From Clinical Settings to Mindful Moments with Tara Arhakos Ep.61

Episode Overview

• Episode Topic:
  In this episode of Mastering Counseling, Tara Arhakos of Mindful Moments gets deep into the evolving landscape of digital health and wellness. Our primary focus is on how technology is revolutionizing personalized healthcare and enabling more precise, data-driven approaches to individual well-being We discuss the latest trends in health tech, including wearable devices, mobile health applications, and the integration of artificial intelligence in medical diagnostics and treatment plans This episode aims to shed light on how these innovations are not only improving health outcomes but also making healthcare more accessible and efficient for everyone.
  
• Lessons You’ll Learn:
  Listeners will gain valuable insights into the future of healthcare and the pivotal role technology plays in shaping it. You’ll learn about the importance of personalized medicine and how it differs from traditional approaches. Our guest shares practical tips on leveraging health tech tools to monitor and improve your health Additionally, you’ll find the ethical considerations and challenges that come with the adoption of new technologies in healthcare .This episode provides a comprehensive understanding of how you can utilize these advancements to take control of your health and well-being.
• About Our Guest:
  Our guest for this episode is a renowned expert in the field of digital health, with a distinguished career spanning over two decades. They have been at the forefront of integrating technology into healthcare, working with leading tech companies and medical institutions to develop innovative solutions. With a background in both medicine and technology, our guest offers a unique perspective on the intersection of these fields. They have been a key advocate for patient-centered care and have contributed to numerous research projects and publications on the subject. Their insights and expertise make them an ideal person to discuss the future of health tech.
  
• Topics Covered:
  This episode covers a wide range of topics related to digital health and personalized wellness. We start by exploring the current state of health technology, including the latest devices and applications that are transforming patient care. We then get into the concept of personalized medicine, discussing its benefits and how it can lead to more effective treatments. Our conversation also touches on the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare, from predictive analytics to virtual health assistants Additionally, we address the challenges and ethical considerations of implementing these technologies, ensuring that they enhance rather than hinder patient care.

Episode Transcript

Becky Copelan: Thank you for returning to listen to Mastering Counseling Uh, we are so excited to have Tara, our co-host, with us today, who is the owner of the Practice Mindful Moments out in New Jersey And, she has a lot of, almost ten years’ experience in the mental health world Welcome to the show today, Tara

Tara Arhakos: Hi Thanks for having me

Becky Copelan: We’re thrilled to hear the things that you have to share  and we know that you do both counseling and coaching, so we can’t wait to hear about your practice and your work and who you collaborate with  it seems like maybe you started out working in,  care in hospitals and then shifted into creating mindful moments So can you tell us about what was happening before and then how you shifted?

Tara Arhakos: Yeah  so I think, like many of us, you know, I started out in the community  I worked for a partial hospital at one of the larger facilities in New Jersey for just around five years  I actually laugh often because my supervisor for when I first got hired, I remember the day we met, after I had started for a little bit, and he was like, so what’s like your five year plan? I would like to have a private practice And he’s like, okay, but like, what else is your plan? And I’m like, I have a private practice And he was like, you can’t do that full time I was like, yeah, I can  so Ironically, the way that I like my journey working there When I started with him, they moved me several times around the facility because I got my paperwork done So that makes you a very important piece Yeah, that’s usually important

Tara Arhakos: Yeah

Tara Arhakos: And you could always throw me in a group and run a group in like five minutes notice I’m like, okay, sure No problem Yeah  but ironically at the end, I ended up working for him again when I left and I was leaving to go to another facility that hired me to start their IOP program  but I had started my private practice Fast forward six months later, I’m at a friend’s going away party from that facility, and he was there and he’s like, how are you doing? And I’m like, he’s like, how’s the new job? And I was like, oh, I quit. He’s like, what? I was like, my practice is full  and he’s like, you’re doing full time private practice I’m like, wow Yes And that was 2013 Yeah, I figured it out the other day It’s going to be 13 years of just pure private practice

Becky Copelan: Wow That’s awesome  I’m sure now I don’t think he’d be saying if you were just launching now, he’d probably say, oh, yeah, for sure you’ll be full But maybe ten, 11 years ago, people were a little there and there wasn’t as high of a need as I think we’re seeing now But good for you that you were able to do that then That’s awesome  let’s,  talk a little bit about your very transparent  we were talking before on your website, Tara has a whole thing about, like, the real or the professional me And then was it the real me

Tara Arhakos: Or the supposed me?

Becky Copelan: The exposed me? Yeah, that’s a better word  so I feel like that’s a big part of your work. Can you share a little bit about that, of how it’s been part of your career with your personal life?

Tara Arhakos: Yeah  I mean, I’m not I don’t hold back You know, I’ve done my own work, obviously, throughout the years  I really decided to add that onto the website because I had spent so many years seeing different therapists And I always tell people when they call, I’m like, you know, you need to shop around, find somebody that you click with  I joke because I work primarily with women and I’m like, you want me to be like the pair of black heels that you have for so long that you’re filling in with a Sharpie because they’re so worn out? Mhm  and so I found every time I met a therapist that came off Maybe  extra professional I like it very much Okay, you know, they had the blank slate Look, I’m not good at that I got told that when I was in grad school  uh, that just didn’t seem personal to me And I’m being asked to walk into a room and, you know, spill my guts to a stranger I want to know they’re real people, too So that became a big part of what I emphasized to my clients  you know, and they all laugh a lot of times I have clients walk in there like, I never know what version of Tara I’m getting They’re like, sometimes you’re in yoga pants and, like, yoga gear Sometimes you’re dressed up super professional I usually think you have to go somewhere for the day They’re like, other days it’s the punk rock girl like Mike Yeah, I mean, not for nothing I grew up in the 90s Yeah, yeah, yeah, Doc Martens and Flannels are my friends, right?  and we’ll sit on the floor and have coffee together. We’ll go for a walk because, I mean, I’m right by the beach, so sometimes I’m like, hey, like, do you want to go for a walk and go stare at the ocean for a minute? Right And it just helps it make it more personal than this medical model that we started out in

Becky Copelan: Right? Right now, I love that, and I wanted to ask you. I have been to the Jersey shore. My sister lives in South Jersey  so how close is Mammoth City? Which is North or South Jersey?

Tara Arhakos: So my practice is in Monmouth Beach and it’s okay. So us Jersey people, it’s like, uh, we’re not really south  we’re the shore We’re so separate But Oh, God, it’s Jersey Yeah Where was your sister?

Becky Copelan: very close to Philadelphia So they always said South Jersey

Tara Arhakos: Was on the other side Yeah

Becky Copelan: Okay Yeah, but we went to the shore several times, and,  being a michigander,  we go to our lakes, you know, we never call it the shore and,  or other places go to the beach, which you did say, but definitely the shore was the,  but yeah, loving water That would be,  I will we live close to water here and I will sometimes go for a drive or walk, especially,  during the pandemic, people were just it was so crowded down there, probably not following the rules because people wanted to see the water and be by it And I do feel like it can be a great part of counseling and therapy So I’m glad we talked about the shore and the beach and that you’re really close to there  yeah So, uh, let’s kind of talk about your personal philosophy as how  Mindful Moments operates  like what kind of therapy you focus on or bring to your clients

Tara Arhakos: So,  I, I focus a lot with my clients on grieving the wounded parts that come from trauma  I think it’s something that we’re starting to hear more about in social media  blessing and a curse sometimes Mhm  but I work I work primarily with women going through life transitions And so often I find when we’re talking in that initial intake, there’s some sort of back history that they’ve been in and out of therapy for years You know, they’ll tell me, oh, I’ve been to therapy off and on for years for depression or anxiety And I always ask, it’s funny, I keep this from my my training back in the partial hospital, but I always ask, I’m like any history of physical abuse, history of sexual abuse And you know, those two are specific And then I usually hit them with, is there any other life experience that you would consider to be significant or life altering in any way that you find has impacted where you’re at in life? Mhm I am Usually I’d say eight out of ten times there’s somebody there’s a story  more often it’s a lot of times, especially with women How many women have suffered miscarriages?  or, you know, or had an abortion at some point in time and, you know, depending on The demographic It wasn’t talked about at all It’s still not always talked about

Tara Arhakos: and so that’s been a significant thing that I find a lot of time working with people And this is usually the moment where I start to kind of educate them a little bit on, like the grieving process or even if they’re talking about like childhood  their childhood Wounds You know, like, we have to sometimes grieve that we weren’t able to get the caregiver that we needed You know, you could have the best parents in the world, but we don’t come with, you know, rule books or guides of how to raise us And so if you are, you were the type of kid that you just needed a little bit more structure or you needed a little bit more like physical affection, but your parents weren’t comfortable with that I’m like, there’s a loss there Yeah And it may, it may, it may not, but it may be impacting nowadays So I do a lot of parts work in that sense, especially for the people that come in person  you know, we’ll laugh that we’re moving around the room and have them be, you know, their younger selves and talk to them and do some empty chair work And, we kind of go from there But that’s it That’s kind of my jam right there is helping people reintegrate with all those wounded parts

Becky Copelan: Thank you for sharing all that, Tara And meeting women at, you know, all different points of their life and then going back and looking at even if, like you said, their parents tried their best, sometimes it’s a very different personality or they needed something a little different And being able to grieve that is huge So,  I know that in your practice and on your website, you incorporate aspects of fitness and health into your work So talk to us about how that is part of your practice

Tara Arhakos: I mean, I believe in overall wellness and that just comes kind of from my own journey  part of that exposed me to a talk about the fact that,  I was in a very unhealthy relationship in my late teens, early 20s, as many of us experience at some point in time, unfortunately  and my method of coping was food Mhm  and I’m Greek and Italian, so I love food

Becky Copelan: Greek and Italian Wow I do the Greek, but Okay Yeah Food is special

Tara Arhakos: Yeah That’s when people are like wow, you can eat I’m like no kidding  but  so Part of my own healing was changing my relationship with food  and also, I was not as a kid I mean, I rode my bike, I liked to roller skate and stuff, but I was never an athlete Like, I didn’t stick to any of that stuff I wasn’t competitive with anybody else but myself Hence why, you know, grad school and be in business for yourself  yeah, but What I learned from doing those things for myself was the importance that it had on my own mental health And, you know, because of that, I do I try to emphasize to my clients the importance of movement I’m really big on somatic exercises  I am also yoga certified Okay  and so it’s not uncommon that, like, I’ll throw you in a restorative pose on the floor, you know, put you in a nice little heart opener, tuck you in with some blankets so you feel nice and safe   so that we can talk and, and allow some of the emotions to release It’s also why I’m big on, like, the walk and talk kind of therapy Mhm  and I emphasize to my clients a lot the importance of just that daily movement I’m like, it doesn’t have to be extraordinary It’s just got to be something to honor your body and, and help keep yourself moving  because it’s not only just about keeping the blood flowing, but it’s about keeping the emotions flowing Yeah for sure Release So and then, you know, I always get into a little bit of gut health, but I always tell everybody I’m like, this isn’t my area of expertise This is just like what I know from going to training and whatnot But like, yeah, you know, eat clean food, you feel a little better, right?

Becky Copelan: Right No, I relate, like just getting that fresh air Not that you have to go outside, but, if you can, that adds another lever and just gets that heart rate  It is so important And, we find a lot of people we’ve talked to here are doing more, you know, on biology I don’t know if that’s the right word, but definitely the fitness side and things like that So, how would you say that your practice, since beginning like 11 years ago, has kind of evolved or shifted over time, in relation to the pandemic or not? And, even maybe have you seen all ages of women or just kind of talk to us if it’s changed and how? Yeah

Tara Arhakos:  I mean, so, like me My niche has changed several times Okay You know, for a while there I did a lot of emotional eating work, and I worked specifically with bariatric patients for a while  and that changed with time I mean, it’s always been traumatic in some way or another It’s just it’s What I did in my internship And it’s always been, you know, near and dear to my heart  but I’ve gone from working with adolescents to no longer doing that as I’ve gotten older  I’m like,  I know my limits now Yeah Like I was a couple of years ago, probably like when we first went back in person after the pandemic started, I had like 1 or 2 teenagers left and I just sat there and I was like, I, I don’t know how to combat the social media aspect Mhm I’m like, yeah, the stuff these kids are exposed to constantly I was like, I, I’m like, there’s another clinician out there that can do this That’s not me Right So  I like learning to go with the flow on That was a big thing And then I just kind of slowly started to find like my, my spot, like my sweet spot is like my women that are like 50 and up and life transitions and trying to, like, rediscover themselves And I was like, oh, like when you find who you are excited to work with, like who’s coming in? I get excited about my 20 year olds too, as they start to figure out the world I’m always kind of like, oh, I don’t want to be the one to burst your bubble about what it’s like to pay rent  but,  so like in those aspects, you know, that’s changed the actual way that my practice ran from the beginning was I was on every insurance panel, okay

Tara Arhakos: And I was seeing 26, 28 people a week, and I was making less than what I made when I worked for an agency Oh, wow And I was like, I can’t, I can’t live like this I’ll never be able to afford a place of my own And so I started to come off the insurance panels and I did that whole process  and now I’m completely out of network Okay Which has allowed me to Grow in different ways It also my experience has been by being at a network, the The clientele that I get, they’re very dedicated to what they do  you know, and I’m not saying people that use insurance aren’t, because there are definitely people out there But when you’re paying like a $15 co-pay or $30 co-pay compared to a full rate You’re going to push to do a lot more work in your session Hopefully You know, I mean I know I do Mhm  but so in that aspect that’s changed The pandemic changed my life Mhm I had started my practice actually in central Jersey where I grew up, and I had moved down to the shore, and about two years into living down the shore, I had a friend go, why don’t you open a practice down here? And I’m like, oh, God, this is going to be like three years of trying to build this up Like, you guys don’t know what this is like And I’m like, all right, fine, whatever I’ll rent space once a week, twice a week and try and see what happens So that was 2019 Oh, wow The space Yeah Oh, so

Becky Copelan: You were ahead of it Yeah Well, yeah Okay

Tara Arhakos: Kinda So here I am It’s 2019 I’ve got an office up in central Jersey I’ve got an office down here at the shore Years prior, I had said I’d love to go virtual, and I tried it and nobody would go for it except if there was a snowstorm Mhm So I’m like all right now the pandemic hits I have two offices and can’t use either of them Mhm Wow Like Oh my God So fast forward, it’s now 2021 My lease up north is coming Due in April Nobody’s been there for a year They’ve all switched to virtual I went back to the one down here at the shore, and I had a couple people make the drive just to come see me Mhm And I was like Guys I’m getting rid of the other office I was like, you’re always welcome to come down to the shore Use me as an excuse to go to the beach I was like, but I gotta be honest, my quality of life is so much better I was doing an hour commute I was working up north from 11 am until sometimes eight 9:00, not getting home til ten 10: 30 Wow I was like, I’m a better clinician By not having to do all that, right? Right I was also tired of eating out of Tupperware So yeah, like

Becky Copelan: What a great That was a

Tara Arhakos: Big transition from how it all started

Becky Copelan: Yeah You might be our first guest who had two offices in 2019  so no, but what a great, uh, lesson for everyone in like, some self care and seeing what is best for the future, for you to keep going and all of that  that is a great story And,  I love that they drove down there to see you They probably wanted the blankets or something one more time  so they still

Tara Arhakos: Come, like And I say it all the time, I’m like, I’m so grateful you’re willing to make this drive They’re like, it’s a beautiful location It is a beautiful location Oh, yeah The place down here is right on the river You get to look at the river while you’re sitting on my couch Yeah, yeah Oh, yes

Becky Copelan: Drawn to water, for sure  Well, that is really cool how things have gotten easier I know for some people it was worse in the pandemic, but I know giving people more options And it’s so funny that  no one would come for virtual and, you know, 2018 or whatever it was or maybe even prior And then they had to And now, you know, I feel like it’s kind of 5050 on The Guest that we talk to  some people really, depending on the age and location, some people really want that They only do it in person  and then some people are completely virtual So yeah, all very interesting things Different things for all people  what would you say? Let’s talk a little bit about the business part of your practice, which we have talked about your spaces and cost of living earlier and how you had to shift. Do you manage all of your accounting scheduling or do you give any of that off to anybody else?

Tara Arhakos: Uh, I have continued to be the one man show There have been times where I’m like, you gotta outsource this stuff, girl And then it’s like, I think about how little it is, not how little it is to do But like, I’m like, if I outsource it, if I feel like there needs to be more for that person to do so my, my theory has become outsourced to other things So I outsource stuff like personal life Oh gotcha Okay Yeah

Becky Copelan: So like grocery delivery or things like that

Tara Arhakos: Yeah You know, just like I invested in a Roomba because I will say, oh, for sure  It makes a difference to let him kind of run the course three, three times a week Yes His name is Randy I’m like, I come home, I’m like, hey, Randy, how are you? Yeah

Becky Copelan: Oh that’s funny

Tara Arhakos: Yeah Business wise, like, I’ll, I take care of all of it So

Becky Copelan: All right, any special apps or programs that you feel are really helpful for our listeners that you enjoy?

Tara Arhakos: I mean, like a freebie plug?  I will say from the very beginning, I started with an electronic medical record   the company I originally used got bought up, and I switched to simple practice not long after that, and I have stuck with them. I have no complaints about them. Okay, It is probably the thing that helps me keep everything so organized. Good to know Big piece Yeah Marketing wise, you know, for For creating posts and reels and all that I’m self-taught Canva Girl at this point

Becky Copelan: All right Awesome Yeah Canva I’ve been doing a lot with Canva

Tara Arhakos:  Surprise myself Sometimes I’m like, look at me go I’m like, yeah

Becky Copelan: I know I felt like at first I had troubles with it, and I finally made something last week that I was pretty proud of But it has so many options I think you know how sometimes there are too many options It’s harder But yeah, they have a lot of good things for sure So yeah, well, that’s good to know We like to bring out, you know, the business part of things because there’s so much theory, philosophy, you know, practicum in these programs But  often no one is prepared for their accounting or like you said, the medical records and things like that So yeah

Tara Arhakos: And I think there’s things that they just don’t teach us in grad school, like they don’t teach you how to run a business I am fortunate I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I at least have that business sense, from watching them all these years But like investing in certain things that, you know, you struggle in So at one point in time, when the private practice startups, uh, began with Kate and Katie,  I joined them in the very beginning  and I did their program before it was even, like an online program It was like we actually did zoom every week   and that helped a lot with just learning a lot of the extra marketing things I could do for myself Okay

Becky Copelan: Yeah And thinking about you learning or, now that you have some experience, do you have specific groups that you network with or a part of either across the country or in New Jersey?

Tara Arhakos: So I have some local, little business networks  that’s the nice thing about, like, this area everybody tries to kind of stay within the community Mhm  so I do the local ones a whole bunch  when I can, I like, I’ll jump in on a podcast any time that somebody’s like, hey, you want to join us? And I’m like, yeah, like sure  I’m also like the business sales girl in me I never I’m so old school I’m never without business cards  I when I published my workbook in May, I made,  bookmarks  cute with, like, the QR code so that you can get, like a free sample of the That’s not as old school

Becky Copelan: You have a QR code So that’s a really big thing

Tara Arhakos: Canva Yeah And so, you know, I’m notorious for like, here’s a bookmark Like I was at the doctor the other day and I brought her a book I was like, hey, check this out She’s like, oh my God The nurse is like, I saw your book, I want one I handed her a bookmark and she’s like, this is great Yeah

Becky Copelan: I think a lot of people still think I’m a paper person myself Or I’m like, I yeah, it’s easier I don’t like looking at a screen all the time to look things up So I get the tangible part Yeah  yeah Why don’t you tell us about your workbook that you designed?  What is that about?

Tara Arhakos: So, 52 ways to chill out and take control of your life Um Oh, I

Becky Copelan: Did see that on your website, but I didn’t get all the way into it, so Okay Very cool

Tara Arhakos: So it’s literally 52 different coping skills  and it’s an active workbook that you, you can either go and order, you can kind of hop around, but like ideally you pick one skill, you work on it for the week,  and just kind of help increase, you know, mindfulness, emotional regulation skills. There’s a couple meditations and stuff that connect to my YouTube channel so you can go listen to those  it’s a lot of skills that I pulled out during the pandemic  with clients and I just kind of changed up for each person to fit  but I really became really motivated in writing it  my, my brother actually passed away in 2021 Sounds about right Nope 2022 2022 Sorry Thank you, my niece and nephew They’re in their 20s, but I just spent that time with them after he passed I was, like, helping them with, like, breathing techniques at times and things like that  and so I was like, you know, I’m like, it’s not just you guys I’m like, I’ve needed these my entire life  like, my clients need them I was like, and as a clinician, I think about, like, back in those days, running a partial hospital group and being like, what coping skill am I going over today? Yeah, like we’re always searching through workbooks for something to explain to people, I was like, yeah, what if you just had it all right in front of you? Yeah So that’s kind of how I channeled my grief by creating a workbook Okay

Becky Copelan: No, I love that because you said, you know, clinicians flipping through a book, searching like there’s so many books with, you know, a chapter on, you know, dealing with grief and then, oh, here’s a little part on coping But it’s to me, it’s kind of like the, I don’t know, bad way to say it, but like the fun book of this world, like, these are the things you could do Like how you know 52 Best Cities to Visit in 2024 These are 52 actual strategies You can open it and do it properly at that moment, on that day So that is really cool I assume we can get that on Amazon or  Okay All right It’s on

Tara Arhakos: Amazon Yep That’s my whole thing with clients I always tell them I’m like, I want to make sure you have something you can leave with I’m like, you know, you’re paying for a service And while I may not be able to hand you like a physical product, I mean, I can now But for you to leave with a skill that you can go practice for the week, it just makes more sense People look for they want to feel better, and they need options of what’s going to help them feel a little bit better

Becky Copelan: Right? And even, you know, maybe they’ve heard different ones from therapists in the past, but to just have it there themselves is, I’m sure, empowering Or if they have a friend or child they want to help, they can easily share that with them So I love that I’m so glad we brought that out Is there anything else that you feel like our audience should know about you or this field that we didn’t get to talk about today?

Tara Arhakos: I think the main thing I learned as the years went by was just to actually learn to trust my intuition And so, you know, for clinicians out there that are just getting started or have been in fields for a while, it’s easy We can get kind of stale  I think it’s always about just going back to yourself and reconnecting with you and listening to your intuition Mhm

Becky Copelan: No, that’s good Good to hear for sure  yeah Well thank you so much for your time today, Tara Lots of great insights And, in your work, the whole person and I really love the book that we talked about So thank you so much for sharing with us

Tara Arhakos: Thanks Thanks for having me It was a lot of fun

Becky Copelan: For sure  and to our audience,  Thank you so much for tuning in  don’t forget to follow us on social media, on Instagram and Facebook And, we will have future episodes as we continue to look in the world of counseling and therapy on mastering counseling, signing off for today Have a wonderful day