Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Brown.
Stacey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Stacey grew up in Alabama as a sixth generation Alabamian in her family lineage. After graduating from high school, Stacey entered Auburn University as a first generation college student in her maternal lineage as an Engineering major. She quickly realized that engineering was not in alignment with her natural curiosity, communication, interests and gifts. After taking a Family and Child Development course as an elective, Stacey knew that Psychology and Human Services were a much better fit. Stacey went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Development with a double minor in Psychology and a Certificate in Aging Studies. Her first professional work was in Atlanta as a Social Services Director in a skilled nursing facility helping the elderly and their families. After relocating to Southwest Florida, Stacey worked as an artist making wearable art jewelry while attending Graduate School at the University of South Florida. She received a Master of Arts Degree in Counselor Education and began her post-graduate professional life providing counseling services to children and adolescents. Stacey received her professional license in 1997.
Beginning as a specialist in elder care, Stacey’s path took her into the field of addictions and working with adolescents with substance abuse challenges, then to providing in-home counseling services for children and teens in foster care and adoption placements. Through Intensive Therapeutic On-Site Services, Stacey worked on location with some of Lee County, Florida’s most emotionally challenged youths both in the school and juvenile justice system.
Stacey served as a School Counselor and Behavioral Specialist and Teacher Trainer in the local Lee County schools where she won the prestigious Golden Apple Teacher Award for her trailblazing interventions with children, teachers and families. Through her business, The Foundation for Professional Development, she and her partner provided trainings and continuing education for teachers, administrators, nurses and mental health professionals throughout the state with a focus on bringing integrative interventions, principles of positive psychology and cooperative strategies to the classrooms and workplaces. As a wordsmith, Stacey has been published extensively on topics of wellness, parenting, mental health, relationships and women’s issues in local, regional and statewide publications. Stacey also has offered extensive community education by being a weekly columnist for the newspaper, a monthly columnist for Southwest Florida Parent and Child Magazine and a weekly advisor and educator for local news programs for many years. As a result of her extensive career and community outreach efforts, Stacey was awarded the “Working Mother of the Year” Award and was named “The Agitator, a Mom with Moxie” by Working Mother Magazine in 2002.
Stacey has embraced multiple roles in her career as a professor in higher education for Barry University, Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida Southwestern State College. Stacey created an Associate of Science degree program and three professional certificate programs for future counselors and human service professionals while she served as Director of the Human Services at Florida Southwestern State College. Once the Director of her group counseling practice, Stacey currently serves residents in the State of Florida in private counseling practice through telehealth.
Stacey’s personal experiences, healing journey, her family life, her own midlife awakening and ongoing late life wisdom have added rich layers to her work as a psychotherapist. In addition to her career as a counselor, Stacey discovered the wonders, healing power and joy of Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Reiki, Astrology and other spiritual practices she shares integratively in her work with clients. Today, Stacey integrates a vast array of tools, ancient wisdom practices, art and extensive education and experience into her unique approach to counseling and coaching practice.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Stacey’s career path has been a winding road driven by a desire to offer service from day one. While the path to present day career has been expansive, each step has offered rich learning experiences and personal healing that culminates in her present offerings. Struggles along the way tended to be personal challenges related to autoimmune disease and food allergies, relationships, grief and learning to balance personal and work life responsibilities, especially during parenting years. These and additional challenges related to her own personal healing and wellness journey proved to be incredible growth experiences both personally and professionally. Multiple, unexplainable synchronicities and divinely led opportunities have occurred in her life, which she draws upon to help others find patience and trust in their own journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Stacey Brown & Associates Counseling and Wellness?
Stacey Brown, the founder and Executive Director of Stacey Brown and Associates Counseling and Wellness, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with almost 30 years of experience providing assessment and counseling services specializing in individual, couples and family counseling. She opened her private practice in Fort Myers, Florida in 1999 and has a solo practitioner for more than twenty years. In September, 2018, Stacey expanded her practice to become a group counseling and wellness practice to provide more expansive services to address needs of the mind, body and spirit. Currently, Stacey provides telehealth counseling and coaching services throughout the state of Florida. Her personal journey of spiritual awakening, energy work and nutritional healing has complemented her extensive background in science, research, mindfulness and counseling philosophy to better address each individual with a. uniquely created integrative, intuitive, holistic, transpersonal health model.
Stacey specializes in helping clients understand and live successfully with ADHD, anxiety/stress, depression, trauma, parenting, divorce and changing families, relationship issues, domestic violence and narcisistic abuse, anger management, life transitions, maternal mental health, grief and loss, college and young adult issues, women’s issues and menopause.
Stacey’s treatment approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help clients resolve current problems, long-standing patterns, previous abuse and trauma. She incorporates a blend of conventional and alternatives approaches, drawing upon a variety of styles and techniques to incorporate what will be most helpful for each client such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Developmental Psychology, Brainspotting, Yoga philosophy, Meditation and Mindfulness, Ayurvedic medicine, spirituality, energy work and general wellness strategies. Her passion for creativity, artwork and journaling and somatic wellness is interwoven within counseling sessions, coaching and trainings and workshops. With sensitivity, patience, compassion, humor and perspective, she works with each client to help them build on their strengths to identify and achieve life goals, find or resurrect their voices and create an illuminated path for their future selves.
Stacey has published, taught and presented on a variety of topics ranging from parenting, wellness, educational accommodations, teacher training, behavior management and mental health topics for local, state and national audiences. She has provided education to mental health and human services professionals, administration, private businesses, non-profit organizations, professional organizations and for the public. She has been a featured presenter twice for the American Counseling Association and has provided webinars through state professional organizations..
Stacey Brown is a Nationally Certified Counselor, a Certified Cognitive-Behavioral Counselor with a Domestic Violence Endorsement ,a Human Services-Board Certified Practioner and is licensed and certified by the State of Florida as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Clinical Supervisor . She is a nationally Approved Clinical Supervisor as well. Stacey is a Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider , a Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider, a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and a Certified Mindfulness-Informed Clinician. Stacey is also a Certified Meditation Teacher.
Stacey is a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress and is a Diplomat of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, a Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and a Nationally Certified Brainspotting Practitioner. She is listed in The National Registry of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is a a member of the Premier Speakers Bureau for the National Center for Crisis Management. Stacey is also a Certified Anger Resolution Therapist and is a member of the National Registry of Certified Anger Resolution Therapists. She has a Level 2 Clinical Training Certification as a Gottman Method Couples Therapist.
Stacey is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 500), a Certified Three Wisdom Traditions Wellness Coach and a Certified Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist. Stacey is a Reiki Master Practitioner trained in the White Light and Usui Traditions. She has been trained in the practice of Transcendental Meditation and Shamanic Reiki. Stacey is also an Ordained Minister. She has studied spirituality and energy work under many wise teachers and many rich, ancient traditions.
Stacey also serves on the State of Florida Emergency Response Team for Mental Health and Wellness providing crisis counseling relief for Florida residents in the aftermath of hurricanes. She has served alongside other Therapists, Somatic Practitioners, Massage Therapists and Emergency Management Specialists as part of an incredible, integrative, specialized team after five major hurricanes.
As a volunteer, Stacey serves to provide guidance, mentoring and education for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. She currently serves as the Chapter Advisor for Philanthropy for the University of Central Florida Chapter of KKG and is a national trainer providing education for college women on the topics of mental wellness, self esteem, suicide prevention and dating violence prevention. Stacey also volunteers with the Alliance for the Arts and the Women’s Community Club in Fort Myers.
What sets Stacey apart from other therapists and what makes her most proud is that she doesn’t rely solely on talk therapy models to help her clients. Utilizing ancient wisdom practices, intuitive, energetic and spiritual practices integrated seamlessly with traditional models of therapy and specific trauma healing modalities such as Brainspotting, Stacey offers specialized care that offers breakthroughs and healings that are not achieved through talk therapy alone. Stacey’s personal journey of healing through parenting, life challenges, heartache, grief, trauma and autoimmune disease contribute to the depth of her knowledge, awarenesses and offerings. She’s been there herself and understands the complexity of life’s many challenges which helps her attune with and assist her clients easily and authentically.
To stay in touch and be notified of new offerings, classes and opportunities to work with Stacey, you may follow her on social media at @staceybrowncounseling on Instagram and Facebook and visit her website at www.staceybrowncounseling.com and sign up for her newsletter.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something surprising that most people who know about Stacey’s work may not know is that she is also an intuitive, abstract, mixed media artist. She has always been creative and has had many artful interests since childhood. She has explored many mediums including photography, painted furniture, collage, Raku pottery, handmade papers and creating wearable art jewelry with original, recycled and vintage materials, metals and crystals.
Many years ago when Stacey was in graduate school, she and her business partner had a wearable art jewelry business that was managed from the garage studio. Handmade jewelry was sold through sales representatives before the days of the Internet. Their jewelry was featured and sold in galleries, boutiques and novelty stores in Canada, Guam and all across America. The pair were guest artists at the Atlanta and Dallas Apparel Markets in the late 1980’s. Their wearable art jewelry was even featured for three seasons in 33 Macy’s South stores!
Most recently, joy has been found the creation of acrylic and mixed media abstract paintings. Stacey’s artwork is influenced by nature, yoga, color, patterns, energy practices and intuitive or channeled inspirations. Stacey has been the recipient of the coveted City of Fort Myers Artist Grant twice in the past three years. She is currently busily painting in preparation for an upcoming show that will be featuring the 2025 grant winners. You may follow her art adventures on Instagram at @staceybrownart and @staceybrownart_official.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.staceybrowncounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceybrowncounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staceybrowncounseling/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stacey-brown-associates-counseling-and-wellness-services/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceycbrown/
Image Credits
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