My name is Tiffany Simmons, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addictions Counselor in Greeley, Colorado, US, who specializes in helping people to heal from trauma. I actually started out as a high school math teacher but found that while I loved teaching, the world of education wasn’t for me. I left after my 5th year of teaching. That was the year that we quit talking about kids and only talked about numbers (pass rate, engagement rate, etc…). It took away the entire reason that I wanted to teach which was to make a difference in the lives of others. I didn’t intend to become a therapist but fate led me to where I feel like I was meant to be.
In January 2020, I opened my own practice called Healing Connection PLLC after having spent 5 years working in an agency. I have found that healing happens through connection; when we feel safe, accepted and able to be truly vulnerable. I seem to see the world in a different way from most and it’s allowed me to help a lot of people on their journey to healing (and myself on my own). It was hard for me to not be able to help everyone that “knocked on the door” and I realized that I wanted to be able to reach more people, which led me to starting this blog.
In addition to being a therapist, I am also a mom. One of the hard parts of my journey has been motherhood as, in addition to my two biological kiddos, my husband and I adopted through kinship placement. This daughter, as a result of her start to life and trauma, has reactive attachment disorder on the severe end of the spectrum. After years of fighting for her to heal and for our family became safe, it became clear that she would not heal with us and it wasn’t safe for her to continue living with us, and in 2022, we made the incredibly difficult decision (which has ultimately been the healthiest for all 5 of us) to work with Second Chance Adoptions to find her a new home and family where she could thrive (read my blog posts on this for more information). She is doing much better and her new family is absolutely incredible. I share this as this is the basis of some of my posts and families living with RAD are under-supported and misunderstood. This is another area of specialization that I have. Both in working with these hurt kids, but also their parents, siblings, schools, etc.
I come from a family that struggles with extensive trauma histories, mental health and addictions… and the generationally passed down gift of avoidance…which allows the former to persist. I know the journey of healing because I’m on it; I push myself to be vulnerable and real and continue to learn and grow daily. If we’re honest with ourselves, our journey is never totally done, I know that I want to continue to be better for myself and the world.
This blog is a place for me to share the information that I’ve learned through my journey and the journey of the people who have allowed me into their world, and I hope it can help someone else on their journey to loving themselves, setting boundaries and becoming who they want to be. I also have information for my counseling practice for those in Colorado, as well as my role as an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Consultant, for those across the globe that may be looking for consultation.