Ms Mia Kennedy

A conversation with Mia Kennedy

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  I have always been interested in human behaviour and as I grew older the amount of suffering we can go through as humans became more evident. I am very strength-based by nature and so learning about ways to not only survive but thrive during times of hardship was very appealing to me. We often hear about post-traumatic stress, however post-traumatic growth is also a thing. It is such an honour to walk beside people as they navigate ways to thrive during their hardships whatever they may be.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  Most of my experience has been in mental health and addiction which is heavily associated with trauma. Therefore, I am a trauma-focused and informed practitioner and am influenced by modalities that tread carefully around trauma so as to not re-trigger my clients.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  I am curious by nature so I find most complexities of being a human interesting. However, I am a firm believer in the here and now which is a constant focus I hold with my clients. What can we do right now to empower or better your circumstances/mindset/environment. What I have found is that past experiences often cloud or inhibit my clients from thriving in the here and now. The relief and increased hope my clients express when finally being able to let old hurts go is both humbling and rewarding.

• What methods do you use?

  I am multi-modal meaning I use a variety of methods including: EMDR; CBT; DBT; RO DBT; Psychotherapy. Essentially whatever element of that modality which best suits my client will be used and measured to ensure distress reduction and goal focus is being achieved and maintained.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  In my experience every client is so different. I have found that my clients achieve progress best when we remain mindful to check-in around how the client will first measure progress. What will that look/feel like. I am very solutions focused, thus it is important to me that my client is feeling progression throughout our sessions both short and long term.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  To become a qualified psychotherapist it is mandatory that you also receive psychotherapy. In part, this is so you can understand the vulnerability that comes along with opening yourself up to another person. I found this to be one of my most humbling experiences. To sit in front of another human and remove my mask or my shield and share some of the parts of me that are so deep and vulnerable and to experience the courage I needed to be able to do that. Those experiences have enabled me to understand and respect what my clients go through in order to share with me some aspects of their life or themselves that is very difficult and to do so without judgement and or criticism.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  It is a unique position and no two days are the same. In my experience it is also a position where you are privy enough to offer hope to others. What I mean by that is I get to hear a lot about other people's lives. In part, sometimes the most vulnerable and darkest experiences. A lot of my clients express that they don't feel "normal" or are worried there is something "wrong" with them. It is an honour to sit in front of someone and be able to say that this is not the first time I have heard something like that. That most people would be surprised at just how many people feel the same way. That there is no such thing as "normal" as all humans are different. Then, being able to explore why the client may feel this way and to help them perhaps see themselves from an additional perspective. That is a pretty cool experience.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Yes and the older I get the easier it is to admit it. I feel very blessed by the training I was fortunate enough to receive. Early on in my career I volunteered at Lifeline and I stayed there for many years. This taught me that the most essential skill I can have as a therapist is the ability and openness to connection with others. To me, that means leaving my ego at the door and showing up with my client. On the 'bad hair' days I need to reflect back on what was throwing me off and assess what learning and growth I can take from it. I don't believe that being human requires perfection. However, being the best version of ourselves does require the ability to introspect and learn so we can move forward in life.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  There are many and I don't believe one to be the most significant. Perhaps due to my experience I do believe the abuse of drugs and alcohol to be up there though. However, the question then becomes why do so many people need drugs and alcohol to mask the pain they feel every day. Another issue is our lack of identity or ability to live a life according to our values. Add in the increasing cost of living and there are just so many everyday stressors we have to face. Therefore, maybe due to the fact there are so many potential problems of significance that surrounds us this is why we have so much internal and external chaos?

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  I enjoy Christmas. The smell of cinnamon; decorating the house; Christmas lights are all traditions filled with nostalgia for me. I also like the fact that December is a time where joy seems to be tangible. Also, seeing the excitement and happiness in the kids eyes makes it a special and magical time of year.