September 23, 2025 • 9 mins
Ever wondered how modern therapy approaches can help create breakthrough moments for those struggling with mental health challenges? Therapist Allie Quaed opens up about her decade-plus journey in counseling and the innovative treatments she's bringing to Fort Collins.
Quaed takes us beyond traditional therapy, explaining how ketamine-assisted psychotherapy works as a powerful tool for treatment-resistant depression. "It's like summiting a mountain," she explains, describing how this approach helps clients gain fresh perspectives by creating new neural pathways. Her detailed explanation demystifies this cutting-edge treatment that's gaining traction in Colorado's therapeutic community.
One of the most powerful segments addresses a widespread misconception: that therapy is only for those in crisis. "There's never any issue that's too little to start therapy," Quaed emphasizes, challenging listeners to consider mental health support as preventative care rather than last-resort intervention. She also speaks passionately about supporting the supporters – those caring for loved ones with addiction or personality disorders who often neglect their own wellbeing while focused on others.
Whether you're curious about innovative mental health treatments, supporting someone through addiction, or simply want to understand how therapy might benefit your everyday life, Quaed's compassionate approach offers valuable insights. Reach out to Allie Quaed Counseling through her website or by phone – as she notes, sometimes the hardest part of healing is simply making that first contact.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a goodcounseling service?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
allie Quaid.
With Allie Quaid CounselingAllie, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Really good, thank you.
Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
No problem, glad you're here.
Tell us all about yourcounseling service and what
might separate it from what's inpeople's minds when they think
about calling one.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Yeah, so I started this practice in 2022, and you
know I have a lot of differentspecialties actually, just
because I have been a therapistfor well over a decade now.
So my background is primarilyin the addiction recovery as
well as trauma realms.
I also do treat a lot ofgeneral issues such as anxiety,
(00:58):
depression, relationshipchallenges and, most recently,
one of my another really bigpart of my counseling is to do
ketamine assisted psychotherapy.
So you may have heard aboutthat, but that's kind of a big
cutting edge thing in the worldof therapy to do psychedelic
(01:19):
therapy.
Especially here in Colorado,there's actually like quite a
big community of psychedelictherapists, sure.
So that is something I reallyenjoy being able to offer to not
everybody, because it's notjust for everyone, but people
that I feel like would benefitfrom it.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So I just didn't group ketamine with psychedelics
for some reason.
Can you explain that?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, so it is a anxiolytic actually and it's
also, you know, an anesthetic attimes, because it is used in
medical settings for thosepurposes.
But taken at a very specificlower dose it's actually has
really amazing antidepressantproperties and you can have
either what's called apsycholytic experience, which is
(02:05):
kind of just like a low level,just kind of like relaxed state
that really just allows you tomake neural connections, and
then people that are reallystruggling with treatment
resistant depression will do ata higher level where they're
actually dissociating andthey're able to again it's like
almost take like a fast actingantidepressant, so it acts on
(02:28):
the NDMA receptors in your brain, which is also how SSRIs
actually operate, and it's justgoing to help really again
create new neural connections sothat you're able to kind of
zoom out and, as if you'realmost summiting a mountain,
like able to see things from adifferent point of view, and
you're able to come back fromthat journey, which typically
lasts like an hour to an hourand a half, and take some of
(02:51):
that experience with you.
And it's so important to havetherapy alongside of that,
because you want to reallyintegrate everything that came
up and continue to infuse itwith all the work that you've
already been doing with yourtherapist.
You're in Fort Collins, I amyes.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Cool.
How did you get into this inthe first place?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yeah, I actually did some counseling myself as a
teenager, just through goingthrough some difficult times,
and it was so helpful and I justthought, you know, that's
something I want to get to dosomeday.
And so that's eventually whatbrought me out to Colorado back
in 2010 to go to grad school inBoulder, and I'm just so
grateful that I found a paththat just feels authentically,
(03:34):
just kind of something that Ireally enjoy doing and I'm
passionate about.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's awesome.
What are some myths ormisconceptions in the awesome?
What are some myths ormisconceptions in?
The especially in the specificniche that you're in in
counseling with ketamine and theexploratory areas of what you
do.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, I would say just overall.
A huge myth, I find, is thatpeople think that their problems
need to be dire and they needto be in severe crisis to start
therapy.
And that has changed.
I think people have normalizedand it's become a lot more
mainstream and accepted to dotherapy.
But I have still come acrossclients when I'll do a
(04:16):
consultation where they're likeis this below your pay grade,
should I even be in therapy?
And you know the answer isalways yes.
There's never any issue.
That's too little to starttherapy and it's just something
that I think is so helpful foranyone to just have a neutral
party that can reflect in aprofessional manner back just
(04:36):
what they're hearing and offerdifferent perspectives, give you
new tools of things that youcan work on.
So, yeah, I think just that's.
A really important thing toknow is that you don't have to,
you shouldn't wait until you'resevere crisis to go to therapy.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
We know that marketing is the heart of every
business or practice.
Can you tell us who exactlyyour target customer is?
I mean, I'm sure there's awell-rounded just by virtue of
you existing.
I'm sure there's certain peoplethat know to call you with
confidence.
But who are you targeting as agroup that may not know that
they need your services?
Who are you actively targetingas that target and how are you
(05:15):
targeting them with marketingright now?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah, well, my Psychology Today page is a great
way to hear just more about myspecialties, and I just want to
point out that that's a greatdirectory when you're finding a
therapist for people that don'tknow about that.
But I do have a paragraph inthere that I think really speaks
to a very specific population,and that is the partners or
family members of someone who isstruggling with addiction,
(05:39):
recovery or some sort ofpossible personality disorder
like narcissism or borderlinepersonality disorder.
I really like to work with thesupporting people in the lives
of somebody who's strugglingwith one or both of those issues
, because a lot of times whathappens is they get really swept
into rescuing, caretaking,codependency, and they're not
(06:01):
able to take care of themselvesbecause they're so sucked into
the intensity of what theirloved one is going through, and
so I really like to educatepeople around.
How can you be supportivewithout enabling, how can you
have healthy boundaries foryourself while still providing
love and support to that personthat's going through something
(06:21):
or maybe has maybe somethingdeeper going on or, you know,
with whatever is presenting?
But I really think it's soimportant to recognize that it's
not just about the personthat's in the throes of an
addiction or something like.
It's also about how can youhelp yourself in those moments
as well, when you're somebody inyour life is struggling.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So have you thought about doing your own?
Speaker 3 (06:43):
podcast.
I have not, but I have alwayswanted to be on a podcast and
maybe in a day that I have moretime on my hands, I think that
would be a really fun thing todo.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
What do you do for fun when you're not working?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
My family loves to go skiing.
We love to go camping Kind of alot of the typical Colorado
things, I would say Backpackingand just being with our dogs
going out, paddle boarding, allthe fun things that Fort Collins
and greater Colorado has tooffer.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
So if there's one thing that people should take
away from our interview in thispodcast, Allie, what?
What do you think that theyshould remember about Allie Cade
counseling?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah.
So I think just to rememberthat the hardest part is to
reach out, and I think that canbe really intimidating for
people.
But a great way to you know,just get in touch with me is to
find me on my website, which isaliquadecounselingcom, and
that's A-L-L-I-E-Q-U-A-D-Ecounselingcom.
(07:48):
You know it's again, there'snever too small of an issue.
Reaching out is the hardestpart and then I'm always happy
to do a consultation where wecan either meet on the phone,
virtually, or in person to justchat and kind of get a sense.
And you know, you just want tomake sure you have the right
chemistry, in a sense, withsomeone that you want to be able
(08:08):
to go to with any of yourissues.
And I think it's reallyimportant to just get a little
intro to get a sense of whoyou're working with before just
kind of taking that leap.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, that's what introducing yourself through
this method is all about, forsure.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Is there a phone number?
Yeah, it's 970-364.
4, 3, 7, 7, 8.
Um and but email is really thebest way to get in touch with me
, which is Allie Quaidcounseling at gmailcom.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Awesome Allie.
It's been great having you onour show and we really wish the
best for you and Allie Cade.
Counseling moving forward.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Great.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpfortcollinscom.
That's gnpfortcollinscom, orcall 970-438-0825.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a goodcounseling service?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
allie Quaid.
With Allie Quaid CounselingAllie, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Really good, thank you.
Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
No problem, glad you're here.
Tell us all about yourcounseling service and what
might separate it from what's inpeople's minds when they think
about calling one.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Yeah, so I started this practice in 2022, and you
know I have a lot of differentspecialties actually, just
because I have been a therapistfor well over a decade now.
So my background is primarilyin the addiction recovery as
well as trauma realms.
I also do treat a lot ofgeneral issues such as anxiety,
(00:58):
depression, relationshipchallenges and, most recently,
one of my another really bigpart of my counseling is to do
ketamine assisted psychotherapy.
So you may have heard aboutthat, but that's kind of a big
cutting edge thing in the worldof therapy to do psychedelic
(01:19):
therapy.
Especially here in Colorado,there's actually like quite a
big community of psychedelictherapists, sure.
So that is something I reallyenjoy being able to offer to not
everybody, because it's notjust for everyone, but people
that I feel like would benefitfrom it.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So I just didn't group ketamine with psychedelics
for some reason.
Can you explain that?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, so it is a anxiolytic actually and it's
also, you know, an anesthetic attimes, because it is used in
medical settings for thosepurposes.
But taken at a very specificlower dose it's actually has
really amazing antidepressantproperties and you can have
either what's called apsycholytic experience, which is
(02:05):
kind of just like a low level,just kind of like relaxed state
that really just allows you tomake neural connections, and
then people that are reallystruggling with treatment
resistant depression will do ata higher level where they're
actually dissociating andthey're able to again it's like
almost take like a fast actingantidepressant, so it acts on
(02:28):
the NDMA receptors in your brain, which is also how SSRIs
actually operate, and it's justgoing to help really again
create new neural connections sothat you're able to kind of
zoom out and, as if you'realmost summiting a mountain,
like able to see things from adifferent point of view, and
you're able to come back fromthat journey, which typically
lasts like an hour to an hourand a half, and take some of
(02:51):
that experience with you.
And it's so important to havetherapy alongside of that,
because you want to reallyintegrate everything that came
up and continue to infuse itwith all the work that you've
already been doing with yourtherapist.
You're in Fort Collins, I amyes.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Cool.
How did you get into this inthe first place?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yeah, I actually did some counseling myself as a
teenager, just through goingthrough some difficult times,
and it was so helpful and I justthought, you know, that's
something I want to get to dosomeday.
And so that's eventually whatbrought me out to Colorado back
in 2010 to go to grad school inBoulder, and I'm just so
grateful that I found a paththat just feels authentically,
(03:34):
just kind of something that Ireally enjoy doing and I'm
passionate about.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's awesome.
What are some myths ormisconceptions in the awesome?
What are some myths ormisconceptions in?
The especially in the specificniche that you're in in
counseling with ketamine and theexploratory areas of what you
do.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, I would say just overall.
A huge myth, I find, is thatpeople think that their problems
need to be dire and they needto be in severe crisis to start
therapy.
And that has changed.
I think people have normalizedand it's become a lot more
mainstream and accepted to dotherapy.
But I have still come acrossclients when I'll do a
(04:16):
consultation where they're likeis this below your pay grade,
should I even be in therapy?
And you know the answer isalways yes.
There's never any issue.
That's too little to starttherapy and it's just something
that I think is so helpful foranyone to just have a neutral
party that can reflect in aprofessional manner back just
(04:36):
what they're hearing and offerdifferent perspectives, give you
new tools of things that youcan work on.
So, yeah, I think just that's.
A really important thing toknow is that you don't have to,
you shouldn't wait until you'resevere crisis to go to therapy.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
We know that marketing is the heart of every
business or practice.
Can you tell us who exactlyyour target customer is?
I mean, I'm sure there's awell-rounded just by virtue of
you existing.
I'm sure there's certain peoplethat know to call you with
confidence.
But who are you targeting as agroup that may not know that
they need your services?
Who are you actively targetingas that target and how are you
(05:15):
targeting them with marketingright now?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah, well, my Psychology Today page is a great
way to hear just more about myspecialties, and I just want to
point out that that's a greatdirectory when you're finding a
therapist for people that don'tknow about that.
But I do have a paragraph inthere that I think really speaks
to a very specific population,and that is the partners or
family members of someone who isstruggling with addiction,
(05:39):
recovery or some sort ofpossible personality disorder
like narcissism or borderlinepersonality disorder.
I really like to work with thesupporting people in the lives
of somebody who's strugglingwith one or both of those issues
, because a lot of times whathappens is they get really swept
into rescuing, caretaking,codependency, and they're not
(06:01):
able to take care of themselvesbecause they're so sucked into
the intensity of what theirloved one is going through, and
so I really like to educatepeople around.
How can you be supportivewithout enabling, how can you
have healthy boundaries foryourself while still providing
love and support to that personthat's going through something
(06:21):
or maybe has maybe somethingdeeper going on or, you know,
with whatever is presenting?
But I really think it's soimportant to recognize that it's
not just about the personthat's in the throes of an
addiction or something like.
It's also about how can youhelp yourself in those moments
as well, when you're somebody inyour life is struggling.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So have you thought about doing your own?
Speaker 3 (06:43):
podcast.
I have not, but I have alwayswanted to be on a podcast and
maybe in a day that I have moretime on my hands, I think that
would be a really fun thing todo.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
What do you do for fun when you're not working?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
My family loves to go skiing.
We love to go camping Kind of alot of the typical Colorado
things, I would say Backpackingand just being with our dogs
going out, paddle boarding, allthe fun things that Fort Collins
and greater Colorado has tooffer.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
So if there's one thing that people should take
away from our interview in thispodcast, Allie, what?
What do you think that theyshould remember about Allie Cade
counseling?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah.
So I think just to rememberthat the hardest part is to
reach out, and I think that canbe really intimidating for
people.
But a great way to you know,just get in touch with me is to
find me on my website, which isaliquadecounselingcom, and
that's A-L-L-I-E-Q-U-A-D-Ecounselingcom.
(07:48):
You know it's again, there'snever too small of an issue.
Reaching out is the hardestpart and then I'm always happy
to do a consultation where wecan either meet on the phone,
virtually, or in person to justchat and kind of get a sense.
And you know, you just want tomake sure you have the right
chemistry, in a sense, withsomeone that you want to be able
(08:08):
to go to with any of yourissues.
And I think it's reallyimportant to just get a little
intro to get a sense of whoyou're working with before just
kind of taking that leap.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, that's what introducing yourself through
this method is all about, forsure.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Is there a phone number?
Yeah, it's 970-364.
4, 3, 7, 7, 8.
Um and but email is really thebest way to get in touch with me
, which is Allie Quaidcounseling at gmailcom.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Awesome Allie.
It's been great having you onour show and we really wish the
best for you and Allie Cade.
Counseling moving forward.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Great.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpfortcollinscom.
That's gnpfortcollinscom, orcall 970-438-0825.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!