Hello and welcome to The Healthy Coconut Blog. This blog is dedicated to bringing you information on trauma and trauma healing from a holistic perspective. I’m Gabbie Bodkin, a licensed mental health counselor, and this blog’s author. I’ve shared over 40 blogs on various trauma and brain health topics and I thought it was time to re-introduce myself in case you are new here.
Here are 10 facts about me.
Profession: I am a licensed clinical mental health counselor in the state of Florida. Licensure in this state requires a master's degree from an accredited university, 1500 direct client hours, 100 hours of supervision, passing of the NCMHCE exam, and continuing education courses.
Career Journey: Ever since I was a young kid, I always knew I wanted to end up in a helping profession. I also loved working with kids. My first internship in grad school was at a children’s advocacy center where I counseled children who were abused. I was so scared to work with kids with trauma because I didn’t know if I could emotionally handle it or if I could even help. During my first week at the internship, I was handed a file with the background info of a young boy's abuse and reason for treatment. I cried reading the file and knew I was going to be working with a population that desperately needed help. I ended up continuing to work with child survivors of abuse for 6 total years until starting my practice in 2022. I now work with adults who experienced childhood trauma.
Interests: I love to travel and experience different cultures. My husband and I travel as much as we can and whenever we visit a place, we gain a new perspective and try to embody part of the culture when we return home.
Personal: I’m a new mom and it’s probably my biggest achievement and role yet. Being a parent is the biggest responsibility and it has created a whole new meaning of love, stress, reward, and selflessness.
Health outlook: I’m all about holistic healing and sustainable wellness. I understand the need for modern medicine but aim to combine Eastern and Western medicine when it comes to healing both personally and within my therapy practice.
Hobby: I am passionate about working out and staying physically and mentally fit. I could spend all day at the gym and not get bored. My movement goals started when I was 9 and started playing soccer. I engage in intentional movement 5-6 days per week and know that I feel my best when I am consistent with this practice.
Diet: I became vegetarian at a young age (probably around 10 years old) because I was grossed out by the thought of meat (yes, I know this is a psychological issue). In grad school, I became vegan and was motivated to find enjoyment in eating despite my limited diet. I began experimenting with recipes and love eating nutritionally dense foods.
Favorite movie and book genres: I love classic romantic comedies or suspenseful thrillers. Since my work is emotionally taxing, I focus on happy and funny entertainment. A light romantic comedy is my usual pick but from time to time, I’ll pick something a little heavier because I enjoy solving a good mystery and analyzing characters. I typically only read books that relate to the field of psychology but my goal is to read more fiction.
Alternative dream career: If I was not a counselor, I would have loved to pursue a career in music. I started playing piano when I was 9 and by the time I was in high school, I was pretty good and almost went to college for music. I decided to keep piano as my passion and search for another career that suited me. I love mashing up different songs and could see myself being a DJ in an alternate world.
Wish: My wish is that everyone knows they have the power to create the life they want and heal anything they are going through.