Meet Shontanae Green

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

Hi Shontanae, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Ever since I was a child, I was always the one that people came to, just to talk or vent. I remember being in middle school and being selected to be a peer mediator. Also, friends and other students that I wasn’t very familiar with, would often tell me their deepest secrets, without being asked. I always had people “come out” to me throughout middle and high school. I can be standing in line at a grocery store, and people just come up to me and tell me things. I have countless stories of strangers telling me about abuse and other adversities that they have experienced anywhere from break rooms at work to college parties and kickbacks. I have always been the “secret keeper”, it came naturally. And I’ve always wanted to help people. I have always had this inner knowing that my purpose is to support others emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. So naturally, in high school I was drawn to psychology. I ended up majoring in psychology in undergraduate school and completing my masters degree in clinical mental health counseling. So essentially, I’ve been a therapist my whole life, now I have the credentials and license to back it up.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I specialize in treating anxiety and depressive disorders and stress management. I provide my clients a safe space to express their deepest emotions and experiences freely, and without judgement. As a person-centered therapist, I serve as the facilitator of positive change, providing guidance, empathy, and unconditional positive regard along the journey.

I am a holistic therapist and I believe that achieving balance and alignment with our life path, leads us to mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. I enjoy working with adults (particularly empaths and other highly sensitive persons) to help them achieve balance and to help them reach their highest potential.

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 think that empathy is the first quality that is necessary in my line of work. Being naturally empathetic has allowed me to more easily imagine other perspectives than mine, which in turn, helps me turn off judgement. Empathy isn’t something that can be taught, but we can all consciously try our best to not allow our personal views and values to impact or be imposed upon others.

Second, as a small business owner, time management and organization are essential. Because there is no one assigning tasks to me, I have to plan out my days. What’s been most helpful, is using actual planners and appointment books, even though it’s so old school. For many people, the digital versions of things are easier and more convenient but for me, there is a magic about writing tasks and appointments down, by hand. I do use an electronic health record that organizes my appointments, but I prefer writing them down, as well. I find that my tasks and ideas are more likely to be completed when I write them down. This really served me after Hurricane Helene and other power outages. I highly recommend counseling students or interns (actually, everyone lol) to get into the habit of using a planner or at least making to-do lists nightly, for the next day. Also, it helps to use the focus modes on your devices or even do not disturb (on the personal phone, not the work phone) to avoid distractions. This is tremendously helpful, especially for those of us with attention issues.

Lastly, having a community of colleagues and more seasoned therapists has been crucial. I’m self-employed and I work from home, so I can’t just walk down the hall for a quick question or consultation. Especially, after your mandatory supervision is complete, having support from other therapists is indispensable. I have two colleagues that I’m rather close with and I even still keep in touch with my clinical supervisor, to this day. We’ll never know everything, so we need to have knowledgeable clinicians to reach out to in order to consult or just to talk.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing that my parents did for me was modeling a great work ethic. My parents are typical boomers, so they were always working. They rarely called out and and if they did, they were down bad or either my brother or myself needed them for something. They really inspired me (they didn’t ask me to) to start working at 16, and I never stopped lol. I have to be careful to not overwork, as my parents did. Also, the Capricorn in me gives me the natural propensity to throw myself into work lol. I have to be intentional to take days off because burnout, especially in this field, is real.

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