Conversations with Stacy Andrews

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Andrews.

Hi Stacy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Counseling is my second career. Previously, I spent 17 years working as a sports administrator in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement in the United States.

I was fortunate to attend one Olympic Games and four Paralympic Games in various roles, mostly around the logistics of helping athletes become medalists. During my time working with athletes who are the best in the world, I realized that high-achieving people often struggled with mental health symptoms that were disregarded because of their achievements.

Many of the people I worked with struggled with depression, anxiety, trauma, and even suicide ideation and they weren’t able to easily get help because people often didn’t realize that there was a problem at all. So, in 2018, I decided that I would become a Licensed Professional Counselor so that I could serve the mental health needs of people like them; high-achievers who typically fall through the cracks in the mental health system.

After finishing my Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services in 2020, I opened True Grit Performance Counseling. At True Grit, I offer counseling to high achievers. Not just athletes, but doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, performers, veterans, and others who can reach significant levels of success, but still struggle with feeling okay.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started True Grit in May 2020 – in the heart of the COVID-19 lockdowns. It was difficult navigating a new business along with all of the COVID-19 precautions that the State of Colorado put in place. All of the networking that I did had to be online, and even when I did see clients in person, I never saw their faces because of the masks.

The pandemic also impacted my clients, many of whom went from being constantly busy to having to stay at home. Depression and anxiety symptoms soared as both my clients and I struggled to be able to connect with others. While I am not sure that I can say that I’m grateful for the pandemic, I did learn a lot and I believe that I am a better counselor for it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I offer performance counseling, which means that my clients are typically focused on one or two specific goals and I implement therapeutic interventions to help them reach those goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the goal standard of performance counseling, but I have found that other therapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, and even Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help clients overcome whatever mental obstacle is keeping them from reaching their goals.

Conversely, I have several clients who can meet goals but struggle to calm their minds, relax, and enjoy their lives. With these clients, we often explore the root cause of their struggles with rest and use techniques based on neurobiology that help the brain and body learn to reduce overthinking cycles and feel safe while resting.

In addition, I have extensive training in the treatment of trauma and complex trauma. Many clients don’t realize that they experienced trauma and that they have trauma symptoms. I’ve found that helping people process past events often helps my clients become the best versions of themselves and helps them to truly enjoy their lives.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson that I have learned is that every individual is unique and cannot be placed into a box. Even people who have similar personality profiles are very different. They have different senses of humor, different hopes and dreams, and different core values.

I’m so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to get to know the souls of so many wonderful people. In that process, I’ve definitely learned that we can’t say that we know someone until we really understand them as an individual.

Pricing:

• $120.00 per therapeutic hour (typically 55 minutes)
• I take Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna/Evernorth, United Healthcare, and other insurances.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.truegritcolorado.com
• Instagram: @truegritperformancecounseling