Interview with Asia

Today, I interviewed Asia Schmidt, an author, counselor, and amazing person. 

Me: Thanks so much for taking the time for this interview.

So tell me, what got you into the health care industry and counseling? And what brought you to clinical addiction counseling?

“I have always had a passion for helping people. I knew I wanted to enter into the mental health field during undergraduate and taking different psychology classes. I was sold once I took a “Counseling Theories & Techniques,” class. I was blown away by the various therapeutic methods that can be used to help individuals suffering with various mental health conditions. This is especially important for people like me, who kind of grew up with a “one size fit’s all.” type of approach for support. This unfortunately caused a lot of challenges for me throughout much of my life.  I decided to go into addictions due to my fascination with the field. Understanding addictions is not easy, it can be very complex and often you hear people say, “why can’t they just quit,” however throughout my time in the mental health field, I can assure it’s not that simple. “

Tell me about your philosophy to support your clients.

“I like to use a holistic health approach. This focuses on treating the whole person. What many people don’t understand is that, one area of our life usually affects the other areas, so you can’t treat a person’s mental health without understanding how their mental health is impacting other areas (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially and relationships.) The goal is to help the individual get to a place of living from the state of wellness or being whole, not merely addressing the symptoms, and that can only be done when you treat the whole person. I personally like journal therapy as it allows for reflection and personally used this within my new book to help me, however, when working with individuals, I try to tailor my skills to individual needs, as “one style does not fit all.” Some people enjoy talk therapy, some people hate it. So it all depends upon the patient and their personality.”

You seem so selfless. What drives you to help others? “I guess I have always had that personality, people talk to me about their problems and I believe in being passionate about what you do. So, it’s important for me to live from a place of purpose. It is rewarding knowing that each day when you wake up, you are doing something you love.”

Can you tell me a bit about your book? What is it about? What brought you to write it? And how has public reception been? Where can we purchase it?  

“My book is about my experience of suffering with depression from what was supposed to be a positive and life changing move, and how I used therapeutic journaling to work through depression, release suppressed emotions, heal mental, emotional and spiritual wounds and redefine the ways in which we can go about working through depression by exposing distorted beliefs related to “Strength,” that cause many women to suffer in silence. It is very common for women and even men to fall prey to the lie that “Strength,” means being tough, not crying and in some cases handling everything by yourself. As a result, we suffer in silence due to pride and or fear of not wanting to be perceived as weak. I grew up with the notion that crying is a sign of weakness, however through this experience I would come to learn that there is a form of crying that releases suppressed emotions and heal untreated wounds which was the case for me. Journaling allowed me to exhale, and the reflection, wisdom and insight which came out of my therapeutic journaling, helped me heal, not from just one or two issues, but the type of healing that brings about wholeness. That is why I titled it, “Cry, Exhale, Heal: A Journey to Inner Healing.”

“What brought me to write it was, 1. During this transition, I wished I knew people who experienced what I felt, people who could say, “hey I know that feels like.” When I found people, who could relate it made a world of difference. That is what made me share my story in the hopes that someone can find hope in knowing they are not alone.”  I also wanted to read about someone’s story, but I knew I didn’t want to read a “how to book.” I wanted to read real, honest, thoughts and emotions, not clichés. 2. While writing the book, I knew what I was experiencing and the growth that came out of this life transition triggered by depression was bigger than this experience but could also be applied to everyday life.”

“The public’s response has been overwhelming, from statements of “your transparency really helped me and helped me heal certain issues in my life, you gave a voice to what I was experiencing, I feel like I can be real and take off the mask," to "I found myself all throughout your book,” it has been amazing to hear the stories of how my book is shedding light on the stigma of depression and helping people realize depression is not a sign of weakness, and there is strength in vulnerability. You don’t have to suffer in silence.”

“My book can be found on Amazon and CreateSpace.”

Anything else you’d like to add? “I think the last thing I would like to add is there is no shame in asking for help to work through the challenges of life that can trigger depression.”

Where can my readers find you on social media? “My readers can find me on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and Twitter, under my name Asia Schmidt and, Asia Schmidt7 on Twitter. They can also reach me on my website www.asiaschmidt.com, or my author page on Amazon at, amazon.com/author/asiaschmidt.”

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