Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Barbee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Stephanie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

I never imagined I’d be the person who willingly volunteered to be vulnerable in front of a large group of people. Yet, that’s exactly what I found myself doing when I took my very first training in brainspotting in April 2021. And guess what? I have zero regrets. As a matter of fact, I’m grateful to myself for making the choice to do it because I felt called to and not wait to “feel good” about doing it. Let me start at the beginning.

I am a mental health therapist professionally and personally I love most things spirituality. As part of my professional growth, I try to take trainings that will benefit the work I do. Traditionally, therapy involves talking at a high level about our problems. This is helpful to some, but not necessarily the clients I work with. I work with clients who have been socially excluded to the narrowest margins of society (individuals within the Black LGBTQIA+ community) as well as clients who have experienced at least 1 major traumatic event in their life, usually in childhood. For these clients, talking wasn’t giving them the relief they needed. So I knew I needed to do something else. Little did I know that in striving to grow and evolve professionally, I would be taking a risk that would also support my growth spiritually and personally.

I looked at different therapy options that I could learn and I finally decided on brainspotting. Brainspotting is a brain and body based healing method that allows the brain to process information that is held in different parts than what we access with talk therapy. What I heard was “clients are healing” and that’s all I needed to know. So I took the brainspotting training in April and during the registration they asked for potential volunteers to do demostrations on. I figured there were at least a hundred people signing up and I wouldn’t be chosen. WRONG!

During the three day weekend training, 3-4 people had the model practiced on them in front of everyone else. When it was my turn, I worked on physical pain. I followed the trainer, managing my feeling terrified that in some virtual space were over 50 other participants watching everything I said and did. At the end of the experience, I physically felt better from my pain AND I had made an impression that would be a gift that kept on giving.

At the end of the training, they announced an opportunity to join a program that allowed you to get more training in exchange for committing to learning deeply about the model. I’m a bit of a nerd (proudly!) so this sounded amazing to me. So I committed to the year long fellowship and it was amazing. Throughout that time, I gained valuable knowledge that I’ve used to support clients in moving further and faster in their healing. I built relationships with a network of amazing therapist around the country. And most importantly, I increased my ability to support my own healing.

It’s often a (wrong) assumption that therapists, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals are somehow exempt from human stuff. Not only is it not true, it’s sometimes harder to seek help in these positions because you BELIEVE you’re not ‘supposed’ to need help. I realized through taking that risk of being vulnerable in front of a group of strangers, I started the journey of acknowledging my fear and doing the thing anyway. Since then, I’ve still struggled at times with taking risks and being vulnerable in service of myself. What I have learned, however, is that I am willing to take risks for those who are where I used to be. Who are tricked by the limiting thoughts of what’s possible and what I’m worthy of. My trauma history created that story chapter for me. Taking this risk in adulthood started my on the journey of closing that chapter and starting a new one. You know the title of this chapter for me? ‘Finding purpose on the other side of fear’. What will you name the new chapter you write after you take that risk you’ve been waiting for?

Stephanie , 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?

Most people call me Stephanie and I consider myself a ‘jane of many trades’. I am professionally a mental health therapist, however I am also a self-published author of affirmation journals available on Amazon, a consultant, a trainer, a speaker, and a spiritual coach. Some may think that’s a lot of things and that makes me ‘scattered’. I think of it as diversifying my life. Through involving myself with people in different ways, I continue to learn, grow, and evolve, which is my all the time goal.

In my work, I work from a liberation focus, foundationally supporting those most marginalized in community, Black transgender and non-binary individuals. I focus on exploring what’s been in the way of you being your best self at every level and empowering you to learn, unlearn, and advocate your way to that version. I am most proud of my ability to slow down and make people feel heard and seen in their human experience. My soul mission is to provide healing to the world and it shows in everything I do with intention.

I show up to do this work through speaking at corporations and organizations about a variety of mental health topics, mentoring up and coming social workers/therapists, training groups on skills from communication to meditation, and providing guidance and support on a more individualzed level.

I am most proud that I practice what I preach. I am intentional about how I care for myself, what I committ to, and ensuring the right fit before moving forward with any and every person. I recognize I’m different in my approach, very non-directive, animated, and curse like a sailor hahaha. That’s what makes me Stephanie and my clients who are lead to work with me get the best of me beacuse whenever possible, I give from my overflow, intentionally.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I am what YOU say I am. That is the lesson I had to unlearn. Growing up, I was a talkative child. However, as I was in elementary school, I was constantly shamed for being the kid who was social and loved to connect with others genuinely. So eventually, I was less and less social and less and less connected with people. This lasted into my adulthood, actually until a few months ago. I started really trying to understand why it was so hard for me to show up on social media and out in the world (aside from post COVID anxiety). I started to realize that I was afraid of judgement, rejection, and criticism from others. I had learned from grade school that being me wasn’t acceptable. Through working doing brainspotting, journaling, reflecting with friends, and releasing the challenging emotions that came along with realizing I let other people define me, I started to make a change. I started to realize and ACT FROM a place of what I now know is more true……I am what I say I am!

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

I thought I wanted to be a teacher. I was wrong (sort of). I am, however, glad that I became a licensed clincal social worker. I have discovered there is so much diversity in the degree. I can work for a corporation, non-profit, contract with others, or be creative working for myself approaching solving problems that are identified by the people I serve. Social work, like most other professions, has a way to go in undoing some of the harmful practices that lead to mistrust in communities of people who look like me. However, through my work with mentors like Shawna Murray-Browne and Ebony Hutchinson learning about liberation focused healing and leaning into the teachings of those who are further along in decolonizing their practice than I am, I am hopeful that real healing can occur in communities and ultimately the world. Because of being a social worker, I get to be a student AND a teacher. Best of both worlds!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spectrumofhealingllc.com
• Instagram: mohealing2020
• Facebook: mohealing2020