Today we’d like to introduce you to Nakita Robinson.
Hi Nakita, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a North Carolina native who grew up in Raleigh. Family has always been and continues to be the primary value in my life. Coming from a culturally diverse background, I was introduced to living life from different perspectives early on. When I was ten, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This diagnosis had a profound effect on my life journey and the world around me. I noticed how this one change impacted my family in significant ways. I realized through these life challenges the value of support, feeling loved, and celebrating life in the present. I became a therapist because I knew that I was born to be a healer. I wasn’t too sure how that would manifest in life, but I knew that my nurturing spirit was meant to help others heal. I attended East Carolina University, where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Family and Community Service. A vast transition from my original plan of a Social Work major, but as life had previously taught me when barriers get in your way, you got to pivot and find another path to take.
Five weeks before the first day of class, I learned that I was accepted into Mercer University’s School of Medicine to study for my Master of Family Therapy. Being a marriage and family therapist provides its own unique lens of treatment, as we are taught to look at problems through a systemic and relational view. As a licensed psychotherapist with over 10 years of experience, I have worked in both the private and public sectors and with children and adults. Over the years, I have narrowed my specialty to reside in working with young adults, adults, and couples. I specialize in marital and family conflict, restoring intimacy, life transitions, past traumas, and other mental health issues. I started my private practice in 2017 to provide services without the burnout of agency productivity requirements. I enjoy providing services to my clients while also serving the Georgia community through my full-time employment at DBHDD.
This opportunity has provided me with a bird’s eye view of mental health resources around the state and has given me an opportunity to train in Dialectal Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Psychological First Aid to name a few. I have earned a Certificate of Management Development through UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government and became a Strengths Deployment Inventory® Facilitator. These skills learned have also placed me as an expert in leadership and professional development. While I do enjoy working within the mental health field, my passion goes back to family and being a mother to my nurturing and joyful daughter Nuri and my equally as joyful and regal dog Eva. I also enjoy serving my own mental health through various wellness activities like healthy eating, Pilates, and learning the ways of sound healing through the use of the Bija Mantra via traditional Hindu Tantra teachings. I am an inspiring woman who has dedicated my life to helping others. I am a true healer and a valuable asset to the mental health community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My road has definitely not been a smooth ride. I’ve had to pivot and make mistakes, and I’ve not succeeded in different ventures, both personal and professional. I’ve learned along the way that a solid support system is always needed and that it will shift and change as you continue to grow.
For example, when I was in college, I was on track to getting my bachelors in social work. However, I got a failing grade in one of my required courses. This was a major setback, and I felt like I was betrayed by the admin (long story). But I had a great support system of friends and family who helped me through it. They reminded me that I could still move forward in a similar field.
I’ve also had to deal with the fear of failure. I declined opportunities because I was afraid that I wasn’t ready for them. But I’ve learned that it’s important to take risks and step outside of your comfort zone. If you never take any risks, you’ll never know what you’re capable of.
I’ve learned a lot from my failures. I’ve learned that it’s important to pick yourself up after you fail and keep going. I’ve also learned that it’s important to have a solid support system to help you through tough times.
I’m still on my journey, and I know that I’ll face more challenges and setbacks. But I’m confident that I’ll be able to overcome them because I’ve learned from my past experiences. I’m also grateful for the support system that I have, and I know that they’ll be there for me every step of the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started my business with a passion for helping people access mental health care. I saw a gap in the market for mental health services that were accessible, affordable, and convenient. I started by contracting services and supporting small businesses that wanted to provide mental health services to Medicaid and Medicare-insured individuals. I consulted on best practices for building the clinical side to support continuous growth.
I quickly realized that there was a need for direct care services, so I shifted to providing telehealth services part-time. Mental health services being provided by telehealth was a novel idea at the time, I saw a gap and filled it. That venture continues to be a successful space. I went from meeting with just individuals to expanding my practice to meeting with couples. It was a natural progression of services.
In the meantime, I became a mother, which shifted my availability and mental threshold. I’ve managed to maintain full-time employment in government services during the last 9 years to maintain benefits to help complete loan forgiveness federal programs. I have now begun to offer products with my company. I even went through a rebranding in the past year. I relaunched as Epistamai, meaning to be acquainted with, to understand, to know.
With this new name, I wanted to refocus the intention around what my company represented. Not just in simply providing counseling services, but in also what type of container of healing are we creating and who can have access to it? In 2022, the state of Georgia proclaimed it to be the year of Mental Health. Since the pandemic, we have seen a significant surge in people interested in all things mental health. Whether it be becoming an advocate, scholar, clinician, influencer, or wanting to explore their own mental health. As I continue to grow and expand, I wanted this new name to be lasting and connect people over and over again to where all of this starts. It starts with the self and it starts with becoming reacquainted with self.
As I expand this vision, I am currently looking to fill the commercial real estate space by creating a co-working office space for clinicians and other healing professionals. This space will provide a supportive and collaborative environment for clinicians to work and grow their practices. It will also provide a space for clients to access a variety of mental health services in one convenient location.
I’m excited to continue to grow my business and expand my reach. I believe that everyone deserves access to quality mental health care, and I’m committed to making that happen.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
It’s funny that you ask this because my daughter reminds me every day of the person I was before life happened. I was VERY observant, inquisitive, and nurturing. I love getting to know people and connecting with others. I can with much confidence say I never had a significant worry. I just knew that I was here to be of service and that all that I desired would be mine.
I was always interested in the helping professions. I wanted to be a medical doctor but was always unsure of what kind of doctor and even if Western medicine was the right fit. I always knew that more existed beyond what was mentioned in textbooks. I could quickly point out inconsistencies and thankfully had parents that supported my curiosity. I learned about holistic methods of healing. I would wittingly ask medical professionals about those practices just to simply observe their response.
I was the same about religious beliefs and spiritual practices. I grew up in the church, was there three days out of the week. And I often would ask so many questions about the scriptures and would even challenge the interpretation time and time again. Not in the oppositional sense but more on the lens of hermeneutics. I was always interested in gathering the philosophy of knowledge.
Not the most natural progression to being a therapist, but it makes sense in my mind.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.epistamai.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/epistamai_
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/epistamai
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/epistamai
