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

Alright, Larneka thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

Establishing my own practice was something that was not really thought out or planned out. I had been working for a non-profit counseling agency, and I was not pleased with the direction things were headed. I felt like the board of directors did not want me there anymore, and the macroaggression had become too much to bear. I had been in numerous discussions with a friend of mine who is a Psychologist and has her own practice, in regard to me joining her practice. She and her husband helped me to establish my business name, EIN number, etc. I am forever grateful for Cate and Frank. Unfortunately, things did not go the way I would have hoped, and I was unable to join their practice. They encouraged me to practice solo, but I did not think I had what it took to do it alone. Determined to leave the agency, I took a LPC job at a public school. I did not think I would return to education, after having left two years prior. But this was an opportunity, at the time, that was unheard of. Starting my own practice was the farthest thing from my mind. I thought I needed staff, etc to make things run.
At the agency, I had been involved in a lot of community outreach and advocacy in communities of color and the LGBTQ+ communities. Hurricane Harvey occurred while I was working in the agency. I think that once the communities got settled and the affects of trauma kicked in, they came looking for me, but I was gone. My plan at that time was to do workshops and retreats. I had no office, and did not think I could get one for individual therapy. At the time, I was doing online therapy with Talkspace and encouraged the clients to join me there. At that time, virtual therapy/ Telehealth was taboo. I felt bad, but felt I had no other choice.
Soon I was asked to speak at a local church’s grief ministry. I had facilitated grief support groups prior when I was with the agency and people knew me from there. The pastor and his wife, made mention that there were members of their congregation that was in need of therapy. I explained to them the dilemma of me not having an office and suggested that I used one of the offices in their church to see their members. The pastor agreed, but that did not go over well with the church secretary. She was trying to listen at the door when I held my sessions there. In order to keep confidentiality of the clients, I knew I had to do something different.
A good friend of mine had a clothing store and had previously mentioned that he had office space available. I took him up on his offer and began seeing clients at God 1ST Clothing Store. Once word got around that I was practicing, I had no trouble obtaining clients. A couple of friends made referrals and I was also able to sub-contract with a non-profit organization, that was given a grant to see people affected by Hurricane Harvey. There was a lot of irony in that one, and I am forever grateful.
At that time I was only taking cash pay for therapy sessions. My fee was only $50 but this was too much for some, and they wanted to use there insurance. I was not credentialed with any insurance companies, but after I had to turn away a few people, I decided to get credentialed.
The insurance companies had certain requirements for therapy offices etc., and I knew I could no longer use my friend’s office in his clothing store. I posted on social media that I was looking for office space, and someone directed me to the space where I had my first office space, and the rest is history. I often doubted my capabilities, but when push came to shove, I rose to the occasion.

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 Supervisor. I was born and raised in Port Arthur, TX. I am a proud graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School. Lamar University Beaumont is where I received my degrees: B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology; M.S. in Applied Criminology; and M.Ed. in Counseling and Development. I have always wanted to make a difference in the world and help people. If someone had a problem, I was always trying to figure out how to solve it. When I was in High School, every year for Black History Month at least 2 to 3 teachers were showing the documentary, “Eyes of the Prize”. The documentary chronicled the Civil Rights Movement. While most of my classmates were asleep, I was captivated by the stories of bravery. I often wished I was born during that time to fight for the cause. With that, I wanted to be an attorney to help Black and Brown communities fight against injustice and lead the cause for criminal justice reform. When I got to college, my study habits were horrible, and I did not believe that I had what it took to go to law school. Instead, I focused on the criminal justice system and sociology allowed me to understand people more, in theory. Eventually my study habits improved but law school was not a goal anymore. Not certain what I would do after college, I set my sights on working for the federal government, so I could move out of Port Arthur.
After college my first job was in education as a substitute teacher. I only worked for a month and thought I would never do that again!!. Never say never. I am going on year number 15 in education lol. From there I took a part-time job at an indigent clinic. My grandmother had been a patient there, and I had an opportunity to work with one of her case managers. For that reason, that place had a special place in my heart, and my mission to help the underserved in the community was birthed through my work there.
I left the clinic after working there for about 11 months, and took a Job as an Institutional Parole Officer with the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice. I was working in a maximum-security prison. It was mind blowing. A city within the city, but the people could not go home. I saw a lot there. Many of the inmates’ back stories touched my heart in such a way that I was compelled to do something to help. Many of the men shared with me that their issues occurred in their adolescent years. Broken homes, abuse, mental illness undiagnosed, etc. Many felt the education system had failed them. At this point I wanted to do something to help the younger generation not go down this path. I ended up volunteering with Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and started an outreach program at my church. Because I listened and wanted to help, many suggested that I would be a good therapist.
After a couple of confirmations, I decided to return to Lamar University to study counseling. I honestly was not certain what a therapist was, but I knew I wanted to work in the schools. After talking with my advisor, I decided to focus on school counseling and community counseling. I then left my job as an Institutional Parole Officer after 5 1/2 years to return to education. In order to be a school counselor, I had to teach in education for 3 years. That meant I had to become certified. With no education background, I had to put counseling on hold and take the education courses. It took me 6 years, but I am now a Certified Teacher, Certified School Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor.
I am most proud of the fact that I am here. I have always doubted myself, but I have to take a look back and the great things God has done in my life, and how He orders my steps to walk in my purpose.
My goal is to make mental health accessible to the underserved. I will speak at any event I am invited to at no cost. My practice offers free and low-cost therapy sessions, support groups and workshops. I have several projects where I give back to the community. My practice has a Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway and a Scholarship Fund for graduating High School Seniors who are LGBTQ+ People of Color. I collaborate with Lesbians 4 Causes with their Domestic Violence Program and Christmas Giveaway.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, I provide guidance to those who aspire to become therapists. It is very rewarding.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy I have found to be helpful in growing my clientele is visibility and making space and time for people. Some may consider it as having poor boundaries, I consider it being assessable to those in need. My practice began in Port Arthur, Texas and expands down I-10 to the Houston area and beyond. I don’t mind serving the community, whatever that looks like. I make myself available to do outreach in churches, public schools, universities, parks, shelters, you name it I will go. I really need to work on updating my portfolio, because it has a long listing of speaking engagements, training sessions, podcasts, etc. I am in a couple of social media groups who have conducted seminars, etc. and I have been on panels numerous times there. I have people reaching out to me in my inbox seeking help for themselves or others. I carry myself with humility and gratitude. I am honored that when people think of mental health, they think of me.

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

I think what helps me to succeed is my willingness to be amongst the people. I have been participating in helping those in need for Thanksgiving for years. It started in my church after Hurricane Rita. We had been displaced for a minute and was able to get assistance with Food Stamps/EBT/SNAP. Normally I would not have qualified, but under the circumstances I did. When I returned home, my family and I were able to replace the food that we lost and still had money left. At that time, I was able to return to work and obtain my paycheck. That Thanksgiving my church gave turkey’s and canned goods to those in need, but it wasn’t enough. My family, other church members, and myself decided to put together to help the others by using our Food Stamps that we had leftover. From there it became a tradition. When I left the church, I continued through my practice. I am not a non-profit organization, so I use my own funds and accept donations. Initially I was helping those in the Port Arthur, Beaumont area. Then it expanded to Baytown and Houston area. One year I helped 20 families. I downsized a bit from Turkeys, Hams and canned goods to only the meat and a gift card for the sides. I delivered the items to the families myself. Some neighborhoods were a bit scary, but I did not allow that to stop me. Last year I downsized again and just gave gift cards and mailed them to their addresses. I will more than likely do the same this year. My dream is to one day have a food truck, with Turkeys, Hams and groceries for the people to gather as much as they need.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lavalaislpc.com
• Instagram: larneka_lavalaislpc_pllc
• Facebook: Larneka Lavalais LPC PLLC
• Linkedin: Larneka Lavalais
• Youtube: LarnekaL

Image Credits
KLA Photography TroyBoy Productions