Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lacita Moody. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lacita, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

A defining moment happened when I was early in my career. Actually, I was still in graduate school. I received my first practicum client which was scary enough. Little did I know what would happen next. This client during her first session sat down in my office and stated that she was not wanting to live. At this time I was a complete novice or what I like to call a “baby therapist” and this was my first client ever. I felt scared honestly. I thought to myself, “How on earth am I supposed to help her when I don’t have enough experience in this field yet.” So I did the work. We did the work. When it came time for termination with this client, she stated, “I want to live now.” I couldn’t believe what she had just told me. I know then that whatever doubts I had about being a clinician were simply not valid.

Lacita, 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?

Building a counseling business exactly how I have always envisioned it would be my most meaningful project. While in college you have this image of what things are going to look like once you are out in the real world. When I actually began to work in the counseling field, I didn’t experience what I had always dreamed of with the pretty office and endless amount of clients. It has been a very long and tedious journey for me to get to this point of where I am today. Honestly, I still have a long way to go. I began my career in non-profit work, which I still currently do alongside private practice work. If you know anything about non-profit counseling, then you know it is nothing like private practice. In addition, I had to find time to build my brand and business with the scraps of time that I was left with after full-time work. This was tough, but I never let go of my vision. I will never let go of the vision.

I wanted to build my own brand made specifically for female survivors of Narcissistic and emotional abuse, professional women of color, and women suffering from lower self-esteem. Growing up I endured a few bouts with these things. I want to show women that they too can work through and overcome these very real challenges plagued by women daily. Oftentimes, sadly we are not taught any of this by those around us. For many of the women I encounter, this is the first time they have ever done something just for them and I am honored to share in that space with them.

I want the women coming to me to have a safe place to land and just, “Be.” That in and of itself is a gift not often given to women and more specifically women of color. One of my goals of Female Empowered Progressions LLC is to assist women on their journeys one woman at a time. If I can help with getting you from a place of trauma and self-loathing to a place of empowerment, then I have absolutely done my job.

I guess I should tell the audience a little bit more about who I am. I am Lacita Moody, M. Ed, NCC, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri. I am the owner of Female Empowered Progressions LLC a counseling service that offers both in-person and virtual services in Missouri. I am also a content creator with a focus on mental health, lifestyle, St. Louis content, and beauty. Whew! That was a lot. I am a St. Louis native who is always on the go and creating content as I go. I love to go places and share my experiences on my various platforms. If you can’t tell already, I don’t exactly know how to sit still.

I was inspired to become a therapist when I was a child. As a child, teen, and young adult, I experienced various struggles and witnessed someone very close to me battling a lifelong debilitating illness. I watched this person change right before my eyes and I didn’t understand “why” that happened or how to help. I knew then that when I grew up I wanted to help people with challenges they may be faced with. My journey into empowering women is a very important and personal one. In my early 20s, I was in a very emotionally manipulative and Narcissistic abusive relationship. I didn’t know what was happening and was truly scared to talk to anyone about my experiences. It wasn’t until I became a therapist that I learned the importance of support and community. I want women to feel great like how I do now and know that they don’t have to embody the trauma that they have endured.

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

I think having a real genuine sense of who you are as a person will take you a long way. It’s important to not be exactly like the next therapist. Clients connect with individuals and not carbon copies of others before you. When starting out in the field, it is easy to try and do things by the book as far as sessions. That will rarely draw clients to you. Clients want to view you as a real person who gets them. They don’t want scripted responses of what you think they want to hear. I have heard from countless clients they connected to me for my true ability to hold space for them as an individual going through this thing called “Life.”

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

During the pandemic, I became the only therapist at my organization when there were previously three additional therapists. I quickly hit burnout as I had to take on the extra duties of the 3 therapists who had left. Similarly, I did not receive much support from those around me. I hit rock bottom quickly. I wanted to give up. I even questioned my choice for this field. Just when I felt like giving up and I learned an essential lesson about putting myself first. I realized if I wasn’t going to make myself a priority then no one else was going to. I had to prioritize my mental health and I knew I had to make some changes. I went from a place of burnout to prioritizing myself. I had finally taken my own advice that I had given to my clients many times before. I managed to overcome it and didn’t give up on myself or the field, which I am so proud of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/lacita-moody-kirkwood-mo/476406
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacita-moody-m-ed-ncc-lpc-7633a980/

Image Credits
Lacita Moody all photos