Hello, we are Samantha Franklin and Mackenzie Kerber, current clinic directors of Eagan Psychotherapy and Assessment Center, which we started about three years ago with our friend, Dr. Timm Simondet. He was a phenomenal human, who helped guide us towards the clinic of our dreams, Apricity Counseling and Wellness Center, which we are opening this summer.
The Meaning of Apricity
Apricity is a Latin word meaning “the sun’s warmth in winter”. We came upon this after months of searching for clinic names and polling our friends and family. Nothing seemed to feel “just right”. When we discovered the word Apricity, the imagery of it struck us. First, we are located in MinneSNOWta. If we don’t embrace the snow and find beauty in it, we are in for a long winter!
Apricity also reminded us of Timm. When we needed a good talk or consult, Timm would take us to a local lake, Lake Nokomis. It was here that we started to conceive the idea of a trauma informed clinic. Somewhere for clients to come for total body healing: psychotherapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, yoga, massage. There was something about being in nature, the view of the lake allowing our ideas to flow and flourish.
Unfortunately, Timm unexpectedly passed away in April 2018. The day we went to say our goodbyes to Timm it was raining and gloomy with a blizzard on the way. Fitting for the grief we felt inside. Dark, raw, and all consuming. Sometimes trauma can also feel this way. Sometimes other emotions besides grief may also feel all consuming.
Earlier this month it snowed 6 inches in a week. Snow in April! Last year it snowed in mid-April, too. How unfair? Or was it? It was the kind of beautiful, fluffy, huge flakes that sparkle in the sun as it falls to the ground. We couldn’t help but notice the sun shining amidst the snow falling. Peaceful. Healing. Exactly the image we wanted to bring to our new clinic. There may be times in our life or situations we experience that bring us what we feel is darkness, despair, anxiety, and loneliness. And we want to honor those feelings, and at the same time look for what also may be waiting for us to uncover. We may need help to uncover this, but if we look closely we may be able to find a moment of breath. Moments of lightness. Moments of the sun’s warmth in winter - Apricity.
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Written by: Mackenzie Kerber, MA, LPCC and Sam Franklin, MA, LMFT