We recently connected with Bella J. Rockman and have shared our conversation below.

Bella J., thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

I feel very grateful to be in a field that honestly doesn’t feel like work most days. I have an opportunity to work with clients in their vulnerable moments, milestones and navigating some of their biggest life challenges. I’m grateful because the work that I do is not only individual, but it’s also intergenerational.

Trauma can be generational, but so can healing – – and every time I work with a client to help them heal it has a multi-generational effect.

One heartwarming story from one of my clients is working with an artist who had worked to get their art out for decades. This client had sacrificed so much gotten to the point of losing nearly everything and becoming homeless for a time while we were meeting. This client finally got the breakthrough that we had strategized and been working for with career counseling and strategic planning. This included a large new income and essentially a new life, being able to pay off debt, live very well and finally become recognized amongst a global artistic community. It was such a win and it took 2 to 3 years of therapy and coaching to get there but, nonetheless I think every session was worth it! It was such an absolute honor to witness this journey!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I wanted to go into the field of psychology and mental health care since I was in kindergarten. I was a kid who was analyzing the behaviors of other kids on the playground. I always found it fascinating how we can create certain behavioral patterns both positive and negative and figuring out solutions to get “unstuck”.

I like to use a nutritional psychology approach, along with a brain-based approach to teach clients how to retrain their brain and create a more holistically well life. Mental healthcare is not just for crisis or symptom management but for routine maintenance and preventive care.

I am also passionate about behavioral health literacy and offer trainings for schools, corporations, organizations and do regular mental health media commentary on NPR radio and CBS Austin.

If we can make these conversations more main stream especially for the upcoming generation we can really help heal the world.

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

One of the lessons that I’ve had to unlearn is that where you start in life, in terms of struggles, disappointments or trauma, doesn’t have to determine where you end.

I’ve also learned that how you start doesn’t matter as much as how you finish. I often say, none of us can choose or write our beginnings, but we can all choose to write a new ending.

I grew up in a pretty affluent environment, that was well presented publicly, but had extreme amounts of dysfunction. I’ve learned in my journey that it’s never too late to write a new chapter or even to rewrite your story. Also that our challenges don’t have to define us, but can rather propel us.

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

Absolutely, listening comes very naturally to me. Learning and didactically pulling apart problematic scenarios to search for solutions is something I naturally did even before my professional degree. I think it’s a gift when you can go into a profession that you have an organic interest for because it almost feels like breathing, it’s not like work.

It’s also the gift that keeps giving because every time I share something with someone as a solution in session or help move the needle toward healing, it’s also a continual reminder for myself in my own life. I don’t think you can do this work and talk about these concepts and clinical strategies without them impacting you positively as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jrocktherapyinstitute.com
• Instagram: @jrocktherapy
• Facebook: @jrocktherapy
• Linkedin: @jrocktherapy
• Twitter: @jrocktherapy
• Youtube: Jrocktherapy Academy
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/bella-j-rockman-neuropsychotherapist-round-rock-tx/428630

Image Credits
Olivia Scott