We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vanessa Garcia, LCSW. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vanessa below.

Vanessa, appreciate you joining us today. What was one of the most important lessons you learned in school? Why did that lesson stick with you?

I was sitting in my graduate class at the University of Houston in a grief and bereavement class specifically and the professor was talking about how the semester was almost over. Most of the students were graduating (including myself) and she spoke about finding different jobs in the field. Then, she looked at all of us and goes “you know more than you think”. This was very validating and affirming for me. It was said at the perfect time when most of the class was about to embark on new jobs that required that higher degree and license. Getting ready to take the license exam to become a masters level social worker came with it’s own level of anxiety. So, for her to put that reminder in us, has always stayed with me.

Vanessa, 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 therapist and work primarily with issues on grief, divorce, break ups, life transitions, depression and anxiety. I have a Bachelors Degree from Lubbock Christian University in Social Work (2010) and then I went on to pursue my Masters Degree (2017) in Clinical Social Work from University of Houston with a specialization in health and behavioral health.

My older sister is in the social work field, we’re 9 years apart so I had the privilege of knowing what social work was early on. So, when I was like maybe 8 years old I remember thinking oh, I’d love to do that too. I remember thinking how it would be the coolest job to be able to work with and help people (it still is). I was able to take a straight path into social work. I truly loved all the classes I took in undergrad and grad school, maybe except for statistics but even then I had a great professor who worked with me.

I’ve worked in a variety of different places inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient psychiatry centers, and hospice. I truly love what I do, and working in private practice one on one creates this special place for someone where they can just be themselves, unpack some of what they may have been carrying all week and learn tools to rebuild. I am also EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) trained and love preaching about how impactful that can be with trauma, depression, anxiety and several other issues.

I’m most proud of the clients I work with and have worked with. It takes a lot of courage, bravery and vulnerability to open up to someone. Being able to witness when a client has reached their goal or made improvements on something is a privilege I get to witness that I don’t take lightly.

Life can get hard, but there are professionals out there like myself that can walk with you as you navigate a new chapter you’re on. I will meet you where you are at. I provide a safe space, that’s non-judgemental, and unbiased. I utilize a culturally competent lens, and am LGBTQ+ affirming. I can see clients all over Texas via telehealth and use a HIPAA compliant platform.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I love this question. My advice to someone wanting to build their social media presence is…to start. Your first posts may not be out of the park amazing, but with anything you have to continue to put in work into it. I think the hardest thing for me at least, was getting out of my own head about it. I also wish I would have started this sooner. I always heard build your audience so when you’re ready to fly solo you’ll already have that clientele. We live in a social media world so by not being on social media I think you could be losing some potential business as well. I’m not on TikTok (yet), but by letting people see you they start to build that trust with you and feel like they know you.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

For therapist wanting to start their own private practice I recommend looking up Dr. Marie Fang and The Private Practice Pro Kelley Stevens. They have lots of information that has been invaluable for me. Right now, I’m reading Profit First by Mike Michalowicz and it’s amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wellbeingcounselingandconsultingpllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellbeingcounselingconsulting/