Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Hughes.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I like to say I didn’t choose to become a therapist, the therapy field chose me. From a really young age, I was always sensitive and empathic, sometimes to my detriment. Supporting others and listening to problems came naturally and as I grew older, I quickly became my friend’s and family’s unofficial therapist. Once I left for college, I felt a bit lost. How an 18-year-old is supposed to choose a lifelong career is beyond me, but somehow I decided business would be the route for me.
The beginning of sophomore year, I had just started some of my more advanced business courses and then I received “the call”. The urgent phone call requested that I immediately come home from school. Something had happened to my dad but they couldn’t tell me what. I made the three hour drive home from college confused and hoping for the best. When I arrived at home, I was told my dad had died by suicide, physically healthy at age 53. I could try and explain why my dad might have died by suicide, but suicide is one of those things that will never make rational sense unless you’ve been in the dark depths of depression yourself. After months of shock, denial, anger, and tears, I decided I had a choice to make. I could be defined by this mental health tragedy or I could make a difference. I spoke with my family and decided to change my major from business to psychology. The rest is history. Don’t worry, I’ve spent plenty of years in my own therapy processing this loss.
Like any good therapist, I am aware of what my triggers look like and am mindful of my own wounds while providing therapy for others. Losing my dad was a life-changing event that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and at the same time, it made me the outspoken, passionate, caring therapist I am today. I have skin in the game, I know how mental health can destroy people when it’s not addressed and how healing it can be when the right tools come together. I want to continue to be part of the “right tools” for people and continue to be the change agent that everyone deserves to have on their side. After working in multiple settings like a private practice, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and local Houston non-profits, I made the decision to start my own telehealth private practice, Mind Body Therapy PLLC. I now specialize in working with adult women experiencing anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms. I’m also a registered yoga teacher and trained trauma-informed yoga provider, so I enjoy incorporating movement into the healing process with my clients who are interested in that approach. It’s such an honor to get to walk alongside my clients as they create the changes they want to see in their lives. It seems my story has come full circle as I now get to incorporate both my early interest in business and my passion for psychotherapy by being a private practice business owner.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Becoming a licensed therapist in private practice has been more like a marathon rather than a sprint. I studied psychology as an undergrad, which took four years, followed by two years in a master’s program. After graduating with my masters I had what can be referred to as residency, where I spent 3000 hours working with clients while being mentored by a licensed supervisor before I could become fully licensed. In total, it took me eight years to reach my goal of being an independently licensed counselor in Texas. After becoming fully licensed, I decided to take the leap into private practice and have been faced with a whole new set of challenges like learning how to market myself, manage my finances, and still provide quality therapy to my clients all at the same time. The passion for what I do and the response I get to see clients have when they start having new life experiences have been the motivation that has kept me going all these years.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mind Body Therapy. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My practice Mind-Body Therapy PLLC provides quality online mental health services for women throughout Texas. For those who might be skeptical about online therapy, I’ve seen my clients thrive with telehealth. Emerging research suggests online therapy is just as effective as in person for anxiety and depression. Not only is online therapy effective, it’s also really convenient. I have met with clients from their offices, bathrooms, cars, you name it. Telehealth gives women who typically carry the burden of multiple roles like mom, boss, wife, friend, etc. the ability to squeeze in 50 minutes of taking care of themselves into their busy lives. In turn this allows them to show up even more for others. How does the saying go? “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Here are some common reasons women contact me:
Chronic Worrying: I help women with anxiety symptoms put a stop to cycles of worrying, panic, and overthinking.I can help you enjoy the life you’ve worked so hard to create.
Recovery from Depression, Grief, and Trauma: Sometimes, the onset of depression, loss of a loved one, or traumatic event can get in the way of being the best possible version of you. I will help you reconnect to your authentic self and head in the direction you want.
Exhausted Moms: You’re so busy taking care of everyone around you there’s no time or energy left for you. Despite this, you struggle with feeling like you aren’t doing enough as a mom. You love your children but feel guilty about longing for adult conversations outside of baby babble. I can help.
Everything in between: I work with women who are dealing with life transitions, struggling with confidence, and want better relationships with their partners and families.
In our sessions together you can expect your story to be heard. Even the little details most people don’t catch. You will feel validated when appropriate and given tools to do better when you feel like you could’ve showed up in a more effective way. You can expect to laugh a lot and cry when you need to do that too. If anger comes up, great! That means we’re up to something big. Most importantly, I want you to feel better. If I can’t help you with that, I will do my best to connect you with someone who can. I have a women’s eight week DBT Based Skills class coming up May 6- June 24 where we will learn and practice skills to help regulate emotions, manage relationships, tolerate distress and be more present. If you are not sure if I can help, send me an email, I’d love to talk: liz@mbthouston.com.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I work in the mental health field, so it feels really natural for me to talk about mental health, but there is still so much work that needs to be done around destigmatizing mental health disorders. Moving to online therapy helps makes it a lot easier to get services over a lunch break and not have to talk to your boss about taking time off, but for a lot of people, that isn’t feasible. There’s still so much shame around asking for help or telling people in positions of power, “hey I might need a little extra support if my depression hits”. I get it, people usually don’t respond in the best way, that’s why it’s important for me to be an ally in the causes I believe in and speak up for marginalized voices. There’s a poem I love by Martin Niemoller that says, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” I hope to continue to be outspoken and empower the marginalized populations that I serve.
Contact Info:
- Email: liz@mbthouston.com
- Website: www.mbthouston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbodytherapyhtx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mindbodytherapyhtx
Image Credits
Tessa Andrade
