Meet Our TMS Technician Skye Riddick

Meet our newest TMS Technician and CU Boulder grad Skye Riddick. Skye works in our Louisville clinic and has a great passion for art and sushi! Learn more about her journey to mental health and see some of her family photos!

Meet Our TMS Technician Skye Riddick

Meet Skye Riddick, our brilliant TMS Technician and recent CU Boulder grad, who is here to help our patients build neuroplasticity with this amazing technology. Whether you're familiar with the term or not, TMS Technician is a role that holds immense importance in our team. Skye's expertise and passion for making a difference in our patient's lives make her an invaluable member of our organization. So, let's dive in and get to know Skye and their extraordinary journey as a TMS Technician.

Tell us how a CU Boulder Psychology degree inspired your mental health journey?

I recently earned a CU Boulder Psychology Bachelor's degree with a minor in Art Practices. I have always been interested in the mental health field and grew up with mental health struggles myself, so I always found it to be a personal investment as well as a topic I was curious about. This position is a great opportunity to expand my experience in the mental health field and contribute my knowledge to help others. Within the first month of starting at Axis, I contributed two articles to the #bravenotbroken Blog: Exploring Art as Therapy and The Insider's Guide to Mental Health Resources for CU Boulder Students.

How do you spend your free time when you are not a TMS Technician?

My favorite thing to do when I'm not working as a TMS Technician is spending quality time with my friends and family! I also have many other passions including art, fashion, getting outside, listening to music, and thrifting.

What areas do you think are under researched in mental health?

As a TMS technician, I think an under-researched area within mental health is the intersection of psychology and neurology. Often it seems people only try one kind of treatment at a time whether that is medication management, talk therapy, or anything in between. Concurrent therapy seems to be the most effective approach, yet I personally almost never see any research coming out about it. I would love to see more investigation in this area and showcase how effective combining medical means and emotional support therapy can be.

What's your guilty pleasure?

My guilty pleasure is definitely sushi!! It’s been my favorite food for years and there’s so many kinds of rolls so there’s always something new to try. I could eat sushi every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it!

What's something you were skeptical about but actually surprised you because it is so effective?

One thing that surprised me is the effectiveness of TMS, even though I'm a TMS technician. I learned about TMS during my undergraduate years, but we didn’t delve into how powerful of a tool it truly is or the Advantages and Disadvantages of TMS. Even more surprising is how effective TMS combined with Spravato has completely led to transformations in our patients lives. It blew my mind to hear how impactful both treatments can be when used concurrently.

If there was one thing that you could get more patients to do to take care of their mental health, what would it be?

I would have to say encouraging patients to try exercise. Exercise seems like such a simple answer, but it truly is so helpful for improving mental health. When I’m having a hard mental health day, I’m always shocked at how much a short run or workout can help me feel better. Even just a walk around the block can help to improve mental health!

Do you define success differently today than you did when you were younger? How?

I used to have a very perfectionistic mindset and didn’t want myself to ever have anything less than perfect grades in school. My unhealthy perfectionist mindset extended into all aspects of life, and this often led to me overworking myself to achieve “perfect” results. Now I have a healthier mindset about success and how life is all about learning. I focus on growth, gathering knowledge, and trying things again if I fail rather than beating myself up for not getting it right the first time. I feel a lot more comfortable with myself and happy with this new outlook in my life.

What's the phone app you use the most?

The phone app that is at the top of my list is Spotify since I love listening to music and whenever I get the chance, I always have something playing in the background. Discovering new music I love and seeing what my friends listen to sparks joy for me!

What's your favorite book?

I love all the books I grew up with as they hold a special place in my heart! The Harry Potter series as well as the Hunger Games series always have that nostalgic feel to them that I truly enjoy. I think they are both well-done series, and they can be interesting to a large spectrum of people.