We were lucky to catch up with Iliamari Houston recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Iliamari, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.

The best advice I received while in graduate school was to take care of myself and take the days off work. It might sound funny to hear that. It really made a big impact on me though. I love the field I work in, so I never used to take days off work. I love trying to make a difference. That meant, I even used to work while sick. I know, it’s horrible. I have changed that.

In one of my community advocacy classes, a professor told the whole class to “take days off”. The professor said that we as employees earn benefits while we work. One of those benefits is sick time and/or paid time off. The company’s tend to bank on the employees not taking days off. That is not good for employees.

Take the days off. Plan your mental health days just like vacation days if you need to. Plan your sick time off if you have doctors appointments. Take the days off. A job will replace you in a heartbeat. You as an individual aren’t replaceable.
This has stuck with me over the years. I take days off as needed. Sometimes I do feel a ton of guilt for doing that. However, I am not replaceable with my family. I need to treat mental health wellness days just like physical health wellness days.
Take the days off.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Trauma Therapist in Tempe, Arizona. I have my own Private Practice and I work with anyone who is ready to process past trauma. Trauma is whatever the client defines as. It’s not for me to define or narrate. I support my clients via different therapeutic modalities to help increase healthy emotional regulation and prepare to process the past. The primary modality I use is EMDR.

“EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms.” (EMDRIA.org)

In my practice, I initially meet with clients and discuss their needs and goals for therapy. We then strategize how to incorporate skill building to enhance support. I work with clients who are first responders, perinatal/postpartum women, clients with grief and loss, anxiety, and stress. I allow the client to guide me in their sessions on what they want to discuss or process. I don’t tell clients what to do, I am a tool for them.

This year, I am going into my second year as a Small Business Owner with my Private Practice. This means, I am brainstorming more ways to reach new clients and support my community. I am working towards adding a newsletter, and subscription service. I am strategizing how to host my own therapeutic retreat for others. I am most proud of the ability to increase my client numbers and work towards my own office space. I will be able to call that therapy office space my own, instead of renting from someone. I am now also providing EMDR Intensives. Intensives are EMDR sessions that go for longer than 1 hour. Typically a client can do a half day or full day of EMDR in a shorter timeframe and clear out more targets, than traditional hour sessions. Intensives can help clear out a trauma target in a quicker manner.

This second year is a year of growth and challenge. As a Trauma Therapist, yes my individual work with clients is important; however I also want to grow my own professional skills and add other services to provide to clients.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Find a mentor! You can have all the training in the world, but it’s so helpful to run ideas and concerns by someone you fully trust. Find a mentor who can guide you and coach you through the good, bad and ugly. Perhaps it could be a previous supervisor or a colleague that you respect and trust. Find someone that gets you, gets your ideas, gets your passion. Ask them questions. Pick their brain. It can help increase your success.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have been networking since day 1. I have not stopped. When I first started my practice, I wanted to grow organically and not too quick. I didnt want to burn out right away. I wanted to learn all aspects of my business and set myself up for success. I started networking with people I knew and respected. I started going to networking events. I put myself out there and built connections. I talked about who I was as a person, therapist and what I wanted to provide to clients. This has helped me immensely. It gets people to know me. It builds trust. Never stop networking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://withanopenheartllc.clientsecure.me
• Instagram: instagram.com/with_an_open_heart_llc
• Other: Substack: https://substack.com/profile/117054587-iliamari-vazquez-houston-lmsw?utm_source=user-menu