LUVERNE, Minn. – Healing Path Counseling & Wellness has been providing mental health therapy in Luverne since 2019. Now co-owners Jill Boltjes (pictured, right) and Skie Peltier-Anderson (left) are expanding their business with help from Southwest Initiative Foundation’s (SWIF) Business Finance and Microenterprise Loan Programs.
“As Healing Path grows, we want to thoughtfully expand our services to meet the community’s needs,” Peltier-Anderson said. “We’re thinking about what whole person wellness means to our clients and exploring different types of services like massage therapy, reiki or trauma-informed yoga that could help them feel better.”
Both Boltjes and Peltier-Anderson are Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors and hold masters degrees. Their practice specializes in healing from trauma, domestic and sexual violence, adoption- and attachment-related issues, sexual orientation issues, PTSD, anger problems, depression and anxiety. They also focus on birth to 5 interventions, crisis intervention and parent education. Therapy dogs in training Ray and Koda work alongside Boltjes and Peltier-Anderson.
“We feel strongly that life is a journey with many paths. No one journey or path to healing is alike, and we’re here to guide individuals and families who need support on their journey,” Boltjes said.
SWIF loan funds helped Boltjes and Peltier-Anderson purchase the building they had been leasing to house their counseling practice.
“The owners actually came to us specifically because they love our cause and they wanted the building to go to people who would use it in the same kind of way they intended,” Peltier-Anderson said.
“Mental health services are in high demand in our region, and we’re happy to support Jill and Skie in growing their business to serve clients in Luverne and surrounding communities,” said SWIF Economic Development Officer Jackie Turner.
Loan programs have been a key function of SWIF since its inception to support communities and businesses throughout southwest Minnesota. In 2001, microlending was added to existing programs as a tool to support small businesses and people looking for self-employment opportunities.
Microloan clients also receive free technical assistance from SWIF staff to improve their business management skills. Areas of support include business planning and financials analysis, QuickBooks training, marketing assistance and other training opportunities for the life of the loan.
LEARN ABOUT OUR LOAN PROGRAMSThis microloan program receives funding assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture. For more information, contact SWIF at 800-594-9480, 320-587-4848 or [email protected].
About Southwest Initiative Foundation
Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) is a nonprofit community foundation connecting people, investing in ideas and building communities to create a southwest Minnesota where all people thrive. Since its founding in 1986, SWIF has distributed more than $97.8 million through its grantmaking and business finance programs.