Accepting New Clients

Hello! I'm Malika, LPC

You’ve taken the jump, read the profiles about how therapy is challenging and tailored to you. It’s true, us therapists want to create a space for you to feel safe to dive into the parts of you that feel scary to show the people around you. If there are any people around you at all. But all the profiles start to sound the same - “person centered,” “nonjudgmental,” “a safe space.”But what does any of that mean when it’s coming from a stranger who may appear completely put together?

• Connect

Person-first approach

Every person is unique and so is their journey.

I’m a licensed professional counselor, but I haven’t always been a counselor. I’ve struggled with my mental health throughout my life, including when I started my practice in 2022. I pushed myself because the same beliefs - the people pleasing part, the “not good enough” part, the caretaker part - were still in the drivers seat of my life, and it burned me out. I had to drop the mask I had carefully crafted my whole life and figure out who I was behind the therapist role I had assigned myself. So in 2024 I left the field to try to integrate and heal the parts of me that felt deeply ashamed of being myself and of taking up space. That path brought me back to childcare, a space I originally existed in for most of my career. There I was able to reconnect with play, with being seen, and with people who taught me how to let go of what’s outside of my control.In therapy with me we will build trust that I’m human too, which means when the weeks come up when you don’t want to “do the work,” I get it because I’ve been there. You’ll be met by a human who has walked through the darkness of figuring out, who the hell am I? Separate from what your parents, friends, teachers, or community wanted or expected of you, and we’ll find who you really are underneath the carefully crafted persona you’ve created to survive. Expect a lot of questions because I want to know what’s behind the automatic thoughts, feelings and reactions you’ve created for others, but also for yourself. Because what I’ve found is that we often aren’t just hiding our true selves from others, but also from ourselves. That’s the person I’m trying to bring to the surface - to live and to finally be free.

• Connect

You are not alone.

If any of this resonates, reach out.

I offer a free 15-minute consultation — no commitment, just a
conversation. Call or email me if you are interested. Taking the first step is the hardest part, and you don't have to do it alone.

• [email protected]
• 267-377-4437