Today we’d like to introduce you to Noushine Navabi.
Hi Noushine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I knew pretty early on, as early as about 11 years old, that I wanted to be a therapist. I’ve always been a pretty intuitive person and at the time, I had no concrete reasoning other than the idea of it just “felt” right for me. In 7th grade, I was actually nominated by the school guidance counselors to be my grade’s peer mediator. I don’t think the counselor fully thought this through considering the language barrier I was facing having just recently moved to the US. With English still a barrier, I wasn’t able to fulfill the position needs. Nonetheless, it showed me that the counselors saw something in my potential, which felt very reaffirming.
Fast forward to my post-graduate career, I had just moved to Atlanta and wanted to pick an area of specialty that I could fully immerse myself in. At the same time, I was becoming increasingly aware of the volume of sex trafficking taking place in Atlanta. I decided to focus my attention on trauma and sex trafficking. I began volunteering with a local nonprofit organization working with female survivors of trafficking, eventually becoming a clinician for them.
I eventually left this nonprofit and started working at an intensive outpatient substance abuse facility as their trauma specialist. Unfortunately, this facility ended up shutting their doors in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Still needing to earn a living, I decided to use this opportunity to launch my own private practice, keeping trauma as my speciality. That’s how Noushine Navabi Counseling LLC was born. In retrospect getting laid off was the catalyst I needed to propel me forward. As time passes, the truer it feels to me that trauma work is where my heart is and exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! Prior to launching my practice, I had been a therapist for many years. I knew how to be a good and ethical therapist. However, I had never been a business owner before, so there was definitely a large learning curve at first. I didn’t know how to properly schedule, effectively collect payment, manage admin duties, or how to best market and advertise my new business, just to name a few. I made plenty of mistakes along the way that have cost me both time and money, but the process has been incredibly rewarding and empowering. Now I don’t think I would ever want to work for anyone else again!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a LPC (licensed professional counselor) that specializes in trauma. I work a lot with marginalized populations including LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC. Over the years, I have taken extensive trauma-specific trainings, including EMDR, which is what I get the most referrals for. EMDR, which stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, is an evidenced based modality that uses bilateral stimulation and enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. My clients often seek out EMDR therapy to achieve a new depth to their therapeutic work, so I often like to pair EMDR with somatic psychotherapy to help clients attain a greater sense of mind and body congruence.
One additional skill set I have is that I am trained in ketamine assisted psychotherapy and have partnered with a local clinic in order to be able to provide that service. I find psychedelic assisted therapy to be fascinating since oftentimes, it can quickly help clients who struggle with treatment resistant depression or anxiety to disengage from routine negative thought patterns and attain a more embodied experience of positivity.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
On a more personal note, I used to compete in long-distance triathlons for several years and worked my way up to several half-ironman triathlons (70.3 miles). I also speak four languages and used to backpack solo in Central and South America. Upon reflection, I think that was probably just as equally frightening and empowering as starting my own practice.
Contact Info:
- Email: NoushineLPC@NoushineNavabi.com
- Website: https://www.noushinenavabi.com/
Image Credits:
Photographer: Jose Bonilla
