Caitlin Regan expands trauma-informed mental health care in Monmouth County

Caitlin C. Regan is using more than 15 years in teaching and counseling to grow trauma-informed care in Freehold, New Jersey, while opening a nonprofit community mental health center in Monmouth County. Her work spans private practice, adjunct teaching at Seton Hall University, and advocacy rooted in her own experience with Bipolar II Disorder.

Why it matters: - Caitlin C. Regan is trying to widen access to mental health treatment for people facing financial and other barriers. - Her private practice and new nonprofit center focus on trauma recovery, mood disorders, and compassionate care for adolescents, young adults, adults, and families. - Regan’s public discussion of her own Bipolar II Disorder adds a stigma-reducing voice to mental health advocacy.

What happened: - Regan is the owner and therapist at Caitlin’s Counseling Corner in Freehold, New Jersey. - She opened Caitlin’s Counseling Center, a nonprofit Mental Health Community Center in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in June. - The center is designed to serve individuals and families who struggle to access treatment because of cost or other barriers. - Regan is also an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University.

The details: - Regan has more than 15 years of experience in teaching and counseling. - Her specialties include trauma therapy and mood disorders. - She is certified in Accelerated Resolution Therapy. - She also works with clients living with personality disorders and psychotic disorders. - Her parent coaching program, ARC Grow, supports families facing complex emotional challenges. - Regan describes her guiding philosophy as "Choose Your Healthy," a framework centered on resilience, emotional wellness, and moving from survival to thriving. - She began her career as a high school English teacher before moving into mental health. - After earning her counseling license, she worked in Florida as a mental health and addiction counselor specializing in trauma therapies. - Her education includes a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. - She also earned a Master of Arts in School Counseling and an Education Specialist degree in Professional Counseling from Seton Hall University. - Regan is a National Certified Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida. - She is a certified Accelerated Resolution Therapy therapist and a trained trauma specialist. - Trauma-informed care centers safety, trust, and choice while recognizing how past experiences shape emotions, relationships, and stress responses. - Accelerated Resolution Therapy uses eye movements and guided imagery to help clients process distressing memories, often in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy. - Regan writes about mental health awareness, social justice, and wellness. - Her work has appeared in the online magazine of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and in Counseling Today, the publication of the American Counseling Association. - She supports the National Alliance on Mental Illness and The Trevor Project. - She also volunteers with Pop’s Farm, We Are the Future, the Memorial Day Parade Committee, and the Human Relations Advisory Committee.

Between the lines: - Regan’s story blends professional training with lived experience, which can make her message resonate with clients who feel misunderstood or discouraged. - Her decision to discuss treatment, including medication and maintenance electroconvulsive therapy, frames recovery as ongoing management rather than a one-time fix. - Her nonprofit push reflects a broader challenge in behavioral health: funding gaps limit how many people providers can reach. - Regan says her diagnosis gave her the courage to turn trauma into a tool for helping others, rather than a private burden. - She says Bipolar II Disorder can also be a source of creative thinking and connection when well managed. - Her advice to young women entering mental health is to build a strong support system, practice self-acceptance, and make self-care nonnegotiable.

What’s next: - Regan and her team are seeking grants and other funding sources to keep the nonprofit community center growing. - She hopes Caitlin’s Counseling Center will bring together compassionate professionals who can serve more people in need. - Her longer-term goal is to expand access to treatment regardless of a patient’s background or income. - More information is available through her Influential Women profile, and the counseling practice website has additional details.

The bottom line: - Regan is building a mental health practice and nonprofit model around trauma-informed care, professional expertise, and the message that recovery should not depend on ability to pay.