Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTanya Tolan.
LaTanya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2005, I earned my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and have been since 2011. My career has provided me with many awesome opportunities, including working for the second-largest school district in the nation as both a Psychiatric Social Worker and an Administrator; consulting for various agencies; work in Foster Care and Adoptions; being a Professor and Field Liaison in a MSW program, providing clinical supervision and establishing my private practice (in 2011). I enjoyed each unique experience, met many beautiful people and been very humbled to walk with and support my clients through the most difficult times in their lives, and even in my own life. I appreciate all of the experiences as they have made me the clinician that I am today! God has given me a very unique gifting to connect with people. And I have always known that God called me to the field of Social Work. In the beginning, I had no idea that I would travel the road that I have. However, I always trusted that God would make sure I ended up where I was destined.
As I continued to grow as a black woman in America and as a black clinician in America, my eyes and heart began to expand in a different way. My purpose and what I was destined to do, slowly began to be revealed to me. It is no secret that due to historical and current racism, black people have unique, sometimes life-altering experiences in America. And black professional healers who support other black people also have a very different experience than the rest of the population, as our lives intersect into both lanes. With the constant unjustified killings of black people, not only happening period, but happening as often as they do, without any justice being served, shined a light for me to notice the hits and traumas on my own soul, as well of the souls of other black clinicians. I began to be a huge self-care advocate, not only for myself but also amongst my black colleagues and black clients. A foundational belief that I hold is that self-care is an ethical mandate for anyone in the helping professions. I also believe that black healing professionals require a more extensive level of support beyond self-care. This is exactly why I destined to create Soul Care for Black Clinicians™.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has not been a smooth one… Getting still enough to hear from God about my purpose that expands so wide, is never easy. It definitely isn’t easy while still working a full-time job, spending hours daily in LA traffic, all while tending to your own personal life and trials. Then, once hearing what I was supposed to do, the execution also required a lot, as life is still happening. Being a clinician and helping folks doesn’t mean that life isn’t happening to me. It just means that I too, have to make sure that my soul is healthy enough to continue to support others in the various capacities that I do. I believe that everything I went through both personally and professionally God used to bring me to this point. I am now where I am supposed to be and it is in its perfect time!
Soul Care for Black Clinicians™ – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Soul Care for Black Clinicians™ specifically serves black mental health clinicians, other professional black healers and black coaches through mental health therapy, coaching programs, clinical consultation, private practice capacity building and professional development. What makes me different is that I solely focus on black healers who are also focused on healing other black people.
As a clinician, I provide culturally relevant, strength-based interventions while utilizing an eclectic approach. The clinical interventions that I provide are primarily by incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused therapy through a trauma-informed lens.
As a life coach, I continue to provide culturally relevant coaching interventions, also from a strength-based perspective. I help healers identify goals, find solutions to issues impeding their personal or professional progress. I also help healers identify the niche in which they are destined to execute.
I support all of my clients with individualized approaches while providing accountability, caring, honesty, and realness.
I provide the following: 1) mental health therapy services. 2) Online coaching and consultation for individuals and groups. 3) Live corporate services for various types of professional groups are also available.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I personally define success as the following: 1) God being pleased with me, 2) me being my authentic self, 3) inspiring others to be who they were destined to be and 4) my clients gaining powerful insights and making progress.
I am very analytical and am always reflecting on how to be better, my definition of better. I also define that space of reflection, as success. Without reflection, there simply is no way to determine what you may need to improve. And there is always room for improvement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soulcareforblackclinicians.com
- Phone: 424-321-7685
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @soulcareforblackclinicians
- Twitter: @latanyatolan
- Other: www.latanyatolan.com
Image Credit:
Picture with Black Top and Picture on the Retreat flyer were taken by Wreiko Dawson.
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