We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sonny Etienne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonny, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

My life has had its share of twists and turns, ups and downs, and milestones that helped shape me into the person I am today. My career is no different, it’s taken me from working in the juvenile justice system to running a private practice, I’m not sure if any of my career stops would be possible without a defining moment in 2003. While still a seminary student, I took a course, Church and the Urban Poor, which changed the trajectory of my life. My then professor, Lawrence M. Lindley, questioned me about why I was studying theology. He suggested I consider social science. The more I thought about his observation, the more it made sense to me. See, Professor Lindley’s course was more like an internship; it focused on helping everyday people deal with challenging problems, such as homelessness, domestic violence, teen violence, and disadvantaged communities. Talk about an eye-opener, I was never the same. Looking back at it, that course was a turning point in my journey.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My life story is like any other. Nothing special to tell. I’m you’re average Joe. A Haitian kid raised in two cities, Spring Valley, New York, and later Miami, Florida. I grew up in a single-parent home with my four sisters. By my teenage years, I was heavily involved in youth ministry. After High School, I went to Bible College, while also studying Commercial Art at a Vocational Tech School. Sometime later, I enrolled at Florida Memorial University, formerly FMC. where I majored in World Religion and Philosophy. I completed my undergraduate work and was accepted at Christian Theological Seminary, but I left following the defining moment mentioned earlier. From there, I got married; began working with at-risk youth, and later earned a graduate degree from Trinity International University in Counseling Psychology. You could say, I found myself, my voice, and my life’s work. Following years in Mental Health services, I founded, Introspective, LLC, a private practice in Tamarac, Florida that offers individual counseling to adults and youth in crisis and dealing with life problems. Recently, I finished work on my first book, Life Sucks!? Or Does It: Soul Searching from the Inside Out. My book touches on the most important aspect of my treatment, the Introspective Perspective. Aside from authoring books, I do shows, consultations, and public speeches to universities, churches, organizations, and groups. As I said, I’m simple. Just like anyone out there reading this, I’m most proud to be a family man. Nothing brings me more meaning than raising my children with my wife.. Second to that is helping people. My life’s goals are to leave behind a body of work that helps people to deal with life by learning to think more insightfully and be better human beings, both to how we treat others and the earth. After all, that’s all we have, people and the earth.

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

Speaking of how we treat people. I think my business grew because of the most important lesson my mother taught me as a child, to respect people. I was raised to treat everyone with dignity and value their worth. The Golden Rule, “Do onto others what you want to be done to you” goes a long way with me. It defines me and has defined my business. Every call to my office is a reminder of an opportunity to touch someone’s life; to help them find meaning and purpose. I’m highly influenced by the teachings of Carl Rogers. His approach to doing therapy is based on a legitimate connection between client and clinician. I honestly believe the environment of genuineness (openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard), and empathy (being listened to and understood) I create for patients has grown my clientele. In addition to my practice style and being true to who I am. I don’t put on a uniform when I report to work. My patients get the real me. They interact with a down-to-earth guy who happens to be trained in counseling. I think this is important because people want to be treated by a relatable person.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Part of relating to others is having gone through struggles yourself and overcoming them. I’ve overcome challenges that range from fatherlessness; racism of all kinds, poverty, and academic deficiencies, just to name a few. My mother’s teachings, friend/family support, faith, logic, and life experiences have taught me effective strategies. After facing rejection, and resistance, I developed resilience. What didn’t kill me, built me. Life has taught me, that setbacks are a setup for breakthroughs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://introspectivecounseling.net/
• Instagram: introspectivecounseling
• Facebook: Introspective Counseling
• Linkedin: Sonny Etienne
• Twitter: Introspective Counseling@IntrospectiveC3
• Youtube: Introspective Counseling, LLC

Image Credits
Emma Vargas [email protected]