Today we’d like to introduce you to Vaughn P. O’Neal.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Vaughn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I felt the stereotypical pull towards “helping people” since high school. I began college in pre-medicine, but eventually found my way into the mental health field–which is a much better fit for my personality and vision. I earned the Master of Social Work degree from Tulane University in 1994. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has provided psychotherapy to folks of all ages, ethnic groups, nationalities, etc. I am approved by Texas’ social work licensing board to provide clinical supervision to LMSWs working towards the LCSW. My favorite tag line for myself is that “I’ve worked in nearly every setting a social worker can, and on nearly every issue that would compel a person to seek counseling.” This has given me tremendous insight into the human mental condition and allows me to usher students and other supervisees into the social work field with a good foundation of knowledge.
I began CentrePath Counseling in 1998 as a very part-time endeavor, and after six years, decided to return to the “W2 workforce.” I re-opened the practice just last year with a vision for addressing particularly mental health issues in the Black community.
Has it been a smooth road?
The journey to my current place in the field has been one with both smooth and rough roads. As a therapist, I think I’ve thrived–connecting with clients in various settings and working on an array of issues. However, it has been the administrative world that brought the roughest roads. The road of a manager/leader is filled with potholes and nails in the road of office politics, bureaucratic barriers, and ego conflicts. These often get in the way of serving the mission and clients of the agency, yet they appear to have been accepted as a “normal” aspect of the American workplace. And as a Black man, these pitfalls are highlighted by often unconscious racial bias, which leads to further ego conflicts and power brokering.
Please tell us about your business.
CentrePath Counseling is a psychotherapy practice. I provide individual and couples therapy for persons 16 years of age or older. Currently the practice is 100% online, but I plan to add the option of in-person sessions soon. I also provide clinical supervision for LMSWs–both individually and group. CentrePath’s primary objective is to address the mental health needs of the Black community and Black men in particular.
Black folks have a unique experience in the USA, and as such, we benefit from seeing a counselor who is of the community, knows the community, and can speak with the community. Black clients report easier and quicker rapport-building with a Black therapist and tend to have better counseling outcomes. Black men in particular struggle with even acknowledging their own mental health needs, and when they do, they shy away from professional services as a way to address them. However, the presence of a Black male therapist eases the stigma and allows for more genuine sharing.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like Houston’s mix of diverse cultures and the way those cultures tend to overlap and interact. This allows all Houstonians to experience the foods, holiday traditions and celebrations, clothing–all the trappings of culture–of so many ethnic groups. Nevertheless, one can find places where only “their” ethnic group tends to gather, which allows for folks to behave according to their own social norms–rather than feel obligated to follow the dominant norms of the US because of outside influence.
My least favorite thing about Houston is the traffic. He whose work and home are less than 15 minutes apart is among the lucky few. So the rest of us must spend inordinate amounts of time shuffling to work. Everyone, at some point says, “there has to be a better way!”
Pricing:
- Clinical supervision – $85 per individual session, $65 per group
- Individual therapy – $125 per hour
- Mention VoyageHouston and receive 40% discount off first session (therapy or supervision)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.linktr.ee/centrepath
- Phone: 832-539-3892
- Email: voneal@centrepathcounseling.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/centrepath
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/voneal627
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