Kay Arnold is a Licensed Professional Counselor/Mental Health Service Provider. Her counseling opportunity with The BabbCenter began in 1997.
Kay’s counseling interests include teen issues, marriage and family difficulties, eating disordered concerns, trauma resolution, and general life stresses. She is an EMDR clinician and trained in several trauma reprocessing techniques, teaches court-ordered parenting classes, and has lead groups within the community.
We’ve seen that Kay’s heart for others is as big as her beautiful smile!
Where did you go to college/grad. school?
MTSU and Trevecca University
Where is a unique place you have lived?
Most of my life has been lived in the Middle Tennessee area. However, early in my marriage, we moved to Washington State and then to northern California.
What is a favorite memory from growing up?
Growing up on a farm was magical and memorable. My family owned a nursery farm with plants and shrubs so the springtime was always fun…lots of people shopping daily, beautiful flowers in abundance, and wholesome activities were plentiful.
What is something you try to do every week?
Spend time with my friends over a meal, and go for a walk
What is your favorite type of food?
I love food, and I am not certain I have one specific favorite food. A good plate of fresh vegetables and wonderful wholegrain bread might be at the top of my list.
What is something about you that very few people know?
I absolutely appreciate a warm bed in winter. There is probably not a night that goes by on a cold night that I do not climb into bed and whisper a prayer of gratitude for warmth and safety. I consider peaceful rest one of life’s greatest gifts.
What is a quote you think about often?
“There are two things in life that cause change—pain and more pain.”
What is a moment in counseling that stands out to you?
I have so many amazing moments because I love my clients and consider it an honor to be trusted with some of their deepest concerns, cares, and fears. Being a partner in counseling in someone’s darkest moments means I can also be a witness to the growth and many provisions of God in individual lives.
If you had one piece of advice for most anyone, what would that be?
The events that we suffer have the potential to destroy a person, or they have the potential to become your message to the world or your mission.
What truth from the Bible do you want everyone to know?
You can never get so far from God that you are not seen and known by Him.
What is something practical you learned during your years of preparing to become a therapist?
We are all the same. Some are farther along a path than the next guy, but we all walk a similar path toward healing. Without the difficulties or the “hungry years,” it might be almost impossible to value and be grateful for the simple blessings in life. I may not have experienced exactly the same thing as the person sitting in front of me, but I have felt loss and enough pain to share this life with another, moving me away from judgment. We are all sharing this space.