The Counselor
Greetings, I’m Ritu Reimer. I would like to share with you who I am and why I do what I do.
I am a (Southeast Asian) Indian American female. I am the daughter of Indian immigrants but I was neither born in the United States nor India…wild, right?? I entered the world in England, the first part of my parents immigration journey. It continued into the United States starting in the East coast and ending in the Midwest.
Since my family moved and traveled quite a bit, it gave me the opportunity to experience diverse people, places and cultures. I remember thinking how different living in the New York City metro was when we settled into our southern Illinois life. I became fascinated with understanding humans and why they are the way they are.
Raised in a medical family, I remember seeing the psychological impact health issues have on a person and their loved ones. Whether it was a child with epilepsy, a teenager getting diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or an adult battling cancer, the correlation between one’s mental and physical health was strong.
I got involved in the mental health field in early adolescence. In high school, I was a Peer Support to classmates who were experiencing adversity but not prepared to speak with a counselor or adult. Here I saw anything from relationship issues to abuse in the home to social anxieties. I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. During the bachelor years, I was an assistant in the Early Childhood Development Lab and spent a semester abroad studying addiction policy & treatment and foster care systems in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
With my bachelor degree, I moved to Chicago and embarked on trying to be an “adult”. It started by working in a Residential setting as a Direct Care Provider at a crisis group home (CILA) for adults with severe mental illness and/or developmental disabilities.
I was soon promoted to the crisis group home manager. Eager to experience mental health work on the outpatient level, at the same agency, I tried on a new position, a psychosocial rehabilitation instructor. Additionally, during these 3 years I volunteered as a crisis line worker with survivors of domestic violence. By working in the field my desire to continue in the field was validated so I pursued my masters degree in clinical psychology at the Chicago school of Professional Psychology.
The following 10 years of experience began at my practicum site, an outpatient substance-abuse facility in the Northwest side of Chicago. From my graduate internship to a counselor then Director, I was (and still am) a believer that the substance is only 10% of the problem. We work on addressing the remaining 90%, aka LIFE and the role the substance plays within it.
For the next 5 years, as the Director of Outpatient Services, I created programs putting these concepts in action. One thing I often found was how unique everyones’ needs are and how people respond differently to the same approach to treatment. I found it imperative to tailor treatment to what works for the individual.
All my experience in Illinois, equipped me with the skills to finally do my own thing. So, in 2017, we moved to Denver, Colorado, where I created my private practice and called it RNR Life Solutions.
In 2020, familiar with the Colorado mental health community, needs & policies, I ran for and was elected into the Colorado Counseling Associations Governing Council, as the state expert in Private Practice.
I am honored to serve this community. I believe humans are resilient and we adjust to life's circumstances to the best of our abilities. It takes incredible strength and insight to look within and ask for help. We can change how we experience our journey and I want to help you do that.
Thanks for your time!
Ritu