6 Q’s for St. Louis Anxiety Therapist Kelsey Torgerson Dunn
St. Louis Counseling for Anxiety and Anxiety-Driven Anger
We’re celebrating 6 years of supporting anxious kids, successful but stressed teens, perfectionist college students, and overwhelmed parents!
This month is our 6th birthday and we’re celebrating!
As a small private practice, we have the ability to truly get to know each client and tailor therapy to meet each client’s needs.
We enjoy getting to know each and every one of you, and hope you enjoy learning more about Compassionate Counseling St. Louis in this interview with our owner and founder, St. Louis anxiety therapist Kelsey Torgerson Dunn, MSW, LCSW.
Why did you open Compassionate Counseling St. Louis?
Before opening Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, I was working full time as an in-school therapist and supervisor at Saint Louis Counseling. While I loved working in the University City School District, and my school and SLC colleagues were amazing, I just felt so burned out. I had a huge caseload, I wasn’t able to see my students as often as I wanted, and I couldn’t refer kids out when I wasn’t the best fit - it was me, or nothing, and I’d rather they get some supportive counseling than no services at all.
I was motivated to open a practice so I could dedicate myself to a small caseload, provide intensive treatment over a long enough period of time, and track outcomes to make sure things were actually improving. And even as we’ve grown to a team of 5, those are still the cornerstones of Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
You started Compassionate Counseling St. Louis six years ago to work with anxious kids and kids with anxiety-driven anger. How has it grown since then?
After doing part time private practice plus full time job, I switched over to full time private practice in a little over a calendar year. After that I hired my first therapist to help out with the caseload and provide more flexible hours. Then she filled and I hired another, followed by an admin, and the team has grown and shifted around from there.
I love having different team members with different clinical backgrounds than my own. When we get together for our monthly team meetings, it’s great to hear different perspectives and to learn about clinical tools beyond my own skillset.
We’ve also grown to offer new programs that I would never have been able to offer if it was just me - like our new parent coaching program run by Erin, and we plan to host a summer art therapy group with Susie! (Email Emily to get on the interest list!)
Ever feel unprepared to handle your child’s emotional outbursts?
Our therapeutic parent coaching is basically like therapy for parent! We give you research-backed interventions and a little extra help with your anxious, angry, overwhelmed kids and teens.
Why did you choose to specialize in anxiety-driven anger and perfectionism in teens and college students?
Perfectionism is sneaky. It motivates you by keeping you on edge and telling you that you’re not good enough. Maybe when you make x achievement or have gotten approval from y people THEN you can relax. So you push, push, push until you’re almost all the way burned out.
The truth of it is, you’ll never prove your worth when you’re constantly looking for outside approval. I LOVE helping people work through this and come to a more healthy middle ground.
I also want people to understand that anxiety can look a LOT of different ways. It can look like perfectionism or shyness or stress, and it can also look like anger, which people miss. I figure teaching people about anxiety-driven anger, and the ways that anxiety hide, is really my legacy. The more kids, teens, and adults understand that their angry reactions could be due to an underlying anxiety disorder, the better - because then they can get the kind of help they really need, rather than trying to treat something but missing the root cause.
What’s next for you?
In addition to founding Compassionate Counseling St. Louis and writing my book, When Anxiety Makes You Angry, I’m now offering coaching (different than therapy!) for young adults with perfectionism. People can learn more at kelseytorgersondunn.com. I’m super excited to focus more on solutions-oriented coaching and to work with people outside of the STL area.
The Perfectionism Trap:
Hello, fellow people pleaser.
The truth is, you’ll never prove your worth when you’re constantly looking for outside approval. So let’s train your brain to reset your standards.
Are you hiring? What’s it like to be a therapist at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis?
Yes, we’re hiring! We’re looking for awesome therapists who love working with anxious, angry kids, teens, and young adults. Therapists can learn more on our careers page! We’ve really designed the job so that you can get in, see a small caseload of awesome clients, write your notes, and then be done with your day rather than carrying any stress home with you. We also offer CE stipends and self care bonuses so that our therapists can take care of themselves professionally and personally.
Basically, I tried to design the job to do the opposite of all of my past negative experiences in past work environments! So I want to make sure you have healthy boundaries, you clock in and out, you don’t get bogged down with overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and you have the flexibility to refer out when you’re not the best fit.
Share one fun fact that most people don’t know about you!
I played trombone for The University of Iowa marching band. Go Hawks!
Curious to hear more? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety therapists, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families throughout Creve Couer, Ballwin, Town and Country, Brentwood, and Ladue. You can set up your first free consult on this very website, on our consultation page.