Meet Kelsey Schad

We recently connected with Kelsey Schad and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?

As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), self-care is a topic I discuss frequently with clients because it’s incredibly important and is directly tied to our overall well-being. Research shows that self-care activities can improve mental health, enhance self-esteem and self-worth, while reducing anxiety and depression. What I tell my clients is that self-care is a commitment to ourselves and each action is like a warm hug to our entire nervous system.

AND YET … Self-care is a practice that I am continuing to learn how to implement, understand, and curate for myself.

We live in a world that really glorifies the grind and hustle so much that it can feel difficult to give ourselves permission to lean into a slowness or to carve out intentional time for our mind and body. When I think of leaning into slowness there’s a natural hesitation that likely comes from my background in athletics. Sports has shaped some of my most favorite parts of the person I am, but I also can acknowledge that within sports there is always this push for urgency, a ‘no day’s off,’ mentality, and a subtle encouragement to ignore body signals in order to continue performing or achieving.

I have seen the version of myself who neglects self-care. This version ignores any and all emotional cues and needs. This version has struggled with migraines, cracked teeth from a clenched jaw, loss of feeling in an arm, and fuzzy, blurred vision. This version has been described as someone who burns a candle at both ends and then runs into a wall. This version isn’t pretty.

I’m thankful for my career, family, boyfriend, friends, and therapists who have all helped gain understanding for how important self-care is, who have encouraged me to rest, and who have given permission when I didn’t know how to do it for myself.

One of the more significant things I do in order to understand how to care for myself is to ask what I need or what the emotion I’m feeling needs. I used to think self-care was this really big, time consuming, daunting task. I’ve learned that self-care has to be more intentional, otherwise it will feel like a random bandaid pulled out of the medicine cabinet and praying for it to stick. Asking myself what I need is a guiding prompt for me to pay attention to what is happening within. With that knowledge I can then take appropriate measures to either give myself fun, comfort, stillness, connection, fulfillment, etc.

Sometimes this looks like:
A crisp Diet Coke from McDonald’s.
Facetiming my bestie in Ohio.
Buying new books and immediately smelling the fresh pages.
Playing kickball and soccer.
A hug from my boyfriend.
Going for a walk with or without my dogs.
Gathering for dinner with friends.
Reading at a local coffee shop.
Sunday football with the family.
Making banana bread.
Getting under my heated blanket and binge watching One Tree Hill.

I have learned that self-care is critical in nourishing the relationship that I have with myself, which is the most important relationship there is. I am working DAILY to unlearn the idea that I have to earn rest and instead am making room for the concert that self-care is productive. I use the word ‘productive’ because taking care of myself allows me to show up as the best version for all the other parts, pieces and people in my life. Investing in self-care provides the energy, motivation, and mental clarity necessary for me to function and thrive. I choose this form of productivity because I choose to invest in myself.

Someone, somewhere said: “Self-care is how you give yourself permission to evolve into your best self.”

I want to be proud of the person I am and the way that I show up in the world. I cannot be the person I aspire to be if I am operating at a deficit and abandoning myself. At the end of the day I am still human. There are days when I self-care so hard that it’s weird to think I used to dismiss the concept. There are also days when I have to be reminded to eat or gently nudged into a hot bath with epsom salt, a candle, and my book.

What I challenge myself to do and what I challenge clients to do is to find five minutes of intentional compassionate space. On the easier days we might be able to expand the five minutes but on the more difficult days at least we are still granting ourselves a little time to breathe or grab a Diet Coke, or do our skincare routine.

Your future self will thank you for taking the time to show up for yourself <3

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am the owner of Be Counseling, which is a private practice in Magnolia, Texas that provides mental health services. Be Counseling serves the Magnolia area as well as surrounding areas such as The Woodlands, Tomball, Montgomery and Conroe.

The purpose of Be Counseling comes from an understanding that many of us feel that our true self can only exist conditionally in the world around us. That we take up more ‘space’ than we should be allowed to. My hope is to invite comfort and acceptance for each person to exist authentically and to feel safe in emotional expression without needing to change or ‘fix.’ There is power in understanding that we don’t have to shrink to be more valued or loved. You are enough in your exact form!

As a clinician, I specialize in trauma and am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) while working towards becoming a Certified Addictions-Informed Mental Health Professional (CAIMHP). My passion is rooted in trauma work and how attachment styles are impacted. I find significant value in understanding how we learn to love and how we integrate ourselves into various relationships by exploring childhood unmet needs, lack of praise, emotional neglect, and high achievement expectations.

I define myself as someone who is eclectic, meaning I utilize strategies and techniques from different modalities such as Jungian, Polyvagal, Attachment Theory, Person-Centered and Somatic techniques. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I provide mental health services to individuals of all ages and couples. I believe it is super important to tailor my therapeutic approach to match the clients needs, personality and presenting issue. With this in mind, I have implemented Walk & Talk Therapy at Be Counseling. Several clients have verbalized a desire to get outside whether that’s to ground, move, or connect with the environment. Walk & Talk Therapy takes sessions outdoors, which allows us to combine movement and deep conversation while existing among nature. *Cue birds chirping and the feel of sun on our skin.*

Lastly, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, Supervisor (LPC-S). This licensure upgrade allows me the opportunity to mentor and guide LPC Associates as they earn clinical hours, explore their therapist identity and navigate cases. 🙂 Supervisors play such a big role on a clinicians journey to becoming fully licensed. A journey that is filled with uncertainty, self-doubt, and fear. On that journey I learned that it was super important to have a Supervisor who not only was a guiding light but also able to provide a sense of humanness and warmth at a time when I was learning, vulnerable and developing. That’s what I hope to provide to LPC Associates throughout their journey!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

When starting out in my career I think connection, purpose, and curiosity were some of the most impactful qualities.

Connection is incredibly important! While the field of psychology and counseling can feel massive with all the opportunity and adventure available, it can also feel small with six degrees of separation. Therefore, cultivating and maintaining meaningful professional connections is crucial for career development. This can occur through networking opportunities, coffee chats, engaging in community events, serving as a point of collaboration, or supporting professional insights, dreams, and business ventures. You never know when you’ll need a referral, a reference, or a trustworthy source to consult with. To this day I still have deep friendships with individuals who I worked with at a psychiatric hospital in 2017 – So grateful for the continued mentorship and support!

The journey is long and understanding my ‘why’ has helped me to survive the journey. My journey was filled with a ton of personal and professional difficulties from going back to school, life transitions, long hours, switching supervisors, and job closures. Understanding my purpose helped me to define as well as fulfill my ‘why.’ I found that I want to be someone that cultivates change, whether that comes through advocacy, policy change, or sitting with individuals who need that safe place. When life becomes daunting or heavy it can be helpful to reflect back on the reason you started in the first place and allow it to be the guiding light you need.

Lastly, I think it’s important to be curious. I’ve always been a person to ask ‘why,’ and while this question might be annoying to some it has been extremely beneficial for the field that I am in. It’s led me to read a ton of books, attend various trainings, and explore new theories. Being in practicum or internship is the perfect time to be open and gather ALL the experience. When starting out it can feel as though you need to figure out your niche, preferred population and area of interest immediately. While this is an important piece of the professional puzzle it isn’t one that we can figure out without being curious.

Don’t be afraid!

Don’t be afraid to branch out. Don’t be afraid of failure. Don’t be afraid of sounding dumb. Don’t be afraid of being vulnerable. I think part of this field is understanding that our humanness, our errors, and our authenticity allows those around us to do the same.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

The other day I was at a Texans game and noticed this elderly gentleman in front of me. I observed the way that he was interacting and existing compared to those around him. I started to think about what it would mean to be that age and whether I would concern myself with the insecurities that I am suffocated with in the current. Naturally, I became very overwhelmed with the idea of aging and the concept of wasting my life.

I walked out of the stadium having a conversation with my boyfriend about how interesting it is to worry so much about things that likely will not matter when I am older instead of prioritizing things, people and milestones that I will gladly carry with me.

If I had only a decade of life left I would give myself permission to exist as the person I am rather than the person I think I’m supposed to be. It would be a shame to live out my final years plagued by insecurity and fear. I would love to imagine myself living out the last decade as my most authentic, brave, and genuine self. She would wear a bikini and flip the bird to body standards. She would finally take that trip to Colorado Springs to hike the Manitou Incline. She would soak up all the quality time with her favorite people. She would take up more space by laughing more, saying what’s on her mind, and fluffing sentences with all the cuss words. She would be present and intentional with time rather than doomscrolling and engaging in comparisons. She would eat the pizza and order dessert.

Simply, life is too short. In my last decade I want to spend it living without the weight of my inner critic.

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