Today we’d like to introduce you to Tor Smith.
Tor, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As an adolescent, I’ve always enjoyed solving problems and helping others figure things out. I’ve always been known for being genuine, having a heart of gold, and being an easy person to talk to. Throughout high school, college, and even to this day, I’ve always been the friend you could talk to about anything and be your true self around. It wasn’t until my junior year in college I decided to major in social work. I knew with having a social work degree, I would be able to work in many different settings, but most importantly, I would be able to help others. However, after graduating, I decided I wanted to pursue physical therapy instead of getting my master’s in social work. I began shadowing different physical therapists to obtain observation hours for PT school, but that just didn’t feel like my calling or something I was passionate about.
It wasn’t until I begin working at a mental health counseling agency with children and adolescents that made me want to explore social work further. I stepped out on faith, got my master’s degree in social work, turned my “listening ear” into a profession, and I haven’t looked back since.
I’ve been working in the mental health field for over 10 years, and I’ve worked in different capacities and with different populations. After working at various jobs, I’m grateful to have launched my own virtual private practice: Healing Minds, Helping Hearts. My work focuses on helping individuals identify their strengths and teaching them tools to help not only cope, but also heal.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not always been smooth, but with hard work, faith, and God’s grace, I’ve made it here. After graduating with my master’s, I had to complete thousands of clinical hours and pass my clinical licensure exam. That exam was no joke but thanked God I passed on the first try because I do NOT like taking tests. After getting my license, I knew I wanted to start my own private practice and educate my community on the importance of mental health and healthy coping skills.
The stigma that comes along with mental health can be a challenge, which keeps some individuals from pursuing therapy or even learning about things pertaining to mental health. We as a country have come a long way with starting to normalize therapy, but we still have a long way to go. I hope with my help and the help of other therapists and mental health advocates, we can continue to help normalize therapy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Healing Minds, Helping Hearts is a virtual private practice servicing individuals in the states of GA and IL. My goals are to provide effective mental health treatment by educating individuals on mental health illnesses; promoting individual growth; and helping individuals reach their full potential by decreasing disruptive behaviors and thought patterns. I specialize in self-esteem issues, anxiety, adjustment issues, and school and/or work-life balance. Healing Minds, Helping Hearts offers individual therapy, family therapy, workshops for businesses and organizations, and supervision for future clinical therapists.
Starting my own private practice and being able to help individuals overcome different issues they were dealing with before starting services is something I don’t take for granted. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done and get to do with my clients. I’m very grateful to be able to help individuals on their journeys of becoming their best self.
One of the things I believe set me apart from others is my personality. I’ve had countless people always say to me, “you’re so easy to talk to”. People often find that my warm, compassionate, and authentic personality makes it easy for them to connect with me and allows them to be their true authentic selves.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I’ve learned so many; set boundaries, it’s okay to say “no”, time is precious, make sure you’re living your life for YOU; but one thing I’ve learned is people will watch how you treat yourself and will act accordingly, so always make sure you set the bar high.
Contact Info:
- Website: Healingandhelping.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/healingandhelping_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Mental-Health-Service/Healing-Minds-Helping-Hearts-LLC-103183311435129/
Image Credits:
Photos taken by Madkin Kelly
