Today we’d like to introduce you to Tavares Bostic.
Hi Tavares, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Like many, I grew up in a single-parent home. My mother and I lived in a tiny one-bedroom house with no running water and no toilet system. Amazingly, I never realized that by today’s standards, we were considered poor. Sure, we had to collect rainwater for household use and baths. Sure, we had to borrow water from neighbors in big jugs. Sure, our bathroom was a bucket, but I thought nothing of it.
My mother taught me that our current set of circumstances did not have to translate over into what our futures could be. The combination of love and nurturing from my mother, with patrol and governing from my uncles and stepfather, I developed the confidence to take on every challenge. Subsequently, I see every challenge as either an opportunity to contest areas of growth in my life or use said challenges as an opportunity to break barriers. Living in a small rural area, at times can mean that opportunities for furthering education are limited. In 2003 I graduated from Richmond Senior High School located in Rockingham, NC. During my senior year, Mr. Bruce Stanback (school board president) challenged us. He said, “once you graduate, go off, get your worldly experience and education, then come back and help rebuild.” At the time, I said to myself “why would anyone want to come back to this place”. It would be my personal journey after leaving my hometown that would shape my path of returning home to fulfill the challenge.
After graduation, I followed the footsteps of my family and joined the Army National Guard as a 12 Bravo Combat. I later attended and graduated with honor from NC A&T State University with a degree in social work. As the first person in my family to graduate from college, this was quite the accomplishment for all of us. I was fortunate enough to be offered a full-ride scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh. There, I received my master’s in social work with a certification in mental health. I continued to live and work in Pittsburgh for four years as a chemical dependency therapist. Although that work was fulfilling, I felt like I could do more. I was offered a job in Whiteville, NC and returned home to Marston, NC. Not far from where my mother and I lived all those years ago. Once I returned, I dedicated myself to the community and took on the charge set by Mr. Bruce Stanback. I began by founding Brothers Leaning on Another Creating Kings or “B.L.A.C.K”. This organization focuses on changing the negative narrative of young African American males ages 12-18. Our focus is manhood, community activism, education, mental wellness. Later, after truly digging into the community, I decided to jump into politics. The idea was once we understood the needs of the community, we could push necessary resources in the directions of ones that needed them most. With the help of friends and family, I was able to reestablish the Young Democrats of Richmond County. They had not been established for more than 25 years. The Democratic party later elected me to be chair. A position I held until I ran for County Commissioner. Like many first timers, I lost to the incumbent. I learned a lot from the experience and continued my community work.
In 2017, I founded Bostic Counseling & Consulting which is a psychotherapy practice. The primary focus of this practice is geriatric psychiatry, marriage and family counseling, and individual counseling covering mental illness across the spectrum. This has been one of my most valued accomplishments. To not only start a business in my hometown but to also offer jobs. We have been fortunate to cover several areas in NC and VA. In 2018 I decided to give County Commissioner one more chance. By the grace of God and the wonderful citizens of Richmond County, I was voted in. I guess in short (lol), I can be summed up by telling you that I come from a solid foundation, built by a mother that worked in factories and health care and a US Marine Corp Veteran father. They taught me to love learning, to seek a broader world, and to never forget where I came from.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am a huge proponent of the greater good. I have learned that for the ones of us that seek to protect the greater good will always be met with a certain level of tough times and even chaos. My mother has always reminded me that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. In many ways, I’m thankful to not have such a smooth road. It allows me to appreciate both my successes and my failures.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am the founder and CEO of Bostic Counseling & Consulting. We specialize in geriatric psychiatry. Essentially we provide medication management and psychotherapy to older adults residing in assisted living and retirement communities. On a smaller scale, we provide marital and family counseling and cover mental illness across the spectrum. What sets us apart from some of the other companies providing a similar services is that we are smaller and truly use that to build genuine relationships. We pride ourselves on building long-lasting relationships because we know that those relationships lead to the very best treatment of our patients. I believe that genuine human contact that is healthy and long-lasting is the best medicine we can offer. The readers should know that we put our all into providing a great service.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I’ve tried hard to live by three values. Vision, commitment and sacrifice. Most importantly, as long as have good intentions for what I do and the people involved, I count that as success. I’ve lived long enough to know that money and positions will come and go. Material possessions will come and go. We don’t always have control over that. My name, how I treated people along the way, my ability to preserve the greater good will live on much longer than worldly possessions. That’s my success.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bosticcounseling.com
- Instagram: Bostic Counseling & Consulting/ Tavares Bostic
- Facebook: Bostic Counseling & Consulting/Tavares Bostic
Image Credits
@Lashayphotography
