Today we’d like to introduce you to Marty Gilley.
Hi Marty, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a Professional Counselor licensed in Missouri and Florida. I started professional counseling in 2019 after graduating from The University of Oklahoma with a Master of Human Relations Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My undergraduate degree is in Criminal Justice from Chapman University in Orange, California. I’ve had a variety of careers ranging from selling cars in Southern California, to Correctional Officer in California prison, to being a home daycare provider until finding my true calling as a mental health counselor.
I have always been a “people person” with a very diverse background. Growing up caucasian, in poverty and the projects in west Texas on the Mexican border was just the beginning of my dynamic lifestyle. I am conversationally fluent in Spanish and that often throws people for a loop. I am an Army brat that also married a US Air Force airman and lived a vagabond international traveler life for over 15 years until settling in the KC metro in 2018. I am a mother, mom, mommy, Bruh to two wonderful adults and a teenager, and grandmother to one, with another on the way.
My life goal is to find a solution to the problems I face. Giving up is not an option. There is another way, I just haven’t found it yet. I use this idea in the counseling I provide. Perspective is our friend and our enemy; changing it makes all the difference.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth? Well that depends on the time we are talking about. Enrolling in college to begin with was a challenge until I decided owing for college would not be what prevents me from going; so I enrolled. I wanted to pursue higher than bachelor’s but being a military spouse brought more financial challenges as well as location. We moved a lot. In 2017, I worked as a Special Education clerk in a US school overseas (DODEA) and decided I was getting my masters and I would finish.
I enrolled while living abroad in the UK, traveled back and forth to the US and other countries for classes offered by OU in their partnership with the military bases overseas. The last few classes were the most challenging because we moved back to the US from the UK as my last few classes started. I was in a seat in class a week before an international move, and starting a new class in Oklahoma 3 days after arriving back stateside.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started my own counseling business because I wanted to provide the level of care I am comfortable providing. I wanted to choose my own the niche and the clientele to specialize. I began by working at a community mental health agency working in a residential substance use recovery center and with at-risk youth. I learned a lot about how things can go wrong and people can get lost in the system. By keeping my business smaller, I am better able to provide more personal care and follow up as I deem necessary.
I like to “think outside the box” and do things a little different sometimes. I meet clients where they are and often that means our sessions can be a little less traditional. We go for walks, meet in various locations to expose them to things they might find difficult while not facing that challenge alone. I go above what many might expect from their “therapist.”
What’s next?
I am taking a course next month to become a supervisor for provisionally licensed counselors in Missouri. I am also in the beginning stages to acquire a building of my own to relocate my private practice and provide available office space for other providers or possibly expand Gilley Counseling into a group practice.
Pricing:
- Free telephone consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gilleycounseling.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/listeningwithoutjudgement
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-gilley/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gilley-counseling-lees-summit?osq=gilley+counseling
