Today we’d like to introduce you to Danièle Trevathan and Stacy Jo Poffenbarger.
Me-TIme Healing is a concept created out of a love and passion for assisting people in healing and becoming their best self as well as a frustration at the current state of affairs occurring in the substance abuse and mental health field in South Florida.
Daniele and Stacy Jo met while working together at a treatment center in South Florida and soon became fast friends. While working together it became evident that each of these ladies wanted more for their communities and the clients whom they serve. They separated, both going off to further advance their careers. Throughout the process, they remained close friends and oftentimes had lunch on Saturday afternoons at a little Tex Mex Cafe. There, they would discuss careers, goals, dreams and the details of their personal lives.
Anytime Stacy Jo had a question about ethics in the field, she would go directly to Daniele who always had a well thought out answer that was based upon the law and her personal integrity. And anytime Daniele sought an honest or unbiased opinion on a given topic, she went straight to Stacy Jo. It has often been said that they share the same heart, the only difference being Daniele is more reserved whereas Stacy Jo does not struggle with being shy.
Before long, the friends began working together again and realized how corrupt the industry has become. Something had to be done to bring ethical based treatment to clients who were being exploited and who desperately needed genuine and authentic assistance.
The struggle of working in treatment centers in South Florida is the unfortunate reality that the business oftentimes conflicts with the clinical. This leaves many clients who are without resources struggling to obtain quality treatment services and aftercare support. Both Daniele and Stacy Jo have seen and experienced more heartbreak than hope in the way that things are currently being done, and this left both ladies with a desire to do something more. That began the concept of Me-time Healing.
Danièle and Stacy Jo imagined a counseling center where clients came first, that kept ethical principles at the forefront, and that was able to reach a large audience, especially clients that were under-served. They envisioned a warm and inviting office where clients were empowered in the therapeutic process. Therefore the healing process is less like the preconceived idea of therapy somehow being cold, sterile or invasive was more like a conversation between old friends. They had a desire to offer group therapy and support groups to people in the community.
They became certified in E-Therapy so that they could reach people who were struggling but could not go to a therapist because there were no therapists in their local area, who had difficulty leaving their home because of anxiety, depression or grief, or who had scheduling, transportation or time constraints.
They continued their education, becoming Substance Abuse Providers or SAP’s, which allows them to include people who require an assessment due to employment by or seeking employment of a Department of Transportation regulated career.
The more they planned, the more excited they became. As the conversations continued, these therapists talked about the services that they would want to have available in the community. They decided that they would offer consultation groups for therapists and intern therapists, supervision for mental health and clinical social worker registered therapists, provide CEU’s and training in the community, and also allow therapists to use office space for their own clients and groups while they are starting or growing their own practice, without the overhead and financial fears.
Stacy Jo and Danièle have an extensive background in the substance abuse and recovery community as well as working with CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing and Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Gestalt and Trauma therapy with speciality in mood disorders, adjustment disorders, addiction, personality disorders, and people that want to learn life skills / coping skills to be more effective in their daily life.
All clinicians and facilitators associated with Me-Time Healing have several things in common. They have passion and love for what they do, they see therapy as a collaborative process and their role as a support and guide, they are ethical and put the client’s needs first above all else and they have an understanding of the Me-Time Healing passion and mission statement.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been struggles. It took us a long time to walk through the fear of going into business for ourselves. Not knowing how to start or where to go for resources. There has also been the challenge of how substance abuse treatment is viewed in America and South Florida, in particular, gets a lot of negativity of how they do treatment.
There is a good treatment in South Florida but there are also a lot of bad places that make the rest of us look bad. We have struggled to overcome some of the negativity and bad press although we formed our practice out of the frustrations that have come for working with negative facilities in the past. We have had many examples of what not to do and created a company that would always put ethics and the needs of the clients first.
Other struggles have included now being business women but not coming from a business background. Wanting to help everyone that comes to us, but also having to make money to keep the business going has been a struggle for us. We are learning more and more how to creatively do both. Also learning how to market ourselves has been an obstacle and where is the best places to spend our marketing budget.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Me-Time Healing LLC – what should we know?
We are known for our ethics and emphasis on putting clients needs first. We specialize in working with all adults that struggle with depression, anxiety, grief, emotional dysregulation, substance abuse and early recovery.
We also have a referral network so that anyone who needs help can come to us and we will refer them to the best person in addition to us or instead of us, depending on their needs. We have several therapists we work with who specialize in children, hypnotherapy, eating disorders, EMDR, trauma, and much more. We provide individual, family and group counseling including e-therapy (telehealth or remote counseling), in fact, all treatment is Taylor made for the client’s needs, to best serve them.
We also created Me-Time Healing with the thought in mind for other therapists/clinicians in the field to have office space for the individual sessions and groups they would like to offer to the community. Included in that, we are developing the ability to be CEU (continuing education) providers and provide supervision for those who need it. We also offer collaborative supervision groups, for those who are interested in that process.
In other words, we looked at our community and we created a space that we would use for ourselves if it existed and made it a reality.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We have been very lucky to have wonderful friends and support throughout the process. We have talented and creative people who helped us design our business, continue to offer support and guidance, and many people in the community who refer clients to us.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1600 S Dixie Highway Ste 508
Boca Raton FL 33432 - Website: https://me-time-healing.com
- Phone: 5615712204
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeTimeHealing/
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