Laura H: She reached out and learned how she could help

During the surge of federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year, therapist Laura H. saw the impact of added stress all around her, including on her own clients. She called Walk-In to learn about what she could do to help the larger community.

She learned about a new way to volunteer at Walk-In: As a licensed professional clinical counselor and a board-approved supervisor     , she could help meet the supervision needs of newly minted counselors.

“My schedule didn’t allow me to commit to a biweekly clinic volunteer shift     , but I can lead monthly group supervision,” Laura said. “So that is what I’m doing. And I’m excited to be connected to the work Walk-In is doing.”

A new group has recently started in which Laura provides guidance and support for volunteers at Walk-In who are working toward their professional licenses. In the group sessions, Laura consults about everything from specific interventions to use with clients, to navigating questions of professional ethics, to transitioning to a new career.

Laura arrived at professional counseling herself through a career change. Having studied business as an undergraduate in Iowa, she had launched herself in the human resources field, working full-time at an advertising agency.

But after a couple of years, she realized something was missing.

“I didn’t feel like I was making a positive difference in the world,” Laura recalls. “The mission in advertising just didn’t feel meaningful.” The realization didn’t come in a single moment, but over time. She began to explore a change, talking it over with people working in the mental health field.

When she took the plunge, it was at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis, where she earned a masters in counseling and psychological services. That was where she first heard about Walk-In as a place to get accessible mental health care, for free, anonymously, and without an appointment.

“For years in my practice, I referred clients to Walk-In if they had lost insurance or could not access care at our clinic,” Laura says.

This past winter, when the Twin Cities experienced the surge in ICE presence, Laura and other mental health professionals were discussing ways to help the community cope with the trauma and disruption.

“There was a push for easily accessible, pro-bono services, and I thought, ‘why build something from the ground up when there is already an organization that provides free counseling?“ That’s when Laura called Walk-In to find out how to help. She learned from Executive Director Kate Fischer that there is a need for free supervision.

Today, many new practitioners must pay for the supervision hours that are required to obtain a counseling license. In social work, that requirement is 200 hours of direct supervision. Some employers pay for supervision and some don’t. 

As she provides free supervision hours to the Walk-In volunteers in her group, Laura is reminded of her own days in graduate school. “I expected to get really good training, but I also became aware that I was just a human who didn’t have all the answers.”

Having the chance to discuss best practices and other issues with an experienced therapist is a key component of professional growth as a counselor. Volunteer counselors who staff clinics get to do that after each clinic, and many say that is a highlight of volunteering at Walk-In. Laura is pleased that she can provide an “extra perk” for volunteers who need supervision hours toward licensure.

“The need for free, easy-to-access care is not going to go down,” Laura says. “I can only see it increasing. There are so many barriers, even if you have insurance, like high copays and deductibles, or finding someone who takes your insurance and is close by. When you are struggling with your mental health it is especially hard to navigate these logistics.”

“That’s why the work that Walk-In does is so important – sometimes life-saving. I’m glad I can finally be a part of it, ” Laura says.

If you would like to be a volunteer supervisor, please contact Jessica Simpson at jsimpson@walkin.org.