We recently connected with Alicia Hopkins and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Alicia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Back in 2020, I was completing an internship so I could gain clinical hours for my master’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University. My internship site was originally at my job site. At the time, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. However, I noticed that my site was not providing what I needed in order to complete my clinical hours. I remember bringing up the concerns to my supervisor, but nothing would change. Eventually I got frustrated, went to my internship course professor and expressed my concerns. She agreed that I could find a different site placement, but I was taking a risk because I only had four months left until graduation. I decided to reach out to multiple places and I kept getting rejected. Some places told me that I would have to wait until the following academic year. I started to feel hopeless and stuck. I was fearful that I wouldn’t finish on time. I was angry because I dedicated three years of working towards my degree and I didn’t want to add on an extra year. A few weeks later, a woman that owned a private practice decided to meet with me. I explained to her what my situation was and how I was desperate to transfer sites. We discussed the risks of the time constraint but her positivity made me believe that we could do it. Months later, I was able to earn the rest of my hours and graduate on time. Because I took the risk and she believed in me, I was able to accomplish one of my biggest goals!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Alicia Hopkins. I am a 29-year-old African American mental health therapist at Pathways to Wellness LLC and a full-time doctoral student at the University of Hartford. I am also a licensed professional counselor for the state of Connecticut. I also have a small business called You Are Enough LLC where I create and sell therapeutic e-books that enhance personal development and wellness. I got into the field of psychology due to being pushed by my mother and high school guidance counselor. They challenged me to try psychology before I went to college and I’ve stuck with it ever since. Currently, I cater to clients from underserved communities throughout Connecticut who need quality mental health care. Most of my therapy clients come to me for a variety of issues related to anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship conflicts, trauma and grief. My goal is to adapt to the client’s needs, provide person-centered therapy and allow clients to feel empowered. I’m proud that I can guide clients back to a healthy way of thinking, feeling and living. I’m proud that no matter how challenging therapy gets, they commit to bettering themselves. Being a doctoral student is allowing me to strengthen my clinical judgement and critical thinking skills. As a psychologist in training, my goal is to continue making a positive impact in society. My e-books are created by me and they include reflection questions, wellness tips, goal planning and other features that allow everyone to grow at their own pace.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of the biggest challenges I faced with becoming a therapist is being licensed for my state. Because I had to provide two years of clinical hours, supervision, pass the state exam and finish graduate school, I only qualified for an associate license. What made this process more difficult was that the associate license for licensed professional counselors was new. In other words, most jobs did not accept associate licenses and would deny applications. I remember being rejected by many jobs because of my license and feeling defeated because it was the only way I could achieve the needed clinical hours and supervision requirements. Thankfully, I was hired at my internship site and was able to achieve most of the requirements. I thought I was able to meet my requirements a year early and decided to apply for licensure. I was denied and felt defeated again because I had to do one more year regardless if I met my hours. Instead of giving up, I decided to keep pushing myself and last month, I finally got approved. This experience has taught me that nothing is easy and there are no short cuts to becoming a therapist. All therapists can attest to how difficult the process is and how much dedication it takes. But once you achieve your goals, it feels so worth it.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy is to put yourself out there. Take full advantage of free online platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. Be sure to create business pages and post content at least three times a week while engaging with your audience. Collaborate with other therapists and professionals because they can provide you client referrals. If you have extra money to spare, create a website and professional profile with Psychology Today. Clients search for you and they will reach out to you via email or phone. That way your caseload passively grows and eventually, you aren’t working as hard. Be aware that you can still practice counseling if you have an associate license after graduate school as long as you are supervised by a fully licensed professional.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youareenough.online
- Instagram: youareenoughllc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-hopkins-lpca-99815321a/
- Other: https://pathwaystowellnessct.org/
Image Credits
www.psychologytoday.com