Brianna Kegelman, M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern (she/her)
My experience and life in the mental health field is anything but new. I received my Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Minor in Exceptional Education from University of Central Florida. This is where some of my credentials are from, but this is just a fraction of what some of my experience in the Mental Health Field looks like.
Like so many others, my journey for coming into this field started from a personal one. In 2005 my brother was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations. This diagnosis hit my family like a train. We did not know anything about Schizophrenia or even mental illness for that matter, except quite frankly the stigma surrounding it. Scrambling to find answers and hope, my mom came across an organization called NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). She was able to take one of their free to public Family to Family classes that are for people with a loved one effected by a mental illness. This class provides support and education to those attending, and for our family: it was able to change our lives once again.
Fast forward to my family diving headfirst into this organization, and into mental health.
My mom went from sitting in that same class to then teaching it for many years. After teaching the class, she became a fundraiser, team captain and an advocate. She then went on to be the walk chair for 5 years, and even further to becoming the President of NAMI Greater Orlando for 5 years. My mom was able to find her passion and hope in mental health, and helped our entire family as well find the same.
Most importantly, my brother was able to feel like he was not alone for the first time in a long time. My brother is also intellectual disabled which makes it hard for him to have much insight to his diagnosis and things around him. However, it was and continues to be, incredibly evident that he loves the different events we attend and do for mental health. We always joke that he is like a mayor because of his big smile and wanting to “fist bump” everyone. I am happy to say that my brother is currently stable. There will never be a day he does not hear voices, but he is stable, healthy and happy.
For myself, I went from at a young age to a place of questioning, having lack of hope, sadness and confusion into in middle school setting up a fundraising a team (at NAMI’s national walk for raising awareness for mental illness) to break down for the stigma behind mental illness. The visual today of a group of middle schoolers raising awareness and educating people on mental health is still with me and even brings a smile to my face. I went on to become a speaker for the Ending the Silence program that goes into schools to help educate and bring awareness to the youth and continuing to run groups and teams. I would share my story and bring awareness and education to people about mental health. Knowledge is power, and by just talking about mental illness, we are able to break down that stigma. It became very clear to me, and I imagine everyone else, at a young age that mental health was not only my passion but my future. Through my own counseling journey of coping with the external factors around me and my own mental health, I was able to find the magic that is counseling.
Counseling was the space I was able to turn that questioning, lack of hope, sadness and confusion I was feeling for so long into acceptance, safety, insight, joy and even hope. I knew I was not alone, and I now had the tools to deal with different stressors. Counseling, for me and so many others, helped me at such a young age. This is when I knew that I wanted to do that for others for the rest of my life.
I aim in my practice to continually help others to know they are not alone, and provide them with a safe and open space. I focus on progress not perfection in my practice for clients, proving that perfection is not realistic but instead what would it look like to focus on the progress of things. Mental health is something to be talked about openly, and I hope to provide you with the space, insight, goals, techniques and tools to help you with that.
Feel free to message me at brianna@renew-counseling.org or my number 407-479-8813 if you have any questions about mental health, counseling in general or would like to set up a session.
Crisis Line:
NAMI’s National Information Helpline (800) 950-NAMI