Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Hopkins.
Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a child, I wanted to be a lawyer and help people get out of trouble but that changed when I was in the 4th grade. My favorite aunt was killed by her husband while in the process of their divorce, he pleads insanity and was given a slap on his wrist and sentenced to a mental hospital. At that point, I decided that I still wanted to be involved with the courts, but on the other side. I wanted to be the person that was able to help determine if someone was truly “insane” when they committed certain acts. This led to me becoming fascinated and interested in how the human mind works and human behavior as a whole. I graduated high school and went to Grambling State University for my freshman year, and then transferred to Prairie View A&M University, where I majored in Psychology and earned my Bachelors of Science (BS).
My plan was to go directly into graduate school further my education in psychology, but I was discouraged by others and ended up going too graduate to work on my MBA (I minored in Business Administration). I worked at Chase Bank and was not happy and ended up leaving when I got the opportunity to work at CPS in Conroe, Texas. I have always had a passion for working with children and helping them and CPS allowed me to see things from another perspective. It allowed me to see the results of children that did not get the therapy and healing that they needed when they were younger and grew up as hurt adults. There was a therapist that all the kids seemed to love talking with and we finally crossed paths after eight months of me hearing about her. She was so pleasant and I instantly knew why all the kids thought that we were sisters or related. She took her time to hear everyone out and provided feedback without judgment.
While sitting in my Accounting II with only 12 hours left on my MBA, I decided that it was not for me. I loved human interaction, not numbers, communicating. At this time, I left CPS and went on to work at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. I withdrew from the MBA program and went on to earn my Masters of Education Counseling (MEd) from Texas Southern University. I then went on to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
I officially opened my private practice, Kendred Wellness Center- PLLC, in September 2019 after taking the first step in my grieving of my brother. My brother, Kendale Hopkins Sr., has always been a motivator for me so in his honor, I named my practice after him (I replaced the KIN in Kindred with KEN). One of the last conversations that we had prior to his death was him questioning why I had not opened my own practice, so I have put all my heart and passion into helping those who don’t know where to go and start.
I can relate to so many because I know what it feels like to be loss. Hurt, depressed and broken and I feel like there is no one that understands, but I do. I went to therapy to help cope with his death and was able to experience what I have heard others speak of, a judgmental therapist. I walked out of the sessions hurting more than I was when I initially walked in, and that motivated me to help the upcoming therapist improve their approaches and techniques, so I recently became a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been easy, but I am grateful to have experienced everything that I have along the way. Being a black woman in the mental health field has been a blessing but also a challenge at the same time. I was approved to rent an office space, signed the lease and then told that I would have to pay more because the “owners were not comfortable with leasing the space to me” after they looked over my application and viewed my driver’s license. I have been discredited by potential clients who doubted my ability to provide sufficient services because I was a woman, was too young and did not have a male in the office with me. Additional obstacles encountered were the process of getting credentialed with insurance companies, creating a website that was user-friendly, handling billing, marketing and administrative tasks.
COVID-19 caused a new change in the way that treatment is administered and has been a bit of a challenge due to lack of consistency, but I have always been a person that learns from challenges and tries to make the best out of any given situation.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My expertise is working with individuals experiencing life stressors, including determining values and finding meaning and purpose in life, work-life balance, stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, parenthood, family stress, and the ending of a relationship. My goal is to help you understand new perspectives and gain control of your life. I have worked with individuals struggling with addiction, relationship crisis, victims of domestic violence, trauma, depression and grief. I work with children, adolescents and adults and provide skills training on stress management, anger management, bully prevention, and crisis intervention.
My counseling style is always open, highly interactive, and positive. I provide feedback, pose challenges, make observations and encourage my clients to be actively involved in every step of the therapy process. I believe in fostering a sense of hope. I care about the overall well-being and provide all the tools needed in order to seize the day and learn how to tackle even the most traumatic circumstances. To assure that I am the best fit and my techniques are a good approach, I offer a free 15-minute consultation.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I love traveling and trying new things. I am always open to learning, I never approach any situation as if I am a professional. I believe in manifesting to help release the inner thoughts and I provide a journal during the initial session to get the process going.
Pricing:
- FREE 15-minute consultation
- $125 for a 50 minute counseling session
Contact Info:
- Email: Kimberly.hopkins@kendredwellnesscenter.org
- Website: www.kendredwellnesscenter.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/kim_yourtherapist
- Facebook: facebook.com/kim_yourtherapist-100266248932037
