Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Ebony Butler.
Dr. Butler, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I moved to Austin, TX in 2016, I was providing psychological services for a local agency. After working in and learning the city a little better, in 2019, I decided to venture out to open a part-time private practice. My goal was to provide therapy to Black women, other women of color, and people with marginalized identities. However, what I realized was that I was the only Black female psychologist in private practice in the city at that time. What was supposed to be a part-time private practice turned into a full caseload. I found myself not having the capacity to provide the services needed to the community.
Thus, issues like accessibility, cost, and stigma presented as barriers to providing mental health care to the populations that I wanted to serve. So, I revisited an idea that had come to me in 2018 of creating a card deck. I decided that I could turn that idea into a mental health resource to provide quality level self-exploration and self-insight work to Black women and other women of color. I wanted a product that could address the barriers that made it difficult for Black women, other women of color, and people with marginalized identities to access quality level care. Most of all, I wanted to create a product that centered Black women and their mental health. At the end of 2019, My Therapy Cards were born and the physical resource was released in May 2020.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Creating a private practice and physical product has not been a smooth road. It is very uncommon for psychologists to create physical products other than books and journal articles, as the common job duties are service-based. Because of this, I had to learn how to not only start and run a business, but I had to learn marketing, product sales, and packaging. Learning this was a full-time job on top of other work I was doing. Having to manage my time better and invest in people who could help me acquire the necessary skills was a must. This didn’t come easily to me and came with challenges such as investing with the wrong people and losing money, frequent questioning and undermining from colleagues, and battling my own issues with imposter syndrome.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
The parent name of my company is The Center for Creating Change, LLC. However, my clients and customers know my company by the name Dr. Ebony and by my most recent product launch, My Therapy Cards. I am most proud of the recent launch of My Therapy Cards and the wide national and international reception. I am excited that we have sold over 3900 units since May 2020.
What sets me apart is my unique niche and areas of expertise. I am a licensed psychologist and a food relationship strategist. I specialize in helping Black women and other women of color recover from interpersonal and racial trauma. I also specialize in helping Black women recover from diet culture and build healthier relationships with food.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Of course! There is no way I could’ve done this on my own. My biggest mentors have been my graduate school advisor who still mentors me as a psychologist – Dr. Nikki Coleman. I also have to give tremendous credit to my Marketing Strategist – Audria Richmond – for trusting my vision of the therapy cards enough to help me bring it to light and market it widely. My biggest cheerleaders and advocates are my family, partner, friends I’ve had since high school, and people I’ve met on social media who just want to see me win! These people listen to all of my ideas and dreams, cheer me on, and believe in every idea I have no matter how grand it is! I also have an amazing assistant who helps me because I can’t keep my own schedule straight anymore. I’m so thankful for her! I have a support group of other Black female psychologists who I consult and vent with – it’s so necessary. I also have a network of other mental health professionals who help me to navigate ethical dilemmas that come up in practice and business. I really do have an amazing support system!
Pricing:
- My Therapy Cards – $49.97 for a single deck. There are also double pack, five pack, and ten pack options.
- Therapy services for residents of Texas starting at $175.
- Food Relationship Masterclass – $197
Contact Info:
- Address: 1012 E. 38 1/2 Street
Austin, TX 78751 - Website: drebony.com
- Email: info@drebony.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/drebonyonline
- Facebook: facebook.com/drebonyonline
- Twitter: twitter.com/drebonyonline
- Other: https://www.mytherapycards.com/
Image Credit:
Yes Moon, Ebony Butler
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