Meet Jeremy Smith

 

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

Jeremy, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Sure, here is the revised text:

Growing up in a chaotic home environment was a challenge for me as a young kid. I was a quiet child, likely because I felt deeply without understanding the world and the environment around me. I witnessed many traumas at a young age, which forced me to find solace in dreaming. I found escape in movies that transported me to different worlds. You could say that was fitting for a boy who believed those dreams were only real inside my own mind.

At 16 years old, after enduring an abusive environment, I finally found the courage to leave and explore the world that I had so carefully dreamt about. I wish I could have told my younger self how courageous he would become. I worked hard to create stability and survive. I wasn’t always proud of what I did to survive, but I had no choice.

I did not realize that with each barrier I was knocking down in my life, I was slowly building a level of strength that would soon carry through to a successful career. I finished high school couch-surfing from a friend’s home. I enrolled in Florida State University’s Public Relations Program, where I graduated with honors. I realized that the world I always dreamed about only became real if I was the creator of it. Life was not perfect. I truly believe that true resilience is found through pain or “stuck points” in life that we as humans have to get through to appreciate what life has to offer.

So, when I say I became resilient, it is because I had to be. However, I stayed resilient because I was born to be. Now, I have the greatest gift of all. I have the ability to pay it forward to those kids like me, struggling with a dream and just needing to hear that their breakthrough is just around the corner.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a licensed trauma and addiction therapist in the state of Colorado. I graduated from the University of Denver with my MSW. I now work with complex trauma survivors, individuals struggling with addiction in the outpatient setting, system-involved youth, and those with personality and mood disorders. I see clients in all stages of life. Currently, I work with an organization called Resolute Counseling Center, serving Colorado and the Denver Metro area through community-based work, general outpatient care, family support, coaching, substance abuse assessments, and an Intensive Trauma-Based Juvenile Justice Program (10-12 months). We have just opened a brand-new office in Denver and are accepting new clients. Our energetic and diverse team is ready to help you with any life challenges you are facing.

My connection to the community and culture comes from lived experiences. Many people think that therapists are distant and formal. However, I am a passionate, well-educated, diverse trauma therapist and a survivor of trauma. I believe in the mantra, “It’s not about getting over it, it is about learning to live with it.” When it comes to diversity and inclusion, I believe that our clients need to see some version of themselves looking back at them, whether it is through skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, or culture. People need to feel a connection. My ability to understand a 16-year-old dealing with legal challenges and an adult seeking stability in their life is what makes my work special. We often forget that we are all just longing to feel seen and heard. My ability to manage my life challenges has allowed me the opportunity to hold space for those individuals looking for their chance to find resilience through navigating through their own challenges.

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

Reflecting on my journey, the three most impactful qualities are finding joy, courage, and stability. I believe that pursuing a career without passion can lead to burnout. It’s important to find work that challenges you and makes a positive impact. I’ve experienced breakthroughs with clients that have provided valuable perspectives in my own life. Having a career in a helping field requires compassion and joy to be sustainable long-term. Additionally, finding stability in life is crucial. I’ve seen many future therapists get discouraged by the years of schooling, hours of supervision, and the process of gaining licensure, causing them to quit before their career takes off. Any field that involves working through stages can have negative impacts on health, so it’s important to prioritize self-care and have tough conversations with oneself. My advice would be to find yourself a therapist. Not a friend, a therapist. Find a hobby that helps you relax and disconnect. Use your resources in the field. Seek advice from co-workers, supervisors, or friends in the field. You are not alone. Lastly, you must work on healing yourself. You will not be accepting yourself. Our work is so powerful because we have the education and the life experiences that allow us to place ourselves in a variety of challenging stages in our client’s lives. If we do not work on ourselves, we are not only devaluing ourselves as a human, but we run the risk of impacting the clients and the powerful work we set out to do.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

I am currently learning that my sole purpose in life is not to save everyone. As a confident therapist, I have used my own experiences to help others. However, I’ve realized that giving someone all the tools in the world to help change their life is not enough if they lack self-motivation. This doesn’t mean they don’t stand a chance, but sometimes, they may not be ready to make changes just yet. I’ve had to learn this the hard way in both my professional and personal life. I’ve experienced many dark times, and without hitting rock bottom, I wouldn’t be in a position to give this advice. It’s okay to pass on people, end relationships that don’t help your growth, and say no. I am learning that we don’t always need to have all the answers. Life has an interesting way of unfolding or “life-ing” on its own, and we have to be okay with that.

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