Our Core Values
Individual Counseling & Therapy, Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling, Family Counseling, & Online Counseling
Columbia, Mo | Jefferson City, Mo
The Counseling Hub absolutely offers individual counseling & therapy, couples therapy & marriage counseling, and online counseling, but we want you to know that we’re also a practice that prides ourselves on a few key values. These are central to what we stand for as people and as a practice, which makes them worth mentioning.
At this point, having core values probably seems trite. It just does. We would contend that it seems trite because places generally only pay lip service to them, meaning that they espouse them without actually living them. They become the equivalent of cotton candy - fluffy and appealing, but ultimately leaving you hungry for something more substantial and savory.
That is exactly what we try hard not to do. Our core values are alive.
They’re part of how we assess ourselves, how we hire clinicians and staff, how we conduct tri-annual reviews, and how we strive to operate with each other, with our clients, and in life. They’re also malleable. We’ve had iterations of these core values for the past couple of years, and we would bet money that they continue to evolve ever-so-slightly in much the same way we will continue to evolve as people who learn and grow from life.
Be Authentic and Candid
Here’s what we’re attempting to ‘get at’ with the combo of these two. In essence, we try really hard to be people who show up exactly as we are across various domains in life (authenticity) and we try really hard to be people who openly share how we feel, what we think, and our driving values even when in opposition to people we love (candor). The goal here isn’t to all think, feel, and act the same. The goal isn’t to have the exact same personal values. The goal is really just to be honest. Honest about who we are and honest with ourselves and others. Authentic and candid.Have Depth and Fun
Aside from being a personal favorite, depth and fun is another necessary combo value. The point here is to highlight these as standalone values and to highlight the need for these in combination with each other. It’s the combination that’s special. Deep work is meaningful, period. It’s also really freaking difficult. There can (and should) be moments where we step back and chortle at something absurd, whether that’s about what we’re going through or entirely unrelated. The simplest way of bringing this home is that we relish the depth of humanity, but we also laugh at fart jokes (sometimes in the same breath). And/both.Be Excellence-Oriented and Growthcentric
[We may or may not have made up a word for this value.] Here’s what we mean by this. We’re talking about a focus on excellence, but this does not mean that we are always ‘excellent.’ Instead, it means that we try to be our best every single day. We settle for nothing less than attempting to be our best version of ourselves. When we’re not our best version of ourselves? Well, that’s when we lean into our growthcentricity (another made up word). When we’re not our best, we attempt to understand, learn, evolve, and grow. Because what good is it knowing that you’re not your best version of yourself if there’s zero interest in growing into that person?
*The caveat: we don’t expect or want consistent, linear growth. Being your “best” and excellence-oriented doesn’t mean constant vigilance or never making mistakes. Definitely not the case. It means exactly what we say - being your best on any given day, which can look significantly different from day to day and absolutely should (and does) allow space for folks to err and be human.Own Your Shit
Owning your shit is all about, well, ownership. It’s about taking responsibility and owning the things that are coming up for us, the ways in which we negatively (or positively) influence interactions, and the areas of life in which we need to grow and develop further. This especially ties in with growthcentric, in that we can’t grow if we don’t take ownership of the stuff that is happening internally for us. Plus, nobody wants to be held accountable for things that don’t belong to them - hence owning our shit. We live for this stuff, y’all.Embrace Interdependence
The gist here is that we make up the system, are impacted by it, and influence it - all simultaneously. What we’re getting at is a focus on our own understanding of the systems we are embedded in. This one is very practice-focused, in that The Counseling Hub has a lot of moving parts and a lot of people making things work well, but the point in all of it is that we widely benefit the people around us. When we work well together, we’re able to see the ripple effect and positive impact on the clients we work directly with. It’s a really lovely thing.
How can all of the values be favorites? I don’t know, but they are. It’s, literally, hard to write each of these and not say, “oh, this is definitely a favorite” with each one.
Our core values are the culmination of the people who work here, but also the most concise way that we can explain who we are, what we stand for, and how we strive to show up. This is us, in nutshell form.
You might also be wondering what to look for in a counselor, are curious about our general approach, or maybe you're ready to contact us. Regardless, we'll try to make sure you get what you need.
And if you want to know whether we're a good fit, meet our team to get a feel for who we are, or email us directly with any questions you might have.