Today we’d like to introduce you to Noushine Navabi Palatchi.
Hi Noushine, 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?
Not much has changed since the first Voyage ATL article, but for those who don’t know my backstory, becoming a therapist was a goal of mine since childhood. I am very sensitive and empathic, and I’ve wholeheartedly believed that if I could learn to fully embrace those parts of myself, I’d be able to help others in turn. And that’s exactly what I did. First I got my masters in mental health counseling, followed by working in different clinical settings including crisis stabilization, residential treatment for sex trafficking survivors, and substance abuse IOP. My final stop was opening my private practice at the tail end of 2020.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since the launch of my practice 2.5 years ago and the last Voyage ATL article over a year ago, yes, I would say that the business aspect of running my practice has gotten much smoother. I now have a rhythm and method that flows seamlessly. Trauma work is still just as heavy oftentimes, but I don’t expect that to change. However, as I’ve discussed in the past, the more I do this work, the more I fall in love with it and feel aligned with my many purposes. I am very grateful for my work to be my passion. There is something incredibly moving and humbling about being invited by clients into the world of their deepest hurts and being witness to their perseverance.
As you know, we’re big fans of Noushine Navabi Counseling LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
For those that may be unfamiliar with my story, in the past I have worked as a clinician in crisis stabilization, residential treatment for survivors of sex trafficking, and a substance abuse treatment facility. In 2020, I opened my private practice as the owner and solo clinician. I specialize in trauma and EMDR, which is trauma specific modality, and I work predominantly with marginalized populations including women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC. Beyond trauma, I also work a lot with anxiety, depression, grief, and racial identity. Additionally, I am trained in ketamine-assisted therapy and also provide psychedelic preparation and integration sessions.
One additional service I have added since my last interview is that I now offer 90-minute EMDR sessions. I have found this additional 40 minutes per session to be incredibly beneficial by allowing more time for deeper processing and expanding the client’s window of tolerance.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I would argue the biggest shift in the mental health field has been the addition and normalization of telehealth services, initially triggered by the pandemic. In the last three years, I have noticed an upsurge in the number of therapists and other mental health professionals who have added telehealth sessions as part of the services they offer, myself included. Prior to the pandemic, I didn’t see telehealth sessions as normalized and readily available as they are now. In fact, I could count on one hand how many therapists I knew that offered virtual services. Today however, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t! I also believe that as the number of mental health professionals increases, so will the number of fully virtual practices. I know many clinicians who initially pivoted to a virtual practice in 2020 thinking it would be temporary before returning back to in-person, but have since then opted to remain virtual full time.
It’s also my belief that the number of telehealth services offered will continue to grow for a number of reasons including increased flexibility and lower overhead expenses for clinicians, especially as the cost for office space continues to rise. Additionally, in the past clients were limited to therapists located solely within their geographical area. Today, telehealth allows for much broader accessibility to a network of therapists they didn’t have access to before. This isn’t as much of an issue in large metropolitan areas like Atlanta since it provides a solid and diverse mental health community. However, that’s not always the case in all parts of the state or country, especially small rural towns where the number of providers can be limited. Finding the right therapist in those places can prove quite challenging, especially if the client is seeking a clinician with a specific specialty or background. Good thing telehealth is here to stay!
Contact Info:
- Website: NoushineNavabi.com
Image Credits
Olivia Behind the Camera
