Why I’m Here: Nuance, Creativity, and My Commitment to Counselor Education

If you’ve found your way to this page, welcome. Whether you’re a counseling student, a fellow educator, someone curious about the field, or honestly anyone else, I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to take a moment to share a bit about who I am, why I started The Creative Complement Company, and what you can expect from this space—especially if you’ve just read my “disclaimer” post on social media.

Why I Started The Creative Complement Company

I’ve talked about this before, but it’s important to me that you know the heart behind this business. The Creative Complement Company began with a single Instagram post—one meant to bring awareness to mental health, and specifically, suicide awareness. At the time, I was working as a mental health counselor. While I loved working directly with clients, I realized I wanted to do more to help others feel confident in some of the most challenging parts of this work.

I wanted to support counselors and counseling students in understanding the complexities of mental health, and to be part of minimizing, or even eliminating, the negative stigma around suicide and mental health struggles. I’ve always been interested in sharing my process, my art, and my teaching. I love learning, and I love helping others understand new information.

As time went on and I built the business, I found myself needing to step back and reflect, especially as I struggled with how social media fit into my work life. I didn’t want to give up on this dream, because social media is what finally allowed me to start the education business I’d envisioned for so long. But I also needed space, the space to figure out how to show up authentically, and how to make this work sustainable for me.

Wrestling with Social Media

Let me start with a confession: I’ve had a complicated relationship with social media. As a counselor educator, I’ve often wondered if these platforms can truly hold the depth and nuance our field requires. The quick pace, the pressure to comment on every trending topic, and the tendency to oversimplify complex issues have all made me hesitant to show up here.

As a counselor, I see concerns about social media show up a lot. The issues aren’t just about how much we consume, but about what we’re consuming, learning something in a small dose, without context. Sometimes, reading and resonating with a quote or a “hot take” can spark a hasty change that isn’t fully considered. Yet, sometimes that’s all it takes for something to click, for someone to make the change they need in life. I go back and forth, weighing the benefits and the downfalls. I spend a lot of counseling minutes helping clients understand the context of social media posts or process the emotions that come up after viewing something. Even when I lessened my own time on social media, it remained and remains a common part of my sessions.

For a while, I stepped away entirely. I questioned whether I wanted to return at all. But as I reflected on my goals as an educator and business owner, I realized that social media is one of the most accessible ways to reach and support a diverse community of people, students, counselors, and counselor educators. I want to make sure my resources, ideas, and encouragement are available to those who need them, wherever they are.

What This Page Is (and Isn’t)

This page is not a space for therapy or clinical advice. Instead, it’s a hub for counselor educators and students—a place to find resources, reflections, and creative inspiration for your professional journey. My hope is to foster a community where we can all learn, grow, and support one another.

I do worry about the impact some content might have on consumers of mental health services. While I am a counselor and educator, I am also a client! (Yes—counselors have counselors, too!) Throughout my education, I’ve learned about topics or approaches that bothered me and made me question my interactions with my own counselors. After really thinking about it, I decided that there will always be risks, and my intentions may not always land right, but I still want to reach as many people as I can.

I will do my best to avoid posting about topics that seem like bite-sized therapy advice. I also encourage you, if you are a client, to talk to your counselor about the things you see on social media. If you read something here and want to try it with your counselor, talk to them about it! I know that as a client myself, I searched for a counseling approach that I thought would work for me, and it took a little while to find the right approach and the right person. If the educational content I share helps you with that, then I would be glad I took the risk to come back to social media.

You’ll notice that I don’t offer “one-size-fits-all” solutions. In counseling and counselor education, there are very few absolutes. Every person, classroom, and situation is unique. What works for one may not work for another, and that’s okay. I believe in honoring the complexity of our field, and I encourage you to adapt what you find here to your own context.

This page is also not about encouraging students, professionals, or educators to try to be everything to everyone. It is not possible. I will share a lot of different things, most I only dabble in, but the goal is to bring your attention to something you may not have heard of before. Even though it might not be my area of expertise, maybe it will become yours! Even if it is my area of expertise, I want to hear your take on it, so I can continue to reflect and rethink.

My Teaching Philosophy: Creatively Reflective and Transformative

At the heart of my work is a teaching philosophy I call “creatively reflective and transformative teaching.” My goal isn’t to create mini versions of myself. Instead, I use creativity as a tool to help students and fellow educators reach their unique potential and discover where they can truly excel in the counseling field. I believe that creativity opens doors to self-reflection, growth, and transformation—both in and out of academia.

I could talk for a long time about this, so I will leave it at this for now and come back to this topic later. It is important to note that this philosophy is one of the things that brought me back. I do not believe just sharing my knowledge makes the greatest impact. It is about the learner’s experience. I have to connect with others and hear from others to really share with others.

Embracing Nuance and Ongoing Learning

Short-form content, like what you’ll find on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and others, can’t capture every nuance. That’s why I also maintain a blog, where I expand on the topics I share in smaller doses. The short form makes it easier to remember, but the blog allows for deeper reflection. I will do my best to always share more context to what I put on social media.

I also want to be transparent: I may not address every trending or political topic. This isn’t because I don’t care, but because I believe in thoughtful, responsible engagement, especially in a field where people’s well-being is at stake. I want to make sure that what I share is grounded, respectful, and genuinely helpful. Sometimes this means I need more time for personal reflection, research, and meaningful conversations with loved ones. Sometimes it means the work I am doing or advocacy I am engaging in is staying behind the scenes. Again, not because I don’t care or don’t feel the issues are important for public conversation, but because I must be able to monitor the conversation, engage with it, and remain grounded in how I show up for myself, my family, and others.

My Commitments: Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Humility

I am committed to making this space as inclusive and accessible as possible. As a white, cis-female appearing, able-bodied counselor educator, I recognize the importance of ongoing self-reflection and learning around issues of identity, power, and privilege. I welcome feedback and invite you to let me know if there’s something I can do better. I am always doing my own work, and I hope this page reflects that commitment.

I’m Human, Too

Finally, I want to acknowledge that I’m human. I don’t have all the answers, and I’m always learning, just like you. I hope this space feels welcoming, supportive, and open to growth and change.

What You’ll Find Here

Expect content about counselor education in general, as well as insights from my niche: using creativity to enrich the learning and professional development of counselors and educators. My goal is to offer resources, prompts, and reflections that help you think critically, reflect deeply, and grow into the counselor or educator you’re meant to be.

Thank you for being here, for your openness, and for your commitment to this important work. Let’s learn and grow together.