Hey There!
Welcome to the Happiness Effect family! The Happiness Effect Community was created as a response to a need we observed within our own community here in the Salt Lake Valley. The demand for experienced and qualified mental health care providers has never been greater, and the demand often, unfortunately, exceeds available available. We decided that we needed to take action. So, we created a clinic where people could get every kind of support they needed, weather that be medication, therapy, skill training, community support, or just a personal cheer-leader as you navigate life as the rockstar you are. We wanted to create place that didn't just adress that hard parts of being a human in the twenty-first century, we wanted to be there for you in your victories too, no matter how big or small. So that is exactly what we did, and we couldn't be any happier with what we've created.
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A Note From Ethan
What up, Y'all! My name is Ethan, and my Mom and I founded The Happiness Effect together. Here's a little about me and why I'm so excited about what we do here. I grew up in sunny (and snowy, haha) Draper, Utah. I love Utah, and I am proud to call this beautiful place home, and its wonderful people are my family and neighbors.
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When I was a kid, I often struggled with my mental health. I was really smart and incredibly talented, and one of the funniest kids in the room, But I also had a lot of struggles with intense anxiety and a hard time focusing in school and making friends. By the time I was a high school senior, I had decided that I needed help and talked to my parents about it. They were terrific and supportive, and they helped me find a therapist who could help. I started therapy and some medications, and they helped, but I still was struggling in life. I felt like a boat captain constantly trying to plug holes in a leaky ship.
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With this experience, my Mom witnessed the need for better access to mental health care treatment. She decided to go back to school and earn her Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) in psychiatry, and she did. After years of trying different therapists, medications, journaling routines, meditation apps, and everything in between, I was still feeling frustrated with myself and with my life. Then, one day, everything changed. I got tested for ADHD and diagnosed with ADHD. I started a stimulant medication, I saw a new therapist, and I began reading every book I could find on ADHD. I quickly learned that the way I had heard ADHD described in the media often painted a false narrative about people like me. I realized that when someone like me understands and works with our race car of a brain, ADHD goes from being a curse to being a superpower!
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I am thrilled to live each day as the incredible adventure it truly is. I am also proud to say that I am still very, very ADHD. I love my superpower, and I couldn't be happier with the person that I am. I've made it my life's dedication to teach others how to overcome their challenges and learn how to live life in the driver's seat. That is what the Happiness Effect means: We are a helping hand and a hug on the hard days and a high five and celebration squad on the good days. I'll end by citing a quote from one of my all-time biggest heroes, Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda.
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"Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it's called the present."
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By sharing my story, I hope to have inspired just a little hope in you. Life is a highway (and yes, I am quoting Rascal Flatts here), and it can sometimes be a rocky road, but the journey is a lot less hard and a lot more fun when we do it together!
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Cheer Y'all!
Ethan Boulter​​​
