Brittany’s Story

Acceptance and care from a therapist helped Brittany heal from trauma and anxiety.

Editor’s Note: We’re so grateful to every client who chooses to publicly share their story. Brittany’s husband shared this statement with us:

“Brittany passed away earlier this year from stage 4 uterine cancer. She was able to overcome the fears and anguish of death through her faith in God, her close bond with family, and the tools she learned at Insight Counseling Centers. I’ve also decided to give Insight Counseling a try, seeing how it helped Brittany face the darkest moment of her life.”

We’re honored to share this video in her memory.

Brittany’s Story Transcript

 So a little bit about me: my name is Brittany, and I am 38 years old. I was born and raised in California, and now I live in Clarksville, TN. I’m a pretty creative soul—I love to dance and paint, really anything. I just love it all when it comes to art. Professionally, I am a community health worker, and I have been for 15-plus years. I love it! I get the privilege of improving the quality of life for other people. I do that through chronic disease management training, training other community health workers, and just helping individuals and companies grow. 

My life leading up to scheduling my first appointment with Insight Counseling was pretty strained. It was not my first time in counseling—I had been in counseling for maybe two years prior to that, but I wasn’t receiving what I needed. I had to take a break from work, consulting, training, and the business as a whole. Everything just had to be put on hold, which caused me a lot of mental distress. I needed help managing all of that. I had a desire, but there was also a lot of fear. 

I reached out when I did because a close friend of mine made a Facebook post about her experience in EMDR therapy. She talked about how it helped her process traumatic life events and how her life had improved. This intrigued me, so I reached out to her privately to get more information. Then I began my research, going online to find a counselor near me, and that’s how I found Insight Counseling. 

Joshua is great, and I try to let him know as often as I can. With Joshua, I feel heard and understood. He’s able to summarize in his own words what he’s understanding about what I say, which gives me the opportunity to affirm or rephrase., and it deepens the understanding, the trust, and it encourages me to reflect inward as he’s summarizing. This just creates a place of safety, and I think that’s because Joshua took the time to get to know me and make me feel comfortable. He didn’t rush things; he took his time to make me feel like not only is he a professional, but he’s also someone who cares. 

He gives me effective techniques and tools that are applicable, things I can use regularly that actually help me see things from an alternative perspective—without dismissing my own perspective. He accepts my perspective but also gives me an alternative to think about, and that’s very helpful because then I don’t feel bad for feeling a certain way. I feel accepted instead of corrected. 

I’ve seen a reduction in my anxiety symptoms, nightmares, and flashbacks. They’re not completely gone, but there has been a tremendous decrease in those, a reduction in those things. There’s been improved resiliency during those challenging moments of life. I went from, when things were stressful or difficult, being just not able to really move or just stuck, to now I’m able to bounce back and give my body what it needs to actually flourish through those challenges. 

Counseling has been a tremendous help for me. I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I actually started getting that help. I see it now as a form of self-care and caring for my heart and that inner child. At first, I was concerned about the cost of counseling. I didn’t think I could afford it, so I put it off. What I love about Insight Counseling is you guys offer the financial assistance or the income-based sliding scale, and that was a lifesaver for me. It took a weight off my shoulders of, “How am I going to pay for these sessions?” which would limit the healing for me. 

You’re braver than you know. You can do this, and I look back now wishing that I had reached out sooner and connected with a counselor because I have these tools that I would have never learned anywhere else. I thank Insight Counseling for providing a plethora of counselors with a variety of certifications and backgrounds to choose from. They can help so many people in various areas of life, and I appreciate this.