The path to becoming a certified mental health therapist is not easy. It requires years of undergraduate and graduate school completion, competency exams, hours of supervision and customer interaction, passing a state or national licensing exam, and continuing education to maintain your license.
But for some, the more difficult challenge is the process of self-reflection required. There is a misconception that therapists lead perfect or near-perfect lives, but that is far from the truth.
What usually separates great therapists from average therapists is the amount of effort they put into understanding their brokenness.
A therapist’s journey
Perhaps the most talented therapist I know, Las Vegan Jimmy Monaghan has lived the kind of life that inspired a hit Netflix documentary.
He was exposed to a lot during his childhood, including deep-rooted trauma that led to vices such as drug addiction. His addiction led him down a dark path that included some run-ins with the law. But he held on to hope and faith, with his wonderful wife by his side.
Currently, Monaghan is a Certified Clinical Professional Counselor and Supervisor and a Certified Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Supervisor. He is also the Executive Director of Olive Crest, a community-based agency focused on developing strong families and safe children. The abbreviations of license credentials listed after his name may form an alphabet.
But in addition to being a great therapist and mentor, his greatest legacy is his family. The Monaghan family has eight children (four biological and four adopted). Aine and Rory Monaghan are the oldest and both have followed in their father’s career path.
meet critical needs
At age 19, Aine became the youngest person in Nevada to earn her Trust-Based Relationship Intervention (TBRI) certification. Now 20 years old, she is currently a TBRI practitioner at the agency Foster Kinship, working directly with children under 17 and foster care and caregivers.
“We focus on connecting with young people, empowering their bodies and minds, and teaching them the right way to do things rather than discipline,” she says. “We believe that relationship trauma can only be healed within a relationship, so it’s important to target the parts of the brain where fear responses are prevalent.”
Rory, 22, works as a youth program case manager at Leadership Academy, a program of the Just One Project. Her role is important because she primarily works with an underserved age group: people between the ages of 16 and 20.
“We have a 17-week program that is student-centered and works on three program pillars: providing mental health access, career and educational skills, and civic engagement through volunteering.” she says. “After we assess each youth’s needs, we connect them with comprehensive services, expose them to what’s out there, and help them restore the joy that has been taken away from them into their lives.”
Both programs help meet critical community needs.
destined to serve
For many people, the desire to serve others takes shape in adulthood. For others, this ambition develops during adolescence.
Aine and Rory both knew their calling from an early age.
“My parents took foster parent classes through my current job to get their license and receive assistance while raising siblings. The assistance they received really touched my heart and helped us I felt called because it opened my eyes to how much I could help others,” says Aine.
Children usually get inspiration from their parents, but that inspiration comes in many forms. Rory hopes to one day become a therapist like her father.
“Growing up watching my father volunteer at church, help at the clinic, and provide therapy touched my heart,” she says. “His role at Olive Crest, along with supporting youth aging out of the child welfare system, inspired me to enter this field.”
Jimmy Monaghan conveys a message of loving fatherhood, inspiring his daughters to “change, persevere, hope, love, and ultimately one human being caring for another, ultimately through countless lives and generations.” “This is a testament to the power that can create positive change in society.” ”
It is considered a luxury to prioritize one’s own interests. It is honorable to put the interests of others ahead of one’s own. Jimmy, Aine and Rory, thank you for your contribution to the community.
Sheldon Jacobs, PsyD, LMFT, is a licensed mental health professional based in Las Vegas. Please contact drjacobs10@hotmail.com. Follow X and @drjacobs33 on Instagram.
