Meet Carmen Palacios Camacho | Licensed Mental Health Counselor & Certified Gestalt Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carmen Palacios Camacho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carmen, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work life balance has definitely changed with time. Before, when I used to work in community mental health, I could say I was constantly burned-out… having to meet deadlines, making sure I reached productivity numbers, tedious and unnecessary paperwork (which took a lot of time from clinical work which I love) kept me in a constant state of stress where it was hard to find work/life balance.

As I continued to make progress in my career, I was able to reach better work opportunities that allowed me to focus on what I really enjoy in my career which is helping people make meaningful changes in their lives. I was able to help people on a deeper level by spending more time and effort in the counseling space rather in administrative work.

When I think about work/life balance now, I think about being aware of needs, emotions, struggles, strengths, and my own as well as external demands but most importantly knowing how to prioritize them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My professional journey actually began in Peru where I was born and raised. I graduated as a licensed clinical psychologist and was finishing my Gestalt Therapy certification when I decided to move to US. Shortly after, I learned that my degree would only transfer with a Bachelor’s degree and I was not able to provide therapy. I was devastated, frustrated and angry to think that my 6 years of studying were not going to be recognized the way I thought. I did tons of research to see if I could take a test or just a few classes to show what I knew but all the efforts ended in the same result: I had to go back to school for a Master’s degree if I wanted to provide therapy. I was already working on the field as a program counselor and provided psycho-educational groups; however, there was something missing in my life. After overcoming my frustration from not transferring my full degree, one day I thought “well, I can continue to complain and stay in the same place or enroll in school (to “re-learn” what I already knew) to do what I love doing” so the next day I did what I had to do and enrolled in the Master’s in Mental Health Counseling program at Nova Southeastern University, in Davie, Fl. Go Sharks! After graduating, I started providing psychotherapy in a community mental health outpatient setting, which gave me flexibility; however, I struggled to find enjoyment with the amount of time taken from clinical work to be dedicated to administrative work. After I attained my licensed, I moved on to private practice and worked in recovery centers where I learned a lot about how private practice works and I decided to open up a part time practice on my own. I started with one client and little by little my caseload started to grow (during covid). During this time, I had colleagues and interns that observed the very different techniques I implemented in groups and individual sessions and was constantly asked about them. One day, I had to quarantine and started doing research in different Facebook groups to see how many more people would be interested in learning more about Gestalt Therapy and I got flooded with requests! So I decided to gather all my books and resources and created a course: “Introduction to Gestalt Therapy”. I successfully ran 4 groups where I was providing live classes once a week for 3 months. Now, the theory section is on demand and the experiential part (4 live classes) is optional but highly recommended. I am enjoying this so much as my motivation to create this course was making Gestalt Therapy more accessible since the training is somewhat limited compared to other more popular approaches; but most people don’t know that this approach works amazing with people that are ready to explore deeper and address underlying issues. The techniques focus on inner world and help you make contact with inner needs and emotions you might not be aware of. Gestalt Therapy is wonderful for clients that continue to engage in the same toxic behaviors as they are probably “stuck” in an incomplete cycle and once they are able get closure, they can finally achieve permanent healing. I’ve been lucky enough to have witnessed incredible changes that originated from awareness and acceptance. My passion is working with burned-out helping professionals who at times struggle to make contact with inner needs and experience stress-like symptoms that affect their professional and personal lives. Through different interventions, I help them refocus their attention on neglected personal aspects to prioritize their necessities.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ll start by taking them to beautiful Hollywood beach to enjoy the nice Florida water to then come home freshen up and reenergize to then come back to Hollywood for dinner at Opa! my favorite greek place with amazing food that has the best entertainment ever. The next day will probably go sightseeing in Fort Lauderdale, take them to see The Hard Rock Hotel and casino to walk around and probably eat there.

I’ll make sure I take my friend to south beach for more sightseeing as well and definitely make it to Mango’s cafe afterwards! (we’ll probably stay there a while).
I’ll also squeeze some time to go to bayside and take one of the boat rides.
I’m sure my friend will want to go shopping so I’ll be happy to drop them off at sawgrass mall to spend an entire day shopping.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family, specially my parents and husband for their unconditional support during my professional growth and also of course my 2 beautiful children who motivate me to be the best version of myself.

Website: https://www.uniquecounseling.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uniquecounseling/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unique-counseling

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uniquecounselingllc/

Other: PsychologyToday: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/33317/756884?sid=60eef10405fa6&ref=12&tr=ResultsProfileBtn

Image Credits
Zen garden picture: f9photos Lady in zen garde: Anna_om