Today we’d like to introduce you to Bre-Ann Slay.
Hi Bre-Ann; so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Helping others and serving the community, especially children, has always been a passion of mine. I have a natural inclination for problem-solving, puzzles, riddles, and logical equations, which led me to pursue a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate in Forensic and Clinical Psychology. My interests have influenced the populations I have served, including young children and their families, through psychological assessment and relational treatment. I am also committed to improving the foster care system for infants and early childhood. Having witnessed the negative effects of family separation and disruption, I am driven to make a positive impact. I have seen how our court systems have impacted families. I have also seen how a collaborative, intentional, well-funded court system can heal families. I have worked in various settings, such as community mental health, inpatient hospitals, courts, juvenile probation, public and private schools, and academic medical centers. I have combined my knowledge and guidance from mentors to establish Reflect to Connect Psychology, where I continue to serve the many families and systems in Kansas City.
I was one of those kids who knew what I wanted to do, but then it changed and changed and changed. I thought I would be a chef, a lawyer, a dance teacher, a counselor, and probably the weirdest one, a professional clown for birthday parties. I could make money and learn how to make balloon animals when I was in middle school, went to school online, and everything. The common thread in my interests has been a desire to help people, solve problems, be around children, and be creative. A psychologist, especially a child psychologist, has to be a little bit of everything. Social sciences combine art with science. Relationships with other people are like a dance, knowing when to lead or follow, being flexible, and moving in sync at that person’s pace. We use our problem-solving skills to guide treatment and assessment guided by science. Working with young children, having fun, and being silly is important. I do a lot of play-work with children and families and develop creative ideas and solutions to their problems. I love designing and producing things, so I am often on Canva, writing and drawing little stories and visuals for children to help them understand their experience, even if that experience is just one day of testing with me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh goodness, certainly not. Even with excellent supervisors and mentors, I have experienced many difficulties. Systemic struggles with time and finances have certainly been present. Unfortunately, our healthcare system does not always support mental health with the same time and financial backing as other areas of health. These issues can make my services and the services of many other mental health professionals challenging to access for many people. The pandemic made things very difficult for everyone. We have an influx of young people who need professional help but cannot always access it. I have been fortunate to receive many yes’s in projects and ideas I have had, but I have received many no’s too. One huge obstacle has been funding. I have to work hard to prove to people in power supporting young people and the individuals who care for them will be financially beneficial.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Reflect to Connect Psychology?
Reflect to Connect Psychology is a mental health practice that I founded. I provide high-quality, individualized, culturally sensitive psychological services to the community. I provide psychological testing/assessment, therapy, supervision, and training. Many people ask what is “psych testing?” Psychological assessment is a systematic process of gathering information about a person’s experiences, abilities, and ways of seeing the world to help them (and others around them) understand them better, identify their strengths, and determine a plan to address areas needing support. People seek testing to determine appropriate diagnoses or to understand themselves regardless of diagnosis. I see individuals ages 0 – 18 years old for psychological testing.
Therapeutically, I focus on dyadic/relational treatment. I focus on infant and early childhood mental health (ages 0 – 6). It is a common misconception that infants do not have mental health and that toddlers do not remember their trauma. This is not true. Regardless of age, all humans have mental health and can have experiences that impact that health. The behaviors may look different for littles (more crying, difficulty feeding or calming, regressing, or lack of developing skills), but it is certainly there. I focus on treatment involving the most important people in that child’s life, whether parents, foster parents, aunt, uncle, or grandparents. Caregivers must be involved in treatment, especially for this age range. They are in my office for one hour one day a week, but they are with their caregivers all the time.
My down-to-earth, approachable, and pragmatic but hopeful demeanor sets people at ease and helps them feel comfortable. I focus on relationship building and hope people’s experiences with me can advance in other aspects of their life. In psychological assessment, I love developing a plan and road map with the families on their path to success. This may be physically drawing a map with a child or digitally creating one alongside the parents online. People must know this is a co-creating process, not something being “done” to them. I make things fun when I can. Testing can involve tasks that children (and adults, too) do not want to do, but I try my best to make it a manageable, fun process. One thing I love to do with young children has utilized Therapeutic Assessment skills and create stories to provide feedback and help children understand their diagnoses and how their brains work.
Other services I provide include the Integration of Working Models of Attachment into Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (IoWA PCIT) Training, where I train other therapists and psychologists to be able to provide this treatment to their patients. I hold some parenting groups to offer helpful tips and practice addressing challenging behaviors while improving the relationship. I also provide lectures and training for local organizations on many topics, including brain development, trauma, autism, ADHD, cultural sensitivity, etc. A service I’m very proud to provide is Reflective Practice/Consultation, and these are small group meetings for professionals who service the 0-6 population (caseworkers, therapists, home visitors, teachers, lawyers, etc.). These meetings offer a safe space to process challenging cases, difficult personal experiences, and systemic barriers and engage in some problem-solving. Most of all, it is a time to slow down and reflect, the most important skill any professional should practice, particularly with this population. Reflective Consultation has been proven to reduce burnout and turnover. Professionals who work with very young children often experience vicarious trauma and feel immense pressure to support these little ones. I am proud to be able to provide support to those individuals. My practice name encompasses all my work, focusing on Reflection and Connection.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I am happy to be able to provide services to the greater Kansas City area. Most systems, especially in light of the pandemic, have waitlists of at least one year to receive assessment services. Once an assessment is complete and a diagnosis is provided, people can have many doors opened to receive the treatment they need, but many people get stuck in line waiting to get the assessment. I hope to fill some existing gaps in our current system and help people access services more quickly.
Pricing:
- Self-Pay Assessments
- Limited Monthly Slots for Reduced Cost Service
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reflecttoconnectpsychology.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/drbreslay
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Reflect-to-Connect-Psychology/100092833881069/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breannslay/
