Caleb Cheavens, LPC

Biography

Caleb Cheavens has been a counselor in Columbia, MO since 2019. He grew up in Columbia, and prior to becoming a counselor he worked as a registered nurse for 10-years. Caleb provides psychotherapy and career counseling for individuals, facilitates culture-building for organizations, and provides 1:1 consultation for organizational leadership.

Personal Statement

I know what it’s like to feel stuck. Sometimes it seems like there’s no path forward because we’ve painted ourselves into a corner, and we’ve exhausted all the good options. Or so it seems.

In our career–whether it’s work, school, or home & family–we might feel exhausted, ineffective, or cynical. But we have a thousand reasons to stay the course and keep doing what we’ve been doing. This central conflict between the way we think about the world and the way we feel in our mind and body is sometimes overwhelming, and other times ignored.

This is the path to burnout, and these thoughts and feelings are an indication that you are in an unsustainable pattern that can affect your physical health, relationships, and ability to provide for yourself or live a life that you value. And there is a remedy: Change.

Counseling is a tool that we can use to facilitate change. As a counselor I collaborate with you, helping to connect you to experiences that might inspire you as well as challenge your ideas about yourself and the world around you.

Recognition & Accomplishments

I am a recipient of the 2019 University of Missouri St. Louis College of Education Faculty Award for exceptional student achievement. I am recognized by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) as a Board Certified Mental Health Counselor (NCC).

I graduated from University of Missouri, Columbia, Sinclair School of Nursing in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and I went on to work four years as and emergency department staff nurse, two years as a biomedical research coordinator, and four years as an inpatient psychiatric staff nurse. As a registered nurse I worked at the bedside at Hermann Area District Hospital and MU Health.

From 2011-2015 I held a volunteer position with Boone County Fire Protection District as a Certified Firefighter (I&II) and Emergency Medical Technician, Basic (EMT-B). During that time I provided ongoing emergency medical service training to firefighters & EMTs, and championed firefighter rehabilitation practices to increase workplace safety.

I have been practicing as a professional counselor since May of 2019. During this time my practice has focused on the needs of healthcare professionals and others in the helping professions whose sense of self is heavily entwined in their work.

In 2021 I co-founded Life Work Counseling in order to pursue my vision of providing services expanded to include any individual seeking psychotherapy for career-related burnout or secondary traumatic stress, and to provide consulting services to organizational leaders and groups.