Clinician Meet, Career Advice For Clinicians With Dee (Denise) Demers

Clinician Meet, Career Advice For Clinicians With Dee (Denise) Demers

We are pleased to feature Dee (Denise) Demers, working with DirectShifts as a Mental Health Counselor with experience in healthcare under her belt. She is an expert in working with different types of staff members and patients.

We asked her to share some of her achievements, experiences, and challenges faced as a mental health counselor with our readers. This will be a source of learning and excellent career advice to all new and aspiring counselors and healthcare professionals in 2022. 

What do you love about working as a mental health counselor?

If I can help one person, despite the challenges in life being faced, understand that every single human being deserves respect, validation, and a chance to go after a dream, I have achieved the ultimate success in life as I define it. That is the basis of my counseling career.

What career advice will you give new and aspiring clinicians in your field?

Tips for a successful counseling career by Dee:

• Facilitating the therapeutic alliance between clinician and client has been the starting foundation for the work we do. Considering the negative impacts of many recent changes within the world and in our lives on all levels, the need to afford and create an atmosphere of safety and stability for our clients is more urgent than ever. 
• Conducting our sessions in a threat-free, nurturing, non-judgmental, non-critical environment in which our clients can feel comfortable sharing every aspect of themselves is one of the most important things we can offer. 
• They deserve to be heard, listened to, validated, and seen for who they are, not what others expect them to be. They deserve to learn and become aware that their circumstances do not define who they are. 
• In addition, remember the powerful, unconditional love animals are capable of bringing into our lives. 

What was the best part about being associated with DirectShifts?

 I embraced the energy, professionalism, motivation, support, and guidance in navigating the onboarding process I was involved in. Last but not least, the care and respect were shown to me on every level and during every interaction with DirectShifts staff!

A closing message to your readers

 What I use to inspire myself on a daily basis is a quote from my favorite artist, the late Jean-Michel Basquiat: "It's not who you are that holds you back. It's who you think you are not. " Simple words with a profound and life-changing message His short life on this earth was ethereal. The impact of his art is eternal.