We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Josephine Ampaw. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Josephine below.

Josephine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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)

For all those who are interested in starting individual, couples, and family therapy, I first want to congratulate you and commend you on taking the brave step of beginning/restarting your mental health care journey! The process of finding a professional who matches your needs can be grueling. However, the professional you are working with must fit you and the needs that you have. In order to make sure that you are finding a good fit for what you are needing, here are some steps that can help ease you into the process with the right fit!

1. Read their website/blog: Therapists are developing websites, blogs, social media pages, reels, etc! If you are curious about whether you want to meet the therapist, take the time to read how the therapist describes themselves and who they specialize in working with. These are things that you can ask about via email or if they have a free consultation(next piece of advice!)

2. See if they do free consultations: Many therapists whether they work for themselves or for someone else, tend to offer a free 15 minutes or free 30 minutes to meet them. I would highly recommend taking this offer because It means that this therapist is taking the extra step to ensure that they can meet your needs and that you are a good fit for them as well. In this consultation, the therapist will most likely tell you about themselves. However, this may be a good time to tell the therapist what you need. I recommend not going into every little detail in the consultation because It will become exhausting to do from therapist to therapist. Take this time to ask the questions you have and see if the answers match what your brain and gut both need.

3. Collaborate with the professional to ensure your needs are being met: If the therapist feels like the right fit, ask what steps are needed to begin working with them. If there are questions you have about their process, ASK! This may seem obvious, but It is better to clarify 3 times and make sure you understand because, at the end of the day, you are receiving a service you are paying good money for(whether its to insurance or to them directly!).

4. Talk about the Cost from the very beginning!: If the price of the therapist is a worry for you, It would be best to ask what offers they have to make therapy more accessible for you. Some examples are HSA, Open Path Collective, payment plans, etc. The stress of money can very well impact trust, so It is best to get It out of the way from the beginning!

Josephine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello Everyone! My name is Josephine Ampaw(soon to be Josephine Ampaw-Greene), but most call me Josie. I am an individual, couples, and family therapist in private practice in Denver Colorado. I specialize in working with high-impact trauma, whether its identity-based trauma for the global majority or PTSD in a teen or adult, I focus on providing the tools needed to honor the lived experiences of my clients and hold space for their healing journey!

Even though I love being a therapist, I have done extensive work and study in Education, specifically in curriculum and instruction. With this skill, I support mental health entrepreneurs and trauma-informed organizations(mostly in mental health and education) to gain the skillsets needed to build wellness-based curricula that support the professional development and the mission of their work!

The beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur started in my undergraduate degree in a job that focused on advocacy and case management for students on my university campus. I realized that the work I did then was the work of a social worker and with more training allowed me to be able to be the practitioner in the room providing therapeutic/holistic resources while growing my skills in teaching to others.

My journey has led me to grow as a leader in the field of mental health. Along with consulting, I have now begun as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. I teach classes on family therapy, trauma, and mental health overall!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In the course of my career so far, I have had to unlearn so many things! The process of unlearning has been tough! However, I believe that building the muscle of pivoting makes me a better therapist, consultant, and stronger human overall!

A lesson that I had to learn is that accolades do not provide confidence. I must trust my gut and my faith and use my training to do the work I do. Recently, I accomplished a significant goal. I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker! This accomplishment required two years of graduate school (MSW), two years of post-masters experience where I needed 3,360 hours, and an intense clinical exam which I passed on the second try. When I got this license, I thought I would walk into my office with more confidence. However, I had to learn that the 3,360 hours and exam I took provided me with the foundation I needed to trust my gut, lean into the strengths of my clients, and provide spaces for healing.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

In my work in mental health, I must show up as my most authentic self. My clients choose to work with me not only because of what I know but because of the care I have for my clients and the work that I do. When working with clients in trauma work, there needs to be excellent boundaries in how I show up and share. However, I must show up, as a whole person for the client. If I don’t and I robotically go through the process, my clients will call BS for one, and I will not do the best work that I can for my clients.

I believe as business owners, our customers/clients/patients do not choose to work with us solely because of what we know but because of the people behind the work. Our clientele supports our mission by supporting us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ampawpc.com/
• Instagram: @theampawpc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theampawpc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephineampaw/
• Other: Check me out on Dr. Joy’s podcast Therapy for Black Girls!: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/2023/03/22/session-299-becoming-a-therapist/

Image Credits
Photo Credit: First photo Lorena Alvarez Second photo: I created!