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

Lafaya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to give tangible and concrete strategies to others worldwide who suffer from the effects of “Red Alert Brain.” I want those easily triggered into red alert brain mode to know that there is nothing “wrong” with them and that there are ways to keep themselves from giving in to “animal brain” instincts (baser emotions devoid of logic) during tough moments. I have helped many clients with moderate to severe social/emotional/behavioral issues learn to regulate through “The Lafaya Way” 4-Step approach.
The Lafaya Way was coined by many of the parents who would see positive results in their children who had been failing treatment for years with multiple other providers before beginning emotional regulation work with me. They would constantly say, “I tried it the Lafaya Way and it worked.”
My mission is important to me because, due to extreme trauma history and biological inherited mental health struggles, I have always grappled with the self-sabotaging effects of red alert brain. Helping other to gain power over their emotional challenges gives purpose for all of the challenges I have endured throughout my own life. Every life I change or save feels like a little dose of life and light being given back to me.

Lafaya, 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?

My name is Lafaya Mitchell A.K.A. The Poker Therapist

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist by trade and have over 25 years of experience offering effective strategies for healing relationships within families and organizations overwhelmed with socially, emotionally, and or behaviorally challenged children/teens/adults. I have specialized in working with Autism Spectrum, ADHD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Trauma and others suffering from the detrimental effects of what I call, “Red Alert Brain” (a tendency to become easily triggered into negative emotions.).

After years of prompts by parents and colleagues, I captured the philosophy and 4-Step methodology that has assisted me in offering hope and positive change in the lives of struggling families with hypersensitive, socially “misfit” children through my book series, “The Lafaya Way.” I have published 3 parenting books thus far in the series and have compiled a 12-week curriculum which creates pathways to healthy and effective interactions with hypersensitive people.

My innovative strategy has contributed to my having a great deal of success working with populations that are often very difficult to engage and achieve meaningful mental health results with. I offer support by way of individual, group, and family counseling. I also provide training, and consultation to schools, social services agencies, law enforcement, and other community-based organizations.

I also play professional level poker, am a wife and mother of 6 (3 biological children ages 20-32 years and 3 adopted children ages 4-8 years). My life experiences give me a unique perspective on how to live an insanely busy life filled with multiple daily challenges prosperously while pursuing my dreams of becoming a world renowned author as well as the female mental game ambassador of the poker world.

I recently co-authored #1 International best seller, “Speechless: Giving the #voiceless a Voice” and authored the International Best Seller, “Poker A Woman’s Game.”
Since “The Lafaya Way” is essentially the pathway to reducing the effects of red alert brain, I have found a way to apply my 4-step methodology used in therapy to battle T.I.L.T. (Temporary Interruption in Logical Thinking) in Poker and low performance in competition based environments.

I am most proud of how I have transformed my own personal strugges in life and morphed them into a superpowered antidote for healing emotionally challenged people.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I don’t seem to have quit in me. I come from an extremely troubled background. I became pregnant at age 16 and was told by many of my “well meaning” family members I would never be worth anything in life. Their words didn’t deter me from wanting to be successful in life; they actually did the opposite and fueled my determination to be successful. I remember thinking, “I’ll be more than you’ve ever been,” when my aunt sat me down to berate me in the same way she had my sister and cousin who were also pregnant as teenagers. Due to many struggles with my parents, I moved out of their home at 17 years of age. I was homeless for a short time and was able to hustle my way (by doing side jobs along with the graveyard job I was working) into a small apartment for myself and my son.

For some reason, I always knew that I could not let my grades drop in school, no matter what was going on in my life at the time. I was able to graduate from high school and found out that I could get financial aid for going to college. Attending college became what I thought was another one of my hustles. The extra few hundred I would get after tuition, books, etc. were covered meant a lot to an extremely poor girl coming from the poorest of ghettos. My competitive spirit would not allow me to get bad grades, so I also eventually qualified for small monetary scholarships and grants. I graduated from college cum laude and maintained an A average throughout graduate school (I only got 1 B+ from a teacher who did not like me).

I was somehow able to make sure that my young son had access to schooling and various activities while I continued to work graveyard shift and attend school. There were times when he would walk over as I was studying and put the book he wanted me to read to him on top of the book I was studying. There were many times when it felt like it would be easier just to give up, but I never did. I acquired my Masters Degree in Psychology and have become a successful Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, author, trainer, speaker, and aspiring ambassador.

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

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been truly caring about my clients’ outcomes. My services are authentically client-centered. I go above and beyond to meet my clients’ needs. I care more about my quality of work than the compensation. Clients knowing how much I care creates trust which contributes to healing. Experiencing success, especially in situations in which previously, there was long-term hopelessness, leads to my clients trusting my work. Clients trusting my work has lead to my business surviving and thriving on word of mouth referrals for over 20 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lafayaway.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lafaya_way
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lafayaamitchell/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/lafayaway
• Other: https://www.lafayaway.com/lafayawaypoker