Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Hunt.
Hi Tony, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Counseling didn’t begin with a degree—it began in my childhood, watching my mother serve as the quiet force behind our community’s resilience. She handled the administrative burdens for those facing misfortune—navigating paperwork, negotiating life changing circumstances for the neighbors, and translating systems that others couldn’t. Through her, I witnessed the dignity of service and learned a deeper truth: we all need help at some point in our lives.
Rather than follow a conventional path, I chose one of service. Straight out of high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, turning down full academic scholarships. That decision took me to several states within the United States and throughout Southeast Asia—from Japan to the Philippines, Thailand, and Korea. Immersed in diverse cultures and surrounded by people from every walk of life, I began to understand the vast spectrum of the human experience.
While stationed overseas, I found solace in reading. In Japan, amidst the rhythm of daily duties, I gravitated toward books—a quiet refuge that deepened my understanding of the world and myself. I devoured philosophy, theology, leadership, and sacred texts—building a personal library of hundreds of volumes. I wasn’t just forging identity; I was laying a foundation for understanding the human condition.
After the military, I worked for various law enforcement agencies across the country. From correctional facilities to city streets, I saw how trauma, environment, and circumstance shape behavior. One interesting lesson, I learned is that no one is in a position judge; we all have our demons and short coming.
In New Orleans, I served as an officer during some of the city’s most challenging times. I consoled grieving families, supported survivors, and experienced firsthand the impact of natural disaster and human vulnerability. Those moments taught me that life is precious and we should try our best to live life to the fullest and not simply exist. To live is to have an opportunity, now what you do with it is up to you.
Eventually, I began working for federal government while going to grad school. I worked full-time and attended night school, grinding through 16-hour days to earn my Master’s degree. There were no shortcuts—only grit, prayer, and coffee. I believe in something called zero options. Its simple; if you give yourself an option to fail, when things get hard we’ll hit the stop button. However Benjamin Disraeli said: “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake its existence on a purpose.” I was committed to succeeding. I was not leaving Dallas Baptist University without this degree; there were zero options to fail.
My clinical training took me across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex: Hamilton & Guy in Duncanville, New Beginning Domestic Violence Center in Garland, the Youth Advocate Program in Fort Worth, and finally, Kenyatta Black Counseling(KBC) in Arlington. At (KBC), under the mentorship of Ms. Black, I learned the art of counseling—grace, mercy, and the what happens when we let the therapeutic process organically unfold. She gave me permission to bring my full self into the therapy room: the discipline of military service, the curious reader, the softer side that really want to help people during their difficult times and my faith.
Today, I integrate all of my lived experiences, institutional insight with human connection. My journey to the therapy room wasn’t linear—it was layered with a really interest human experience. It was forged in barracks, correctional blocks, disaster zones, and federal offices. I don’t just counsel client , we work though whatever they bring to therapy and my lived experiences have given me an unique perspective to help them walk through some of the darkest moments of their lives.
Therapy isn’t a profession. It feel like my ministry.
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 hasn’t been a smooth road—far from it. My journey has been shaped by sacrifice, upheaval, and deep transformation. I believe challenges are opportunities to grow and discover who you truly are under pressure, in pain, and through perseverance. I’ve cried, prayed, failed, and second guessed myself ; literally experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions.
I’ve seen and heard things during my clinicals that changed me, and the path leading up to becoming a licensed therapist felt like a proving ground. There’s a scripture in 1 Peter 5:10 that says, “After a period of suffering, the “God of all grace” will Himself “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” believers, guiding them to His eternal glory in Christ.” That verse defines my experience while becoming a psychotherapist. From entering grad school on a provisional basis to 16 hours days, the road was not easy but defiantly worth it. I wouldn’t change a single part of it. Every trial was a step toward my personal growth as a person and as a clinician.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a licensed therapist specializing in culturally competent care, helping clients work through anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship challenges—including breakups and the grief that often follows. My approach is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), offering evidence-based strategies that build emotional resilience, honor each client’s lived experience, and support healing through trauma-informed care.
What sets me apart is the path that brought me here: I’ve seen the harsh realities of life in the paths that I have chosen to walk. I believe I have seen some of the worst atrocities that we can do to one another but I also have witnessed some of the greatest act of compassion from one person to another. These experiences have shaped how I present myself to my clients and colleagues alike. We all need a chance and sometimes a second chance. We need Grace for both ourselves and others.
I’m most proud of the trust people place in me: I don’t take it lightly. I prepared for sessions in way that client get the best opportunity to heal and grow. I put just as many hours in the session as I do in the prep work. I like to believe that in our therapy sessions that both the client and clinician will leave the session slightly wiser and emotionally aware. Providing therapy for my clients has been one of the greatest experiences of my adult life. Life gets no better than feeling like you are an instrument of God’s divine design. The therapy I provide is so mush bigger than what I perform. Therapy heals, it frees, it validates, above all it teaches you how to love yourself more and live your life without asking for permission.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
There have been many lessons along my journey. The one that comes to mind now is believe in the process even when doubt starts to set in. Life doesn’t always make sense in the moment, but I’ve come to believe that everything has a purpose; even the pain. Bad things happen FOR good people. As Scripture reminds us, “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.” We may never fully understand why certain things happen, but we must trust that whatever we are experiencing is a part of a greater plan for our lives and we have to believe in the process. The lesson is the blessing.
The key to surviving the process is to stay grounded: lock in, don’t give up, and keep moving forward. Football games are won one yard at a time. Progress works the same way; small steps equal big gains. Healing takes time, and clarity often comes later. Everything works itself in the end, but if it hasn’t worked itself out, its not the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lpctonyhunt.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-h-335b88349/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/tony-hunt-dallas-tx/396234
