Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Peabody .
Thanks for sharing your story with us . So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always wanted to help people. I have a degree in Criminal Justice with the hope of being a police officer, however I was afraid I would get beat up so I switched my focus to Psychology. After graduating with a BA in Psychology I started working for a street outreach team in Cambridge MA. That was the best start to my career. We worked with the homeless population suffering with substance abuse, mental illness, and trauma. We ate lunch with our clients, we provided socks and coats, we laughed and we cried. Our mission was to connect with this extremely vulnerable population. I was 21 years old this was completely out of my element. I was in shock, and I have to admit, pretty scared. I had no idea what I was doing but I had amazing supervisors who just said, “Be yourself, you are not trying to save them, you just want to offer them a sandwich.”. OK, I could do that. I witnessed these amazing people with complicated stories try to survive. This experienced opened my eyes. I began to understand that suffering can happen to anyone. The clients we served where mothers, teachers, and business owners. Understanding substance abuse and trauma became my passion. Throughout the last 20ish years I worked in housing to health care, all focusing around the needs of people with substance abuse. Currently I am the owner of a private practice in East Bridgewater, MA. I opened the practice December 2013 because I want to treat clients my way. We specialize in treating people with substance abuse and trauma. We offer individual, couple, family and group therapy. The difference with our office is that we are small because we want to be. The office is quiet, there are no administrative staffs. No phones ringing. No doors shutting, or people talking in the halls. No billing department to visit. This is part of my vision. My clients need a place of calm to do the work. My hope is to create a place of refuge for my clients, and I think I have.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. Is there such a thing as a “smooth road”? But it has not been awful either. I would say graduate school was pretty difficult because I was extremely poor, working 3 jobs and going to school. During this time I became extremely ill, just completely worn down. I was out of work and school for little over a month. I was so poor and had such bad health insurance I could not get an appointment with my doctor. I ended up getting treatment with the neighborhood health clinic around the corner from my apartment. The doctor that treated me wanted me to go into the hospital but I did not have medical coverage for it. I had to go to the clinic everyday for antibiotic shots for a week. About three days into this I was so dehydrated that I need two bags of fluid IV. I think I could not even afford the pill version of the medication so my doctor had to give me his samples. That was definitely was a tough time, but I got through it. I did end up getting a B- in Childhood Development because I was not present for enough class discussion which I thought was totally BS.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Forgewell Solutions – what should we know?
I am the owner and a therapist at Karen Peabody, LICSW. We are a small private practice office that specializes in treating adults with substance abuse and trauma issues. I am most proud of my company because I know we help people. The entire therapist is incredibly talented, passionate clinicians. They are people that I trust and respect. We are always talking about new studies, more training, and new ideas. We are focused in our clients and their needs and I am confident that our clients get the benefits from our dedication. What sets us apart is our model of business. Every therapist is essentially running their own business. We do not have the demands that companies put on social workers and therapists. The therapist can work as much or as little as they want. They can take breaks and we can consult with one another. There is not a mad rush to see 10 clients a day because it is a company expectation. Without these pressures, I have therapists who want to work and they feel that they are properly compensated for their work. It makes a difference with the quality of care for our clients when our therapist is not worrying about non-essential factors.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Original Random question answer: I am a bulldog, I will never give up. . I actually like to call it “passionate”, others call it something else. This has definitely helped and hurt me during my journey. Anyone that knows me know can get little “passionate” about certain things, but I do think it is my passion that people do not mind if I am on their team. My determination allowed me to develop a business while working 30 hours a week and raising a toddler and a newborn. I worked until 3am for 6 months straight to get my business started.
Contact Info:
- Address: 36 North Bedford Street Suite C22 East Bridgewater MA 02333
- Website: youronesolutions.org
- Phone: 774-222-3196
- Email: Kpeabody.solutions@gmail.com
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