Today we’d like to introduce you to Czyz Carter.
Hi Czyz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In August, it will be five years since I began working in the mental health field and I’ve been a licensed counselor for two of those five years. I didn’t always know I wanted to be a counselor, but I did know that I wanted to be in a position to understand and help children manage their struggles since I was 8 years old. As a child, I noticed how I displayed the skills that are expected from a counselor. My journey began in 1998 at Reinhardt Elementary, I was in the 2nd grade and I was having a bad day. I attempted to express how I was feeling to my teacher and she responded by telling me to sit down with an aggressive tone. I remember going to my seat angry and telling myself “When I grow up, I will listen to people and try to help them.” I didn’t know what a counselor was at the time, but I made an oath to myself to always be the listening ear I wish I had in that moment.
Years later I began to observe changes in the moods and behaviors of myself and others. I would find myself trying to figure out why we responded and behaved the way that we did, especially if it was a negative behavior. I would study people without them knowing. For example, I paid attention to the difference in behaviors between my peers that had active fathers vs the ones who didn’t. I noticed a trend that those of us without positive father figures in our lives tend to get in more trouble at school and with law enforcement. The kids lacking father figures also struggled with conflict resolution skills and healthy communication styles. I was able to make these observations by watching my peers, who look like me and from all walks and backgrounds from an early age, and used the information to understand and empathize with people when necessary. People would naturally open up to me and tell me their problems and their deepest secrets. I displayed the ability at an early age to create a safe space for my peers to vent and not be judged, and in turn, they would always come to me with their problems even when we weren’t the best of friends.
When I was 21 years old, I faced another situation where my mental and emotional state was affecting my performance and attendance in college. I built up the courage to go talk to my professor about what was going on and before I could complete my sentence, she rudely cut me off and stated, “We all have problems in life.” At that moment, I realized that I had always possessed the listening, understanding, and empathetic skills as a person but never received those same qualities myself. I knew I had the ability to process and overcome my obstacles regardless, but I wondered how many people was in a position like me and how it affected them. At that point, I made a decision to become a counselor in the hopes of reaching as many black men and boys as possible. I wanted to help normalize counseling for black men because we’re more likely than others to have our thoughts and feelings disregarded. When black boys have their feelings disregarded throughout their life, they grow up to have struggled with crime, substance abuse, communication, and conflict resolution skills which affect our abilities to be the best sons, husbands, and fathers we could possibly be. Therefore, I strongly recommend young black men and boys to try counseling at some point in their life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes! I’m grateful to God that this has been a smooth process for me to start my own practice. In a weird way, the pandemic made it easy for me to start my practice. The pandemic normalized telehealth and opened a new market for new tech companies such as “headway” and “Alma” that has made the process of starting a private practice easier than before. I would’ve never thought to provide counseling online before the pandemic.
We’ve been impressed with Czyz Counseling Escape Room, 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’m currently providing counseling virtually throughout the state of Texas for children as young 8 years old up to adults in their 60s. I welcome people of all backgrounds in my practice. I named my practice “Czyz Counseling Escape Room” because I wanted to create an accessible room that people can escape to and release their frustrations, stress, anger, etc. I chose to provide counseling virtually because my goal is to reach as many people as possible. Going the virtual counseling route allows me to now reach people who may live in small towns and may lack access to counseling services in their area; Telehealth allows clients to conveniently be able to receive my services from the comfort of their homes. I specialize in helping my clients with anger management, depression, relationship issues, and cognitive distortions. I create a safe space for my clients to come in and release their frustrations and process their thoughts and feelings. I help my clients become better versions of themselves which allow them to improve as a spouse, employee, student, friend, and overall quality of life. I’m proud to say that everything has been a success so far and there has been plenty of clients that has reported better communication and conflict resolution in their personal lives.
How do you define success?
In my business I equate success to the progress my clients report to me. I want my clients to complete counseling with new skills they will be able to apply to their lives. Success for me is also being able to keep a healthy work/life balance while meeting with as many clients as possible each week.
Pricing:
- $120 hour out of pocket and I accept most major insurances.
Contact Info:
