Addiction Counseling, Supervision, and Holding Two Truths at Once
Hosts Morgen and Ashley sit down with Kelsi, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addiction Counselor with over 11 years in community mental health. Kelsi opens up about her path into addiction counseling, what actually makes a good addiction counselor, the blurred lines between substance and behavioral addictions (including the ones we normalize, like caffeine and vaping), and her recent move into a supervisor role. The conversation dives deep into what human-first supervision looks like, navigating grief and personal crises while showing up for clients, the frustrations of working within a broken mental health system, and how Kelsi balances her career with over a decade of volunteer leadership in Alpha Phi. It's an honest look at burnout, joy, self-care beyond the clichés, and what it really means to hold two truths at once as a therapist.
Guest bio:
Kelsi Klug, LPC, LAC is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) in Colorado with more than 11 years of experience in community mental health. She began her career as a clinical case manager and residential counselor while earning her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Northern Colorado.
Throughout her career, Kelsi has worked across a wide range of settings, supporting children, families, justice-involved youth, and adults experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. She currently serves as a Clinical Supervisor at Sage Ridge Supportive Residential Community with AllHealth Network, where she oversees outpatient behavioral health services and supports both clients and clinicians.
Kelsi is passionate about accessible, compassionate mental health care and believes that strong therapeutic relationships are at the heart of meaningful change. Outside of work, she enjoys life with her husband and their three beloved pets—dogs Rylie and Poppy, and their cat, Tini. She also volunteers with Alpha Phi, the sorority where she first met Ashley.
Host Bios:
Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. Her clinical expertise centers on working with individuals impacted by the legal system, grounded in a commitment to offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice.
Ashley has developed multiple 45-hour training programs on clinical supervision and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma: Establishing Safety, Processing Shame, and Fostering Healthy Intimacy (PESI, 2026). She provides training nationally on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, professional boundaries in therapy, and mandatory reporting.
To contact Ashley directly, her website is: https://www.ensopllc.com/
Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, writer, consultant, and an EMDR International Association Approved Consultant. Through her practice, Vida Idílica Therapy & Consulting, she specializes in helping women heal from trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and the lasting effects of overfunctioning and caregiving. Using a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she helps clients reconnect with themselves and create lives that feel more authentic, spacious, and connected.
Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, she is passionate about helping people move beyond "faking fine" and toward lasting healing. She is the author of Shadows to Light, a collection of stories and reflections on emotional neglect, motherhood, and breaking intergenerational cycles. Morgen lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, rescue dog Raven, and an ever-growing stack of library books waiting to be read.
To contact Morgen directly, her website is: vida-idilica.com
