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

Adetoun , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

As a child in a Nigerian household, there are only three career options: to become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer. When I told my parents that I wanted to become a therapist, I remember their disappointment. Their biggest priority was that I earn a high income over pursuing my passion. Despite the challenge of their negative opinions, I chose to follow my dream of becoming a therapist. After working as a therapist for five years, I decided that I wanted to take control of my passion this year. I wanted to be able to be myself in therapy and provide therapy for the population that is underserved without some huge agency that is more worried about the quantity of clients you’re seeing over the quality of the work you’re doing with those clients.I started my own practice because I wanted to bring mental health awareness to the African and African American community. I also have an interest in trauma and how I can help people, especially people that look like me through the healing process.There are so many traumas that go untreated in the Black community because they are not understood as trauma. In my work, I want to empower my clients by defining trauma and validating their trauma regardless of how they have minimized it in order to cope.

Adetoun , 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?

The reason I started my private practice was to provide a safe place for people especially the African American community. Working under agencies, there are so many restrictions that do not allow clients to feel as comfortable as they should in therapy or allow you to be yourself as a therapist. I wanted to provide a space where my clients feel like they can laugh, cry, or even scream profanities if they need too. Therapy should be the one place where you do not feel the need to put on a facade or worry about feeling judged. I provide that space for my client. I pride myself on being a judgement free zone, personally and professionally.

I have seven years experience in mental health professionally but have been counseling my whole life. Connecting with people and allowing them to feel safe, heard and seen in a non judgemental space is my purpose and gift. I utilize different approaches based on your needs, such as but not limited to strength and solution based, client centered therapy along with cognitive behavioral approaches. This may include learning skills, processing experiences, or inviting understanding through questions and feedback.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I originally went to college to be a radio/television personality. During college I had my own radio show and really enjoyed it. After college, I worked at a radio station and it was completely different. I could no longer play the music I wanted or do the advice segments that made people want to listen. Everything was scripted and really took the joy out of it for me which made me realize it wasn’t necessarily being on the radio that I loved it was the advice segments. It was after that realization, I began to do some research on how to become a therapist. A year later, I was enrolled in grad school to get my masters degree in Social Work. and I am so glad I did!

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

Being a private practice owner is extremely difficult. I even took a class beforehand, and it could not have prepared me for what was in store. I did not have savings, I was moving to a different state and decided to bet on myself and start my practice. There is so much to do in order to create a strong foundation. There were so many times, I wanted to give up. There were times, I would feel inadequate and like the practice would never grow. I worked a number of hours just to to pay my bills and uphold the practice. I became depressed, struggled with imposter syndrome but I refused to give up on myself. January 1st 2022, I decided I would solely focus on my practice and since then I have been getting referrals daily and my business is thriving!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beyondbettermhs.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/beyondbettermhs
• Facebook: Beyond Better Mental Health
• Other: linktr.ee/beyondbetter