May Hero of the Month: Kirby Gardner, LCMHC, CAGS, RYT

Every month, we spotlight a counselor who has gone above and beyond for Uwill as our Uwill Hero of the Month. This month, we are delighted to recognize Kirby Gardner, LCMHC, CAGS, RYT as Uwill’s Monthly Hero.

Since joining the Uwill team in March 2022, Kirby has always gone above and beyond for Uwill. In that time, she’s had over 500 appointments, impacting the lives of students all across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, all with a very high feedback rating. 

Check out our interview with Kirby to learn about what brought her to Uwill, the importance of students having access to a platform like Uwill, and some advice for students adjusting to new routines in the summer.

What excites you the most about working with Uwill?
I would say the demographics. I enjoy working with young adults. I enjoy the opportunity to be involved in this transition in this new, exciting part of people’s lives. So being able to have flexible schedules, continuum of care with other therapists on the platform really gets me excited to do my work each day. 

Can you illustrate the importance of a student being able to access a platform like Uwill?
Absolutely. I have worked with students from across the globe. Honestly, from students who, because of their own religious restrictions, haven’t been able to access therapy or perhaps parental restrictions have prevented it. But now they have access. They can schedule it the same day or they can schedule it out in a few weeks and so that’s been very beneficial for some students already. 

What aspect of your work would you say you enjoy the most?
I think I enjoy, if anything, hearing how students use the skills that we go over. It’s not always that students listen and do what is discussed in sessions. So having someone come back and be like “it really worked!” Or even better yet, they saw somebody else who was having some distress and they were able to share their skills with them that really helped them and the other student. So really seeing the impact of counseling when people put in the work. 

What impact would you say Uwill has had on you as a professional?
I think just counseling in general. The impact that it has made for me is truly understanding how important our words are. The words we speak to ourselves are intimate. If we’re not paying attention, it can be very destructive. Very depressing, if anything. So through counseling, I think it’s very important to pay attention to just even the smallest words we’re saying or words that are on repeat so that we can be more attentive and perhaps reframe them to work better for us. 

Would you recommend working with Uwill to a colleague?
Absolutely! And I have! I especially love the training., I love the access to different training platforms, the free access to those platforms, and the collaborative efforts. I’ve done a couple of the mindfulness workshops that have been really helpful. Anytime I’ve needed clinical support, it’s very, very timely.

Summer is coming up. Do you have any advice for students who are going to be adjusting to either new routines or being away from school?
Absolutely I do! Staying connected, whether your friends are back at school or whether you’re at home and friends aren’t there. Get connected to new people, stay connected to the ones back at school. Have a next time that you’re going to hang out with your friends already ready before you end and then just create that new structure. Whether it be scheduling free time or scheduling that walk around the block, I think it’s really important to have a little bit of structure on your downtime. Anything like that is always helpful. And of course, have compassion because it is a transition and transitions are hard. 

To learn more about becoming a counselor with Uwill, click on the link below.

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