Hello Everyone! I’m Darsha D. Clark and this is my very first blog post, so I want to tell you a little about myself. I   am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and I have been working in the mental health field since 1997. Yes, 1997! Mental health is my passion and there is no encore career for me. I have worked in a variety of settings with numerous responsibilities. For more than half of my career I worked with children. Currently I work with adults. My vast experiences have enabled me to work with people with a wide range of difficulties. I've decided that the last thing I will be doing professionally is owning my private practice BUT I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. The way I see it I still have a good 15 - 20 years left to do my favorite thing…Helping people. After that I’ll just be sitting on my porch chit chatting with anyone who wants to talk.

Along with providing therapy for adults I am a speaker and trainer. There is so much stigma, myths, and misunderstandings about mental health. So part two of my mission is to educate and advocate for mental health services and for the people that need them. Haha, I sound like a superhero. I just have a lot of passion for what I do. Lastly, I consult with churches and agencies to create and implement mental health services and initiatives. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about my big three...but when you do what you love and have been called to do what you love the energy to do it is HIGH, HIGH. Now don't get me wrong, I have wonderful work life balance, and I take time to engage in self-care. I had to make sure I said that because my clients would come for me. Every working day I'm talking about self-care and work life balance. No one will take care of you better than a healthy you!

Now that you know about me let's talk about what you should expect from my blog. I will provide many, many tips about how to improve or maintain overall mental health. I'm always thinking about how I can help my clients...not ruminating (I'll definitely get to that topic later). Most of the focus will be to help people care for themselves, learn how to access the support they need, and positively utilize people in their life. Of course, I'm all about information, but it will be based on my experiences. I want to know what y’all out there want to know. Hahah...Ask a Therapist! Wait that's me! If you have questions or topics that you would like for me to write about I will as long as I have the knowledge. I will not fake it. If I don't know I will point you in the right direction. You can get in touch with me by utilizing the contact tab on my website. I'll read them...it will be me not AI not a ghost writer. My Big 3 jams that I love are relationship stuff, faith, and life transitions. Some topics to be looking out for will be about boundaries, communication, valuing yourself, faith, changes, and many more! Let me know what I can add to the list. Stay tuned, the first topic is coming soon. Until then, remember We Can Do Hard Things!

Until next time.

Take Care, Darsha D!