Values

We value and respect our clients

We believe in providing high-quality therapy from professionals trained and experienced in their specialties. We want all clients (whether they seek services from us or others) to be informed about their medical providers and know if they are competent to provide a specific type of service or not! Since there are many “unprotected terms” in the counseling world (meaning anyone can use it without having proper training/qualifications), we want to help make it as clear to our clients as possible. Overall, we believe that therapists should only advertise specialties for areas that they are competent, trained, or certified in.

Here are some examples of how this plays out here at Kalamazoo Therapy Group:

• We believe that couples therapy should only take place with therapists who are MFT (marriage and family therapy) trained because the skills required by the clinician vary greatly from individual work and the therapist needs to have experience and understanding in relationship psychoeducation, managing conflict, and identifying system patterns. Therefore, we only allow MFT trained therapists to offer relationship counseling. At Kalamazoo Therapy Group, you can be assured that your couples therapist knows what they are doing and are especially trained and skilled in managing the dynamics of multiple people in the room.
• We believe that EMDR can only be practiced appropriately and ethically by someone who is trained and/or certified so that it does not have the potential to retraumatize the client. While many therapists say they work with trauma, it is especially important that therapists working with such vulnerability and strong emotion can, above all else, commit to doing no harm. Therefore, we only allow EMDR trained therapists to offer EMDR services. At Kalamazoo Therapy Group, you can be assured that your EMDR therapist knows what they are doing and are especially trained and skilled in navigating difficult topics with a trauma-informed approach.
• We believe that sex therapy should only be advertised by therapists who are specifically trained in sex therapy by a reputable organization so that they can provide ethical, accurate, respectful, and non-judgmental services to their clients. Therefore, we only allow therapists who are competent and informed in sex therapy to provide these services. At Kalamazoo Therapy Group, you can feel confident that sex therapy is conducted by a counselor with up-to-date training, accurate information, and a non-judgmental approach.

As you read about our team of therapists, you can be assured that if there are specialties listed, there’s a reason! All therapists at Kalamazoo Therapy Group are committed to annual (or more often) continued education and most of us are avid readers, allowing us to constantly be studying and learning about our craft. Here’s how you can interpret the language on the main Therapists page:

• If only a specialty is listed, this means the therapist is competent in this area. They have some (or all) of the following: independent study through books and workshops/trainings, regular consultations with certified colleagues in this area of specialty, and/or personal lived experience and growth.
• If a specialty is listed with “In-Training” next to it, this means the therapist is currently attending a comprehensive program offering instruction and practice in this area of specialty. These programs are typically part of the process to become “Certified” (see below) by a respected governing body in the field.
• If a specialty is listed with “Certified” next to it, this means the therapist has completed a full and comprehensive program by a respected governing body in the field. They have likely completed hundreds or thousands of hours in coursework, client hours, and supervision related to this topic.

We are committed to making Kalamazoo Therapy Group the best place for counseling services.

We value and respect our therapists

We believe that the culture of a person’s workplace is an essential part of their health, happiness, and success as a mental health practitioner. We therefore strive to create a supportive environment where therapists can focus on the thing they love and are good at — therapy! Our amazing support staff team takes care of all of our billing and administrative tasks so that our therapists can put their energy and passion into their clients.

We value and respect that our therapists are regular humans in addition to being amazingly talented professionals. We believe in maintaining a healthy work-life balance and encourage our therapists to take vacations, schedule breaks, engage in hobbies, volunteer, and overall enjoy and thrive in their lives outside of the therapy room.

We are committed to making Kalamazoo Therapy Group the best place to work.