We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shanelle Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shanelle below.

Hi Shanelle, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

Being a therapist is such a rewarding career. I often interact with different children and young adults at some of the most challenging times in their lives. One of my very first jobs, I worked with a family where the child had experienced a complex history of trauma and poverty. Due to being so early in my career, I didn’t feel fully capable of meeting this child’s needs despite being supported by my supervisor. As we began to work together, many of the child’s challenging behaviors began to decrease. Unfortunately due to life circumstances I needed to switch jobs and was unable to see how things finished. A few years later I received an email from the child’s grandmother letting me know she’d completed elementary school, was doing well academically, and would soon be attending middle school. It’s not often that we are able to hear how some of our clients’ stories end up, so for my that was a reminder that despite sometimes questioning my effectiveness, this career is where I’m supposed to be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia. My full time job is a Care Coordinator for a local college in Atlanta. I assist students in getting connected with mental health resources both locally and in other parts of the country and world. In addition to working as a Care Coordinator I am also a mental health therapist. I provide virtual therapy to those experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, and a host of other mental health concerns. I help clients process their life experiences as well as help them navigate the impact of those experiences.

One thing I am most proud of is being able to help and give back to others that look like me. Growing up mental health was always a taboo topic in the Black community. It brings me so much joy when I meet with Black men and women who are breaking the stigma and choosing to not only talk about mental health, but also take the steps towards improving their mental well-being.

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

My journey to becoming a therapist was not easy at all. The first challenge I faced during my journey to becoming a therapist occurred in graduate school. After spending almost a year at my internship, my supervisor left, which made my internship site ineligible. I was out of practice for about 3-4 months before my school located another internship site. The transition to that site was a drawn-out process that impacted my ability to obtain my necessary hours for class. After being there for about three months, that supervisor was fired, which again left that sight ineligible. Through losing both internship sites within my final six months of graduate school, I was at risk of not graduating on time, despite meeting all other requirements. At that time, while also being frustrated, I made sure to put in as much time as possible at my internship to ensure an on time graduation. And I did just that.

Another obstacle faced was the road to full licensure. Becoming a fully licensed counselor is a long and gruesome process that includes seeing clients and also receiving supervised hours by another licensed clinician. Due to the unclear policies, I worked at an agency for approximately nine months without being able to accrue hours to become fully licensed. Working without accruing hours pushed my process back for about nine months which definitely was definitely a huge obstacle. However, during that time I was able to develop more professional. A few years later once I’d met all of my requirements it was time to apply for my full licensure. Despite the licensing board having all of my previous information for my associate license, I had to resubmit letter and paperwork detailing my lack of contact with my internship supervisors. The process was not only time consuming, but also required even more of a financial investment due to having to mail several items repeatedly with hopes that the post office would deliver things on time and accurately. After applying and sending forms back and forth for about 4 months, I finally was rewarded my full license.

The process to becoming a therapist is a journey that many often give up on once things get more challenging. Despite many feelings of frustration, irritation, and disappointment, I was resilient and continued to keep my eyes on my final goal of being independently licensed.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson that I am constantly still unlearning is the concept of doing it all. Growing up in a household with a mother who did it all with grace and on her own, I was indirectly taught that I am to do the same. I often find myself taking on several tasks whether it be for work, school, or personal life when I truly do not have the capacity. I am constantly learning that saying “no” does not mean I am not fully capable, it just means that I also deserve to pour back into myself. The idea of always being available and being on go has caused moments of stress to the point of impacting my physical health. While doing it all is a lesson I am still trying to unlearn, I am proud that I have been able to implement the same practices that I encourage my clients to utilize as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://headway.co/providers/shanelle-smith?sessionId=2415648&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaDXWyOmuJx4HY0CulWObUs047LS86UROOlBBUQAveNPwZogLVA7GP26-k_aem_AQkKpG6RhdPsgi_hqhpM5cI-DLkSopQ463RNdFTQ9GirPA6eWw8O-uxiYspd1WZIvn8JDzdJyF445bOnICgfDfiY
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shanellesmith_?igsh=MW1ka2Z6bzZ3bHJzMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr