kaci guilford
ma, lpc, acs, ncc
Hi! I am Kaci, and I am so glad you're here. I know how much courage it takes to take finally take the step to find help and "shop around" for a counselor. It's a daunting, yet profoundly important, journey.
So here's where I'm supposed to tell you about me, and all the work I've done to become a therapist you'd find beneficial and useful. And believe me, I've done a lot of work! The professional credentials are towards the bottom, if you're looking for them, because while I believe they are important, they don't prove much. I'm more of a relational, people person, and believe that good and effective counseling is based on mutual trust, respect, and willingness to journey through the hard, uncomfortable stuff together.
Plainly put, I love what I do. My passion for counseling was born out of my own personal experiences, and I feel truly honored to walk alongside my clients that share their own experiences with me. I struggled with addiction, eating disorders and severe depression in my early twenties. I got to a place where I had lost it all and had no idea where to go. So, (somewhat begrudgingly), I embarked on my own journey towards self-discovery and healing, and engaged in intense, collaborative work with my own therapists and treatment teams. It was through this work that I realized God had given me my experiences to relate and help others. I began my Master's degree work with the hope to give back to others what was so gratefully given to me. Now, years later, I am dedicated and committed to helping my clients realize that their life can be their own, and walking them through the sometimes scary, and painful, process of change.
I believe therapy is a collaborative, relational process: the work done together as counselor/client is unique, and is built on trust, respect, and honest communication. I will never ask my clients to do something that I would be unwilling to do myself, and I will never ask them to journey through their discomfort and pain without journeying alongside them.
My experiences have led me to seek out extra training and education in eating disorders and trauma work. I am trained in EMDR and trauma-informed therapy, and have experience with integrating trauma work into self discovery and recovery and growth. I am closely knit within the amazing eating disorder treatment community here in Denver, and hold a special place in my heart for this work. My clinical experience has ranged from children and family work to couples and individuals, from elementary school-aged children to elderly men and women seeking change. I have facilitated support groups in my spare time, as well as consulted with young professionals learning to navigate the murky waters of growing a private practice.
Technically speaking, I am a licensed professional counselor, and hold my Master's degree in Counseling. I specialize in women's issues (including disordered eating and body image concerns), trauma work, and spiritual counseling. Over the past years, I have worked with a variety of clients and have a diverse range of professional experiences, including work in a court-mandated treatment facility to a spiritual-based counseling center. I began working as a private practice clinician, and over 10 years helped grow a counseling center from 2 professionals to a team of 14 clinicians, 3 staff and multiple interns. Currently, I balance my private practice with a supervisory position, overseeing practicum and internship students in their clinical work at the Denver Seminary. I am also earned my Approved Clinical Supervisor credential in 2020. I am committed to ongoing professional development and self-growth. I belong to professional associations to remain informed, and continually participate in professional training, education, and consultation relevant to my techniques and practice.
Credentials
Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies: Licensed Professional Counselor, #11311
National Board of Certified Counselors: NCC #252782
Center for Credentialing & Education: ACS #3655
Prepare & Enrich Certified Facilitator, # 1240647
MA, Counseling, Regis University, Denver, Colorado
BA, Interpersonal Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California