Darci Miland is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor loving the views in the Pacific Northwest. Originally dreaming of making it on Broadway, an interest in human behavior (and low levels of Broadway-worthy talent) put Darci on the path to the helping professions. Like most therapists, she started in community social service organizations while slogging through her education. Once she obtained her Master of Feelings* degree she set off West from Wisconsin to Washington to help anyone who would let her! And a few who didn’t ask for it.
*technically a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling, but Master of Feelings sounds more powerful…
Once licensed she was promoted into administrative roles and worked in quality assurance and contract compliance at many levels of the federal/state-funded behavioral health system. In addition to the daily grind, she was asked to provide mental health education for a local employee wellness program. The request? Talk about stress without making it stressful. Talk about depression without being too depressing. Her mission was clear: Get wellness education out to the people. And make it fun. Filled with relatable stories, hand gestures, and even some spontaneous dancing, Darci’s trainings quickly became staff favorites. Even more – they said they learned something! It wasn’t Broadway, but it was something! StandUP Wellness was formed as a workplace wellness consultation side gig. {Learn a bit about the mission here!}
As fun as it was to worry about paperwork in her day job, Darci’s passion to teach wellness kept getting in the way! Presentations and social media posts just weren’t enough and she missed the impact of meeting with people one-on-one. She left the wild world of administration and eased back in to providing individual therapy in 2019.
StandUP Wellness has expanded to include mental health counseling with its original mission in mind – provide wellness education in a way people can enjoy and use. Therapy CAN be fun! Laughing is healing! The hard things we experience in life don’t have to keep us from finding our joy, and Darci is excited to join people in their journey to learn how.
Darci also enjoys thrift store treasure hunting and rescuing animals. As a friendly Midwest native she can be found making new friends on planes and trains while traveling to visit family. Self-love hobbies include jigsaw puzzles, games (both board and video), dancing while eating a good meal, and rearranging furniture and decor to accommodate a new can’t-live-without-it vintage piece. Most days she follows her own advice. Other days she collects valuable lessons and stories for her next session or presentation.