Community Highlights: Meet Carrie Harrison of Caring Heart Counseling LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Harrison.

Carrie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I graduated with Bachelors in Psychology. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up I ended up working with troubled youth for about 6 years before recognizing I wanted more. I would hear and see their struggles and I couldn’t offer the help they needed. I knew that I needed to go back to school. I went back and got my Masters in Professional Counseling. I worked for 10 years in various settings as a therapist. I worked in a short term facility, a private practice, a drug rehab, and I was a part time professor at a University.
In 2020, my whole life changed. I was going through a divorce, a change in jobs and I felt lost. I had a wild idea one day to look at offices and maybe start my own private practice. The world works in mysterious ways, because in less than 30 days I had my own office space, and I was seeing clients at my own practice.
Over the years I found my true passion not just for mental health, but working with communities are not widely served.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine. Going back to school was a challenge as I was working full time while trying to complete my Master’s program. I worked 40 hour weeks while going to school at night. After graduation I worked in a short term facility, that while provided me with great experience, I still felt like I wasn’t making the difference I wanted. Starting my own business while navigating a divorce and being a single mom wasn’t the easiest either.
All that being said though I had a great support system through it all.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Caring Heart Counseling LLC?
I am the owner/director/therapist at Caring Heart Counseling. I offer mental health support for adults and couples. I also have a passion working with members of the LGBTQ+ community. I aim to help others while providing safe space and non-judgmental environment for them to explore what it is they are struggling with.

My philosophy of therapy is that each person is unique and should be treated as a whole. I tell all my clients that my job is to work my way out of a job. I don’t want to make it so you have to rely on me, I want you to succeed. I want to give the tools needed and the space for healing. I love to see the “ah ha” moments and see the growth my client’s make.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Mental health is often overlooked when we talk about our overall health. So many people go to the dentist for a regular cleaning, or the primary care doctor for an annual, or even an eye doctor yearly, but they overlook their mental health. They see counseling as a luxury or only needed in times of crisis. I think it’s important to bring light to taking care of ALL of you…not just the physical body. So many mental health issues left untreated can start to present in physical way and it can be prevented and/or managed with counseling. That is not to say all physical problems are mental health related so please don’t get me wrong, your physical health is important and needs attention too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caringheartcounselingllc.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575562662180
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-harrison-18847124/
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/carrie-harrison-kennesaw-ga/123290