The Impetus.

As a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in the state of Texas, I’m able to independently assess, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders. I’ve held this license since 2016, but to be honest, I didn’t obtain it with the intention of going into private practice. I simply wanted to grow my knowledge and make myself more marketable. I was content with utilizing my clinical skills and providing therapeutic intervention solely within my place of employment. So what made me decide to open my own therapy practice all these years later? The murder of George Floyd.

I know what you’re thinking. “But wait. That happened in 2020. It’s now 2025.” Yes, I know. Life happened. Nursing school happened. Procrastination happened. Fear happened. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still scared, but like the saying goes: “If you can’t beat the fear, just do it scared.”

I remember sitting on my couch alone in June of 2020 watching George’s funeral on the tv screen. I remember bawling my eyes out as if he was a member of my own family. And I could not. stop. crying. I honestly don’t know what made the death of this Black man hit me differently. I had shed so many tears over the years for men and women who had unjustly died at the hands of police. Maybe it was the pain and angst that everyone was feeling from COVID-19, which had just been declared a global pandemic a couple of months prior and had taken so many lives. But whatever the reason…this was the impetus. It was while watching this funeral that I decided to start a private practice. I felt a sense of obligation to provide and hold space for my community, where mental health treatment and therapy is often stigmatized. According to the American Psychological Association, Blacks/African Americans made up only 5.08% of the U.S. psychology workforce in 2021. I wanted to give my people the option of a therapist who looked like them…someone who they could feel safe with while working through all of this collective grief. Somewhere to process all of the trauma and loss endured as a result of systemic racism (and just everyday life).

And so…here we are. While the decision to start Shine on Purpose was born from a place of pain, I’m hopeful that it will become a space where my clients can discover inner peace and profound joy. Thanks for dropping by. And I look forward to sharing my journey with you.