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

Stacia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.

In order to live the life that I’ve always wanted, I knew that I was going to have to create my own business. The corporate life was never for me. The 9-5 race was exhausting. Working 40+ hours a week was extremely draining. As a therapist, I knew that I was going to have to put myself first and my own mental health in order to be truly happy. As each year passed, I learned more about myself and what I valued in this life. I knew that spending time doing what I love was more important than any paycheck that I received. However; I also realized that if I could help others in my job, it would be more rewarding. Stepping into private practice has been a game changer for my own mental health journey, as I finally have the ability to live my life the way I want, and also help others along the way. With the extra time I have had, I was also able to establish a non profit company that helps unhoused people with resources. I feel so blessed to be able to work with my private practice clients, and also help those in need.

Stacia, 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?

My story is not an uncommon one. I was a child of divorce, both of my parents always struggled mentally, financially and physically. I grew up around hardships, drama and unhealthy relationships. I knew from a young age that I didn’t want this for myself. I wanted to be better, and wanted to learn how to get out of this lifestyle of just surviving. I wanted to thrive. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to get into a “helping profession” but was unsure of what that could be. I dabbled in the idea of being a teacher, a nurse, a doctor…but ultimately landed on wanting to go into social work. I received my masters in social work and ended up falling in love with therapy. I learned so much about myself and others, and how are brains work. I knew I could make a hands on impact with my clients- and never turned back.

As for my non profit- I had started helping the unhoused about 10 years ago through a church service. My father was homeless as well, and was struggling with drug addiction on and off throughout his life. Knowing the struggles that he faced daily- one of addiction and mental health issues- made me realize that a lot of unhoused people have the same issues. On top of those issues, they have no support. Most people don’t even look at a homeless person in the eyes for fear of having to interact with them. I knew that I wanted to try and change this. My boyfriend and I started a non profit called “California Kindness” to spread kindness to those unhoused living in California (LA county and Orange County areas). We raise money to provide care packages, resources and simple conversations with the people we encounter. We hope to make a small difference in each person we come across- and let them know that THEY MATTER.

Through my therapy practice, I provide individual and family services to clients, and have worked with all ages. However; my favorite population to work with is young adults. Stepping into adulthood is difficult- it’s so new and sometimes daunting and I love being the extra support for clients of this age. Whether it’s finding purpose in life, managing relationships, processing trauma or working towards being a better person- I’m here for it all. I typically utilize CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) in sessions- which is the work on thought patterns (where they come from and how to work on them). This also leads to working through past traumas that have impacted our thinking patterns.

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

As previously mentioned, my father was struggling with his mental health and drug use throughout his life. He unfortunalety passed away in 2022 to a fentanyl overdose. This accidental overdose was so difficult for me. It was something that I had somewhat prepared for most of my life, but something I never thought would actually happen. Throughout the last 10 years of my fathers life- I had to learn how to set strong boundaries with him. I was always wanting to save him, but learned through trail and error that I could not. I could never do the work for someone else who wasn’t ready. Setting boundaries and sticking to them with my own father was one of the most difficult things I had to do in my life- besides losing him. Although it was difficult, it taught me a lot about myself and that I have to put myself first. Not only in my relationships with others, but also in work. I have grown immensely with the relationship I had with him and setting those boundaries. When he passed, I was extremely saddened, but also knew that I loved him the best I could and I was at peace with that.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back, I would not change my profession. I absolutely love what I do, and every step of the way has really helped me grow into the therapist I am today. I think I would have maybe taken more trainings that could perfect my craft. But there’s always room to do that :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.therapywithstacia.com
• Instagram: @thearpywithstacia
• Other: instagram: @California.kindness

Image Credits
Sarah Mitry