Meet Joshua Adair, Lcsw, Cctp

We recently connected with Joshua Adair, Lcsw, Cctp and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Growing up homeschooled in rural East Texas, I entered college with a 7th or 8th grade education. I felt out of place, unsure if I could catch up, let alone thrive. But the thing about resilience is that it blossoms from struggle. Every step of my journey taught me something invaluable about courage and my own resilience. It wasn’t just about learning math or science; it was about learning who I am and how to keep moving forward when the cards that I was dealt were clearly stacked against me.

I believe that one of the most resilient things that I did was this: dissociate. As an EMDR clinician who specializes in trauma and dissociation, you hear a number of things in the field about dissociation – you’re warned about it, it’s pathologized, and made out to be this mystical creature that “gets in the way” of any trauma work being done. Thankfully, this was not my lived experience nor is it the experience of many clinicians who are now speaking up and teaching others. Dissociation is sometimes the only coping skill that we have available to us, and a beautiful one it can be. It protects us when everything or everyone else fails to. To put it simply, to dissociate means to disconnect – from oneself, ones emotions, the world, memories, and more.

That skill carried me very far, and through a lot of incredibly difficult things. While that skill carried me through the maze of life’s difficulties, I collected a pocketful of glimmers that I slowly built into my very own mosaic. My aunt, whose faith carried her through her own maze, who inspired my love of art and Lilo and Stitch. My first psychology professor, who always had a smile on his face and took interest in my life in some of its most challenging transition points. My wife, who, despite the tragedies of life, never let hope evade her. My yoga mat and other yogis, a place where community and connection are always waiting for me, where slowness is ready to meet my body with whatever energy it is bringing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Founder of Mosaic Mind and Body Wellness, PLLC. I’m an EMDR Certified Clinician and a consultant-in-training. My work is deeply rooted in my lived experience and passion for helping others heal and transform as they navigate complex trauma. I also integrate holistic practices, including yoga, somatic techniques, mindfulness, and parts work, to create an individualized approach to healing. This year I am starting off by working on my Yoga Teacher Training and my Certified Integrative Mental Health Practitioner training. On a personal level, I’m always evolving as both a clinician and a person.

What excites me most about what we are doing at Mosaic is the growing diversity of services. We offer group therapy, individual therapy, coaching, and intensives. I have a deep passion and excitement for intensives due to their profound results. These are immersive sessions designed to help clients reach specific goals in a shorter amount of time, in either 3 or 6 hour blocks over the course of one to three days. The depth of connection and healing that happens in these intensives is remarkable, and I’m passionate about making this kind of care accessible. I find this incredibly special by meeting individuals in their home, their safe space.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I believe that the most influential qualities on my journey have been fostering community, and leaning into my resilience and adaptability. I personally feel that the energy we put out is also the energy we receive back. Not only from an energetic standpoint, but also in terms of how we function as a community and engage in relationships, when we choose to do and see good rather than scarcity, we are more likely to see that. When I see a place where I can elevate another person, I’m going to choose to do that. In business, it can feel competitive and there is often a lot of scarcity mindset that drives us to seek to “have more.” When I formed Mosaic, I asked myself how can I elevate others? This is a question that remains in my mind as I navigate business, as I do believe there is “enough” for everyone, and I will continue to press into that belief.

Throughout my life I have had to learn resilience and adaptability. It was not a choice that was given, but rather imperative to my own survival and wellbeing, especially if I wanted to thrive. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely seasons where I was not feeling very resilient, nor was I adapting, and those seasons have their place and I have a lot of compassion and understanding for those parts of myself now, too. What I have learned is that it is within that compassion, that slowness and stillness, that allows for all parts of me to feel understood before asking myself to adapt or be resilient.

I would encourage new therapists to explore their own identity and lived experiences and how these can be strengths in your ability to help clients. I am reminded of words shared by another therapist, whose origin I am not quite sure “The wounded healer is the healer many of the wounded desire. Do you want the Sherpa who read maps and has unscarred hands because he has studied but never made the trip. Or do you want the Sherpa with the scarred face, rough hands, who has made the trip many times over?”

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I have an incredibly strong work ethic, partly because I have been working since I was about 12 years old when I was learning how to weld in my dads shop, beginning to help with building vent hoods. I have often excelled in the roles that I have taken, especially those measured by numbers of achievement and various metrics. At one point in my life, this was an adaptive way of coping, and I believe this to be an asset that has helped me to found Mosaic. I also believe that it’s important we identify our weaknesses and assess how we can better equip ourselves to be more balanced. Balance is a value that I am continuing to work towards, as it has often looked different in each season of life, depending on business needs and the needs of my family. One of my greatest passions is to not just be a great therapist or business owner, but a very present and attuned father. This desire has led me to finding more balance within myself and my priorities, adjusting my life as needed to achieve that balance, because when we are healthier, more joyful, and full, then we will be more successful and helpful to those seeking us out.

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