Supervision
I am a board approved supervisor for LGPC's in the state of Maryland. I am also a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S). I really enjoy working with folks who are working in group practices who want to work with kids, and are seeking additional support to be the best therapists they can be in supporting child clients. There are nuances to working with children that are not taught in graduate school and that professionals who focus their practice primarily with adult clients, do not fully understand. It is such a joy to support clinicians in empowering themselves in this area and knowing that our communities have access to more and more genuinely good clinicians from whom they can choose to work with.
The fun stuff!
As you can see, I love unicorns. I love to read for fun. I can often be found doing some sort of creative project, whether it be chalk painting furniture, acrylic paint pours, or most recently wrapping up a 6 month cross country solo roadtrip towing a hand-me-down camper that I lovingly and painstakingly revitalized. I love travel and fiercely protect my alone time (#introvert) and therefore strongly hold boundaries on my time off whether it be one day or two weeks. There is definitely more travel in my future, stay tuned.
Being an auntie is one of my favorite things. I have many niblings between my bio family and my chosen family. Speaking of my family, it is HUGE. My family tree puts the Vitamix in Blended (teehee, get it?) and for that I have learned to feel gratitude not only for the expansive connections it has allowed me, but also for the multiple lenses from which it allows me to expand my understanding of familial roles and relationships. I am an amateur dad joker (see vitamix reference). I'm also an amateur Geek Therapist and have been dabbling in some gaming which will be another really fun thing to add on to my future virtual offerings, should I return to the 1:1 or group therapy world one day!
Sustainability is my other passion turned life purpose. I'm currently working on a project that combines my experience working with kids and families, to support folks in taking better care of our precious planet one tiny action step at a time. I'm enjoying observing what is forming while I'm giving myself the space, time, and attention this project deserves!
Cassidy with a huge grin while hiking during her 2023 roadtrip.
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Very exciting find- FOAM recycling bin.
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Cassidy holding one of her niblings on the beach. Not seen- pure joy on both faces.
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