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

Hi Sinadia, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

The best client advise that I give to most of my clients when they start therapy, is to not try to control the process. To allow themselves to be open and honest about what they are seeking assistance or help with. Many times, clients come into therapy with a single goal in mind and don’t understand that therapy is something that can help in all aspects of their lives. When they seek to control it, they water down the process and typically become frustrated with the progress or results because they are still trying to hold onto the steering wheel. I had a client come in once because his girlfriend wanted him to go to therapy. Which of course this should be a personal choice, instead of force, because it builds resentment. The client at first didn’t really think he had any issues or that the relationship with his girlfriend was the problem. In time, through consistent sessions and following through with his homework assignments, he learned that his issue was past anger with a deceased relative because he felt as if he has been abandoned. This issue was presently showing up in his relationships as he would accept things in order to not be rejected or abandoned. The client learned more about himself than he thought he would and was able to release the past hurt in order to have better current relationships. HIs willingness to be open and to relinquish control allowed him to gain his own personal power back.

Sinadia, 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?

I started The Healing Bar following my divorce from a physically abusive marriage. I was a single mother of two children and had gone through some toxic relationships to that point. After working through my own healing process, I decided I wanted to be able to help others work through traumatic and tough events that possibly shaped the way they reacted and handled situations in their lives. I created The Healing Bar to be a private mental health and spiritual selfcare practice. I provide therapy services to adult clients starting at the age of nineteen years of age. My passion has always been to work with adults and that is the population I chose to focus on for my business, even though I have worked with adolescents in a variety of settings while finishing my internship and early years post-grad. I provide individual, couples, and adult family therapy sessions both in-person and virtually (for clients outside of the immediate city). What makes me unique is that I host an annual retreat each year for selfcare and mental health, I give clients homework assignments and tasks that have been put into real-life application by myself, which means I know they work, and I provide assistance with how they can become balanced, as a whole person, not just by working on their issue they arrived to start services for. I work with all types of clients and diagnosis however, I have had the most experience with substance abuse/use disorders, co-occurring disorders, postpartum/perinatal issues, and I am certified in grief and loss. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I also service members and provide them with a safe space to work through the issues they feel necessary.
I am most proud of finding a way to turn my passion and purpose into something more and to be able to give back to my community. My brand is all about helping others turn hurt into HEALING and I am grateful to have come into the lives of so many that want this opportunity for change. I am a normal person seeking to help other normal people have the beautiful lives they envisioned for themselves. The life we all deserve no matter what we have previously experienced.

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

Yes, I would choose my same profession. The truth is originally I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was working for Bank of America and was about to finish my Bachelors of Business Administration in Organizational Management. I had to take an elective during my last semester and I chose Psychology. I fell in love with the class and applied to Nova Southeastern for the fall term. That class gave me such a great feeling each time I went to it. I knew that was the answer I was looking for because nothing else sparked me the way that it did. Each day I awake proud and grateful for the choice I made because it allows me the freedom I always wanted to feel.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think the most effective strategy has been being different. When I was in my masters program, I was unsure if I would measure up to a good therapist. I didn’t ever think I would identify the thing that would allow me to stand apart and attract clients to by business. Many of my clients say they chose me because my logo and website doesn’t look like a typical therapist and that was exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want to be boxed into a stereotype. I wanted to make therapy my own and to do things the way I felt they would work best. My most effective strategy has been to just be me. Being myself has afforded me more than I can ever count. It has allowed me to have the things I wanted, including my own private practice and that is the strategy that will continue to pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://healingbartherapy.com
• Instagram: @healingbartherapy