Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Reeves.
Hi Erica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up as a sensitive kid, I struggled a lot with expressing myself and connecting with others. My sensitivity was often seen as a weakness by my peers, and I learned how to keep everything I was feeling inside. This turned into intense anger, anxiety, and depression that I did not understand and didn’t want anyone to know about. I sought therapy for the first time when I was 17 years old, and it truly saved my life. At the time, I struggled to see past the negativity and sadness to even envision a future for myself. Once I got to college, my social-based anxiety and confusion on how people worked led me to anthropology–the study of humans. I began with a minor in psychology, and quickly learned that psychology was the path for me. I began to understand the inner workings of my mind as well as the minds of others, and human behavior started to make sense to me. I pushed myself to join organizations, lead committees, do presentations, and basically everything that terrified me. No one knew that everyday interactions were exhausting and anxiety-provoking for me. I went to therapy on-and-off in college, and never really found a good fit until I started graduate school for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Until this happened, I never felt as if I could truly open up and tell one person everything that went through my head. It was such a liberating experience to allow another person to see me and offer support when I was struggling–which was quite a bit during grad school. Throughout it all, I have dealt with a lot of self-doubt and lack of confidence in my abilities to succeed, whatever that may mean at the time. It was not until I started a role at a therapy practice that offered adequate support, while also allowing me to spread my wings, that I truly came into my own flow and trusted my judgement. This, along with my own ongoing work in therapy and energy healing practices truly changed everything for me. Coming into my own flow allowed me to expand my vision to not only include therapy services, but somatic techniques including yoga and breath-work, as well as sound healing. I have begun to hold spaces for larger groups and am honored to share the healing power of movement and sound. I now know everything I pushed myself to do growing up has prepared me for this moment and those to come.
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 has truly been the bumpiest ride I could ever imagine, but I am grateful for it all. I mentioned some of the mental health struggles I experienced while growing up, and though therapy as a teen provided some relief, my symptoms persisted and did get more severe as I got older. Especially with the intensity of graduate school, I often doubted my ability to follow through with my program and considered dropping out numerous times. Not only did the stress get to me, the lack of connection with my fellow students caused a lot of past experiences to bubble up to the surface. It was frustrating that my difficulty with social connection continued even as an adult and I continued to feel alone. Finding my place amongst fellow humans has always been one of my biggest personal struggles, and I always allowed this to impact my self-esteem. This lack of confidence would often impact my trust in myself to go for what I want, and I would often hold myself back from taking necessary steps toward my goals.
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?
I am a mental health counselor that values holistic care and authenticity in the therapy space. I enjoy an eclectic approach, primarily utilizing techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, mindfulness, and expressive arts. I love to work with fellow neurodivergent clients on connecting to themselves and their bodies, understanding how their mind works, and finding acceptance and love for themselves. I am also a sound healing facilitator and I am on my journey to become a yoga teacher. I have recently started to hold sound bath and somatic movement classes within the fitness community to promote recovery and healing for larger groups.
I am most proud of my own self-care practices that allow me to continue this work. Though I love what I do and cannot imagine doing anything else, it is really tough sometimes. We are all going through something, and I am responsible for showing up even when I have personal things going on. I am proud of the fact that I practice what I preach and the things I suggest for clients come from my education but also my own personal experience about what actually works.
I have such a deep love for humans, despite the harm we can do to each other and the world around us. I bring this love and compassion into my work with clients because I know this is how true healing happens. Not only do I enjoy helping others through difficult times, I also love to hear their good news, their wins, and recognize their progress. I want every human I encounter to feel this love because I understand what it is like not to feel it around you. I know how scary it can be to feel like you are going through this life on your own. I have no motivations other than to be a healing presence for every space I walk into.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking can be very difficult but is so necessary. This has made the biggest impact on my journey, because you never know who you could meet or what doors can open as a result. The first step is to figure out your own purpose and vision. What do you need support in and what do you want to learn more about? Figure out what is important to you as well, whether you hold a certain identity or have values that you would like to expand upon with this mentor or within your network. I push myself to go to events related to my work or my interests and connect with people who I have things in common with. Social media is also an amazing tool for connecting with others who may not be local to you but offer what you are looking for. The biggest thing is connecting to your own intuition, because mentors are amazing, but every person you encounter is also operating from their own experiences. Someone may give you feedback or advice, but it may not be what is best for you.
Pricing:
- Therapy $120/session
- Sound Bath Events $25
- Private Sound Bath $40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.starscounselingservices.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/yagirlcanheal
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erreeves/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/yagirlcanheal
