Meet Hannah Edwardson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Edwardson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Hannah, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

As a mental health therapist, I fully understand the impact that self-care has on overall wellness. I am always encouraging my clients to find ways to care for themselves, but also have learned the importance of “practicing what I preach”. Ways that I care for myself as a therapist are: going to my own personal therapy sessions, set boundaries with my work schedule (ex: I always take off Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), going for walks at a local lake, reading books for fun outside of work, etc. I have found that I am able to show up more effectively for myself and my clients when I am also taking care of myself. Self-care is more than just bubble baths and a sweet treat – it is taking time to learn what nourishes your own mind, body, heart, etc. and pouring into yourself just as much as you pour into others. As a result of caring for myself and filling my own cup, I can show up fully as my authentic self and be mentally and emotionally ready-to-go for my clients that come into the office.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and Registered Play Therapist (RPT) in the state of North Carolina. I own a practice in Raleigh, NC called Carolina Counseling and Play Therapy, PLLC. I specialize in working with children and teens (ages 4.5-17) who experience anxiety, difficulty with life transitions, low self-esteem, etc. I meet with the child or teen individually as well as meeting with parents/caregivers in separate sessions. I am passionate about equipping parents with the tools and insights to best support their child/teen outside of sessions.

As someone who has been on “the other side of the couch” I have experienced the value of therapy from a young age. When I was 6-years-old my parents went through a very high conflict divorce and custody battle and I went to a therapist for children. I do not remember much about the details of this experience, other than that for one time a week I could “just be a kid” and did not have to worry about everything that was going on outside of the office. I could have a space where my voice mattered and where I did not feel responsible for fixing the chaos around me. I knew in high school that I wanted to give other kids that same feeling and opportunity. My main goal as a licensed child and teen therapist is to help my clients feel seen, heard, and valued exactly as they are.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I believe the top three things that were most impactful in my journey were: field experience hours, leaning on others for support, and my faith. Through field experience such as practicum and internship placements I was able to learn what felt genuine to my therapeutic style and ways to tailor specific theories to individual clients. Additionally, I was able to increase my confidence in working with my ideal client population of children, teens, and families. Leaning on others for support helped me in more ways than I ever imagined. Every doubt, fear, or piece of the journey I was met with love, encouragement, and wisdom. I will forever be thankful to all of my friends, family members, supervisors, colleagues, etc. who have poured into me throughout this journey and continue to do so still today. Lastly, my faith got me through a lot of dark days and heavy nights. I often felt discouraged, anxious, and struggled from severe imposter syndrome (and still do at times, if I’m being honest). I have, however, learned that when I am needing extra support and cannot always see the light at the end of the tunnel that I can turn to my faith and remember that I have a purpose and He has a plan.

For other people out there who are early in their therapist journey I would highly recommend making a list of your most trusted people in your circle (ex: family members, friends, coworkers, etc.) and really allowing yourself to be vulnerable and honest of all the emotions that come up throughout your journey. I would encourage you to remember that our job as a therapist is not to have all the answers or help every client in the world, but rather to build a therapeutic relationship and walk alongside another human through their journey towards healing. Lastly, I would highly recommend attending as many training opportunities as possible! I remember being so scared to attend networking/training events, but it truly has been a game changer in my confidence and community building of other therapists in my local community.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

My biggest area of growth over the past 12 months has been allowing myself to show up authentically and without all the answers. When I first opened my practice in January 2024 I remember feeling like everything had to be “perfect” and I did not want to admit how scared and anxious I was. I can still remember early on at networking events I started off more reserved and held back a lot of my ideas due to fear of rejection. What I have learned, however, is I am worthy of taking up space. I have truly challenged myself to do more networking and sharing in groups at local trainings, which has drastically increased my confidence both as a private practice owner and a therapist. I also have found so much value in networking to build a local community to use for referrals to provide potential clients with another provider who I can personally recommend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carolinacounselingandplaytherapy.com/
• Instagram: @counselingwithkiddos

Image Credits

Logo created by Lauren at Blush and Poppy Studio – https://blushandpoppystudio.com/