There’s a lot to my story. I want to immediately tell you about my credentials, how many years I’ve been working in my field, and what qualifications and education I hold. But, the real story, first and foremost, stems from personal experiences with both qualified and unqualified mental health professionals. My passion and goal is to be educated in my field as well as be a supportive guide, helpful to others during challenging times. You see, my passion for counseling (especially for those experiencing compassion fatigue), is strong.
I grew up in Colorado Springs with my mom, later moving to Oklahoma City in high school with my dad who was stationed there with the Air Force. Obviously moving during high school caused some personal strife in my life. Yet, I had always experienced a lot of childhood adversity before that, and had a very non-traditional upbringing.
From the chaos and upheaval in my young life, I was struggling with my emotional wellness. The adults in my life sent me to a variety of mental health professionals to try to intervene. Some were helpful and some were not. I could easily tell, even in my young age, which profesionals had higher integrity and knowledge than others. I could also tell from my interactions with them what kind of genuine (or not) experience I would have with them. Sometimes I would have some of the wrong people making decisions on my behalf or reporting on my health.
From these experiences, I decided at a young age that I wanted to go into a helping profession, but I wanted to make sure I was being effective in my work if I were to do so, so that I would not repeat some of the same mistakes that were made on me.
Service and Education
Upon graduating from high school I joined AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is an organization that helps disadvantaged socioeconomic groups across the country with plights of the poor such as home building and repair, reading programs, job training, jobs for vets, after school camps, and disaster preparedness (just to name a few of their many programs). First, I completed one year of service in Charleston, South Carolina in the National Civilian Community Corps. I enjoyed the experience so much that I did an additional year of service in City Year Seattle/King County.
After living in Seattle, I moved back to Colorado at age 21 to attend Fort Lewis College. There, I worked toward and obtained an undergraduate degree in Sociology/Human Services. In my studies, I spent a lot of time studying social justice, spent some time living in Mexico, and in the summers spent time leading young people in trail crews and also briefly worked for a wilderness drug rehab program. After college, I moved to Fort Collins where I worked in a residential treatment center for children and attended graduate school at Colorado State University where I received a Masters in Social Work in 2007.
My Denver Private Practice
I moved to Denver in 2007 to work for a non profit agency coordinating a program that supports relatives raising relative children due to their biological parents not being able to. I became a Licensed Social Worker in 2009 and then, after 2 years of supervision became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2011. From thereon, I decided to work full time as a therapist in community mental health. I realized I had a knack for mental health therapy through the feedback I received from numerous clients and their families. I currently work as a therapist at a placement school for students who have significant behavioral and mental health needs.
My private practice supports others in care-giving roles such as educators, fellow therapists, law enforcement, parents, medical personnel, elderly caregivers, kinship caregivers, grandparents, and so many others who give constantly in their work and lives.
I have been told that it is my professional yet creative and honest approach in working with others that has been very beneficial in helping people heal. My colleagues are constantly praising me for my knowledge in evidenced-based practices and call me a very talented clinician, to which I am flattered and very grateful for the respect in my industry. I have received much recognition from coworkers and have been asked to do numerous educational trainings for my peers. I also co-authored an article published in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships.
Personally…
I’m fun. I am down to earth. I get that life isn’t sunshine and rainbows, but that you can find them if you look in the right places and surround yourself with the right people and experiences. I also relate incredibly to people like me who have dedicated their lives to helping others in their lives and careers. For one, those of you who are caring for a child who isn’t your own, or your own aging parents, or a disabled child, I salute you with everything in my being. While you would never call it a drain, but rather surely a blessing, it drains you. I know it does at times, because you are strong, but just like anything, you can be strong while still developing cracks in your strength. That’s where therapy can come in, helping you fix the cracks so that you don’t break, or break down. I’m real and help you find ways to deal with your obligations and situation in a way that doesn’t add guilt and helps you draw healthy boundaries.
And, for those of you in “helping professions” such as medical professions, educators and those in public service, you might relate to feeling disillusioned by why you went into the career and what the career is like day to day. Perhaps the bureaucracy prevents you from really making the impact you want to make. Or, maybe there are individuals in tenured positions with whom you clash regularly, making the workplace limiting and stressful. I understand these issues and the many others that go along with working in the public sector, education and medical industries.
📷Tray Dubray, LCSW, Tray Dubray Counseling
In my personal and professional life, I have experienced the circumstances that can lead you to burnout and wanting to quit from time to time.
Having a safe place to come and vent and discuss ways to hold lines with yourself and others is a crucial tenet of self-care.
I also encourage empowerment by helping you see ways to find freedom within as well as creative ways to do your job even more effectively while ignoring the daily static.
Come in! Click to set a regular or introductory session with me.
Who I Work With
I meet with individuals, families, adolescents and fellow professionals who simply want an understanding ear and help getting through life's challenges.
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Recent Posts
Depression Test: Have You Been Noticing These Signs?
Looking for Counseling and Mental Health in Denver
Tips for Taking Care of a Relative’s Child
Healthy Empathy (For Caregivers) Good Traits to Have
Attachment Theory: What’s Yours?
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