Learn About Our Practice and Meet our Team

Heather Draughan, MSW, LCSW

Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” –Brené Brown

Seeking a path to get help is a courageous step to be commended and rewarded. I admire the courage it takes to begin this journey, and I am humbled when either children or adults open their hearts and allow me to support them. During our work together, I will share tools helping you unlock your potential and live the life you desire.

Many describe me as warm, energetic, and inviting. My approach is listening to, appreciating, and respecting my clients; while always holding a positive view of them, regardless of their circumstances. While providing a safe and supportive space, we will sort through the root cause of your struggles while exploring and gaining new insights to achieve long-lasting strategies to heal your heart, mind, and soul.

I am driven to provide a highly personalized approach for each client to achieve the personal growth they desire. Having specialized training in utilizing Sandtray Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is the leading treatment for trauma and PTSD. My passion is to help people of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, sex/gender identities, economic, and ability statuses. My goal is to help my clients heal from their wounds, enabling each to live a more empowered and fulfilling life. The work of healing is not one of perfection but one of transformation.

Heather earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Utah State University and her Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from University of Nevada Las Vegas in obtaining her Licensed Clinical Social Work Credentials

Availability in Murray Monday,Wednesday,Thursday 9-6 & Fridays 10 – 2

Available Downtown SLC on Tuesdays 9 – 6

Leslie Merrick, MSW, LCSW

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

I firmly believe that we all do the best we can with the knowledge we have at any given moment in our lives. If there has been a time in your life when you have felt “I should have done better,” it is OK and very normal to feel that way. It is when we recognize the need to do better, that we can make changes in our lives. Taking the step to get help will be the action that makes all the difference in your life. At Empowered Me Counseling Centers, we focus on creating a safe environment for clients to share and heal.

People often presume all therapists are good listeners, yet many often do more of the talking. I am truly a “listener” that seeks to respond directly to what I hear. My approach to working with clients is to start with their strengths, meaning everyone has the potential inside to heal and choose the life they want to live. We will look at the connection between the mind and body and how trauma affects our abilities to make decisions. With an understanding of the trauma impact, we will work to remap your mind and body patterns. Therapists are often asked, “can you just tell me what to do?” My approach is to work with you through questions focused on your unique situation. These questions have so often yielded an “aha” moment. Your mind provides the answer you were seeking all along. I have the pleasure of the “universe” providing your solution, and then we can work together and come up with a plan that you can act on, to move forward

Often working with clients struggling with substance abuse, they arrive and wonder about being judged by their therapist. Friends and clients alike attest to my open, honest, non-judgmental, & empathetic approach to working with you. I am in awe of the strength it takes to seek help in establishing a course of action to recover and gain stability.

Availability: Downtown SLC on Tuesdays 11-6

Murray – Thursdays 11AM – 6PM

Madeline Glenn – MSW, CSM

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” — Fred Rogers

I’ve studied people in various roles and learned a great deal about self-healing while working as a psych tech at Utah State Hospital and through other mental health roles and settings. Did you know that placebos work on medical conditions close to 33% and up to 60% of the time? For you, that means that each person’s brain has enormous healing power. With the right tools, together we can use that power to deal with anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, difficult life transitions such as faith/gender identity/sexuality, and grief and loss.

I focus on using evidence-based therapies that tap into each individual’s enormous power for self-healing. I have been using Internal Family Systems (IFS) with my clients which utilizes your brain and “parts” work to heal. I have also had considerable success with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which has proven to do a good job of stopping the “doom spirals” by laying out new thinking patterns, leading to calmer feelings.

I like to learn about my clients’ lives to discover the roadblocks and challenges that affect them, as well as their strengths and goals for the future. Using that information in sessions we then work on real skills and techniques to use daily in overcoming these challenges. It may sound simple, and yet many need help setting boundaries, using good communication skills, finding the root cause of feelings, and making adjustments to get to a more fulfilling and happy place.

Our counseling sessions will run the gamut of emotions from laughing to crying as I work to help you feel safe, validated, and at times, challenged. I truly enjoy my career and working with adults and teens 15+.

My Bachelor’s Degree is from BYU with a Major in Psychology and a minor in women’s studies and my Master’s in Social Work was earned at the University of Utah.

Madeline is accepting new clients for Telehealth/Video only. Availability Monday thru Friday 3, 4, 5, 6:30, 7:30, & 8:30 PM.

I see clients insured with Medicaid, BCBS-Regence, Huntsman, Aetna, SelectHealth, U of U, United Healthcare/Optum, and UMR with more coming soon.

Lindsay Killips – MSW, ACMHC

“If your waiting for someone to believe in you, you’ll be waiting forever. You must believe in yourself.” …. Cher

I want to understand you as you are and what your story is, not just what you are in counseling for. I like to build connections based on similarities or shared interests/knowledge/experiences/values. I am here to listen, support you, and help guide you to be happy with what looks back at you in the mirror. Having survived a near-death experience, I learned about myself and was able to see my purpose in life. Therapy can heal by providing a safe space to feel held and supported while working through complex life events. You will leave sessions feeling progress and more confident.

My approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help clients address personal life challenges. I connect and work well with people who have faced trauma. Clearing past trauma has to involve getting to the root and how it impacts both your mind and body. Next is remapping your brain by removing the fear and “spiraling” that can happen when triggered by the past. I also focus on ADHD, Anxiety/Depression, chronic health challenges, self-esteem, relationship issues, and brain trauma injuries.

I mix a variety of methods depending on each client’s needs. I regularly use somatic, positive mindfulness, CBT, expressive writing, and art techniques. I’m working on EMDR and IFS “parts work and refreshing my skills with children for sand tray and play therapy great at helping them open up. We aim to bring mind, body, and soul together to live at peace with your life.

I work with young adults, preteens, children 6 and up, and middle-aged adults who want to be here doing the work. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University (ACMHC credentials, Certified Eating Coach).

Lindsay is accepting new clients at our Downtown SLC office only.

Her Availability if 9AM – 6PM Tuesday thru Friday.

I see clients insured with Medicaid, Huntsman, BCBS-Regence, Aetna, SelectHealth, U of U, United Healthcare/Optum, and UMR with more coming soon.

We are always considering new clinicians who wish to focus on clients and our model which is family where everyone helps learn and teach to do the best for our clients. We are NOT a “factory shop” where doors are always closed and you never speak with your coworkers we pay our Full-Time clinicians a salary with holidays and so much more.

How We Can Help You

SPECIALTIES

Anxiety, Depression, Relationship Issues, Self-esteem, Trauma

MODALITIES

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT) / Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Sandy Tray and Play Therapy for Children

Dialectical BehaviorAcceptance Therapy (DBT)

We welcome the opportunity to talk about how to best serve you.

Contact us today 801.317.1950 for a free 20-minute phone consultation and let’s discuss how we can work together to create the fulfilled life you deserve!

Here at Empowered Me Counseling Centers, it is our goal to succeed with clients in discovering their true potential and value while empowering them to create healing, purpose, and well-being.