Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Crossland
Hi Shelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised here in Austin. From a young age, I was drawn to creativity, spending my free time writing and starring in plays, reading endless amounts of books, playing piano, violin, and singing, and dreaming of becoming a famous actress someday. In high school I fell in love with performing in musicals and plays, and once emphatically told my dad, “Singing is my therapy!” When it came time to choose a major and enter college, I fell victim to the classic trap of needing to be “realistic” with my career aspirations. I chose to major in Public Relations and Advertising because I heard I could use my love of writing, and also felt it was broad enough to be able to have good job prospects.
After graduating with my B.S. in Strategic Communication in 2015, I worked for a few years as a Social Media Manager, where I was able to utilize my creativity and love of writing, but often felt stifled and constrained by the demands of working for brands I didn’t truly believe in or feel a connection to. In 2019, I made my first big career pivot into childcare, working as an Assistant Preschool Teacher, babysitter, and nanny. I still look back on this time of my life and smile, as it taught me how to connect with children and connect to my own Inner Child, and allowed me to bring out my playful, creative side, which had been hidden in my corporate work. This work also lead me to my next career pivot and into where I am today.
In 2020, I realized I loved connecting with children and attuning to their emotions and needs, but I felt drawn to doing deeper work than childcare allowed. I also remembered taking a Psychology class in high school and how I have always had a passion for learning about mental health, personal growth, and personality traits. I combined these passions and began posting videos on TikTok, where I saw people were drawn to my vulnerability and ability to talk about topics that are often not talked about enough, including intimacy, sexual assault survivor advocacy, reproductive health, and sex education. I quickly began to build an audience of mostly young women and teenage girls, and felt deep fulfillment through educating and providing a support system for my community.
This culminated in me deciding to pursue a Masters in Mental Health Counseling through Northwestern University, in order to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. I graduated in December 2024, and recently obtained my LPC-Associate license and began working as a therapist at a group private practice here in Austin, Moving Parts Psychotherapy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road for me. My 20s had a lot of ups and downs both in my career and my personal life. I struggled to feel fulfilled in my chosen field, which caused me to feel like I was somehow doing adulthood wrong. I struggled to keep jobs and was put on a Performance Improvement Plan and ultimately let go from my second job out of college, which was a huge hit to my confidence and self-exteem and triggered feelings of failure and rejection. I also struggled in dating and relationships, and in my relationship to myself. I had unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms that I knew I needed to remove but didn’t know how. I finally had a turning point when I started therapy (and actually took it seriously and committed to my own self-growth).
In my late 20s, during my masters program, I was diagnosed with ADHD (Combined Type). This diagnosis felt like a missing puzzle piece to my identity and explained many of the struggles I had faced. I went through a process of self-discovery, learning to love and accept myself and better understand who I am and who I want to be. I had to learn to let go of some of my patterns like perfectionism, people pleasing, codependency, and “masking” (a coping mechanism where neurodivergent people try to be who they think others want or need them to be). I began to learn more about how ADHD impacted me and my life, and the ways it had contributed to my struggled in work and relationships. For me, the label of Neurodivergent has been a game-changer for accepting myself and feeling confident in my strengths and areas for continued growth in life.
Once I realized I was the only person in charge of my life and my choices, and I could truly do whatever I wanted, I felt a freedom which allowed me to make the choice to go back to school and pursue a career that would truly make me feel fulfilled and utilize my skills and passions.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a therapist at Moving Parts Psychotherapy, I enjoy working with women in their 20s and 30s who are seeking a deeper understanding of their needs, desires, and boundaries within dating, relationships, and intimacy. My goal as a therapist is to help my clients become more connected to themselves and others in a way that feels empowering and authentic. I am passionate about supporting women who identify as people-pleasers, perfectionists, highly sensitive, anxious, and/or Neurodivergent. As someone who used to feel my anxiety, people pleasing, and sensitive nature were just who I was, rather than parts of me, I know the pain of struggling to let go of limiting beliefs about yourself, and the difficulties that come with unprocessed trauma and shame. I know how hard it can be to learn how to love and accept all of yourself, and have experienced first-hand how all of these patterns impact dating, relationships, and sex, as well as disrupt our ability to feel confident and empowered. In addition to my work with adults, I also enjoy working with children and adolescents, especially those who are neurodivergent or highly sensitive. My background in childcare allows me to connect deeply with young people to help them feel understood, seen, and safe. My personal experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, which manifested as an inability to regulate my emotions, extreme sensitivity, and emotional outbursts, informs this work, and I approach my work with young people as an opportunity to nurture my own inner child and offer the support I wish I’d had growing up. I draw from concepts within Nervous System Regulation, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, and always utilize a Trauma-Informed approach.
On top of my work as a therapist, I have continued to be a content creator and advocate on TikTok, where I focus on educating young women and teenage girls around sexual health, reproductive health, and sex-and-relationship-focused anxiety. I believe young women deserve to have comprehensive education in order to better understand their menstrual cycles, prevent pregnancy, let go of anxiety, and ultimately learn to find safety in their bodies. I have grown my TikTok community to over 57K followers, and have been featured on various podcasts discussing my work and these important topics. I also created my own podcast, “Situationship to Soulmate”, to talk more about relationships and dating and help women develop healthier patterns in this area of their life.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The Covid-19 Crisis was a hugely pivotal and important time in my life. The main lesson I took from it was the importance of building a relationship with Self, learning to become my own best friend, and finding confidence and love from within myself instead of relying on validation or reassurance from others. I was living alone and was quite isolated during the pandemic, which was incredibly difficult, but also taught me how to take care of myself and become more self-reliant than I had been previously.
The other lesson I learned during this time was the power of community, and that this can be found virtually, not just in person. Creating and growing a community on Tiktok during this time showed me the power of using your voice to discuss topics that are important to you, and how you never know who may be listening and who you may touch through your words.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.movingpartspsychotherapy.com/shelly-crossland-lpc-associate
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shamelesslyshelly/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellycrossland/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE9DXHCa7PIjRMRwdIS-D1Q
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shamelesslyshelly
Image Credits:
Shelly Crossland
