 Hawaii business on Think Tech Hawaii. My name is Kathleen Lee and I am your host for this program. Today I am excited to have a special guest on the show, owner, hopefully I got the title right, owner and founder of Sea Glass Mental Health, Jaina of Arzua. Welcome to the show Jaina. Thank you so much for having me Kathleen. I'm so excited to be here. I am excited for you to be here as well and I would also like to thank your partner, husband, Trevor, for giving me a heads up and letting me know about you and your business. So let's launch into this. Jaina tell our viewers a bit about yourself. So my name is Jaina Arzua. Like you already mentioned, I was born and raised in Arizona. I went to Arizona State University for both undergrad and graduate school. I met my husband, Trevor, while we were both living in Arizona. We met in Vegas actually and we were both living in Scottsdale at the time. And he was working more on the political side in Arizona and I was working for a private practice. And I was the director of therapy services for a private practice in Arizona owned by a psychiatrist. And he was expanding his company outside of Arizona. And he was looking for states to start offering services and he enlisted my help to try to figure that out. And at the time I started really realizing that there were a lot of mental health services needed in Hawaii. There was a very big lack of services here in the state. And so he and I worked together and he moved me out here to Hawaii to start offering more services here. And so that is how I ended up on Oahu about two years ago. So we have Trevor to thank for having you here to provide more resources for mental health. That is wonderful. Jaina, tell us how you came up with the company name Sea Glass. So I actually love this story so I'm glad that you asked me about it. When we first moved here, I was working for somebody else's practice and he actually ended up closing up shop just a couple months after we moved here. And so we had just moved here. We had just sold our house and I was jobless and I was very worried about what we were going to do. But I worked with the owner of the previous company and we came to an agreement that rather than letting go of all the therapists and the hundreds and hundreds of clients that we had that I would start my own practice. And so I was trying to figure out the name and I wanted something that kind of connected with the ocean and Hawaii. But I also love the symbolism and the metaphor behind Sea Glass. So Sea Glass starts off as an intact object that goes through some sort of trauma. It gets broken somehow some way and it makes its way out to the sea and it's tumbling through the ocean and it goes through a very long journey but eventually it finds itself on the other side and it finds itself on the beach. And then we consider it a treasure. So it's different than how it started off. But it is still changed and it's a treasure and it's something that we value quite a bit. And it wouldn't be what it is without the trauma and the trials and the tribulations that it went through. And I feel like it's a really beautiful metaphor for humans especially people who are going through therapy and doing the work to come out the other side. A different version than themselves than when they came in but you know still a treasure nonetheless. That is awesome. Thank you for sharing that. Let's pull up the first slide. So this is what people will see when they go on the website. Tell us a bit more or expand onto what Sea Glass Mental Health does for the community. Absolutely. So it is a telehealth private practice and so we offer individual couples and family therapy to clients who are 14 and older. So we use telehealth. So all of our sessions are remote so people can seek out services from home. We are in network with several insurance payers so we're in network with Aetna, Signa, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, United Healthcare and TriCare West. In early 2024 we are aiming to start contracting with HMSA and Medicare so that we're able to make our services affordable to most people regardless of what insurances they have. So that's a super important piece. It's really important to me that the services that we offer are immediate. I'm not sure if you're super familiar with the current landscape of mental health but for a lot of people it can take up to six months to see a therapist. The wait lists are very long and so we really pride ourselves on being able to get clients started with a therapist within the same week. We like it to be accessible which is why telehealth can be so helpful no matter you know where you are, your transportation setup. You can still see your therapist so immediate, accessible and affordable. So even if a client doesn't have insurance and they can't pay the full cash rate we always have one to three interns on the team who offer a significantly reduced cash rate as well. So we really want to be able to meet our clients where they're at. I think that is wonderful Jaina. Let's pull up the photos of your staff. So that's two photos two through six and the first one is a photo of yourself so people who you already see right now but let's talk about your staff. Tell us a bit more about them and what they do when it comes to yeah they're roles in your company. Absolutely so the photos that we'll be looking at are our providers who can see clients who do live in Hawaii. We do also have therapists who are able to see clients in Arizona as well so our practice does serve the residents of Arizona and Hawaii which are those two states that mean the most to me so I feel lucky you know to be able to offer services in both states. So the photos that we just went through Amarin was the first one she's our newest therapist she's starting with us on January 8th. Yep there's Amarin and so she speaks English I think she speaks Taiwanese or do Hindi. She specializes in depression, anxiety, systemic oppression, immigration related issues specifically so she has a little bit more of a niche in her specialty. I think the second therapist that you pulled up was Dr. Debbie Williams she specializes in trauma victims of domestic violence and couples counseling. Let's see I think the third one you pulled up she could bring that photo up again that's Katie um she starts in January as well so depression, anxiety, self-esteem, life adjustments she specializes in working with young adults specifically college age students and then I think Lauren was the last one. Yep there's Lauren so she specializes in trauma she has called herself the co-dependency queen um she does a lot of work with clients who have personality disorders or who are friends or family members of folks with personality disorders and so everyone is more of a generalist therapist so everyone is able to treat depression, anxiety, self-esteem and trauma but what else what else we encourage at Sea Glass is that every therapist has their own specialty and their own niche as well so that they really get to dive in and work with the population that they connect the most with. I think that is wonderful let's pull up photo seven it looks like you and your team have been out and about in the community tell us more about what we're looking at here. Absolutely so this was a freshman move-in event at ASU back in August is about 120 degrees outside so we were absolutely melting but we do recognize that you know college is an amazing experience for so many students but it's a huge transition period in these young adults lives and a lot of freshmen end up dropping out because of mental health issues and so we wanted to make ourselves known on campus to freshmen who were moving in but we're here we're available if not now because now is a very exciting time when they're you know meeting their roommates and finding their dorms and their classes but a month or two down the road if they start feeling stressed or overwhelmed or lonely or lost we're there to help. We have also connected with an ASU representative who actually lives here in Oahu and she's the liaison between high school graduates who are wanting to go to school at ASU and so in August of this year Seguaz is going to be present at the send-off event for Hawaii students who are going to ASU and I think what's really special about Seguaz is that we will be able to offer services to these Hawaii students who are going to ASU and be able to offer services no matter where they are because we do offer services in both states and so it's a huge huge adjustment for students who have lived most of their lives here on the islands going to a university like ASU. ASU is the biggest university in America right now and I think it can feel really easy to feel lost and so we feel really fortunate to be able to offer them that support and helpfully make that transition just a little bit easier for them. The rest of the photos are all from the same event as well we have um it looks like it may be but I'm not just wanted to from that with you because it was eight nine and ten. Is that all from the same event? Yep that was from ASU. Yep these are all from ASU. We did do a freshman event at University of Arizona as well and Tucson and then we were also on campus at a few community colleges in Arizona during the same week so we got to hit most of the biggest colleges all within the same week we got to meet tons of students a lot of international students which was really cool to see um so yeah it felt really good being out in the community this year we plan on participating in the NAMI walk which we're really excited for so it's always fun to go out and and meet the community in person especially because we are a virtual practice. I think that is so wonderful Jaina. As far as age groups go do you see a pattern when it comes to the clientele that see glass mental health services um the people that turn to you folks are they typically like on the college age side since you did mention outreach to ASU or are they is it just like a like a gamut of different ages? Yep the youngest that we see is 14 we've found that younger than 14 um these teens are pre-teens kind of seem to struggle um with the telehealth platform it's really hard to capture their attention for a full hour um so 14 is the youngest I think the oldest client I've had this year is close to 80 years old so it really does run the gamut but most of the clients who we see scheduling with us are between an 18 and 35 age range and this is data pulled from Google Analytics and just kind of what we're seeing um on our end with clientele coming in and so I'm not sure why those are the people who are scheduling with us the most I have some hypotheses I think that maybe some older generations might feel more comfortable um with an in-person therapy experience I think there's still quite a bit of stigma involved with therapy in general with some of the older populations um and I think that 18 to 35 age range feels a lot more comfortable and open with going to therapy um I think that their lifestyles are a little bit more um on the go too I mean it's a going to college and going to work they can go to a therapy session where wherever they are whether they're you know at home sometimes unfortunately in their cars if they're parked and it's safe um and I think that they do feel very comfortable with the telehealth platform especially post COVID so to confirm currently seaglass mental health is available um on the telehealth platform at this time correct yep we have no in-person availability it's all telehealth okay thank you Jaina let's um and I mentioned this to you right before we started the interview I know Hawaii as a collective has gone through a lot of admittedly mental trauma when it comes to the global pandemic which was everyone was affected by it as well as the most recent Maui wildfires wildfires sorry keeping that in mind are there do you see any um clients that come to you because of those big global or you know catastrophic community uh events we haven't yet um and that's something that I find is really unfortunate um and it's not for lack of trying on our end um right after the fires happened in Lahaina I was reaching out to the Hawaii licensing board and trying to figure out how can we help what can we do and I feel like there was a lot of I don't want to say misinformation but not a lot of people really knew how we could help or what we could do um and we're also a telehealth platform and so at the time a lot of the victims of the Lahaina fires they didn't have a computer they didn't have phones at the time you know cell service was down and so talking to other therapists um and like Facebook groups and stuff I got a lot more information about what was going on and the consensus has been that a lot of these folks are in shock and have been in shock since the Lahaina fires happened and therapy is not a top priority right now um right after the fires a priority was clean food um finding a secure stable safe place to live you know figuring out kind of those basic you know survival needs um unfortunately we're seeing a lot of aftermath um with just kind of mental health needs with the population in Maui after the fires um and so I'm hoping that we can figure out a way to connect with these folks that was a big reason why we decided to contract with HMSA so we have reached out to HMSA to say can we expedite this contract so that the folks who do want therapy services that will be covered by their insurance they've agreed to expedite our contract um once we apply which will be January 1st um you know and it's and it's so hard to be able to empathize with what you know these folks are going through I can't even begin to imagine what their needs must be at this time but I hope that they know that there are services ready and available immediate services available to them when they are ready to start reaching out for some help for those who may be listening or watching and may have been affected by those traumatic events that we just mentioned what would you like to tell them in regards to um how to cope and again I do want to say that it's not not to to actually go to a professional um and you guys are but I don't want to have like liability you know and you guys and when it comes to this conversation but as far as you know you as a professional goes in that industry what would you like to tell them when it comes to how to cope with these events currently absolutely so I think step number one is just recognizing the significance of the trauma that has occurred um I think it is very um natural and almost instinctual to try to push the trauma down repress it ignore it do everything that we can to avoid the feelings because we have to do something about it and we have to focus on problem solving um but the problem is if we ignore those feelings or push them away they're not going to go away and in fact our bodies kind of act as a pressure cooker and the pressure builds and builds and builds you know until that pressure cooker explodes and so my recommendation would be to start thinking about reaching out for help sooner rather than later I don't think any time is uh you know gonna be more convenient um than right now and I think the sooner that we can get people connected with services the better they're gonna feel and the better they're gonna feel sooner it's kind of like a damn analogy too once you start going to therapy and reaching out for services you start letting that pressure out a little bit at a time so that not only are you feeling better mentally and emotionally um but physically as well and as you're able to start working through some of this trauma it's gonna start to be easier um to focus on that problem solving with the other areas in your life um because unresolved you know emotions and trauma leads to you know all sorts of consequences like um pain in our bodies or migraines or difficulty sleeping anxiety panic attacks you know you name it so my one tip would be try to get connected with services the sooner the better because they are out there and there are people who are ready willing and able to help and support in any way that we can thanks jana and I would you also say the same thing for people who might be feeling the pressure of the holiday season yeah the holiday season is a super stressful time um I think for a lot of people and you know I think the holiday season kind of comes with a pressure that everyone should be happy and joyful and it's the most wonderful time of the year um and that certainly is true for some people but it's definitely not true for a lot of people um the folks who lost their homes and the in the line of fire this is probably the first you know Christmas they've had outside of their homes or those who have recently lost a loved one you know holidays can be a very triggering time because it kind of highlights what we've lost or what we don't have um and so yes of course you know reach out to support um connect with your therapist to have that extra support if you have one if that's possible um but if you don't have one and then that's not possible for you right now I would just recommend checking in with yourself almost on a daily basis um we ask other people in our worlds how are you probably dozens of times a day um and very rarely do we ask ourselves but how am I how am I doing today how am I doing in this moment and really listening um and if we're struggling and if we're not okay I would highly recommend taking some time or finding some time to take care of ourselves even if it's just going for a walk on our alone and just having 10 or 15 minutes a day of quiet time that can really help kind of ease some of that pressure that we were talking about earlier thank you Jaina and you've already conveyed how passionate you are when it comes to your business but I I'm just going to ask the obvious question what keeps you in it oh my gosh well I think what you said um passion but I also be I love being able to help my clients on an individual one-on-one basis I love being a part of the growth and the transformation in their lives I think there's just something so magical about helping someone become the best and healthiest version of themselves um I also love being a practice owner which I'm not sure is something I ever really first saw for myself in my future but it happened and I'm so glad that it did um but I also love being able to create a practice in an environment for my employees for my therapists we're gonna have 13 therapists in in January um and in our practice there's super high rates of burnout I mean the average therapist is only doing the job for an average of six to seven years before they burn out and they want to quit and do something else and I want to create a practice on the challenges that and changes that and I really believe that if I can take care of the therapists and create an environment that has a healthy work-home life balance and make feel like their needs are heard and understood and met I can create a more sustainable career for them and if they're happy and healthy and they see longevity in their career they will be able to then help their clients more long-term and be able to be their best you know therapist self for their clients so of course I love the individual one-on-one with my clients but I also love being able to see how I can affect exponential healing and change as well. I love how you phrase that Jaina as someone who is running a practice both in Arizona and Hawaii is that correct what are some lessons that you've learned that you would like to share with individuals or entrepreneurs who may want to go the same route that you have? Oh that's a great question um never give up that's a big one um I I think a lesson to be learned to is you know being able to believe in yourself which sounds so cheesy but I never saw myself as being a business owner or practice owner and I studied psychology for six years in school I've never taken one business class um but just believing in yourself that if you want to achieve something um you can make it happen it's going to take a lot of work um but in existential philosophy they have this saying that if you can figure out your why you can figure out almost anyhow so if you have your why why am I building this practice this business why am I doing this the how will fall into place but you have to have a really strong why um because it's it's tough you know it's not easy it's not always fun it's not always like you see you know in movies or documentaries or on podcasts there's some really hard and long days but if you're able to you know ground yourself in that why um the challenge has just become part of the journey and you can start to appreciate the challenges and learn from them I think that is so awesome what a what a great way to end the show um before we do is there anything else that you would like to add oh gosh I don't think so it's just uh this is my first podcast interview so I've just had so much fun with you Kathleen and I just really appreciate you having me on the show I love talking about seaglass mental health and so thank you so much for this opportunity of course and I'm appreciative of you too Jaina let's pull up your website if people would like to get a hold of you or learn more about seaglass mental health where do they go yep so they would just go to seaglassmentalhealth.com um and once you're on the webpage you would just uh go to about and then you click on our Hawaii team you'll be able to see all of the team members you serve our clients in Hawaii and then you can book a free 20 minute consultation to see if that therapist is a good fit or go ahead and book a full hour long um session you can get started and like I said you can get you started within just a few days if that's what you're interested in. Jaina thank you so much for being on the show today we had Jaina Abarzewa owner and founder of seaglass mental health so thank you again and we also want to thank Think Tech Hawaii for making shows like this possible we have Jay Fidel and Carol Lonely to thank as well as Mike and Hayley who helped us run the show so until next time aloha