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

Hi Oddesty K , thanks for joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

Everything about my entering the field of counseling was a calling. Being a therapist was never something I dreamed of as a kid, in fact it wasn’t until I was in college that I learned what a therapist was beyond what we see on T.V. So when I got into the field and realized very quickly that in many ways the companies around me were numbers driven and focused on things that didn’t necessarily align with my calling, I knew that in order to be fulfilled in the work, I would have to be my own boss. So that’s what I did. I spent a full year working two jobs. A full time job and establishing and running my own practice on the side.

While the business itself is not hard to establish, the most challenging part about starting and sustaining a mental health therapy practice is that, they don’t teach you the business of this field in school. You have to either learn from others or figure it out. In my case, I did a whole lot of just figuring it out.

If I could do anything differently, I would spend more time working on my business plan and structure. Along the way, I have had to clean up a lot of things that I could have gotten right from the jump had I spent more time figuring it out at the start, such as how to save for taxes as a business owner. Overall, becoming a business owner was the best decision I could have made as it has allowed me to carrying out my calling in ways I never thought imaginable while also having the flexibility to be a present mom for my little one.

I would recommend that anyone hoping to own a mental health practice get a mentor or someone who can help navigate the process. Investing in a good business coach can help new business owners thrive from the very beginning. I would also recommend only doing this work if you truly have a heart for people. This work is hard, but its necessary and people need quality care in dealing with their mental health.

Oddesty K , 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?

After experiencing concerns of Anxiety and Depression myself, I found myself sitting on the couch of a therapist during my undergraduate college years. It was in that space that I heard God tell me that I would be a therapist. I didn’t receive what I clearly heard right away, because I didn’t think it would be possible to help people, considering how broken I was myself. I was in a really bad place in my life and I was struggling to overcome it. Over time, and the more I healed, it got hard to run from the calling and eventually I began to dive right into.

As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist and owner of Oddesty K & Associates, I specialize in helping women navigating a variety of issues in life including, but not limited to issues related to perinatal mental health, life transitions, anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship concerns. My newest venture is Equine Therapy, where I have been overjoyed with being able to help my clients in a way that combines something I love in my personal life, horses!

My mission and main focus is and always will be to provide compassionate, quality care for my clients and show up for them during some of their most vulnerable times. Together we can partner to help them reach their goals. I also help upcoming clinicians get acclimated to the field by offering supervision, consulting and coaching.

I am most proud of the impact that we have been able to make in the lives of our clients and also in our community. We partner with an organization called High 5 Birmingham, that focuses on empowering and inspiring individuals and communities in the Metro-Birmingham area to combine the many aspects of mental health with civic engagement which has been a game changer for my practice and in our community. We get to do so many things to help so many people and for that I am forever grateful.

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

One of the major lessons that I have had to unlearn is having a poverty mindset. In so many ways, I used to function in survival mode and so initially I ran my business that way. I would take it personal when consultations didn’t turn into clients. I would beat myself up when clients decided to discontinue therapy and I felt like I always had to be working and always had to accommodate everyone else’s schedules or bills wouldn’t be paid, and my business wouldn’t grow. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Once I learned to operate in an abundance mindset, recognizing that there are enough people needing help to fill every mental health practice in my state and that the people who I am supposed to help with find me, and that the people who truly need my help with shift their schedules to prioritize getting the help they needed, things really started to shift for me and my business started to take off. I am now able to work my desired work schedule, be fully present for my daughter and all of her activities and offer quality care without burnout.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Everything about my journey to becoming a mental heath therapy is about resilience. From experiencing my own childhood traumas to developing anxiety and depression and seeking care myself, to starting a business while being a single mom, to working multiple jobs to make things happen, and all while being a full time student, to working hard to become what statistics say I should not be. I have had to overcome so many things that could have very well taken me out, and to be honest, there are still some life things that I am navigating with grace and resilience. I have learned over time that it’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay not okay and you will often hear me share that quote. While I share it, I also live it. With each battle that comes my way, I face it, even when I have to do it scared.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.okaawellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okaawellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OKAAWellness
• Twitter: https://x.com/OKAAWellness
• Other: Partnering Organization, High 5 Birmingham
  https://www.high5bham.org/

Image Credits

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