We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Stephanie Iglesias recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Stephanie , 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 I ponder about this question. I can’t help but to think of many things I say to others to give advice. I try to give sound advice on the totality of the situation. Those who come in my office to speak with me often are experiencing some type of trauma or toxicity. Therefore, my advice could be a gamet of advice including the following:
- Pave your own way. In life you will be hit with road blocks. Sometimes these road blocks come by way of your own personal circumstance that is out of your control, your lack of knowledge, or being in your own way . At the end of the day, you must move forward, do not look back and keep pushing. You have to step on every road block and CRUSH IT.
- Never quit…..what you start you must finish. Winners never quit.
- Speak your truth….never be afraid to speak what you feel. Your truth may help someone and set them free.
- Use your voice…..never miss a moment to speak up for yourself. Your ideas, your experiences, and your vision can be a doorway to something new and innovative.
- Stay “present”….know who you are, know your surroundings, and know your HISTORY.
- Nothing comes easy. No matter what you do in life…..getting a job, attending school, passing a test, getting good grades… it doesn’t come easy. It takes hard work, dedication, persistence, and resilience.
The outcomes of this sound advice has been different for different people. Some have went from not graduating to getting a college degree to leaving an abuser. While others have taken these items and stored them in their brain for just the right time to use them. Clients have left my office in tears and in joy. But it has never been for me to gain, but more of me teaching a lesson of life to all those who encounter me.
Dr. Stephanie , 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?
My name is Dr. Stephanie Iglesias and I am a lifelong resident of Southern New Jersey. My first real job in my career began when I became the parent of my two boys, Xavier and Joziah. This will always be my first ministry and the one career that I will never retire from. It is my beginning and my end, the place where I have learned so much as myself and the world around me. Although many don’t see parenthood as career I beg to differ, it’s a career with no time limits and no end. Although I was a SINGLE PARENT, my circumstance did not hinder me from pursuing my dreams. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degree from Rutgers University, where my primary focus was social work. While completing my master’s degree, I decided to devote myself to helping children and families for the state of New Jersey in Cumberland County.
In 2014, I became an International best-selling coauthor of Motherhood Dreams and Success: You Can Have It All, an anthology by women all over the globe who despite adversity conquered their dreams. In 2015, I completed research with art therapists throughout the United States, examining the therapeutic processes utilized while working with aggressive youths. In 2016, I completed my Ph.D. in counseling at Capella University. During my research, Dr. Iglesias discovered the importance of cognitive assessments, the therapeutic relationship, and the use of creative means to positively express one’s thoughts and emotions.
Since the publication of my research, I have developed the Tasteful Art Experience, a hands-on business that fosters health, healing, and wellbeing through the use of art. As part of the Tasteful Art Experience, I implemented the Inside Out Experience—a 24-week program, which fosters communication, self-esteem, and positive behavioral expression through my private business. I have completed three other publications as part of her self-acclaimed Dr. Stephanie Chronicles series: Far from Perfect and But God…Will not HE Do It, and A Surviovor’s Guide After Abuse: 3 P’s to getting back to me. In May 2023, I will publish the Second Edition a Therapist and Participant Manual of the Survivor’s Guide. I am an active humanitarian and was awarded the Global Leadership award in 2018. More recently, I was inducted into the Cumberland County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2019, I developed my own all-natural skin care line called “Testify Skin Care Boutique” which fosters healthy skin and positive self-esteem. I am an active member of the Hands Foundation and Global Legacy Leadership Institute. Currently, i am a psychologist, completing clinical research trials at the Hassman Research Institute in Berlin, New Jersey. but my passion is serving the Kingdom and walking by FAITH. I am is currently working on several projects including: expanding her skin care line into a mobile boutique and café, I have developed a foundation after the life and legacy of African American Inventor Bessie Blount Griffin, is active in her local community supporting inclusion and diversity, a senior editor with TASA Global Publishing and has a 501c3, Redeemed for Life, that will provide sustaining housing for recovering addicts and survivors of domestic violence.
There is one thing more powerful than a king and all the soldiers in the world, and that is a visionary who has the courage to persevere. –Paul Delaroche
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
As I think upon my current profession, I can’t help to think to where I have been. The journey has been a process. As a senior in high school, I knew I wanted to be nurse and help people get well. I went to school thinking I would become a nurse, but things did not turn out that way. As I went to William Paterson in New Jersey, I found out that being away from home was not for me and returned home. I left my first semester with a 2.4 GPA. I was unsure to what the future held for me as I needed to get into another school. I got into Rutgers and continued with the Nursing degree, but it shifted when I failed my clinical by 1/10 of a point and noticed only two minorities had moved forward (eyebrow raised). It took me off my game and made me rethink everything I wanted to do. I changed my major to psychology and continued on my path. In the meantime, I still was unsure what “I wanted to be when I grew up” so I applied for the State Police and got in. There I was making another shift in my life, going into the life of public safety (another field that helps others). However once again, Life threw me a curveball and I became pregnant. Once I knew I was with child, I decided I would withdrawal from taking the PT test. Again, my life shifted…still not knowing where I would end up. Eventually I graduated with my psychology degree and began working with children dealing with mental Health crisises. This is where I found my passion. The passion to help people and build them to be successful human beings. So for me, I would not change a thing. My process to my dream profession has made me equipped to the many facets of life.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
In my field, I believe that other than training and knowledge one must have life experience. If you have not experienced life, more specifically endured a trial or tribulation then how can you really help someone. I believe that one must have first hand experience in what they are talking about. Anybody can read a book and try to apply it, it takes a real human enduring a real situation, and overcoming it to really understand what one goes through and how to overcome it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.testifyboutique.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tasteful_art_experience
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/testifyskincareboutique