Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcuetta Sims.
Hi Marcuetta, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started as a little Black girl from East St. Louis, IL born to teenage parents who always had her nose in a book. To say I was (read: am) a nerd is an understatement, and I still have my nose in a book even though these days it’s less about fantasy and escaping and more about some new intervention, treatment approach, or mindset shift. I grew up in “the hood,” which brings about its own set of unique challenges, and statistically speaking, I’m not supposed to be where I am today.
There were a lot of experiences in my childhood and adolescent years that could have (and sometimes I still don’t know how they didn’t) prevented me from being a Psychologist and owning a wellness center today, but by the grace of God, here I am. In hindsight, my focus on my education is what kept me out of more trouble than I would already find myself in and I really believe it’s the thing that saved me. But the trouble and the challenges are also the things that made me resilient. They are the things that made me desire to have more. They are the things that made me hope, aspire, and dream for something more.
I was also blessed to have people in my life who expected and wanted more from me and for me and helped me to envision that there was more life outside of what I knew and instilled in me that my education was the key to opening those doors. I always tell people that I got here by a bit of happenstance. If I had it my way, I would be in LA with an Oscar or two under my belt by now, but I stumbled into psychology for majors class in college, double majored in Psychology and Theatre, got accepted into a PhD program and after years of working for other people, I decided that it is time for me to build my own thing so that I can create a legacy for others to follow. That if I, a little Black girl nerd from East St. Louis, can build her own thing, so can you. That if you dream big, the universe will start putting things in place to make your dreams come true. I frequently think about what future generations are going to say their ancestor Marcuetta did while also firmly believing that I am my ancestor’s wildest dreams. I hope that answers the question haha
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! Hmmm let’s see. Where I grew up, people did not expect us to really amount to anything. When I got to high school, I went to a school that was predominately white for the first time in my life and I will never forget the school counselor telling me that she didn’t think I should start in honors classes because she didn’t think I would be prepared although I graduated valedictorian from my middle school and had a 4.0 GPA. A lot of people didn’t like me growing up, so there’s that too. I guess some would call it bullying. I didn’t identify it as that at the time, but it was difficult. Grad school was the beast of all struggles. I went to graduate school in Minnesota after attending Spelman for undergrad and had several difficult experiences and traumatic events in several different areas of life. I would also say working in environments where there are ceilings is a struggle. While I have always loved the work that I do, I have not loved only being able to make a certain amount of money or reach a certain level based on what the company has available. That’s a large part of what let me know it was time to do my own thing. Now the options for my abundance are limitless, and that’s more of where I thrive. Don’t get me wrong, being a business owner comes with it’s challenges for sure, but this feels different, and I welcome these as learning opportunities to continue to grow.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Worth, Wisdom, and Wellness Center is located in Atlanta, GA. We exist to inspire growth, change and transformation by creating spaces for Black women and Women of Color to show up fully in their wisdom and reclaim their healing. We are an inclusive space for people who have marginalized identities and offer healing of minds, bodies, and souls through therapy, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and holistic practices. Our center is grounded in a belief that therapy and holistic interventions can cultivate an individual’s ability to heal from trauma, know their worth, trust their inner wisdom, and enhance their overall wellness. With this foundation, people who commit to engaging in this journey will experience healing, growth, and transformation. Our primary modality of service is individual therapy, but we also offer yoga and meditation experiences, workshops, trainings, serve as speakers and on panels, and provide supervision.
I opened this wellness center in March of 2020, right before the pandemic and right before the social unrest became apparent to more folx outside of the Black community. Over the course of the year, I have learned that so many more people are struggling and in need of mental health services. I came into this field because I wanted to support others in alleviating their suffering and through my practice, I support my clients in healing. I am passionate about training and being a gatekeeper for the field, so I bring on other clinicians who are also passionate about this work. Right now, we have two other clinicians who are open and taking on clients 🙂 And by the summer and fall, we will have at least three other interns and clinicians coming on board to help serve the needs of our community. We primarily work with trauma and the experiences that are unique to Black women and women of color. Some of our most common presenting issues are relationship challenges, boundary (or lack thereof) issues, perfectionism, and feelings of low self-worth.
I believe the thing that sets us apart is that we unapologetically center Black women. A lot of people question whether that is discriminatory, divisive, “racist.” and my answer to that is absolutely not. Centering Black women does not mean that others aren’t welcome. It means that this space was created for us, by us, and always keeps us in mind. One of the things that I can not set aside or hide is my identity as a Black woman, and it means a lot for me to create spaces of healing for people seeking to work with Black women and people seeking to work for a business create for and by Black women. This is also what I’m most proud of brandwise. We are passionate about reducing the stigma around mental health across the board, and if our bios, experiences, and expertise speak to you, we are here to support you in that work. We value therapy and the benefits of it. We see it as an investment in your overall health and well-being. We take that commitment very seriously and would love to work with those who are ready to start their healing journey.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
So many, but I’ll just name a few. 1. You have to be ready, able, and willing to adapt. If you would have told me last year around this time that I would have a fully online group practice, I would have laughed. I remember being so concerned about how I was going to build a business in the midst of a pandemic, and now it feels like it was always designed to be this way. 2. You are probably more creative than you think. It seemed like a lot of things we didn’t even know we could do or have or be happened during the pandemic. Even if it meant we creatively found more ways to rest (I know that was big for me), we found new and interesting ways to do things that we were used to doing in a certain way, and I love that. 3. This idea that we have to hustle and be busy all the time is a lie.
What I appreciate most about the crisis is that it forced us to turn inward and slow down (for the most part, some people still found ways to work ALL THE TIME lol). That was really uncomfortable for a lot of folx, but I also think it was extremely necessary and important for us to move into whatever is next for us. 4. Slowing down allows for clarity and the ability to see more in-depth. When the murder of George Floyd swept the nation. I think it was the first time a lot of people actually had to sit and REALLY see what we’ve been saying for centuries. And that is just one way that this showed up. I think it’s a lesson that we all need to learn over and over again; you can’t take in new information and really see if you’re moving too fast. 5. If this wasn’t a real live version of life is too short to… I don’t know what other wake-up call is needed.
Pricing:
- Individual therapy with Dr. Sims $200-300
- Individual therapy with Victoria $100-125
- Individual therapy with Felicia $70-100
Contact Info:
- Email: info@worthwisdomwellness.com
- Website: www.worthwisdomwellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthwisdomwellness/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Product-Service/The-Worth-Wisdom-Wellness-Center-104757724517736/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheArtofBeingSelfish
Image Credits
Ashley Ford
