We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Monica Lyn Thompson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Monica Lyn below.

Alright, Dr. Monica Lyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My mama is a rational woman. Things had to make good common sense to her. You don’t just jump in the deep end of the pool before at least sticking your feet in or taking a few lessons to prepare. In that regard, she taught me to dream big and be open to taking risks, but to be smart about it. She encouraged us to do our research, seek out mentors, get curious, ask questions, weigh the pros and cons, iIdentify goals, and above all else…have a plan.

When my sister and I were teenagers and wanted to go out to a party or something we felt certain she would say no to, my mama would make us deliver a presentation making a case for why we should be allowed to go. Of course at the time, it was annoying because what teenager wants to do homework to go to a party, but in retrospect, she was preparing us to be critical and rational thinkers. We were developing important life skills necessary to communicate effectively and gain buy-in for an idea or ask.

Those principles impacted my life in such a meaningful way throughout college, graduate school, and most notably in the process of starting my business, Therapy for Queer People of Color. Although former colleagues did not see the value in creating such a niche therapy practice at the time I decided to open my business, I felt certain of the need for therapist-client matching because of my personal challenges with finding LGBTQIA+ affirming and ant-racist therapists. I also had a strong belief in the value and utility of opening an entirely virtual therapy practice in 2017, pre-pandemic because it made therapists more accessible to underserved communities. I knew there would be challenges and naysayers, but I did my research, sought mentors, created a plan, and ultimately created a thriving business that provides important services and resources to my communities. The success of Therapy for Queer People of Color wouldn’t be possible without those early lessons from my mama.

Dr. Monica Lyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Therapy for Queer People of Color is a virtual group therapy practice with a mission to connect Queer & Trans People of Color to affirming anti-oppressive mental health professionals and resources. I started this organization in 2016, after personally struggling to find a therapist I felt connected to. I knew I couldn’t possibly be the only queer person of color struggling to find a therapist who openly identified as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. So I decided to create a solution to simplify the process of finding affirming anti-oppressive therapists.

Getting to a place where you feel ready to ask for help can be challenging enough for most folx, but the tedious process of locating a licensed therapist who accepts your insurance, is a good fit for your needs, and has availability can sometimes be nearly impossible. Queer and Trans People of Color are navigating life at the intersection of race/ethnicity and queerness, which can create an even larger disparity of access to quality and affirming mental healthcare. These are the specific problems Therapy for Queer People of Color is on a mission to tackle.

This organization provides in-house virtual mental health services including individual therapy, life coaching, peer support, group therapy, psychological evaluations, training, presentations, and clinical supervision. The service we are most proud of, which happens to be our most utilized service is free therapist matching nation wide. Therapist matching is an important way we strive to serve the QTBIPOC community by reducing the stress associated with finding a therapist. Clients meet with a member of our team for a free virtual consultation and tell us what they’re looking for in a therapist and we do all the legwork before sending them an individualized list of providers and resources meeting their stated needs.

Another dope service we’re super excited about are two new groups! Our non-monogamy/polyamory group and our QTBIPOC support groups are enrolling new members.

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

As a business owner in a helping professional, I had to unlearn overextending myself through hustle/grind mentality. Starting a business is scary and in spite of all my great intentions to be of service to my community, in order to do that, I had to learn to take better care of myself while growing my business. Initially, my calendar was open for clients to book with me, pretty much whenever they wanted. I wanted clients to have options and this was also my livelihood so I figured the more availability I had on my calendar, the more quickly I could fill my caseload to establish some semblance of stability. I went from working long hours 5 days a week for a corporation, to essentially working 24/7 with no clear boundaries in private practice. That quickly became unsustainable and led to burnout. I took a hard look at my business model, re-evaluated my goals, hired a financial advisor/consultant, and drastically revised my scheduling protocol/procedures.

The demand for therapy with me quickly became more than I could reasonably manage, so instead of giving in to hustle/grind mentality, I found some important ways to work smarter not harder. I transitioned to a group practice model and hired other therapists who shared my values and who believe in our mission. We started the QPOC Therapist Directory, where clients can easily find affirming anti-oppressive mental health professionals across the nation and we began offering groups which is a great way to build community while helping QTBIPOC folx address relevant issues among their peers.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

We are a small team of five, but I try to center the voices of every team member. It’s one thing to invite feedback as a leader, but it’s equality important to meet that feedback with measurable and actionable change. My team directly reflects the identities of the communities we serve so their voices and ideas inspire growth that is pivotal to our mission. The advice I would give to leaders is listen more, speak less and include your team in decision making. The more connected your team feels personally to your mission, the more invested they are likely to feel in its future. This advice had a tremendously positive impact on our organizational growth and productivity.

Contact Info:

• Website: therapyforqpoc.com
• Instagram: @therapyforqpoc_
• Facebook: @therapyforqpoc

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