Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Bryant.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in the small town of Little Rock, AR as a pretty quiet child. People often equate quiet people with being good secret keepers. So, I was naturally the go-to person for family and friends when they needed advice. Growing up with a love for science, I knew I wanted to be a physician. I actually didn’t have any personal experience with therapy until my freshman year of college. As a child, my mom suffered from congestive heart failure and during my high school years her health rapidly declined.
The year before starting college on my 17th birthday, my cousin woke me up early in the morning to tell me my mother had died. I remember feeling numb. That following school year, I pushed all my grief to the side and tried to make it through. After finishing high school, I left Arkansas for college. Between not dealing with the death of my mom and struggling as a pre-med student, I became overwhelmed and suicidal. I attempted suicide that year, and that resulted in a five day stay in the local psychiatrist hospital. After leaving the hospital, I went to weekly therapy sessions, but I didn’t connect with therapist. Having had that personal experience, I knew I wanted to be a therapist, but it wasn’t until my junior year of college that I actually pursued a bachelor’s degree in family studies.
After completing my bachelor’s degree, I went on to pursue a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at the only historical back college in Oklahoma. After I started my own therapy practice in 2015, I began seeing myself in my clients and immediately knew I needed to go back to counseling. This is when I discovered a substantial need in the ability to find a therapist of color. I decided to create a solution and started Therapy In Color ®, a platform for therapists of color to list their business profiles to reach potential clients of color. The platform has now grown to a community of over 600 members across web and social media platforms existing as the go-to website for finding therapists of color. Therapy In Color ® is inclusive for both men and women as well as all minorities.
Has it been a smooth road?
Between losing my mom and my battle with depression and attempted suicide, the road has not been easy. However, prioritizing my mental health and maintaining a relationship with my therapist has been vital to my overall wellbeing.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In my mental health practice, I work with individuals and couples encountering mental health challenges. I’ve found that my purpose revolves around supporting others in their own journey to inner peace. In approaching therapeutic relationships, I believe that with the right support people can learn to heal and replace irrational thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. In addition to my over 11 years in the mental health field, another focus of mine is speaking and dismantling myths surrounding mental health. I enjoy speaking about mental illness within the Black community, cultural competence in therapy, faith and mental health, breaking the sigma, telemental health therapy, women’s empowerment and self-esteem. I’ve been able to speak to some of these topics on TLC’s My 600-lb Life, US Weekly, Life & Style Magazine, InTouch Weekly, Daily Mail, PBS, FOX, Good Day DC and more.
Pricing:
- Therapy In Color is a free resources for the community to connect with therapists of color.
- Therapists can list their business for as little as $15 a month.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashleybryantlpc.com
- Email: ashleybryantlpc@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ashleybryantlpc
- Facebook: @ashleybryantlpc
Image Credit:
Valerie Rollins with Withuinmind Photography
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