New Kid Clinic Counselor Amber Friedlan Has A Passion For Working With Kids

New Kid Clinic counselor Amber Friedlan has a passion for working with kids, teens and young adults. She started her career in healthcare with the idea of becoming a nurse, but ended up with a Master’s degree in School Counseling from Adams State University in Alamosa, CO. A desire to help others came naturally to Amber; her grandmother is Baerbel Merrill, a nurse who worked for CCH for almost 40 years in Nursing Administration, Professional Development, and Infection Prevention. Amber’s aunt is Michele Jons, who works in the CCH Dialysis Center; and her husband Derek is the Manager of Care Continuum at CCH.

Amber knows that talking to someone face-to-face can be difficult for kids today, due to the prevalence of electronic communication, and what she calls ‘mindless scrolling’ on phones and devices.

“There really is that fear of rejection sometimes when meeting and talking to someone in person,” said Amber. “I try to find common ground with my clients and share things with them like my favorite movies and TV shows. Even though we may be from a different generation, we can understand that we have some of the same problems.”

Establishing a rapport with her clients helps them to express their feelings and understand where they are coming from.

Amber has this advice for parents who may be reluctant to consider counseling for their children:

“Don’t be afraid to reach out for help,” said Amber. “Parenting is not all common sense. Going to counseling doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with your child, or you’re doing something wrong in your parenting.”

Amber and her husband Derek have a son, Parker, who is 3 ½, and they are expecting a new arrival soon. When she’s not seeing clients, Amber likes taking Parker to the splash pad at the Energy Capital Sports Complex, and swimming at the Campbell County Recreation Center.

The Kid Clinic is a collaborative effort between Campbell County Health, Campbell County Medical Group and Campbell County School district to provide primary medical care, behavioral health and substance abuse counseling. The Kid Clinic provides mental health services for any individual from 4 to 21 years of age. Counseling services are provided by licensed counselors and social workers for a variety of concerns such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, family changes and adjustments, as well as case management services. Both individual and family counseling services are available through mental health providers.

The Kid Clinic works to reduce transportation barriers for children and their parents. Parents are responsible for bringing children to their initial intake appointment, and CCSD will transport children to and from the Kid Clinic for subsequent appointments during school hours.

Amber is now accepting new clients. Call 307-688-8700 to learn more.