HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEC! – An Open Letter to Our Clients
A year ago, WEC officially became an LLC! Although the journey started long before that…
Since I was a young child, I used life’s challenges as motivation to succeed rather than to give in to defeat. I always knew I would be an entrepreneur and I always knew it would be in the capacity of helping and connecting with people.
Fast forward to July 2020—I am almost 10 months pregnant and about to have a baby via C-section in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic! Some would say I was crazy for leaving my cushy salary job with benefits at a treatment agency to open a business during the pandemic while having a newborn at home. But for me, the timing was perfect!
Despite always knowing I would have my own practice and all those foundational pieces I laid along the way in my life to achieve this goal, I hadn’t yet put it ALL into action. But why? What motivation was I missing? It was the birth of my baby boy that refueled me and pushed me to jump in feet first! I knew I wanted an improved quality of life for myself to improve his quality of life. I knew I wanted to be home with him in my own uniquely designed capacity. I knew and trusted in my own qualities, values, and capabilities that I would use my strengths and persistence to succeed, just as I always did. And so, I did just that.
Now here we are today, a year later and the journey has been amazing. I wouldn’t trade the opportunity I have for anything. What an amazing job it is to help others!! The reality is my clients deserve all the credit. Without you trusting me with your most fragile secrets, scary-to-navigate emotions, your fears, traumas, hopes, and dreams, then I wouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing now. Each client over the past decade of my life has led me to this exact place I am in now. Each of you is a piece of who I am, a piece of my journey as a therapist, and I’ll forever be grateful for our shared experiences together.
It also deserves to be said that my significant other over the past 15.5 years of my life has offered nothing but support and encouragement. He is my biggest fan. Support is key when your life goals require time, dedication, and sacrifice. My relationship is also part of my success in life—because we support each other as individuals outside of the relationship, and this is KEY! We are not two people who make up one; but two “ones” who choose to compliment and support each other.
Women Empowerment Counseling is the product of many pieces of me throughout my life journey, but most importantly it’s the product of seeing the ineffective ways other clinicians, agencies, programs, practices, treatment centers, and psychiatrists have approached mental health. I am passionate about giving people quality therapy and helping them feel better in as little amount of time as possible. Our approach combines helping you cope through what you’re going through right now, while also getting to the root cause and resolving it. We want to treat the cause—not just the symptom you are experiencing. We don’t subscribe to one theoretical approach to suit our comfort or preference—but are well versed in a variety of treatment approaches and modalities to individualize and tailor therapy to match what’s best for you. I have my own past, my own story, and I’ve sat in the client chair myself. I know the feeling of the un-engaged clinician, or the incompetent clinician, or the scared clinician. It can be outraging!
WEC is a part of changing the culture of mental health treatment and breaking the stigma.
Soooo….. here’s to all of my past, present, and future clients! “When ‘I’ becomes ‘we’, even illness can be turned into wellness”.
Let’s Get Well Together!
With Gratitude,
-Nicole
