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

Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My current project, and perhaps the most meaningful project of my life- is to change the way mental health is managed at a community level. It involves amplifying the voices of mental health struggles through shared story telling in safe venues. The goal of each is to demonstrate the importance of community in whole person healing and wellness. Our community endured Hurricane Harvey together in 2017. In my little town called Sour Lake ( a suburb of Beaumont) 498 of 500 homes flooded. The city officials did an amazing job addressing our practical needs. We were assisted with shelter, food, and water. However- our mental health was never addressed. The community endured a second flooding event two years later followed closely by the pandemic. People in our community have endured repeated and collective trauma that no-one is talking about. Diabetes and high blood pressure rates have risen due to the chronically elevated central nervous system response that is characteristic of repeated traumatic experiences. But still, these chronic diseases are treated as a medical issue and not traced back to the unresolved trauma exacerbating them. If you search “mental health” on our Beaumont City website- it diverts you to articles on homelessness rather to the resources we do have for in place.

Emily, 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?

I am a licensed professional counselor with over 21 years of clinical experience working with diverse populations in a multitude of settings. Publications include chapters in two international bestselling books including Ignite Your Health & Wellness and Ignite Your Life; Conscious Leaders.

As a double major in Psychology and Sociology I have a deep respect for the role of community in individual wellness. My life passion is to enhance mental health awareness within the community, shape public perception of mental health struggles , and affect local change through outreach efforts and development of community events. My approach to helping others heal is eclectic utilizing non-traditional, and complimentary modes of healing to supplement traditional talk therapy. Healing is an individual journey and I consider it an honor to be invited into such sacred space with my clients.

Most mornings you will find me running, exploring, and enjoying the diverse nature found in SETX. Class of 2022 Graduate of the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Program and graduate of the Beaumont Champion Program and Beaumont Citizen’s Police Academy. I am deeply committed to my community and am involved as the current President of the Southeast Texas Counseling Association, in service as the Co-Chair of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Mentorship Program, and Clinical Liaison to the Board of SETX Veterans for Veterans;

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The best piece of advice I can offer in building a social media following is to be genuine. That means sharing, from an authentic place, your own opinions, struggles, and views on difficult subjects. Social media followers do not crave perfection or an unrealistic persona. They want to know the human- the person- on a deep and meaningful level. This requires vulnerability around places you may still benefit from growth or healing. It requires an understanding that you are not perfect and not hiding from the inevitability that this shapes your behavior, choices, etc. And it requires doing things your own way. Many people research and replicate how they see others gain success. Instead- I encourage you to show up as yourself, doing things your own way. Dare to do things differently than everyone else.

It may be scary to be unapologetically yourself, but if you are disingenuous, or worse- fake- your followers will notice and react accordingly. I learned this difficult lesson watching leaders I once admired declare core values in their words and mission statements and then model something completely different in their personal lives or the management of their projects. It became difficult to watch others represent their own values inconsistently.

What I gained from that experience was the knowledge that my own core values are unwavering. I learned that I was unwilling to compromise my own integrity privately or publicly. That experience catapulted me into my current social media project where raw, unapologetic authenticity is normalized, valued, and encouraged.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The ultimate goal of my creative project is to amplify the voices of mental health struggles while emphasizing the role of community in healing. We have come so far in the past several decades in learning about the importance of mental health for our over-all well being. The next shift could and should involve city leadership developing programing in schools to teach coping skills and warning signs for suicide. Libraries could become places where free groups for grief or depression are held for our citizens. When we shift the perspective of business owners as stakeholders in the collective mental health of the communities they serve, our entire world will change, for the better.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily_ross_lpc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyRossLPC/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyrosslpc
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@emilyrosslpc

Image Credits
Esther Lovelle Photography (only the first image provided)