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

Rodericka, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

There is no blueprint on how to be a great parent. In fact for most parents, their only framework is to make an intentional effort to be better than their own parents. Though my parents made many mistakes, they raised me to think. To challenge information with objectivity and curiosity. This desire to seek new information sparked my interest into psychology as the more we understand ourselves and others, the more fulfillment we can have in our own lives. It is this curiosity that enables me to have empathy and compassion. To hear people’s story and perspective before i judge and assume. To be patient as people evolve. To accept what is without being blinded by what could be. To listen before I speak. To go beyond the surface. And as a reminder that through my own introspection I can be curious about my needs and preferences without the pressures of other people’s expectations. Though my parents weren’t perfect, they raised me to be myself- whatever that may mean.

Rodericka, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a mental health therapist. A millennial , black, female therapist. The foundation of my practice is rooted in my desire to help. We have strayed pretty far from the concept of community and collective wisdom. My main mission within my practice and personal life is to provide people with a community (even if it has to start as a community of one) and to educate. My practice is one that is built on authenticity and pleasure. We face so many socioeconomic, religious and political challenges that we forget to be- to live. Therapy is the place where we learn how to live. There will always be responsibilities and obligations, always a battle to win and prepare for, but my therapy sessions are to remind people about their nature. The internal desire for safety and peace and love and connection and pleasure. And how to find balance within each. I offer both in person and virtual therapy sessions to allow many persons living within the Bahamas to have access to affordable mental health services. I help Bahamian men and women return to their bodies instead of living from a place of suppression, survival and trauma. I am also passionate about being bold in the face of controversies. I am willing to start the conversations that are socially inappropriate or taboo, to be in spaces where others may be too afraid to go, to confront the people that we deem off limits, to push back when faced with resistance, to defend those that cannot defend themselves- providing safe spaces and advocating for minority groups within our society. Being a therapist is not a hat you can take off, it is a personality trait that I proudly possess to help others learn to help themselves.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Unlearning that the world was black and white was probably the most challenging lesson. It’s so easy to create our own narratives of other people’s experiences when we have so little information. We don’t know why people do/ think/ feel the way they do. But we ignorantly attach expectations to those things and react negatively without even knowing the why. I’ve learned that everything is nuanced and we gain so much peace and compassion for others when we take the time to listen to people and understand them before we form an emotional connection to their actions. We have to stop assuming so much. In statistics we learn that everything can be boiled down to one’s and zeros. But in the real world, a lot can happen in between one and zero that completely shifts if/how we understand something/ someone. So now I’ve learned to listen more than I speak, to accept things for what they are, and to give people an opportunity to paint their own pictures.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

When I enrolled in college I applied to attain a degree in Architecture (to follow the money), and an intro to psychology class was a mandatory part of my program. As I sat in that psychology class I knew that mental health was my fate, and I immediately switched my major. I had a lecturer that said that therapists aren’t taught, they’re born. And I believe that I was born for it. From the way that I think, the perspectives I have about the world, the way that I treat others- I always knew that I was suited for a helping profession. I have done many career tests which all indicate that a helping profession such as psychology is what’s best suited for my personality and gifts. I have always been the advice friend, the person you call to be your honest voice of reason, the person referred to as having wisdom well beyond their years. Psychology just gave me the information and training necessary to do what was already in my nature. It is very rare that you find a career that you are passionate about. Most people have to sacrifice their passions for something that they do separate from their career/ income. It is a blessing to be able to do something I love everyday. To be good at something that can also provide financial stability while empowering and supporting my community. It helps to keep me motivated to continue despite challenges I face and it encourages me to grow and improve while I help others do the same. I believe that whatever path I chose, mental health would’ve always found its way into my life in some way.

Contact Info:

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