Picture yourself in a cell. This is no ordinary jail cell. It’s you-shaped. You can’t see it or feel it, but it goes wherever you go, moving as you move, holding the real you back from the rest of the world. No matter how you thrash and scream, you just can’t get out—at least not on your own.
But you’re not on your own.
Ana-Margarita Sevcik (pronounced sev-cheek) is offering marriage and relationship counseling. Her private practice at 1414 S. Miller in Santa Maria opened two months ago, and she’s looking to help.
Sevcik has always wanted to help people. She did lots of volunteer work while in high school, but had her eyes on being a dentist. After working for one, however, she realized teeth just weren’t the right field for her. During her time in junior college, she took her first psychology class. Not only did she like it, she excelled at it.
Life is never perfect. Though she really loves her job, Sevcik admits that it isn’t always a blast.
“The hardest part of my job is trying to help someone who doesn’t want help,” she said. “A lot of people think counseling is for weak people. All of us can come up with a situation we can’t handle on our own. Don’t be afraid of seeking help.”
Her approach is interactive. She doesn’t want to tell her clients what to do. She’d rather give them the tools to understand their own issues and to handle them. And it’s not just “issues.” Business professionals and artists come to Sevcik to help them get a new angle on projects they’re working on.
It can be easy to brush off a therapist’s advice with a nonchalant, “That’s easy for you to say; you don’t know what it’s like”—but not with Sevcik. Her family and parenthood counseling know-how aren’t solely from a textbook; she draws on her own experiences with her two children. And she’s been on the other side of the pad and pen, too.
As part of her training to be a therapist, Sevcik elected to go through counseling herself. Being on the receiving end taught her a lot. It showed her how clients would view her, giving her another angle to connect with the people she aims to help.
Sevcik comes to Santa Maria from San Jose, looking for a slower pace of living, to break the constraints of the daily rush. It’s all about change. In a world where we can’t always change our circumstances, it can be a real relief to have someone who can help us change the way we approach those circumstances. Sevcik can be contacted at 619-0299.
Highlights
• Marian Medical Center announced that the hospital’s Maternal and Newborn Center recently received the International Board Certified Lactation Consultants Care Award.
Marian is one of only 16 facilities in the state to win the award, presented by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and the International Lactation Consultant Association. The award recognizes the hospital’s efforts to support and promote breastfeeding for new moms and babies.
Marian’s Breastfeeding Support and Lactation Services team includes certified lactation consultants and lactation educators who offer breastfeeding education, counseling, and support to new moms and families. The clinic is at 1430 E. Main St., suite 102, in Santa Maria.
To schedule a private breastfeeding consultation or find out more, call Marian Medical Center’s Lactation Support Services clinic at 739-3388.
Biz Spotlight was written by Intern Michael McCone. Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas compiled Highlights. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2011.