Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Thomas.
Hi Zoe, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I didn’t know that being a therapist was my calling when I chose this career. I made the decision to get my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling because I knew I wouldn’t make a living with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While in grad school, I finally decided to start my healing journey and work with a therapist. My very first therapist, Vanessa McClean, helped me change my life. I didn’t understand the power of therapy until I experienced it myself. My healing journey has not been linear, and I’ve had many bouts of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks since high school. However, going on my journey and figuring out what works for me has helped me deepen my relationship with my career and fueled my passion for helping others.
I’ve always wanted to share what I’ve learned–both in the classroom and in life–with others. My first blog, The Life Therapist, launched in 2016 and it was my take on what I’ve learned throughout my life so far and in my journey as a [then] future therapist and someone who was in therapy. My goal was to help others by sharing my insights on personal development, mental health, and self-care. Although The Life Therapist was building momentum, my mental health worsened, and after a year and a half, I decided to stop blogging. I spent years wondering what my life would look like had I kept going. What I didn’t know at the time was that the break was exactly what I needed. I’ve evolved into a version of myself that is more conscious, mature, and emotionally resilient. My thoughts and opinions hold more value now than they did before.
While working full-time as a therapist, I realized that I’d been having the same conversations with most of my clients. All of my clients seemed to be dealing with similar issues, such as anxiety, depression, boundaries, relationship issues, communication skills, trauma, etc. Once I became aware that I was providing the same psychoeducation, homework, coping skills, and interventions to most of my caseload, I realized that there was an opportunity to make a bigger difference. Why limit myself to helping change 30 lives at a time when I could possibly help change hundreds or thousands of lives at a time? Although Instagram was around when I started The Life Therapist, written blogs were the preferred medium at the time. There was no video content outside of YouTube. TikTok changed the game in 2020, making it possible for anyone with a voice and an opinion to share it and go viral.
After years of struggling with imposter syndrome and fearing failure, I impulsively created my first reel in February 2023. I had no idea what I was doing, and it looked a mess, LOL. My original goal was to create lifestyle content, but then I remembered what I’m really good at, which is educating! I decided to stay in my lane and dominate it. Thus, The School For Therapy was born in June 2023, and I have stuck to my mission of “destigmatizing and demystifying therapy and mental health one post at a time!” I’ve been committed to this mission and have continued to post and build my community ever since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been far from a smooth journey. I’m a trained therapist, not a creative director, video editor, and social media specialist. Creating content has been a HUGE learning curve for me, and it’s been really frustrating at times. The hardest part for me is knowing that although I’m great at what I do and that I know what I’m talking about, it’s going to take time for people to know my name. Dealing with the algorithm has also been difficult. I don’t even think most of my followers are able to see my videos on their timeline. I miss the days when Instagram used to show each post in the order it was posted. The good ol’ days!
I, like most people, want instant gratification. I want to see my dreams fulfilled now. I work really hard on keeping myself grounded, encouraged, and realistic. I try to focus on enjoying the process and having low expectations of the engagement.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Outside of my full-time job as a licensed therapist, I’m also a content creator and a consultant. I create short-form and long-form video content on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The name of my platform is The School For Therapy. So much of being a therapist is teaching my clients vital information, and I see myself as an educator at the core. Thus, The School For Therapy was born out of a desire to take what I teach my 1:1 clients and provide it to the broader public to make a greater impact. I’m also intentional about demystifying therapy specifically so that people understand how therapy works and can create realistic expectations of the process, themselves as clients, and their therapist. It’s also important to me that I humanize therapists. In our society, although we talk about therapy, we don’t talk about therapists very often. It’s very odd. I don’t think most people understand that therapists are humans. We’re imperfect, and most of us struggle with our mental health, too. I try not to position myself as a know-it-all, but rather as a person who knows a lot and is still trying to figure many things out. This is why I also post “day in my life” videos and show up as my authentic self in my content.
I’m also a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor, and I LOVE public speaking. Facilitating workshops gives me another chance to make a greater impact in one setting.
What makes you happy?
So many things. My plants make me happy. I enjoy helping people and plants bloom into their full potential. My home life makes me so happy. It’s just me, my husband, and our dog in our apartment together but I love it. I love how safe and secure I feel on a regular basis. The simplicity of my life right now makes me very happy. I love watching my clients grow and progress over time. I love it when they tell me that they thought of me or heard my voice and decided to make a healthy decision. I’m also very happy with myself. I’ve become a version of myself that I didn’t think existed. I’m SO freaking proud of me. Creating content makes me happy as well. I enjoy the process of bringing my vision to life. I also feel really happy when people reach out and share how helpful as piece of content was for them. I’m happy knowing that I’m serving my purpose in this life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zoezdthomas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolfortherapy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoezdthomas/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWxGMMRsgntu3d7lXRGW7OA
