Today we’d like to introduce you to Machel L. Hunt.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Machel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story started way back in London, England. As a young boy from an immigrant family (Jamaican heritage) growing up in London, I was exposed to so much and I was very curious about people and their behaviors. At first, I thought I wanted to be a Medical Doctor, but as I sat through all the science classes, I realized I didn’t want to be so prescriptive. I wanted to talk to people and explore their lives beyond what the eye could see. I had so much passion, so I decided that my first degree would be in psychology. I earned my first degree (BSC) from the University of Greenwich with honors in Psychology. While studying, I also worked in fashion as a stylist, personal shopper and worked with a lot of celebrities for video shoots, editorials, and personal appearances. This offered me an in-depth insight into relationships and how sex and sexuality interweave through people’s lives. So my master’s (MSC) was in Counseling Therapies and the first counseling job I had was at a relationship center (I needed to get my counseling and supervision hours). That’s when I really started to carve out a niche for myself. I qualified as a couples counselor then went on to study relationships and psychosexual behavior in my post masters program. After studying in London and Amsterdam, I knew I wanted to expand my reach into the states and work on building my brand and my craft. I relocated to America in 2014 and NYC was my first stop. After three years in NYC, I decided to relocate to Atlanta, GA and quickly became embedded in the culture and the people. As a new clinical practice, it’s been an amazing exploration and learning experience. I work with male and female clients who experience difficulties relating to relationships and sex. I also provide training and development to organizations around mental health, wellness, cultural humility, sexuality, as well as many others. I’ve come a long way and there is still so much that I hope to do within my career. The journey has been challenging and rewarding and I look forward to expanding my reach and touching even more lives.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been mostly smooth. However, I have faced some challenges… Mainly starting a new business. You hear from everyone that starting a business is rough within the first two years but it’s even worse when you are not business savvy. Getting a business loan, managing your finances, advertising, marketing, promoting… It wasn’t very easy, but all I can stay is don’t give up. Don’t leave any stones unturned and don’t lose faith in your abilities.
Please tell us about the business.
Therapy For You is a small private practice that’s specializes in helping people to live their best lives through evidence-based interventions. At Therapy For You, we provide counseling and therapy for individuals and couples to help them understand and resolve their concerns around sex, sexuality, love, commitment, anxiety, pressure, infidelity, fetishes, compulsive disorder, erectile difficulties, low libido, vaginismus, sexual identity, dreams and pleasure. We also provide training and workshop facilitation for mental health, sexual health and emotional well being. Contact me for a complimentary telephone consultation.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There is a huge shift in mental health, being more visual and more accessible. More and more organizations are recognizing the benefits of mental health and more and more individuals are seeking some form of therapy or mental health support. I think the industry will keep expanding as society becomes more inundated with stress and anxiety. There is also more Black male therapists, which I believe is moving the field forward. Historically Black men have been less motivated to seek therapy, partly because we don’t tend to see ‘us’ in a therapist. So with this new and hopefully continuous wave of black male therapists, I think we are on a steady rise to ensuring mental health is available more to everyone on every level.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.sextherapyforyou.com
- Email: machellhunt@gmail.com
- Instagram: Relationshipandsexdoc
- Facebook: Therapyforu
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