Healthy Roots Counseling

Healthy Roots Counseling Where you can go to set strong roots to thrive in today's world.

✨ Therapist Feature: Meet Katie Gerwel, LPC, PMH-C✨ Therapist and Owner of Healthy Roots CounselingKatie’s journey into ...
05/11/2026

✨ Therapist Feature: Meet Katie Gerwel, LPC, PMH-C✨
Therapist and Owner of Healthy Roots Counseling

Katie’s journey into therapy began after experiencing the loss of a classmate to su***de during high school. As a teenager, navigating grief felt overwhelming and isolating—and it sparked a passion for helping others through life’s hardest moments. 🤍

Today, she specializes in supporting women in the perinatal season of life, helping moms navigate the emotional weight of pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood. As a mom of three herself, she understands firsthand how beautiful and challenging motherhood can be.

When she learned that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are the leading complication after birth, she felt deeply called to support women during one of the most vulnerable seasons of their lives.

✨ Her therapy style in 3 words:
Empathetic. Compassionate. Direct.

✨ A coping skill she loves:
Closing your eyes and imagining a place where you feel completely safe and calm—giving your mind and body a moment to reset.

✨ What’s bringing her comfort lately:
A coloring book she received for her birthday 🎨

✨ A mantra she holds close:
“We are made to do hard things. Sitting in your trauma and mental health challenges is hard. Healing and getting well is hard. Which hard will you choose?”

✨ Something people may be surprised to learn:
She danced for 20 years and spent most of her childhood in a dance studio 💃

✨ What she hopes every client leaves session feeling:
Seen. Heard. And reminded they are not alone.

📍 Healthy Roots Counseling
281 US Highway 60W
Republic, MO 65738
📞 417-289-2942
healthy-roots-counseling.com

Children don’t always have the words—but they always have play.Through play, children:✔ process big emotions✔ work throu...
05/08/2026

Children don’t always have the words—but they always have play.

Through play, children:
✔ process big emotions
✔ work through fears
✔ express what they can’t say out loud

Play is their language.

Watch your child’s play this week—what might they be telling you?

1 in 5 moms experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder.That means if you're struggling… you are far from alone.Supp...
05/06/2026

1 in 5 moms experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder.

That means if you're struggling… you are far from alone.

Support is available. Healing is possible.

CTA:
If this resonates, reach out. You deserve support 🤍

It’s a birthday celebration on Therapists Unplugged! In this special episode, Emily McCarty interviews and celebrates co...
05/04/2026

It’s a birthday celebration on Therapists Unplugged! In this special episode, Emily McCarty interviews and celebrates co-host and fellow therapist Katie Gerwel for her birthday.
With a mix of playful questions and thoughtful moments, Katie shares stories, perspectives, and pieces of her journey that listeners don’t always get to hear. The conversation weaves between lighthearted fun and deeper reflections, touching on personal growth, the realities of doing inner work, and the everyday practices that help her stay grounded.
This episode brings a little bit of laughter, honesty, and a touch of birthday warmth, while reminding us that therapists are people too, navigating life right alongside everyone else.

✨ Therapist Feature: Meet Melanie Shands, LCSW ✨At the heart of Healthy Roots Counseling is a deep commitment to walking...
05/04/2026

✨ Therapist Feature: Meet Melanie Shands, LCSW ✨

At the heart of Healthy Roots Counseling is a deep commitment to walking alongside people in their hardest moments—and Melanie embodies that in every way.

Her journey into therapy began through lived experience, navigating her son’s Bipolar Disorder diagnosis and the complexities of the mental health system. What started as advocacy and learning became a calling. After the loss of her son, her work took on even deeper meaning—creating spaces where no one has to feel alone in their healing. 🤍

Her approach in 3 words:
Warm. Attuned. Empowering.

Populations she loves working with:
Children, teens, and adults navigating trauma, grief, and life transitions—with a special heart for foster children and foster families.

A go-to coping skill:
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique—using your senses to gently bring your nervous system back to the present moment.

Right now, she’s finding comfort in:
Slow moments outside, reading and watching the birds—reminding us all to pause and breathe. 🌿

A reminder she holds close:
“Just because it’s taking time doesn’t mean it’s not working.”

Something you might not expect:
She loves getting lost in supernatural romance and thrillers—because we all need an escape sometimes. 📚

✨ Her hope for every client:
That you leave feeling relief, hope, and a sense that you don’t have to carry it all alone anymore.

📍 Now accepting clients at Healthy Roots Counseling
📞 417-289-2942
www.healthy-roots-counseling.com

Motherhood can be beautiful—and overwhelming.Both can exist at the same time.If you’re feeling touched out, anxious, ove...
05/01/2026

Motherhood can be beautiful—and overwhelming.
Both can exist at the same time.

If you’re feeling touched out, anxious, overstimulated, or not like yourself… you’re not failing. You’re human.

Maternal mental health matters—not just for moms, but for entire families.

Save this as a reminder or share with a mom who needs to hear it today 🤍
💚

Play therapy might be helpful if your child:• Has big emotions that feel hard to manage• Gets easily frustrated or overw...
04/29/2026

Play therapy might be helpful if your child:
• Has big emotions that feel hard to manage
• Gets easily frustrated or overwhelmed
• Struggles with transitions or changes
• Has experienced a stressful or scary event
• Has difficulty expressing feelings

💛 Therapy isn’t just for crises—it’s a space for growth, healing, and confidence-building.

Curious if play therapy is right for your child? Let’s talk. We’re here to support both you and your child.

Meet the team at Healthy Roots Counseling: Melanie Shands, LCSW; Katie Gerwel, LPC; Emily McCarty, LPC, and Kari Sugiyam...
04/27/2026

Meet the team at Healthy Roots Counseling: Melanie Shands, LCSW; Katie Gerwel, LPC; Emily McCarty, LPC, and Kari Sugiyama, LPC.
Healthy Roots Counseling consistent of four person-centered therapists who want to help you heal from your past so you can live your best future. We offer individual therapy, play therapy and EMDR therapy. We have a passion for helping young adults, new mothers and their children thrive into today's world!
🌱 Let's grow through what you go through 🌱

These slow, peaceful mornings don’t happen every day—but when they do, I soak them in. ☕️☀️
04/26/2026

These slow, peaceful mornings don’t happen every day—but when they do, I soak them in. ☕️☀️

Your child’s play is more than just play—it’s communication.Through play, children may be expressing:• Big emotions they...
04/24/2026

Your child’s play is more than just play—it’s communication.

Through play, children may be expressing:
• Big emotions they don’t have words for
• Experiences they’re trying to process
• Fears, worries, or confusion
• A need for control or safety

You might notice:
🏠 Reenacting daily routines (or stressful moments)
🦸 Playing out “good vs. bad” scenarios
🩺 Taking care of dolls or stuffed animals
💥 Repetitive or intense themes

✨ Play gives us a window into their inner world.

If your child’s play has you wondering what it means, you’re not alone. Reach out—we’re here to help you understand what your child may be expressing. 💛

Address

281 US Highway 60 W
Republic, MO
65738

Telephone

+14172892942

Website

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