We recently connected with Kendra Foisie Rice and have shared our conversation below.
Kendra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
I am the type of person who questions authority. I am sure I thoroughly exhausted my parents with those incessant, “but whyyy?” questions throughout my childhood. I firmly believe that just because something has always been done a certain way, is not enough reason to continue. We as humans must be continually evolving in order to grow.
When I felt called toward a path in the mental health field, I knew that I would want to do it my own way (within my scope of practice and as regulated by the state licensing board of course). However, one of my biggest grievances with our society is the relentless, unyielding, never-ending emphasis on work. Again I asked, “but whyyy?”.
My fabulous supervisor once pointed out to me as I was lamenting over trying to find a manageable work-life balance, that the term “work/life balance” in and of itself is a problem. It implies that working is of such grand importance that it holds as much value as every other aspect of our lives combined. Umm, what? No. I reject that.
I simply refuse to buy into the “grind culture” as it is often called, and instead choose to create a life for myself that feels balanced in all ways. One of the most important aspects of this balanced state is rest. I believe that rest is one of the most productive ways we can spend our time. Yes, you read that correctly; rest is productive. And I will work hard to ensure that I have enough time and space for rest. See what I did there?
The only way that we can function at our best and highest capacity, is if we have first rested. Our bodies, minds, and spirits all require rest and if we ignore or minimize that need for rest, it is only a matter of time before we are forced to accept it. I often see this forced rest manifest as illness.
This is a conundrum that shows up both with my clients and in my personal life often. Many of the clients I work with, whether they be parents, professionals, or even children, feel the heavy burden of society’s relentless push toward productivity and the expectation that we should be able to do it all. It is only when we recognize that rest is productive, that we can release ourselves from that heavy load and allow space in our lives for living.
This is one of the reasons I knew that I wanted to create a practice that was different than many others in the mental health world. Mental health agencies can be wonderful resources for those needing services, but they are notorious for therapist burnout and high turnover rates. Clinicians are often overworked and underpaid which leads to many mental health workers leaving the field (enter the American mental health crisis). Like most psychotherapists, I pursued a career in this field because I intended to help people, yet I realized that perpetuating the “work, work, work, then you die” culture would not be helpful to my clients or to myself.
I intend to practice what I preach. What good am I as a therapist if my guidance is hypocritical? How can I help my clients to navigate life’s challenges when I myself am struggling and exhausted? Is it even possible to show up, fully present and engaged with a client when my own basic needs are not being met? I don’t think it is. To fully honor my own human experience, I knew I would need to carve out my own space, outside the confines of the traditional medical model of care.
Many of my clients are mothers, just like myself, who are dancing that delicate dance of trying to maintain their identity while their heart resides outside of your body. I say often that every single thing ever said about motherhood is true. The all-consuming joy, the sheer terror, the gut-wrenching, heart shattering exhaustion of toggling back and forth between pure love and raw fear continuously throughout every single day; it’s all true.
Many of my clients are children, just like my own, who are learning how to exist in a world of so many expectations. They are navigating adult sized issues every day, with both innocence and finesse. It is an honor to walk beside them as they learn to take up space and leave their footprints on this world.
Many of my clients are couples and families, just like mine, who must figure out how to feel whole, while honoring the whole of another. They are healing ancient wounds in tandem with those they love. It is beautiful work.
I created my practice, Humanity Psychotherapy, to exist as a cocoon for human beings to safely explore all of the subtlety and nuance of the human experience. My ramblings about life, balance, and rest may imply that I have it all figured out, but that is simply not true. I, just like all of us, am doing the best I can with what I know at this moment in time. I find myself repeating those same patterns I preach against time and time again. What can I say? I am human. I am a human being doing my best to exist in this world, one moment at a time.
My style of counseling is not for everyone, and it is not what you will see depicted on television. I am not the therapist sitting behind a clipboard with all the answers. I am simply a fellow human here to walk alongside you on your journey. Creating a practice that felt in alignment with the things I value; love, balance, rest, and authenticity, was surprisingly difficult within a structure that often does not value these same principles. Sadly, our current medical model lacks most of these principles and instead tends to prioritize that problematic grind for productivity (and money), with startlingly little compassion. Again I ask, “but whyyy?”
My advice to others in any field that cares for humans is to use your own humanity as your guide. If a space does not exist that aligns with your values, why not create one?
Humanity Psychotherapy is my contribution to a world that often leaves little room for the experience of simply existing. In my therapy room, you will be welcomed with acceptance in exactly the state you are in at the moment. I will hold space for you to rest, both your body and your heart, while together we begin to untangle the mess and beauty of being human.
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 back background and context?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). I strive to create a friendly, down-to-earth, and no-nonsense space for healing, and believe that authenticity is an essential component to the therapeutic relationship.
I take a holistic approach to therapy and believe that true health and wellness requires balance of mind, body, and spirit. I use an eclectic approach incorporating existential and cognitive-behavioral theories as well as mindfulness based techniques into my practice. Having spent most of my life as a ballet dancer, I feel drawn to the arts and love to utilize expressive and creative arts techniques in my practice when applicable.
I enjoy working with individuals, couples, children, and families, and have specialized training in perinatal (pregnancy/postpartum) issues and technology addiction. I am certified as a Perinatal Mental Health Clinician (PMH-C) as well as a Certified Digital Health and Wellness Professional (CDHWP).
I provide a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ clients and have proficiency in working with depression, anxiety, self-esteem, trauma, and challenging relationships.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Authenticity.
Without it, it is simply impossible to make a genuine connection with another human being. Therapy is only as successful as the therapeutic relationship allows. If you don’t feel truly and completely at ease with your therapist, you are wasting your time. Evidence shows that even under ideal circumstances, it can take 10 sessions before a client feels comfortable in the therapeutic space. I have extensive training and education to do what I do, but I do not try to portray myself as an expert. You are the expert of your own life, and no matter how much I know, I will never truly know what it feels like to exist in your shoes. I am simply here to sit with you in a space of compassion and offer gentle observations and bit of knowledge. You are free to do with that what you wish outside of session. I will be here to support you regardless.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
When I was in elementary school, a teenager I knew asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I responded, “a child psychologist.” That is not exactly where I ended up, but it is pretty darn close. At the start of my college career, I changed my major multiple times before settling in to this path. I explored all options, but pursuing a career in mental health was the only thing that felt right. I truly believe it is where I was meant to be and what I was meant to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: humanitypsychotherapy.com
- Instagram: @humanitypsychotherapy
- Facebook: @kfrtherapy
Image Credits
Renee Nunez Photography