Good Neighbor Podcast: South of the River
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South of the River
Good Neighbor Podcast: South of the River
EP #103 Empower Yourself with Rebecca Zuehlke's Insights on Mental Health and Community Connection
Discover how you can empower yourself and improve your emotional well-being through the insights of Rebecca Zuehlke from Anchoring Services. With her extensive background in social work and a deep commitment to affordable and accessible mental health care, Rebecca shares her journey from the public sector to founding a private practice that stands as a beacon of support in today's challenging times. As the demand for mental health services has surged in the wake of the pandemic, she emphasizes the crucial need for demystifying mental health care, making it an approachable and essential part of life for both children and adults. Listen to Rebecca's expert advice on overcoming misconceptions, embracing therapy as a tool for emotional regulation, and creating safe spaces for individuals to express and process their feelings.
In addition to exploring Rebecca's impactful work with middle school students, this episode celebrates the significance of community support, and the unique role local businesses play in bridging gaps. We chat about the meaningful impact her practice has on the community and how you, too, can get involved by nominating your favorite local businesses for feature episodes. Rebecca's dedication shines through as she champions for mental wellness and community connection, offering listeners a chance to engage with her services and make a difference in their own lives and those around them. Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation and the opportunity to support local initiatives that enrich our collective well-being.
Anchoring Services, LLC
Rebecca Zuehlke
15815 Franklin Trail SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
Phone# 952-592-2955
Website: www.anchoringservices.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Mark Bratton.
Speaker 2:Welcome to episode number 103 of the Good Neighbors Podcast, South of the River and Boyd. We have some fun today with Rebecca Zulke from Anchoring Services, who serves the mental health care arena and really likes to focus on your emotional well-being. Welcome to the show, Rebecca. Hello, Welcome Mark. Oh man, it's been fun getting to know you and today we get the chance to tell a little bit a bunch of the people out there of what you do and how you do it, so maybe you can share a little bit about your business for us.
Speaker 3:Sure. So I own and run a private mental health group practice that focuses on affordability and accessibility, while also providing top-notch mental health care and really focusing on that ability to have emotional well-being overall. So we provide not only therapy services, but some additional services and products as well.
Speaker 2:And I know that because at networking and stuff I hear all those great kudos to you and how awesome you are. We want to come back and you're a big help. So I got that in the last week so it's a lot of fun. So why did you choose this business? Anyway, it's a field that's not for me, for sure.
Speaker 3:Well, it goes back to my social work roots. I worked in the public sector for over 20 years, both at a county agency and in public schools, and I learned a lot through that working in mental health, um, but I also learned how much people need someone like me to um, just have a sacred space to be able to think through and process what they're going through. And, um, I just really felt that I could be have more impact in the people that I serve and as well as I kind of you know, watch other people on social media and things like that, and someone another female entrepreneur has this concept of being bold, and so I just I just decided to be bold and start my own business.
Speaker 2:Well, I know 20 years ago was probably a little different than right now, but after the pandemic boy, I believe and I'm involved with the school systems as well through a couple of platforms that I work on and anti-bullying stuff and boy, do our educators and kids need your services in a big way. Is that kind of true, or is that just a misconception?
Speaker 3:That's a hundred percent true. I think there's some kind of statistic out there that we're facing a mental health provider crisis in general. I think the last statistic I saw was we have a gap of like 7,000 providers that we need to find, and so any way that I can provide that support my business is unique, as I'm also providing some support through mental health at a middle school in Lakeville, but so I'm trying to do it all, but I can't. So I really want to look at growing my team, and that's another thing that I'm focusing on as well.
Speaker 2:I would guess, like on many teams, you got to wear a few hats when you're the head coach, right?
Speaker 3:Yes, that is a fact.
Speaker 2:Do you work with the adults as well as the kids, or do you have a favorite of the two, or what do? You do, maybe a specialty.
Speaker 3:You know, as far as specialty, so when I went to school, my, when I went to school to get my social work degree, so I'm an LICSW, which is a licensed, independent clinical social work, and we have a few unique features in terms of our profession, but one being the person in the environment, and what that means is we really look at the person in the context in which they live, because it all impacts us, right, it impacts our mental health, it impacts our well-being, and so, as far as a favorite, I don't have a favorite.
Speaker 3:They all bring unique, a unique perspective, right, and so it's really, when I look at a system, I look at either the individual, the client or the family system, and they all sort of interact with each other, right. Going back to my social work roots, my, my degree is an advanced generalist and what that means is I can serve a lot of different kinds of mental health needs in a more general capacity. So I don't necessarily have one unique specialty, but rather I can sort of meet the needs of several things you know on the surface and a little bit deeper, and then, if it needs to go any deeper, then I obviously, as part of my ethics, would refer you out to someone else if you needed more care.
Speaker 2:Got it. I, I, you know, just getting to know you and we we laugh. We share a lot of fun things with family and relatives and stuff and many of the people are a little afraid of that word. Mental health, right, yes, but if they tone it down, I've been a coach, I'm an umpire, so I get to have fun on a baseball field and try to keep track of coaches and parents and kids and everything else and when I'm done with that I need your services Really all. I need is just a little uplift.
Speaker 1:Is that?
Speaker 2:is that kind of true? Is that one of the things that people are too worried about that word mental health when really they just want some encouragement? Or am I off?
Speaker 3:base. Encouragement is definitely part of it. Um, I always hear the word mental health, I hear therapy and I hear behavioral health services, and I, as a mental health provider, see those things very synonymous. But so you might say therapist, you might say therapy, you might say you know mental health care, or you might just say my provider. You know, I have to see my provider today. And really what therapy is about is tapping into how you regulate your emotions. Are you doing it in a healthy way and are you, you know, are you hurting other people in the process or are you hurting yourself? And then what is our frame of reference? How are we viewing the world and how can we coach ourselves? How can I give you the tools to empower yourself, to be able? Family you have a family, I know that, and stuff.
Speaker 2:How can you tone it down when you've had a day? You go home and mom's home. You know I'm home. What do you do? How does that work?
Speaker 3:Well, part of social work and mental health care. We talk a lot about self care and this is another facet of therapy like how are you showing up to be the best version of yourself? Are you getting self-care right, like, and are you living authentically right? Those are sort of the things that I would say that I help clients with the most and self-care is really going back. Like, are you putting on your oxygen mask first before you're helping other people? Right, and you know I try to do that by getting enough sleep, making sure I take any medications or vitamins. You know, like the things that I need to show up to be the best version of myself and so that I can switch from being a mental health provider to a mom.
Speaker 2:That is absolutely awesome.
Speaker 2:I live every single day to make the best version of myself so I can share that with everybody else. I've done that with everybody I come in contact with and try to lift them up Service before self. I'll figure it out, but if I don't, I know I have Rebecca Zilke from Anchoring Services for sure, as we kind of get it down towards the end here. Tell me a little bit about your uh, you know you said you started this a long time ago, 20 years ago, whoo um, you know the people around you, how much your family, your, your loved ones. Tell us a little bit about that and get down to rebecca away from it.
Speaker 3:Yes, so I um. I live in Spring Lake Township with my husband of 17 years. He's incredibly supportive.
Speaker 2:I hear that Nice.
Speaker 3:I'm incredibly supportive of this entrepreneurial effort because it definitely takes more time and dedication away from family time in general, but I think he sees the big picture. I have three wonderful children. One just started college at Mankato State. My oldest, marissa, she's a freshman there. And I have a 13-year-old. He's my son, my only son, and he is the athlete he's got a football game tonight that we're excited to go to and he's a hockey player, so and you know avid video game player as well. And then I have my youngest. She's 10. She goes to the Spanish immersion school here in Prior Lake her last year of elementary school and she's just so much fun and so witty and she likes sports, but she also likes her art and drawing and she's just a joy. And so I really feel very blessed for the family that I have and the support that I get. I love it. It sounds like you are super well-rounded. Feel very blessed for the family that.
Speaker 2:I have and the support that I get. I love it. It sounds like you are super well-rounded, but I do have one question.
Speaker 3:Yes. Does he have a mullet, my son.
Speaker 2:The hockey player.
Speaker 3:come on, he does not have a mullet, but he does have some pretty fantastic wings. Do you know what those are?
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Yep, I do. All right, we go to different places to perfect the wings.
Speaker 2:I love the high school hockey tournament and I love when they do the air contest.
Speaker 3:So that's, just wonderful.
Speaker 2:Well, you know we've had a great time I think you had. This is pretty fun for you as well.
Speaker 3:So yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I love what I do and I love being able to help people in a way that is nonjudgmental and really just. They want to come back and they just want to talk and just get things off. A tremendous asset to our community and myself just getting to know you, rebecca. Let's tell everybody how they get a hold of you and then we'll do it on a wrap.
Speaker 3:Sure, sure. So you can reach out on our. We have a website. It's wwwanchoringservicescom. You can see there is a place that you can make a referral or you can email us directly at info at anchoring services dot com. And you can also find on our Web site we accept a variety of major health plans, so making mental health care or therapy very much more affordable and accessible than having to always pay that private private pay fee, then having to always pay that private pay fee. And then you can give us a call at 952-592-2955. And we'll be happy to get ahold of you and set up an initial session and we can go from there.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow, that is awesome. I hope everybody calls you and you get so booked that no. I don't want that Everybody have a good time. If you have any emotional well-being issues, give Rebecca a call. Check out our website. That was anchoringservicescom, and boy, I've had a great time, and with that we are going to wrap and call this a day. Have a good day, rebecca.
Speaker 3:Yes, thank you, mark.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast South of the River. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPSouthoftherivercom. That's GNPSouthoftherivercom, or call 952-592-3737. 525923737.