Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathalie Ellis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nathalie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I came to Atlanta over 30 years ago, by way of Boston. But was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. From childhood, people have always been drawn to talking to me. And I always seem to have a listening ear.
In 2000, I graduated with my Master’s in Professional Counseling and began my journey as a mental health counselor. I worked in community mental health centers providing therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families. In 2012, I started my private practice, ESTEEM Counseling ad Consulting Services, where I empower, educate, enrich and motivate individuals, organizations, and other therapists with mental health services including therapy (individual, family, group, couples), trainings (workshops), and clinical supervisions. I have been working full time in my practice since 2015. My practice is a place where individuals can come bein their healing process safely and without judgment.
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?
The road in my journey has been bumpy at times. At the start of my career, I got married to my high school sweetheart and began a family. But the adversities that I (we) faced was more than we can handle at the time so I soon became a single mother. For me, my biggest challenge was balancing MOTHERHOOD with every other parts of my life (personal, professional, social) but more so professionally. I wanted to be the best mom for my son but I often struggled with leaving work on time to pick him up from daycare/afterschool to then go to his activities, practices, games, etc. In addition to that, becoming an entrepreneur added more strain including a shift in finances. My son, Nathan, who is now 17, has been on this journey with me because he was most impacted every step of the way, positively and at times negatively, And our journey continues and right now it is going smoothly.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ESTEEM Counseling and Consulting Services story. Tell us more about the business.
ESTEEM stands for Empower Self Thru Enrichment, Education, Motivation and that is my mission. The majority of my services is geared toward individuals who has experienced significant, psychological, emotional, physical traumas which have led to depression, anxiety, emotional and behavioral issues, relationship problems. Along with talk therapy, I utilize, art, music, aroma, Yoga, Mindfulness as ways to deepen the healing and therapeutic process. What I am most prod of is being an advocate for all individuals in regards to their mental health. My motto is to “break the silence, break the shame, and break the stigma” of mental health and in order to do that I have to ensure that my services are accessible, affordable, relatable.
With that being said, my location is accessible on public transit; I accept most state and private insurances and offer sliding scale fee, and pro-bono services to those clients who meet criteria; I also partner with various programs such as Employee Assistant Programs (employee benefits), Victim Advocate (for victims of a crime who may not have insurance) and Give An Hour (military personnel and their families); lastly, I am relatable by relaying to individuals how mental health affects their daily lives and the importance for them to begin the healing . Along with my office, I utilize my social media platforms to educate individuals about mental health to include my Instagram Live Segment of “Ask the Therapist with Nathalie” which is on Wednesdays around Noon. Break silence.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have often taken all the bad lucks as opportunity to re-evaluate and self- assess myself, my situation, my business, my strategies, my goals, etc. And in doing that, I am able to readjust and then focus on all the good luck that surrounds me. Although, I notice the good and bad lucks that have occurred in my personal and professional life but work hard to intentionally and mindfully give more energy to what is going well.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4290 Memorial Dr. Suite B Decatur, GA 30032
- Website: www.esteemcounselingservices.com
- Phone: 6787327269
- Email: info@esteemcounselingservices.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/esteemcounselingservices
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/esteemcounselingservices
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lpc_ellis
- Other: Owner, Nathalie D. Ellis, LPC
Image Credit:
David Dorleans with Dorleans Production for the first and last picture
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