Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Harrison.
Hi Ariel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my professional journey as a school counselor. As a school counselor, I supported the academic, social-emotional, and career growth of K-12 students in public, private, charter, and online schools. After working in schools, I completed my Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral degree. This achievement allowed me to transition into teaching in higher education, where I worked with future school counselors and clinical mental health counselors. During this time, I also became a licensed professional counselor and began to counsel adults online. After becoming more experienced in online counseling, I opened my counseling practice, supporting the mental health journey of teenagers and women while providing counseling education. I have also published a book to support single parents and primary caregivers attending online graduate programs and several journals. As I expand my practice, I plan to provide training, professional development opportunities, and counseling-focused webinars for counseling graduate students, counselors, teenagers, women, and parents.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wish this process were smooth, but there have been many struggles. I did not have a positive experience in my first doctoral program. After three years of coursework and taking a break to give birth to my first son, I started a program at a different university. This process required me to start over completely. I used my experiences and challenges to motivate my success and completed the program in three years. However, completing a doctoral program while working full-time and raising my son included a lot of sleepless nights. It also included several lessons on finding new ways to complete my schoolwork, excel at my job as a school counselor, and devote time and energy to my young child.
My road to success in higher education also included its challenges, as I was laid off from my first position six months after I started. I moved to a new state for this opportunity; therefore, having such an abrupt ending led to a lot of stress and anxiety. This unexpected turn led to attempting to understand my options and if my choice to transition from working as a school counselor was the best decision.
My decision to open my practice has also had its challenges, including learning how to work with insurance companies, scheduling sessions to accommodate my responsibilities, and finding ways to advertise for clients. It was a terrifying decision since I was starting something new by myself. As I currently move into discovering ways to provide support and content through social media, webinars, and training, my current challenge includes finding the best ways to market my skills and products to those who are interested.
As you know, we’re big fans of Ariel Harrison Consulting. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Ariel Harrison Consulting provides counseling and school counseling-related services to women and teenage girls. Initially, my business started out providing counseling support and slowly began to focus more on addressing the needs of BIPOC women and teenage girls. I work with clients to support topics such as school/life balance, work/life balance, self-esteem building, and relationship/friendship challenges. I have also written a book to support online graduate students and created several journals to support creative expression. I am most proud of the counseling work that I have done with my past and current clients. I have enjoyed helping them to grow, find the things that help them to feel fulfilled, and foster healthy coping skills to apply to their lives. When I started my practice, I feared not acquiring clients, so I genuinely appreciate the opportunities to support them through their journeys.
As I advance and evolve in my practice, my goal includes creating accessible mental health content, webinars, and professional development opportunities. I want to provide more creative, on-demand ways for individuals to access information in ways that fit with their schedules.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
My favorite childhood memory includes celebrating any and every milestone with my family. Accomplishments have always been significant, so whether we were celebrating my birthday, a personal achievement, or someone else’s moment, I have fond memories of always getting together to celebrate. Celebrations in my family always included large gatherings, food, and laughter. I have always been able to rely on someone being around to watch a performance, attend an awards ceremony, or celebrate a milestone. Therefore, all of my favorite childhood memories include the love and support of my immediate and extended family members.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://secure.helloalma.com/providers/ariel-harrison/
- Instagram: @arielharrisonconsulting
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arielharrisonconsulting/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@arielharrisonconsulting
Image Credits
Azustudios
