Ken Kinzie LCSW contracts with Wellness Psychological Services remote video services online all across the state of Florida
Welcome, my name is Ken Kinzie, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with extensive experience in the field of Employee Assistance and sensitive and challenging human condition consultation. Early in my career I specialized in the field of Substance abuse and Addictions and during that time built and directed a long-term Alcohol and Drug treatment Center in central Minnesota. I also have extensive experience in helping clients deal with Substance Abuse and Addictions issues, utilizing a multi treatment approach. This often requires working with the important loved ones in the process to help them reduce the enabling that occurs in the Addictive process. A number of years later, after moving to Florida, I entered the then new and exciting field of Employee Assistance Programming. During that time I was able to establish a comprehensive, In-House and external full service Contract EAP program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. In that program we established contracts with over 50 companies.
I utilize an empathetic, problem solving to help clients with problems that are blocking their ability to thrive or be the person they would most like to be. This approach is very much like a mentor role, to provide guidance, motivation, emotional support and role modeling to help each client achieve their objective. This requires a great deal of listening and asking appropriate, non-judgmental questions. I believe it is extremely important to help make people feel safe in sharing their personal issues, possibly for the first time ever with anyone. This is sacred territory, where a non-critical, non-judgmental approach is most crucial. I recently made the decision to work on a part time basis in the area I am most passionate about, providing individual counseling support for clients who can benefit from short term intervention. I am delighted to be able to work with the Wellness Psychological Services team to provide counseling on work related issues, grief and loss and for individuals and families struggling with stress management and addiction and other adjustment related issues.
WORK/CAREER STRESS, BURNOUT & EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SPECIALIZATION
The EAP concept uses short term, reality-based counseling to help individuals with a wide range of issues, ranging from conflict with another co-worker, work-place harassment, dealing with a difficult supervisor, and life-partner relationships that are inadvertently brought to the workplace. In my tenure as Director of EAP Sarasota, I was called upon to do employee and supervisory trainings, including, Stress Management in the Workplace, Employee burnout and Compassion Fatigue, Change Management, and outplacement and career management. I use a reality based approach using open ended, non-judgmental questions to help set goals for building more satisfactory relationships. I try to help each person review what they feel is working and what is not working for them and then explore other alternatives. I work closely with clients to develop and commit to their own plan.
GRIEF & BEREAVMENT SPECIALIZATION
In the last few years, it has been my honor to be able to provide relief in dealing with Grief and Loss issues, related to the death of a special person, a much-misunderstood process that, without intervention, creates major disruptive changes in all aspects of their life moving forward. Many clients have suffered needlessly with Grief and Loss issues due to their attempts to grieve the way others expect them to, and this often minimizes the importance of their loved one and delays moving forward.
I also worked extensively with employees and family member who had suffered sudden or traumatic losses, which led me to my most recent career experience as Vice President of Grief Education and Support at Tidewell Hospice, where in addition to counseling with families who had lost loved ones, I was able to open a first of it’s kind peer counseling program for Children who had lost a special person, Blue Butterfly Center in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The unmet demand for Grief services allowed for an expansion to Manatee County Florida More recently that program was expanded to a brand-new stand-alone Grief Center in Manatee County Florida.
STRESS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIZATION
My approach to stress management is built around control. I try to help individuals evaluate what is stressful in their life from a standpoint of their level of control. Together we can look at what is most stressful in their lives and establish what can be controlled most effectively, and what, is beyond their immediate control. I find that people often benefit from exploring these situations with a neutral person. There are many techniques that can be utilized to gain more control of daily situations that have become stressful in their work or personal lives.
ADDICTION & RELAPSE PREVENTION SPEICALIZATION
I view addictions in the framework of a Family illness. When working with an individual it is important to explore the current situation and who is still willing to be part of the treatment process. It is also imperative to explore treatment history, what has worked and what has not worked, and most importantly, whether the individual is present on a voluntary basis or just responding to family pressure to get help. Knowledge of the wide range of treatment resources is imperative, as what works for one person, may not work for another. It is imperative that the client is willing to commit to not using during the treatment process.
OTHER ADULT PSYCHOTHERAPY SPECIALIZATIONS
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression
- Adjustment Disorders
- Coping Skills