Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Hardy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I think my interest in psychology in general was peaked in high school, mainly because of an amazing teacher I had Mr. Eslinger. There are just certain classes that stick with you because of how exciting a teacher makes the learning experience. He did that for me. Understanding how people think and the behaviors that people are likely to display and for what reasons became my focus from that point, so it only made sense that when I went off to college that I’d pursue a major in Psychology. From there different courses within the psychology major helped me hone in on what exactly I wanted to do with that particular degree. I knew that helping people was always something I leaned towards and counseling felt like a natural fit. During my sophomore year of college, I became a McNair scholar that encouraged students to pursue graduate school within their field. That program introduced me to the idea of pursuing my doctoral degree. I went on to complete my undergraduate and graduate degrees at Indiana University-Bloomington in Psychology and Counseling Psychology respectively.
Throughout those ventures and after graduating with my doctorate in 2015, I tried my best to align myself with opportunities to explore counseling and understand what that looked like in different settings and with different populations. This exploration led me to my current focus in private practice. I currently hold a license in professional counseling and will be pursuing licensure as a psychologist in the near future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s has definitely not! I think entering into an arena (higher education) that had been unchartered territory for myself and my family, made for a learn as you go type of situation, which is fine as we all have to start somewhere in life, but it definitely opens you up to running into road blocks and not seeing certain challenges coming. I would say my challenges ranged from financial, to lack of support within academia, and racial inequity, just to name a few within the pursuit of my doctoral degree. Then after you leave the academic space, you enter real life that poses it’s own set of challenges while you’re trying to develop a career. I think that as an African American woman in this field, where there aren’t many who look like me or have my experience in this world, it can be hard to find the direction you need to build the career you’re wanting. There just haven’t been many opportunities for support and instruction on the ins and outs of being a mental health provider. The education provides a foundation, but there are may facets to what I do, for example, the business side of things which is something the educational experience is completely void of. I’ve been able to make connections here and there through a few colleagues fortunately, which has been a blessing, but there are always areas that I’m continuing to learn about in terms of how to be a successful mental health provider and business owner.
More recently, after having become more established in my work, in 2021, I entered the challenge of managing my career along with motherhood. While becoming a Mother has been a joyous experience, it does pose a challenge to trying to manage and maintain a business. I went on a hiatus for awhile to focus on Motherhood and provide the one-on-one care I felt my daughter needed, and returned to work in a few months. I had juggled Motherhood and seeing clients for about a year, when life would through another challenge my way. In 2023, I experienced a sudden onset of serious health concerns that forced me to discontinue work with clients for the foreseeable future. It was definitely a difficult and dark time for me both physically and mentally. I had no idea what was going on for some time and therefore I wasn’t able to predict when I would be able to get back to work. It was my faith that brought me through that situation and made space to look at things from a positive lens. It took some time to get there, but I came to the conclusion that I had something to learn through all of the struggle. I truly believe that the emotional turmoil of fear, anxiety, depression, anger, and hopelessness, made me a better therapist. It’s through those experiences that I’m able to relate to my clients everyday, and for that I’m grateful. I use my experiences, good and bad, to help others and show them they’re not alone.
Since then, I’ve chosen to look at my struggles as learning opportunities. Each challenge has taught me something, most importantly, they’ve shown me that I’m capable of overcoming hard things. I mean, that’s the type of cognitive refocusing I would talk to clients about everyday, so now I can show them that I practice what I preach! I say all that to say, it hasn’t been a smooth road, but I’m continuing to evolve daily in how I define myself and my business with the hopes of being able to reach as many as possible who are seeking support.
We’ve been impressed with Dr. Whitney Stewart-Hardy , 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 am a mental health provider working as an independent contractor in private practice. What this means is that if someone is seeking therapy, I am able to be found with a search of my name. Psychology Today is the primary platform where you can find out more about me and what I do. I provide services virtually and in-office at Preston Hollow Health & Wellness offices in Dallas, TX.
More specifically, I provide talk therapy and specialize in issues related to identity development, cultural diversity, life transitions, relationship/familial concerns and conflict, trauma, depression and anxiety, major life transitions, and stress management.
I am most proud of how I approach my work with clients as it’s led to clients feeling supported and validated. I approach my work with compassion and an attentive manner. I think about my overall work with clients from a psychodynamic and interpersonal lens, meaning I place a strong emphasis on the development of the therapeutic relationship and the use of the relationship as an intervention to provide more positive experiences. I also believe in the exploration of relationships and patterns that have historically and are currently either a support or hindrance to one’s life presently. I feel strongly about meeting clients where they are and working collaboratively to empower clients to discover their inner-strength. I provide a safe environment that allows for exploration to move past the emotions and situations negatively impacting one’s life.
While I do consistently see a diverse combination of gender, racial identity and ethnicity, as an African-American provider, it has always been important to me that I make sure to making myself accessible to the African-American community who commonly underutilize mental health services due to the stigma attached. I take pride in supporting those underserved communities and being an ally. I take a number of different insurances to make my services more easily accessible to anyone who may need them.
What’s next?
Currently, life looks a bit different since I became a Mom in 2021, and since then I’ve been working on more of a part-time basis to spend as much time as possible with my daughter during these early years of her life. However, this year I’ve re-engaged in building my clientele a bit more and plan to continue to building my practice to support more clients. My near future goals are to continue to build up my counseling practice and complete my licensing exam to add licensed psychologist to my credentials. I’m looking forward to the doors that will open for me and the connections that will be developed from there.
My ultimate goal is to be able to have a practice that offers support and guidance to others pursuing success in this field. I want to be able to offer mentorship and supervision not only in areas of psychology, but share helpful tools for success on the business side of things as well. I hope to be able to help others pursuing a career in counseling so they don’t have to run into some of the road blocks that I have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/whitney-stewart-dallas-tx/354461
- Instagram: dr.whithardy
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-stewart-hardy-phd-lpc-a-66713545
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/whitney-stewart-dallas-tx/354461
