We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Karen G. Zaso, a Behavioral Analyst with Colors in Life, Incorporated, performed as the guest speaker at the Chinook Senior Citizens' Center on March 17. A home-based and community services therapist in private practice, Zaso not only shared her philosophy about mental health with her audience but outlined an array of options for staying healthy.
Earning her Master's Degree of Social Work (MSW) in 2013 from Walla Walla University, Zaso has been in practice for nine years. Currently based out of Chinook, Montana, her employment history as a social worker includes working with elderly families, children, and developmentally disabled clients. Zaso describes herself as a helper of healing and change.
Eager to provide care, Zaso made her transition to private practice after becoming disenchanted with the regulations and control imposed by government agencies. Among other therapeutic services, she offers advocacy in grief, hospice care, trauma, life changes, and crisis intervention.
"Life is a colorful path we all walk, and wellness is your investment," Zaso told her audience. "As a helper of healing and change, I will honor the rights of all diverse populations. My loyalty is to the client, not to other entities."
Believing that all humans possess some form of trauma, Zaso insists that "we're all mentally ill. We need to lift the mask on mental illness and make illness not sound so scary. Mental health doesn't have to be attached to the stigma of sitting on a couch or chair in a therapist's office. You can build your own therapeutic environment. Mental health is your responsibility. As we learn to think differently, we gain control over stress."
Zaso's therapeutic services provide clients with choices and options in an understandable language. Each client will have the opportunity to make goals which they feel are attainable. "Together, we will assess levels of stress and the retention of negative influences. Therapy is a time for the client to evaluate life, prioritize what is most important, and find the balance back to homeostasis in their environment."
Offering a keen listening ear, Zaso will encourage and validate each person's life story. "We all have a narrative, a past, and experiences that have damaged us. What we need to do is back up and love on ourselves. This will be your time to explore yourself as well as discover passions in a safe place. It will provide not only a time to map out and change old pathways but a place to move through layers of the past safely, as well as build a strong spiritual connection with yourself."
Anyone interested in securing a session with Zaso can contact her by phone: 406-926-9118 or via email: colorsinlifemt@gmail.com.
"My goal is to help others find a balance in their own lives by understanding choices and disappointments," Zaso stated. "I want to empower the disempowered, support individual autonomy, and promote societal change surrounding the issues of mental health."
