Who We Are
Though Mental Fitness officially started as a business precisely six years ago on October 9th, 2017, the seeds of Mental Fitness were planted long before then. Growing up as an only child, I greatly looked up to my cousin Mark. Unfortunately, when I was in 8th grade, Mark died of a heroin overdose.
This tragic event changed my worldview forever. I knew I needed to find a way to turn this pain into purpose, but first, I had some learning to do. In high school, I was passionate about studying human behavior and thinking. This led me to major in psychology for my four years at Penn State. I then went on to get my Masters in Social Work from Pitt.
From there, I worked at a methadone clinic for over two years, learning all the I could about the addiction and recovery process. And though I gained a lot throughout these years, I had a constant feeling that something was missing. Relapse prevention and coping skills training is great, but for me, it doesn’t get to the root of the problem. Emotions aren’t the problem. People, places, and things weren’t the problem. At the core of it all was how people trained their thoughts patterns to respond in the face of life stressors.
Realizing that I was ready to move beyond just doing strictly addiction therapy, I left the methadone clinic and went into private practice. I started working largely with adolescents as I was young enough to still be relatable, but old enough to be respected.
From there, I went on to learn skills and techniques for couples counseling, group counseling, depression, anxiety, and stress. I also started into my public speaking career as I realized I could spread the message of Mental Fitness to more people through public speaking than I could achieve through therapy alone.
This then lead me to another crossroads point. I knew my therapy style was different. It was more forward facing than most traditional approaches. It was also more than just focusing on removing distress or dysfunction. I felt as though I was more like a personal trainer in a sea of physical therapists. I had found a way to push people, not just to remove their pains, but rather, to achieve a greater sense of self than they ever previously imagined for themselves.
Then, in May of 2016, it hit me. I wasn’t just doing traditional mental health talk-therapy anymore. I was helping my clients grow in their Mental Fitness to new achieve heights of achievement and happiness. Like a musician who spends a decade playing covers, I knew it was time for me to write my own tune, and in October of 2017, that’s exactly what I did.
On October 9th, 2017 Mental Fitness opened for its first official day of business. Several months later and my caseload was full. It was then that I was able to hire my good friend, Howard Irwin as our first team member, and he was been with us ever since. About a year later, we added Jessica Calhoon, LCSW, to our team and expanded our services to include child therapy as well.
From there, the business has grown each year. We now not only offer counseling and speaking services, but also provide continuing education as well. In addition, we have a product line that includes a workbook, a children’s book, and in the next few months to come, an audiobook and personal journal as well.
Though it’s not always sunshine and roses being a small business entrepreneur, I believe that we as a team are making an incredibly in the lives of our clients and our community. We’ve helped thousands of folks recover from addiction, overcome depression and anxiety, and achieve lives they never previously thought possible.
For me, Mental Fitness isn’t just a job, it’s my calling. I know that my cousin Mark’s spirit lives on in all that was do, and I do the best I can everyone to make him proud and honor his memory.