Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to PaQuita Pullen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
PaQuita, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
As an African American, First-Generation College Student, and Cisgender Female I have certainly taken my fair share of risks. If you are familiar with the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), you might be surprised to learn that my score was seven out of ten before adolescence! I do not share that for sympathy but rather as a testament to my faith and the power in taking risks. My sociocultural identifiers have historically evoked many narratives from others about who I was, who I could not be, and where I could never go. For example, I was told several times that I should go by a different name because no one would want to hire me for fear that I’d be a poor hire. For many years, those narratives snuggled up in my mental space and began to present as if they were my own. Thus, I’d say that the biggest risk I’ve taken is making the choice to live a full life; authentically and unapologetically.
It is my belief that we all want to matter and therefore will do all sorts of innovative things to do so. My innovative thing was to play it “small”. I would always do just enough to survive and not enough to thrive simultaneously. It took me little over a year after obtaining my licensure as a professional counselor before opening my private practice, Ubuntu Counseling & Wellness, because although I knew I wanted to be in private practice, I didn’t believe I deserved to have one of my own. The intended year of “safety” led to more disappointments, hurt and betrayal than I’d care to discuss; however, I have since come to appreciate the discomfort of that time as it led me to “leap” and begin my private practice in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I originally began my practice around 2019 under the name One Love Yoga, with a sole focus of providing affordable and accessible yoga services to historically underserved groups.
In April of 2020, I made the decision to change the name of my practice to one that aligned with all of me, not just a part of me! I had been blessed with an amazing opportunity through the National Board of Certified Counselors that provided me with enough funds to get started. As I reflect, I initially had plans to use the money for something “easy”. Funny how those internalized thoughts and old strategies show up huh? I wish I could remember all of the details but one day I just decided to go for it! I had been thinking about all of the things that I didn’t have such as office space, a website, business license, etc. but all of a sudden I was reminded of the most important thing that I did have: purpose.
On 4/17/2020 I completed the paperwork to establish my practice as a limited liability company followed by drawing my logo on a napkin (I am the furthest thing from an artist!) and single handedly created my website (with the help of templates!). In May of 2020 I signed a 12-month lease (did I mention we were in a pandemic?) and in June of 2020 I hired an assistant that I had no clue how I would pay. With equal parts nervousness and excitement, I held my first client session as the CEO/Clinician of Ubuntu Counseling & Wellness on June 22, 2020! If you are thinking that it was a whirlwind of a time, you would be correct!
To date, this has been the biggest risk I’ve taken both personally and professionally! I am happy to re[port that we are still in business and going strong! My lovely assistant is still with me and she’s been paid on time, every time! Both our website and logo are new and improved. As a reminder of our journey, we still use the “napkin logo” from time to time. We have new office space for our clinicians and clients. We also have grown from just “little ol me” to having three additional clinicians, two graduate level interns. and a social media manager! The biggest accomplishment? We have shown up in purpose, as our authentic and unapologetic selves, and provided over 800 clinical sessions to individuals, couples and families; 90% from historically underserved groups!
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?
My pursuit of becoming a mental health provider began during my undergraduate studies at Middle Tennessee State University where I majored in Psychology with a minor in Social Work and a minor in Mental Health Services. After my graduation, I went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Trevecca Nazarene University which I obtained in December of 2014. I defended my dissertation titled “An Examination of Racial Microaggressions and Endorsement of Strong Black Woman Schema as Predictors of Burnout among Black Female Clinicians” on 2/22/22 at Trevecca Nazarene University and graduated with my Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling: Teaching and Supervision in May of 2022!
We provide compassionate and multiculturally competent counseling and wellness services for racial/ethnic minorities and underserved populations. Collectively, we specialize in helping client with a variety of issues to include: depression, anxiety, traumatic experiences, self-esteem, life purpose and so much more. We provide individual counseling to children, adolescents, and adults. We also offer couples counseling! Group counseling will be available in 2023!
Most recently we have begun to think about ways to support client who may not have the availability to seek our services. Thus we have begun to develop readily available products for purchase with the intention of support. Currently we have intention cards, Stick Beside Him, available (also available using them/they pronouns). These cards are intended to help women support the mental health needs of their male partners. This is a passion project of ours and we look forward to completing many more.
We are so honored to have recently transitioned to a teaching practice which enables us to offer low-cost sessions to clients who may have financial strain! We also love the opportunity for speaking engagements for conferences, trainings, or the workplace! We have a variety of topics we cover but also value the opportunity to customize presentations.
The most important thing we want you to know about Ubuntu Counseling & Wellness? We are here for those who often feel unseen, unheard, and underestimated! We are committed to ethical and excellent service to current and prospective clients. We are honored to walk alongside our clients and could not be more grateful for those who choose us as their mental health service provider.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
It is my belief that when we honor others for who they are, we are able to get the best out of them! Management of my team involves supporting their interest, navigating roadblocks together, and cheering for their success at ever turn. Their successes are my successes and therefore the successes of Ubuntu Counseling & Wellness! Lastly, we celebrate all that we are here at Ubuntu Counseling & Wellness! We accept that we are good on our own but better together which keeps morale high! In my experience, an investment in your team’s overall well-being tends to yield a quality return!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I obtained my licensure as a professional counselor from the state of Tennessee on February 14th, 2019. This process is long and hard for many pre-licensed counselors, and my process was no exception. I was elated to finally receive it and so proud to have accomplished such a huge milestone in my profession. The joy of this was short lived because a few weeks later I experienced three major losses. On March 6th, 2019 I was informed that the doctoral program I was currently in would be closing for good! Additionally, on March 6th my grandfather passed away unexpectedly and my grandmother passed away two weeks later on March 20th. I was stuck in grief and with a task of finding a new doctoral program. I was at the end of my program with only internship and dissertation left so quitting did not seem like a viable option! In the midst of funeral planning and grief, I must have called over a dozen colleges and universities…many of them I’ve never heard back from. Some of the programs wanted me to redo several things that I had already completed. Some wanted me to start completely over. It was a nightmare that many people had to navigate at no fault of our own. I remember feeling so much anger, exhaustion, and overall defeated. Fortunately, I was able to find a program that was willing to accept all of my credits with very few caveats. Although beyond grateful to have found a new “home”, the experience overall pushed my completion date back by a year and a half. So there I was, with new cohort members and professors, navigating grief, and attempting to complete the huge task of completing a dissertation. There were many times that I wanted to give up or convince myself that it really didn’t matter; however, I chose purpose and hear I am, Dr. PaQuita R. Pullen, LPC-MHSP, NCC, the first doctor of my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ubuntucounseling-wellness.com
- Instagram: @ubuntucounseling
- Facebook: Ubuntu Counseling & Wellness
- Linkedin: Dr. PaQuita R. Pullen, LPC-MHSP
- Twitter: N/A
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Nelson Greenbrier Distillery B. Simmons Photography Kemoya Taplin Photography