Scott Erickson is a Licensed Professional Counselor who opened his own private counseling practice on Feb. 1. Erickson’s ‘Counseling and Coaching’ office is located in Kemmerer’s Old Town Hall building. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)

Empower your best self — that is Scott Erickson’s motto for his new private practice, Erickson Counseling and Coaching, LLC.

Erickson’s new office space is located in the Old Town Hall across from the Post Office.

“I want to give our community another resource,” Erickson said.

After the South Lincoln Medical Center’s former clinician Ben Robertson left the position in November, management decided to close the outpatient mental health services provided by the Hope Clinic, leaving a gap in Kemmerer’s mental health coverage.

Erickson was very clear that he is not leaving his job as HR Manager, outpatient clinic director and member of the senior leadership team at South Lincoln Medical Center.

“I love my job at the hospital,” said Erickson. “I am excited about our new CEO and I have lots of work to do there. I am not going to give that up.”

Erickson has a solid list of credentials. He obtained a B.S. in Family Studies at Weber State University, an MBA in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University and a Master’s Degree in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling from Idaho State University.

Erickson moved to Kemmerer over a decade ago with his wife Holly and seven children, and they all love living here. Erickson said raising their family here has brought him great joy.

“It is a sacred special thing, being part of people’s lives,” Erickson said. “I very much appreciate their courage and the relationships we create.”

Erickson said he takes great pride in his work and said he enjoys when his clients move forward and no longer need him. According to Erickson, knowing the difference between counseling (therapy) and coaching is important. Behavioral Health Therapy is designed to assist in managing and/or alleviating the symptoms of a mental health disorder. Examples of mental health disorders include Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use Disorder.

Therapy involves a comprehensive assessment to reach an accurate diagnosis, setting goals together for a treatment plan, and sessions of therapy. Erickson said sessions include interactions to help patients both accept and manage challenges in healthy ways.

Coaching can be viewed as a short-term, less invasive approach to a problem.

For example, if a patient is dealing with challenging emotions or thoughts that do not meet the full criteria for a mental health disorder, coaching may be the answer.

“It can be frustrating and discouraging all on our own,” Erickson said. 

Erickson said coaching provides needed support  and can also be helpful if a patient is simply experiencing a “slump” in life. 

Erickson offers a free 15-minute consultation to anyone interested in learning more about his services. He also extends an invitation to his free Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills class, which is held at the SLMC board room every Saturday at 10 a.m. The DBT skills class combines individual therapy in a group setting, teaching skills like mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.

For more information, email scottthecounselor@gmail.com, search Erickson Counseling and Coaching on Facebook, visit www.scottthecounselor.com or call (307)708-2967.Office appointments are available on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with some hours on Saturday.