We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Edrica Richardson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Edrica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
When I think of taking a risk I think the biggest one is trusting yourself to take care of yourself through entrepreneurship. I started my profession as a Marriage and Family Therapist way before everyone thought it was cool to seek mental health support. I remember telling my family and friends about my career choice when deciding to apply for college and everyone thought it would be a phase and then I would pick a more traditional career (medicine or accounting). Then after the multiple degrees, I then told them I would work for myself because I knew what and how I wanted to create a mental health space that would be distinct. I can say it has been hard, but so worth it that even when I was afraid I took the risk on myself.
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 background and context?
Dr. Edrica D. Richardson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in multiple states in the U.S. and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. She works with adolescents, couples, and families throughout the Bahamas and the U.S. currently but has clients all over the world. Her clinical specialties include relationship issues, individual issues, family counseling, and life coaching, to name a few. As a therapist with over a decade of expertise, she uses a collaborative lens and invites her clients into a strong therapeutic alliance through meaningful conversations. Her main goal is to help clients become their full-selves in both their personal and professional lives. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. E has been teaching undergraduate and graduate students for the past 15 years and supervising for the last 10 years both in major US colleges and universities, and the Bahamas.
Any advice for managing a team?
Try to learn the personality and motivation of each team member and use that to inspire and drive them to leadership. I believe everyone has the leadership potential in them but sometimes others must help them reach it. As a leader, your biggest goal is to help other leaders emerge.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think one of the most helpful things is to have a support team and peer group to help bounce ideas off of. Having a group to help you navigate the changes and challenges with clients can really help you grow as a clinician. It also provides support in a somewhat solo career choice.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rpc-ltd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_edrich/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.EDRich4
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edrica-d-richardson-phd-lmft-0377ab23/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dr_edrich
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmyQLkRNvZYtL5nKGBwe5Yw
Image Credits
Quzhan Johnson Express It Images, The Bahamas