Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikki Opara. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nikki , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

The kindest thing someone has ever done for me is speaking life into me when I was at my lowest mentally and emotionally. I truly believe words have power, words have the power to lift you up or bring you down.

My psychiatrist back in 2019 understood that. School can be overwhelming sometimes, the pressure to want to pass all your classes in university so you can graduate with your peers can be stressful. On top of that, not having the healthiest mindset and thick skin essentially led me to have a breakdown in the counselor’s office at my school. After discussing with the counselor how I was feeling, it was evident that I needed to go to the hospital and start seeing a psychiatrist for the depression and negative thoughts I was experiencing.

During my time with the psychiatrist, there was a particular meeting we had in which she did not just ask me the typical questions about my medications, etc., She asked me questions as if curious about who I am outside the hospital. However, one that really stuck out to me was ” Imagine Nicole in the next two years or so, where do you see her?”. It did not take me much time to think about it, I told her I would most likely want to work in the mental health field, maybe in a psych hospital setting. Her response? ” Who better to work in this field than someone who has lived it! This is not the end for you it is just a detour”.

I kept her words with me even to this day. As a new Mental Health Therapist working in a Psychiatric Hospital, I constantly reflect on that time of my life. I do not think my psychiatrist at the time fully understood the positive impact her words or encouragement had on me. That is what I would say is the kindest thing someone has ever done for me, a doctor who could of easily just seen me as another patient instead took the time to learn who I am, and what my passions and dreams are and used her words to light a small flame in me.

Nikki , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When it comes to describing my career and side hustle I like to tell people I am a Mental Health Therapist by Day and a Freelance Writer by Night ( I have the best of both worlds!)

I received my bachelor’s in Psychology from California State University Fullerton and went on to get my Master’s in Social Work from Arizona State. I am now a Therapist at an acute psychiatric hospital, conducting group therapy sessions, family sessions, and Individuals for our patients who are admitted for a range of mental health disorders; schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, substance use etc. Under supervision, I am currently working towards my hours to eventually become a licensed clinical social worker.

Now where does the writing come in?

Through my own personal site itswrittenbynikki.com I showcase several of my articles for potential clients to see. I write blog posts, long-form content, and articles for clients who seek a writer educated on topics ranging from mental & emotional health to career development and a variety of social issues.

But let’s take it back a bit..

I guess you can say this all started because of a blog I created back in 2016 ( which no longer exists). Then, I realized my love for writing and how I enjoyed connecting with people through my words. It was not until 2020, when COVID and the unfortunate passing of George Floyd happened, that my passion for sharing my pieces revolving around mental and emotional health and the unique experiences of the black community in this society grew. I was slowly given several opportunities to write for platforms like The Mighty, The Worth Living Blog, and got my articles featured on Yahoo and MSN.

You may be familiar with the piece ” 4 Emotions We Are Feeling In The Black Community Right Now, ” originally published on The Mighty and garnered attention on Yahoo and MSN for a while. Through my writing, I was invited to become a Co-Author of the book Life Worth Living, where twelve authors wrote about their mental health journey. These opportunities essentially led to me into my current gig as a paid contributing writer for the black-owned online publication called Her Agenda where I have been writing pieces surrounding career development, mental and emotional health, and shining the light on women in business.

Acquiring these skills and opportunities gave me the confidence to create and launch my own website this year called itswrittenbynikki.com where my purpose is to break the stigma surrounding mental illness by educating my community both online and in person. My services allow me to write different pieces for clients who want to get their positive message across effectively.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When it comes to a story that illustrates my resilience I started to reflect on the year 2020.

I’m sure we can all agree, the year 2020 for all of us was a challenging one. Not only were we experiencing a pandemic that was requiring us to alter the way we live. We were also witnessing on tv police brutality through several cases left and right; George Floyd, Antonio Brown, Tyree Davis, and so much more.

I was a recent college graduate at the time, in the midst of starting my career and figuring out the life I wanted and the impact I wanted to make on people’s lives, while at the same time observing people who looked like me being murdered and racially profiled. At the beginning of 2020 I had been let go from my job as a Mental Health Worker. Which disappointed me, but did not completely break me. I had been looking for a new position, and my interest had shifted to case management work. Shortly after being let go, I started a new position as a Care Coordinator/Case Manager. I was really excited about this, the pay was really good, and I would be helping people with housing, employment, mental healthcare resources etc. However within a month or two in this position I knew I was not happy. Not only was I struggling to keep up with the workload, and a caseload of about 50 people, I realized at that time that I wanted to know my clients on a personal level, but talking to them on the phone, and having a caseload of almost 50 people made for a personal rapport with each client difficult.

I began searching for another job, at this point I was still headstrong about working in case management. I got a new position at the time working in case management at a Regional Center. I would be working with families who have kids with disabilities and need extra support. Unfortunately, during this time we were still in the height of COVID and I had to talk to all my families over the phone. If there is something I have learned during this time, it is that when you are not meant to be doing something it will show. If you are meant to pursue a different purpose or work a different role, life will happen in such a way that you are forced to identify what that new path is. That is exactly what happened to me. Within a month or two of getting this role, I was stressed, not happy and well, it showed. I could not understand why this position was not fulfilling for me, and why my performance was tanking. After about five months of having this position, I was let go. I was back to searching for a new position..

During this time, I was feeling pretty defeated, as I was trying to figure out what my next steps were going to be. I have come to learn that life has a funny way of working out if we can just stay the course. I say this because yes, I felt lost in terms of how I was going to use my degree, but behind the scenes I had so much to write about, and people were able to relate! My blog posts and articles were being featured on Yahoo, MSN, The Mighty, etc. I did not realize that even though I may have felt out of place in one area of my career, my writing which felt like just a hobby and a way to express myself and advocate, was becoming recognized online. I finally got a position at a Psychiatric hospital in which I have been working for 3 years, and recently was promoted to a Therapist position after graduating with my Master.

I was let go from three positions after graduating college, and it definitely felt defeating. However, going through this time of trying to figure out what I am meant to do has built so much character within me. It makes my rough days at work bearable because I know where I started and I know my why. So if there is one thing I want anyone reading this, to learn, it is that your struggles and experiences are not in vain. Everything is a stepping stone.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I could go back I would definitely choose the same profession. There are so many experiences I have gone through that confirm that being in the Mental Health Field and being a Writer is what I am meant to do. Identifying my purpose and passion did not come without struggle. That is why I am so open about my experiences. I am open about the times I was let go from a few positions because that is the reality for a lot of young adults who are trying to figure out what they are meant to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: itswrittenbynikki.com
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-opara-ba-msw-ba6159231
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/writtenby_nikki
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@writtenbynikki