Rap Battles and Professional Development: Behind the Scenes at Centerstone
Our Daily Show Interview! Centerstone: Outpatient Counseling Services
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ALTON - What happens behind the scenes at Centerstone?
With locations across the country, including a spot in Alton, Centerstone is a national leader in mental health and substance use treatment. Brittany McCrady, a clinical manager at Centerstone, shared that she has seen Centerstone grow a lot in the 11 years since she started there as a therapist, and she is proud to be a part of the community in Alton.
“When I first started, I felt like the community had a decent bit of stigma about the services and our clients that we work with. And over time, I think some of that has improved,” she said. “I think now, the community sees Centerstone as a great resource — I hope, anyway. Maybe I’m biased. But I think that now our services and our clients are viewed a little bit differently.”
McCrady noted that Centerstone has increased their services over the years. With more options, from crisis stabilization to care coordination to outpatient therapy, Centerstone has continued to grow.
“We’re able to provide a more broad range of services as we’ve grown and grown over the years, working with children, adults, substance use, mental health, folks with Medicaid but also folks with commercial insurance,” she said. “I think the more we broaden and grow, hopefully we’ll break some of those barriers and stigma down.”
As a supervisor, McCrady works hard to support her therapists. She loves welcoming “little baby therapists” — counselors who are “really green or fresh from school or maybe from a different type of work” — and watching them grow. She noted that it’s “really cool” to see a counselor “light up and dive into a certain specialty” as they develop their interests.
However, she acknowledged this work can be difficult. Therapists hear a lot of heavy stories and navigate challenging emotions with their clients. It’s important, then, to prioritize self-care.
“Compassion fatigue is a very real thing. So is vicarious trauma. So when we’re sitting with folks who are experiencing some of the most difficult times of their lives, we’re people. We’re human. Some of that can take a toll. And just the workload itself can be a lot to juggle,” she said. “Even though the work is so meaningful and you love it, it can still weigh heavy over time if we’re not doing those things to be proactive.”
McCrady shared that Centerstone offers several programs to help their counselors take care of themselves. Recently, the supervisors were challenged to a rap battle, which was “funny and uplifting” for everyone involved. Centerstone aims to help their counselors grow and take care of their own mental health.
As the organization continues to develop their services in Alton and beyond, McCrady is proud to be a part of Centerstone and eager to help people who are struggling with mental health or substance use disorders. She encourages people to reach out and access Centerstone’s services when they need them. She added that everyone at Centerstone is there to help.
“You don’t have to wait until it gets to a certain level of toughness,” she said. “If whatever is going on is interfering in your life and has been persistent, or your typical ways of coping aren’t doing it, you don’t have to muscle through it or try to do it on your own. Come in, please, is my urging.”
For more information about Centerstone, including how to schedule an appointment, visit their official website at Centerstone.org or call 1-877-HOPE123.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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