Conversations with Kimberly Hansley-Parrish

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Hansley-Parrish.

Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been a woman with a lot of interests and curiosity about people. Even when I was younger, I found myself drawn to conversations that went deeper than surface level. Counseling was always in the back of my mind, I just didn’t fully know what that would look like.

In college, I struggled to find something that felt like it fit. I earned a degree in Communications from a small private college in middle Georgia, close to where I grew up, but even as I graduated, I remember thinking, what am I going to do with this degree?

After college, I followed my parents to Texas, still trying to figure out where I belonged. I worked at Starbucks while pursuing a master’s degree in Christian Education and Counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. During that time, I started working in the crisis call center at Hope For The Heart. That experience changed me. Sitting with people in their most vulnerable moments, sometimes in the middle of the night, confirmed that I was wired for this kind of work. I even helped develop a training protocol for volunteers, but I also realized that with my degree, I could only go so far clinically.

But life doesn’t move in straight lines. I got married, had children, and walked through some really difficult personal seasons. Those experiences stretched me, reshaped me, and prepared me further for the work I was supposed to be doing. They clarified something deep inside me: I needed to build a career that would allow me to stand on my own two feet and provide for myself and my children.

So, I went back to school with three toddlers at home. It was exhausting and refining and honestly one of the hardest seasons of my life. I earned my master’s in Professional Counseling from Amberton University, and during that time something clicked. I wasn’t just interested in counseling anymore, I was actually stepping into the thing I had quietly dreamed about my whole life. The calling that had always been in the back of my mind suddenly felt real and attainable.

Over the years, through different clinical roles and experiences, I grew into my voice and my confidence as a therapist. When I joined Curis Functional Health, it felt aligned. Their whole-person approach to care mirrors how I see people. We aren’t just symptoms; we’re stories, systems, relationships, and resilience.

Today, I’m not just doing counseling. I’m leading, mentoring, building systems, and helping shape how care is delivered. But at the heart of it, I’m still the same person who was drawn to deeper conversations and sitting with people in their hardest moments. The path wasn’t linear, and many of the steps were ones no one would choose — but those very steps shaped the counselor and leader I am today.

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?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road.

From the outside, people sometimes see the finished product, the degree, the title, the full caseload, but they do not see the in-between seasons.

Going back to school with three toddlers at home was incredibly hard. There were nights I was studying after everyone was asleep, running on very little rest, wondering if I could actually pull it off. The financial pressure was real. The emotional pressure was real. Stepping into a new professional identity while rebuilding parts of my personal life required a level of resilience I did not know I had.

There were professional struggles too. Early in my career, I had to grow into my confidence. I had to find my voice in rooms where I did not always feel experienced enough or credentialed enough. I had to learn to trust that I belonged there.

But the deeper struggles were internal. There were moments of doubt, wondering if I had started too late, if I had taken too many detours, if I could be fully present as a mom while also building a career I genuinely loved. I had to reconcile the idea that loving my work did not compete with loving my family, that it could coexist with it.

What I have learned is that the detours were not delays. They were development. The hard seasons built empathy. The pressure built grit. The uncertainty strengthened my faith and my ability to adapt and grow.

Now, helping build a company centered on whole person wellness comes with its own challenges. That phrase means different things to different people, and building something meaningful within a growing organization is not always easy. But it is deeply rewarding.

So no, it has not been smooth. But I would not change it. Every challenge played a role in shaping who I am today,

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At my core, I am a trauma-informed clinician who believes deeply in whole-person care. My caseload is diverse, about fifty percent children and adolescents and fifty percent adults, which allows me to work across the lifespan and truly understand how early experiences shape long-term patterns.

I specialize in trauma, attachment wounds, anxiety, relational conflict, and life transitions. I am trained in EMDR and provide trauma treatment for both children and adults. Whether I am working with a child, a teenager, or an adult, I help clients connect the dots between their past experiences and their present behaviors and relationships.

With children, I incorporate developmentally appropriate trauma work, including EMDR, while integrating attachment theory, nervous system regulation, and family systems support. I have a strong passion for neurodiversity-affirming care and work with kids and adults who experience the world differently. I help families understand what is happening underneath behaviors, because when you understand regulation, sensory needs, and attachment patterns, behaviors begin to make sense.

With adults, much of my work centers on trauma processing, relational dynamics, and helping individuals untangle long-standing patterns that keep them stuck. I am known for being warm and approachable, incorporating humor when appropriate, but also being clear and direct when growth requires it.

What I am most proud of is the depth of trust I build with my clients. Whether it is a teenager who does not easily open up or an adult working through complex trauma, I create a space that feels both safe and structured.

What sets me apart is that I see the whole system. I do not just treat symptoms. I look at attachment history, developmental stages, family dynamics, gut health, and nervous system regulation. That broader lens allows me to create treatment plans that are thoughtful, individualized, and sustainable.

At the end of the day, I believe people are not broken. They are often overwhelmed, misunderstood, or unsupported. My role is to help them feel seen, understood, and empowered to move forward.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If I could give advice to someone just starting out, I would say this: this is hard work. It takes years of school, supervision, and clinical hours to earn that license. There will be days you feel like you cannot do it. That is normal.

Do not rush the process, and do not compare your timeline to anyone else’s.

Early on, it is easy to feel behind or question whether you are capable. I did. What I learned is that detours are not setbacks. Use the challenges to grow. They are development.

Invest in your own growth. Do your own work. In this field especially, who you are matters just as much as what you know.

Pricing:

• I’m out of network with all insurance carriers

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kimberlyhansley.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counseling_with_kimberly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/counselingwithkimberly
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hansley-parrish-b5a54126
• Other: https://gocuris.com/providers/kimberly-hansley-parish/