Today we’d like to introduce you to Mahlet Endale.
Mahlet, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a person who has no one physical “home.” Every immigrant or first generation American understands what this means, especially when someone casually asks, “So, where are you from?” I grew up across 3 continents, exposed to the cultures of 3 countries (Ethiopia by origin, the Netherlands, then the U.S.), and speaking 3 languages (Amharic, Dutch, and English). As I entered young adulthood and began exploring careers, I was naturally drawn to the profession that helped provide context and understanding for the interpersonal experiences I grew up having.
As a person with this kind of background, I can blend in almost everywhere and yet, not quite fit in anywhere. I saw people living rules and standards they took as innate to life itself, and then on the next continent people believing just as intensely about diametrically opposing views. It helped me learn that the “rules” of meaningful living, and even identity, are more flexible than we realize. Now in my work as a licensed psychologist, I work with people to help them see how their foundations, belief systems, and communities impact their emotional wellbeing.
In situations where these things are doing more harm than good, people are being forced to function according to expectations and rules that may not fit who they truly are. When this happens, I help my clients turn inward to better understand themselves. By better understanding themselves, they know what they need to create room for their full and authentic self in the spaces and relationships they function in.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. My family made these jumps from country to country not out of desire, but out of necessity. We came here as political refugees and eventually became naturalized citizens. That in itself was a very difficult and at times traumatic journey. Additionally, being a person who isn’t fully immersed in the belief systems of any one cultural group can at times feel isolating and lonely (any 3rd culture kids out there feel me?). Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t have been easier to have just been exposed to one culture as that would make life seem more simple and straightforward.
Also, the work I ask my client’s to do when they come to see me is one I do on an on-going basis in my own life – I don’t know that there is ever an end to this type of growth – so I understand this can at times be a tough process to engage. Still, I feel I have grown as a person and therapist because of these experiences, so I don’t think I would change my past in any way. I am who I am due to these experiences. To give up any of them would mean to give up a piece of myself as a person and as a therapist.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Crossroads Mental Wellness Services story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a licensed psychologist in private practice in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. I work with mostly adult clients to address concerns such as anxiety, depression, recovery from trauma, and more. Every single one of my clients holds at least one marginalized identity whether racial minority status, immigration status, sexual orientation, or other.
Many hold several marginalized identities that intersect to create their unique life experience. Often my clients’ intersecting identities are a part of our conversation as we understand what is going on to make them feel the depression or anxiety, and sometimes they don’t really come up.
I am known for and proud of my ability to have a compassionate and aware conversation about how all these aspects of life and identity come together in my client’s life. As part of that, I try to engage educational experiences on a continual basis to try and always grow in my understanding of the joys and struggles that come with different identities and experiences.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The role of “luck” is at the core of power and privilege, right? I am incredibly aware that luck, both good and bad, had a direct impact on the trajectories of my life and profession. As a therapist, I can replace the word “luck” with “chance” to better answer this question. It is by chance that my family lived in Ethiopia during the height of the Derg regime which led to a specific incident of chance that forced us to flee the country. It is by chance that the Netherlands was the first place we landed, and by chance that the U.S. is where we ended up in the end.
It is by chance that we survived the original traumatic events instead of literally dying in the process. It is by chance that I stumbled across the field of psychology as my family wanted me in medicine. It is by chance that I ended up in private practice rather than university mental health – my professional focus for about 10 years of my life. Were these moments of chance good or bad? It all depends on the lens by which I choose to look at them. Due to my life experiences, I have several “lenses” I see the world through.
I can also “remove” the lenses allowing me to step out of a “good/bad” paradigm and accept these experiences as just experiences. So in short, I can definitely say chance, good/bad luck, grace, blessings, whatever different cultures say this is, played a tremendous role in who I am, where I am, and what I do. And I am utterly and completely grateful for how things turned out despite the hardships that came with this journey.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5680 Peachtree Parkway, Suite A Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
- Website: http://atlantamentalhealthcounseling.com/
- Phone: 404-369-3136
- Email: dr.mahlet.endale@hushmail.com
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