Heal first, thrive next.

About HealFirst

Our mission is simply to help people be the change they want to see in the world - starting by healing first.

Within this scope, we have many focus areas including but not limited to:

  • Trauma-informed care

  • Attachment theory (anxious, avoidant, discard victims, etc.)

  • Relationship counseling

  • Sleep-related issues

  • Gifted and high-performing adolescents and adults

  • Emotional and narcissistic abuse

  • Public service, including formerly incarcerated/justice-involved persons

  • Healthy masculinity training

  • Major life changes and adjustments

History

The founder of HealFirst began life in homeless shelters, experiencing much violence and poverty. They worked hard to make all the ‘right’ decisions and pursued higher education, leading to a Psychology degree and two master’s degrees in Education and Business. The career that followed was heavily centered around children: helping develop social-emotional learning curricula, working with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, serving Head Start, and more. However, as his career was taking off, a relationship got out of hand when his partner used an accident with her child to make false abuse allegations that led to a nonviolent neglect conviction; it wasn’t understood why she did this until it was discovered that she’d been cheating and moved another man in just days later. Afterwards, he spent the next two years in deep depression and suicidal ideation over the loss of family and a hard-earned career, hitting rock bottom.

Then, he found a great therapist who not only helped process the trauma of the false accusation, but helped him back on his feet. It was at this time that he saw the absolutely life-saving impact a good counselor can make. They helped him heal; he stopped ruminating over why his ex made the choices she made, and instead he focused so heavily on bettering himself to help others that his yearning for an explanation or apology evaporated over time on its own. Simply put, he is striving for a purpose far greater than himself by helping others write their own “underdog,” “redemption,” or “comeback better than ever” story.

With regards to that purpose, he realized it isn’t enough to be a good therapist. This is how HealFirst came to be. As an organization, we strive not just to provide counseling services, but also to help counselors, agencies, and organizations be better; to promote equitable access to mental health services, nationally and (soon) internationally; and to treat underserved mental health issues, such as gifted populations, sleep disorders, attachment issues, and more.

Or, in other words: to help people be the change they want to see in the world.

Therapy Methods

  • Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Theory

  • Gestalt Therapy

  • Person-Centered Therapy

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

  • Reality Therapy

  • Solution-Focused Therapy

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Family Systems Therapy

  • Integrative Therapy