We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jan Dunn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jan, so great to have you sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our readers and so let’s jump right into one of our favorite topics – empathy. We think a lack of empathy is at the heart of so many issues the world is struggling with and so our hope is to contribute to an environment that fosters the development of empathy. Along those lines, we’d love to hear your thoughts around where your empathy comes from?
Listening. Listening is the portal to many things and empathy is one of them. I’m the youngest of six children and we all came in different shapes and sizes. Just like everyone, I had to go through immaturity, struggle, celebrations, and tragedy to realize that being heard and accepted is a basic human need. When we can put away our own perspectives and our own judgements that’s when the real empathy can begin.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Meeting people where they are at…literally. We do this through a mobile private practice that provides psychotherapy to rural communities in Oklahoma. It was only fitting to have a 1973 Airstream that was renovated to become an office. Let me explain the “we” in this.
My husband manages the day-to-day operations, which require a bit more than a standard office (I’m laughing, he’s not)! He also takes care of billing and scheduling. He is a certified peer support specialist and runs a combat veteran group once a month. In his past life, he completed multiple deployments overseas and stateside. He is the “bold” in this journey and his nudges have gotten us to where we are today with Feels on Wheels. I’m the one that needs to process…and then processes again…and again.
The most exciting part of what we get to do is serve. We are able to serve individuals, families, and communities who are fighting to change. To witness how psychotherapy can create narratives and truths is a humbling experience. Rural communities have a special place in my heart because I grew up in one. The basic needs to take care of yourself can end up being a two hour round trip. Mental health is an important part of our well-being and it needs to be accessible.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The village.
The wisdom.
The faith.
We have a beautiful village and we asked them everything. The wisdom really comes with all the choices that have to be made along the way. Pure raw faith is the glue for it all. Transitioning from the mainstream way of working into our own business was scary. We had to do it scared.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
There are simply not enough resources for each community to meet the mental health needs. It would be a great day to see an Airstream in every rural community in Oklahoma. It physically hurts when someone calls and we can only get them in a few months later. We do everything we can to refer to therapists who have a shorter wait time. We also keep a waiting list in case someone cancels. We work in a broken system and everyone in mental health does what they can. Accepting the harshness of that can be difficult. On the other side of that are clients who are understanding and compassionate. We truly work with the best kinds of humans.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.feelsonwheelsllc.com
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- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/feelsonwheelsllc/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
