We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taivia Thompson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Taivia, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
My ability to take risk came from being pushed outside my comfort zone. I remember the very first time I was pushed into something that felt uncomfortable for me. It wasn’t my norm, it wasn’t my comfort place, it was a life happenstance. I was pushed into after deciding not to take the risk of change on my own. Change involves a risk of potentially being uncomfortable and I hated that. After being pushed into change and risk taking, I realized how much stronger it made my faith and how much more resilient I became because of it. After that, I saw no need to hold back on taking risk anymore.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My journey has been quite a rocky one. I knew at age 17, I wanted to be a mental health therapist, but I had no idea of the hoops I had to jump through to get here. Becoming who I am today and having my own private practice required a lot from me. Sometimes more than what I could even fathom giving. Lots of dedication, hard work, persistence, the ability to take risks, and most importantly faith was involved in this process. I wish I could say that I did not give up along the way, but I did. I got discouraged, outraged and defeated by the process of becoming a licensed counselor, and even owning a business. I was fortunate and lucky enough to have people that believed in me more than I believed in myself at times. These were the same people that encouraged me to keep going. My support system was a huge reason of how I got where I am today.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Dating/Relationship Coach. I work in my own private practice that specifically focuses on providing mental health therapy and date coaching tips for many individuals looking to improve or enhance their life and/or love life. What I love most about the work I do, is the clients I meet. Clients often come to me, to seek answers about how to navigate their life, without knowing they are teaching me things too. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from the clients I see and it’s a pretty rewarding experience. As of now, I am currently offering mental health therapy and date coaching services. In the near future, I will be offering group therapy and business consulting services.
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?
If I had to name three qualities that were the most impactful in my journey, I’d say persistence, dedication and faith. Without these three things, I doubt that I would have made it to being a licensed counselor or a business owner. Dedication comes from your drive and initial interest to do something. Persistence comes from your ability to pick yourself up every time you fall and to be vested in your outcome. Your faith is what merges the two and teaches you to trust the process. Your faith is what keeps you going on the days your dedication is on E and your self doubt is getting in the way of keeping you persistent. My advice to individuals early on in their journey is to explore where they rank with these specific qualities on a scale of 1-10 and examine how can they be improved.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is a Black Woman in her early 20’s to mid 40’s that’s finding her place in the world. Maybe she is trying to figure out how to have healthier relationships, maybe she is seeking a romantic love, maybe she wants to have supportive friends, maybe she wants to discover who she is, maybe she is in the process of a career change and is seeking guidance or maybe she is trying to overcome childhood trauma. She understands what it means to invest in herself and she implements that or has plans to implement it in some shape or form. She could be working on her physical health by exercising or engaging in a activity or sport that enhances her physical health, she could be investing in her mental health by reading self help books, having regularly scheduled girls nights or going to therapy, she could be investing in her emotional health by staying on top of self care activities that make her happy like, getting her nails done, going to get massage and treating herself to nice dinners. She also could be investing in her spiritual health by engaging in faith based practices that keep her grounded. She is definitely open to learning and vested in the process it takes to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.millennialcounselingandconsulting.com
- Instagram: @TaiTheTherapist
- Linkedin: Taivia Thompson, LPC
