Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Garcia.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my career working with children and families providing play therapy services, and opened my private practice, Volver Counseling, two years ago. I have spent the majority of my career working in community mental health in various places throughout the country, including Texas, Massachusetts, New Orleans, and Colorado. I have always been curious about people and the many ways in which they live and engage with the world around them, studying Anthropology and Sociology in undergrad.
I don’t think I was fully aware of why I chose this field until I completed my Master’s program at Loyola University in New Orleans. I had the most amazing experience there with professors who encouraged us to explore our own stories before stepping foot into the therapy room as the provider. I came to realize that not only was I drawn to this field to help others but also to understand myself, my family, and begin my own healing journey. I then realized that doing so would allow me to support others even more fully and authentically.
After working in spaces where I learned a great deal, I decided to open my own practice. In doing so, I have had the opportunity to practice in ways that feel most aligned with who I am as a therapist and a person, taking therapy out of the office and moving to the outdoors, while also bringing a decolonized lens into the therapeutic space.
As therapists, we often have a high turnover rate due to being overworked and underpaid. Opening my own practice, after 8 years of working for others, allowed me to have greater ease and balance in my life while still being able to earn a livable wage. This, in turn, has made me a better clinician, and given me the space to explore my interests such as rebozo healing and herbalism, which I have since added to my toolkit as well.
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?
The path to owning my own practice has not been without its challenges. As a young clinician, you don’t have the experience or training to assess how you are being treated by your employer. I think for folks working in community health spaces there is the knowledge that we are not in it for the money and that environments aren’t going to be glamorous, yet there were definitely some questionable experiences I look back on and recognize that, even with this in mind, the pay/work environment/expected client caseload was not supportive. I understand that this is often a systemic issue. However, I do feel as though clinicians need to be better protected and have more information on how to advocate for themselves around these topics.
The other major challenge has been learning to become a business owner. That has been and continues to be a learning curve that I am fortunate to navigate with support from paid professionals, friends, family, and other colleagues who have also opened their own practice. I also took an amazing 6-week business course at EGBI in East Austin, that I would recommend to anyone looking to open their own small business.
We’ve been impressed with Volver Counseling, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I opened my practice, Volver Counseling, to explore the ways in which community, nature, and our bodies can support us on our healing journey. I named my practice Volver (the Spanish word for return) because I view the healing process as a return to self and a remembering of our wholeness.
I provide mental health services to teens and adults virtually and in person via walk and talk. Walk and talk takes therapy out of the office and into the outdoors, where we either go for a walk on a lovely trail or find a peaceful place to sit in the park. I have found that clients really enjoy the opportunity to work with nature to support their nervous systems and that being outdoors brings a more relaxed feel to therapy, which can at times feel formal and intimidating.
I approach the therapeutic process from a holistic lens, meaning that I don’t just observe the symptoms that an individual is experiencing but the whole person and systems in which they live. I utilize somatic experiencing techniques, mindfulness, herbalism, and rebozo healing in my work. I have several years of training in Traditional Mexican Medicine, where I learned how to work with the rebozo, which is a beautiful Mexican textile, for healing. I am proud that Volver has allowed me to expand on my knowledge of traditional western psychology to incorporate other wholistic forms of healing that resonate with me as a clinician and a person.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have been very lucky and have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the mentors and teachers I have had along my journey (professors, supervisors, friends/family, clients). I look forward to paying it forward as often as I can, as I am now a more seasoned clinician myself.
I also consider myself very fortunate to have worked in many different spaces and places throughout the country, and to have been welcomed into these spaces by the community members that live there. I am eternally grateful to them and my current clients for entrusting me with their innermost worlds.
Pricing:
- 150/session
- Accepts United Healthcare and Aetna
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.volvercounseling.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/volvercounseling
Image Credits
Cabe Lindsay
