How many difficult moments are characterized by a lack of respect, compassion, or basic understanding for another being? We’ve all overheard those break room conversations where some random “other” is being overanalyzed or even openly ridiculed by the parties present. If the topic of discussion walks in, what do they experience when they overhear? Anger? Shame? Fear? Isolation? Think of the clients you’ve worked with in your career. How many conference room chats utilize gallows humor, making light of the humans you are in the business of serving? Would they appreciate the joke? Or perhaps, you’ve been the patient at the doctor’s office who overheard the nurses venting about how difficult you are. How did that feel? Here at Grow Counseling, our first immutable law centers around the intrinsic connectedness of all living things. This is a workplace which takes respect seriously, understands all things influence all other things, and recognizes our attitudes in private affect our intentions in public.

We all come from somewhere and will end up elsewhere when this chapter in our life is finished. It’s inherently human to make mistakes. If you’re not failing, you’re not learning anything new! We believe leaders should be setting an example in paving a path for personal growth. If you ask enough people about bad bosses they’ve worked for, key traits such as blaming others for problems, arrogance, authoritarianism, short-sightedness, unwillingness to accept feedback, and micro-management frequently emerge as common themes. Many of us have had difficulty with wanting things to go our way NOW resulting in hasty decisions and bad outcomes. Maybe it was an impulsive shoe purchase during an online sale that sits in the back of the closet years later collecting dust. It might’ve been pushing off responsibility for a project’s failure on a subordinate staff member no one likes anyway. Regardless of the situation, when we get overly focused on outcomes instead of learning, our end results will always suffer. At Grow Counseling, our second immutable law establishes the expectation that everyone makes mistakes and thus should be willing to listen to feedback with an open mind. “I don’t know how to do that” is a great way to ask for a teaching moment and should never be met with punishment! Humility means we build each other up, admit our mistakes, and learn to work smarter the next time around.

Do what works. Make the best better. Champions keep playing until they get it right. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. A search for excellence sayings will turn up thousands of catchy and quippy phrases like these, geared toward helping our brain waves accomplish new things. In Western culture, however, the concept of “excellence” is all too often tinged with an attitude of competition and rivalry. Grow Counseling’s third immutable law focuses on providing the best care possible in a way that is authentic and meaningful. Offering the best treatment options, workplace environment, programming, resources, and services we are able comes from doing the best we can, day in and day out. We believe firmly that if we can’t learn to do a particular service with excellence, then we shouldn’t be doing it. We’re not afraid to let go of options we aren’t able to do well or that aren’t a good fit for our culture. Unlike some mental health centers that focus on serving as many patients as possible, cycling through providers and operating a rotating door of clients, we want to know every person we serve is a good fit for what we offer. We want to make sure every client achieves positive, lasting results. If we can’t get you where you need to be, we will refer you to someone who can, or put in the time to learn more ourselves.

A great plan is only as good as its ability to change. Road blocks represent new puzzles to be solved, and opportunities to see new paths. When challenges arise, they are much easier when met with curiosity and excitement instead of dread and frustration. Change is an inevitable part of growth. Grow Counseling’s fourth immutable law is all about remaining flexible. Sometimes, things just don’t go to plan! People here commit to being open-minded when flexibility is needed, while never losing sight of our overall goals. At Grow Counseling, we are always learning to accept the unexpected and make lemonade from lemons – or learn how to throw them back where they came from!

Do you remember the last time you felt all was right in the world? When work wasn’t consuming your thoughts when you were at home, or home wasn’t consuming your thoughts while you worked? Maybe you’ve never known that was possible, or thought it to be a distant and far off fairy tale. In so many therapy environments, counselors are so overworked, underpaid, undervalued, and overwhelmed that they are only half present for their clients. How can a therapist provide excellence in treatment if they’re barely staying above water themselves? Employees who are burned out, overwhelmed, or overtaxed with responsibilities decrease treatment quality and create more strain on the entire environment. Immutable law #5 is a commitment to our staff and our clients. It is not easy work that we do here. From administration to direct care staff, we believe employees should feel valued, heard, understood, and that they belong. Every part of our team has a vital role to play, and thus individual needs should be honored with utmost consideration from the rest of the team. If a single star athlete is holding a team together, the whole team suffers. So here at Grow Counseling, we recognize the value and worth of the ENTIRE team as irreplaceable in their contribution. Team members make a commitment to practicing balance in their relationships, finances, health, work, and play, both in and out of the office, so that we offer the best of ourselves in every area of our lives! When balance is absent, creativity is lost.

Have you ever had the sense that all of the rules in your organization must have come from somewhere, but the “why” is so far gone that you can’t possibly understand a rule’s purpose? Have you ever had a moment when a reason for a policy was explained, and you came to view it in a completely different light? In our fast-paced world, it seems a consumeristic attitude has infected everything. We are no longer expected to understand how or why things work, but merely to do the job as we are told, not ask questions, and go home. This results in apathy and complacency, which in turn produce failing outcomes and decreased quality of care. Grow Counseling is founded on the principle that when our employees understand the process, they are more invested and committed to our outcomes. We don’t do things without a good reason. Our team members won’t be asked to do something without understanding the ‘why’. Oncoming team members are expected to be hungry for knowledge. We work to find intelligent, curious, and insightful people who take pride in having read the fine print. This translates to therapists and caseworkers who are attentive to detail, can see the big picture, and catch things others often miss. You can trust that therapists at Grow Counseling are well-educated and informed on the services they’re providing. Top to bottom, inside to outside, bottom line to top dollar, personal life to corporate headquarters, our commitment will always be the same: transparency and authenticity. As companies grow, it is very easy to lose sight of keeping everyone involved in the planning and organization process. Here at Grow Counseling, we decided to make transparency our sixth immutable law to keep that from happening. From President to Intern, we are committed to living an authentic life and being our real selves with real purpose and real outcomes.

Do you remember the first time you got in trouble? Do you remember when you learned that doing something wrong meant you should be afraid? It seems it’s an almost universal Western human experience, to fear wrongdoing. In the United States, our criminal justice system focuses on punishment, and we have abysmal recidivism rates. Our education system focuses on comparison and competition, and children are developing anxiety disorders and dread for learning like rarely seen before in history. Our workplaces use systems of points and write-ups to determine employee longevity, and workers are miserable, burned out, and lack commitment to their posts. Research continues to show that “Good and Bad” are not effective motivators for change and growth. Praise and punishment are both poor reinforcers for behavior. So why do our lives still center around “good enough” in nearly every dimension? Grow Counseling’s final immutable law is a non-judgmental stance. To overcome shame in the workplace, competition and fear need to be discarded. This is a place where we work together to do what works. If something isn’t working, we troubleshoot and problem-solve until we come to a solution that does! Failure is not something to be feared (see immutable law #2), but rather an opportunity to learn and grow! Our team works to examine effectiveness in terms of short and long-term goals, our immutable laws, and employee and client needs. This in term leads to a self-healing a curious environment for all involved! As we learn daily to manage our judgment and shame in more effective ways, it becomes safer to try new things, be creative, and explore new possibilities.