We recently connected with April Henry and have shared our conversation below.
April , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)
As a therapist and life coach I have found that people naturally come to us for advice whether it be about work stress, relationship struggles, or just regular ol life transitions people want to know what we think. I remember as a newbie to the field putting a lot of pressure on myself to say and do the “RIGHT” thing with each client …to give the “perfect” advice. It was so important to me in those early stages that I was giving my clients something to walk away with. As I grew in this role I learned how important it is for us to create room for our clients to do the work (and hello ethics lol). This is when my perspective of advice shifted, I was no longer feeling the need to tell clients what to do and started to be really intentional in the way I helped clients process.
As a coach I worked with a young woman (we will call her Beyonce lol) Beyonce signed up for coaching as a means to work through some major life transitions as it related to her career path. At the core of it all she really wanted someone to tell her if she should leave or stay in this role. For months Beyonce and I really focused on her fears, her needs, her mindset and the overall vision she had for her life. This client dug deep and really got clear on what she wanted… sadly our work ended abruptly due to personal matters. Several months later I received and email from her telling me she had left her job and was now working at a company where she felt more aligned and excited, she shared that she attributed her momentum to the work she had done in the coaching space and I was so proud of her SHE did the hard work and made the hard decisions I only walked alongside her on the journey!
Most often in the midst of processing with clients you learn that really all they are wanting you to do is validate what they already know to be true which highlights the fact that they subconsciously already know what move they should make. I as a therapist & coach am alway looking for the loophole that helps you consciously challenge yourself through the process. Sooo my best advice is this … dig deep, consult with yourself first, honor your inner knowing, know that everything has meaning and the voice that is nudging you is your compass, your intuition is powerful, and YOU hold the answers to your questions if you will just listen. The idea is that it’s empowering to be a key player in your own story and I want to help clients take ownership of their lives and be empowered by their ability to show up and make decisions for themselves.
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?
Hi Everyone!! I’m April LMFT-Associate and Mindset Coach. I jokingly share when people ask that I have been a therapist since I was about 6 years old, some of my earliest memories are of me comforting and holding space for the people around me. Truthfully I always thought I would be in the beauty or fashion industry but life had other plans.
It was during my time in undergrad volunteering for a non-profit organization dedicated to helping pre-teen and teenage girls that I realized my deep love for helping youth. The experience was so humbling and made me reflect on my own struggles in adolescence and womanhood and what I would have needed during those times in life. As their mentor I made it a priority to show up for them in a BIG way and on the journey realized I wanted to be a therapist.
Not too long after I applied to ACU’s Masters of Marriage and Family therapy program and spent the next 4 years hustling and juggling a full time job, an internship, school work and relationships (sending love to those of you who are currently in this phase of life, you got this, keep moving!!!) Along the journey I worked with children, adolescence, individuals, and couples and really developed a love for working with women!
Individual Therapy & Coaching
I am passionate about helping millennial women navigate the new age “quarter-life crisis “ and significant life transitions. I love working with the woman who may be asking herself what’s next… what’s my purpose….or that dreaded question “WHO AM I!” I believe that creating space for these women to explore familial, social, and even cultural impacts helps them conquer the quarter life crisis and all that comes with it. Ladies! I want you to know that you are so much more than the concerns you bring to therapy and I’m committed to helping you discover a more empowered you!
Women going through the quarter life crisis may be experiencing the following:
Lack of direction in career, relationships or overall life purpose
Lack of motivation to pursue dreams/aspirations
Fear of being left behind
Difficulties making decision regarding your life mission
Comparison amongst peers
Tension between pursuing dreams and settling down
Couples Therapy
I enjoy working with millennial couples who are in the dating, engagement, or marriage stage of their relationship. If you’d like to deepen your connection with your partner, restore intimacy, and improve conflict resolution skills I can help you on the journey. My goal is to help couples understand that neither partner is “the problem”, rather their patterns of behavior, and the negative cycle, is what keeps them from reaching their full potential. Through a collaborative and solution focused approach I strive to provide a space of fairness, trust, and growth for couples during each stage of their healing.
As your therapist, I will provide a welcoming, safe and non-judgmental space for you to work through life’s challenges. I utilize a variety of techniques and theories based on my client’s needs including Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused techniques, Attachment Theory, and an overall person centered approach.
My goal as a coach is to help women become their highest selves and embrace the highs and lows of their journey. Through client centered, solution focused, and positive psychology practices I help women to feel more aligned, motivated and confident in themselves and their abilities.
You might be wondering what are some of the differences between therapy and coaching.
I like to think of therapy as a place to explore and process big emotions, a space for you to better understand experiences of your past and how those experiences impact you mentally and emotionally, whereas coaching provides a space to be future-focused through methods like goal setting and strategizing. Coaching is a space that allows collaboration with a coach who is able to give you advice and guidance and hold you accountable to the goals you set.Coaching may be a good fit for you if you have previously been to therapy (not a requirement) or feel as if you are in a good mental state however coaching is not a substitute for therapy!
I want my potential clients to know that while I may be your therapist or coach I am a woman who has and is navigating life’s highs and lows just as you are! I believe that the greatest strength of a therapist is their ability to relate to their clients’ experiences. My personal life experiences have led me to this very place and I have so much gratitude for the journey. So…I want you to know… I see you, I hear you, and I would be honored to be on the journey with you!
I am excited to share that I will soon be launching a free advice column for women AND relaunching my therapy and coaching page @the.museco so feel free to follow along for a daily dose of inspiration!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I wish that I could say this journey has been an easy one… it has not! Being in this field I think there’s an assumption that because of the qualifications we are “all knowing” or that we “have all the answers”. A lot of my peers are shocked to know that through the years I encountered several educational obstacles, one of the toughest being unsuccessful attempts at the MFT national exam. Studies never came easy for me and I had to work extremely hard to get to this place in my career. Despite each obstacle and its mental and emotional impact I somehow had the grit to keep pursuing my goals. I am a huge believer that EVERY experience in life even the bad is a stepping stone to life’s next opportunity and for that I am grateful.Again for any of you who have or are currently face to face with failure, embrace it, focus on what you were meant to learn from the experience then get back up and keep going knowing that it is all a part of your story!
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
This is a unique field in that we learn and see so much from our clients it naturally requires us to analyze the ways we move through the world ourselves. As helping professionals there’s an increased potential risk for emotional distress which means being intentional about our own mental health is imperative in our ability to do our jobs well. While it’s not a requirement I feel that every practicing therapist should be engaging in their own therapy journey; there should be a level of self exploration and self study that’s weaved through the work we do in an effort to show up for not only our clients but for ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.millenniallifecounseling.com/april-henry-lmft-associate
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.museco/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millenniallifecounseling?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-henry-184142a7/
- Other: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1tNWUJTwxg0Ce3Xen_qinUdxeTnCJH79bewPC8AoIcXc4HQ/viewform?usp=sf_link