Therapist Spotlight
Q&A with Taivia Thompson, LPC & Date Coach
Meet Taivia! She is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Summit’s Edge Counseling and provides both therapy services and date coaching to clients in the Atlanta area. She is passionate about working with women of color who are experiencing relationship dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression and life transitions. I sat down with Taivia to talk about her services and the impact she hopes to have in the community.
Can you tell us a little more about what you offer as a date coach?
Taivia: The purpose of Date Coaching is to help improve a person’s dating skillset and to enhance their ability to get more favorable results. That may involve honing in on a person’s values, interests, boundaries, and the way in which they are going about dating. We perform an assessment of the people they’re dating. How are those people aligning with their personal vision and goals? We dive deeply into their dating life and examine their wants, needs and desires and how we can get closer to the desired outcome.
Where do you send clients to empower them in their own exploration of themselves?
Taivia: I send clients specifically to the Self-Love Workbook on Amazon. It’s a great supplement to therapy because it hits 6 different areas that pour into loving yourself to include self-identity, self-care, and self-acceptance. I believe self discovery is always a good place to start when aiming to increase self-confidence, and establish boundaries. I’ve used it too! I don’t ever give clients something to do that I haven’t done myself.
In your opinion, what effect has social media (like TikTok) had on mental health access?
Taivia: A huge impact. Clients come in all the time talking about something they saw on TikTok. I think the impact can be both positive and negative. I’ve personally seen helpful tips from licensed therapists and I’ve also seen other things that may be causing more harm than good. I definitely think social media can (and does) have a huge impact on mental health.
How does this impact your work?
Taivia: I do a lot of untying things with clients such as trying to get clients to see that everything they see on social media is not necessarily reality. It’s kind of like when you Google something or go to Wikipedia and immediately connect that thing with what’s going on with you and you self-diagnose based on that information. I will never tell people to stop using social media. Instead, I will talk through the issues they have with it. I encourage clients to not make assumptions about a diagnosis that they may have, and to resist the urge to self-diagnose without talking to a professional.
How do you deal with the big feelings that come up such as client hopelessness or despair?
Taivia: I validate them first because I think emotions are always valid. I also teach clients about dialectics. Dialectics is the concept of investigating two opposing things with the understanding that both are true. This is helpful when we break down all the opposing feelings a person experiences (at the same time). It can be true that I feel like a failure at this moment, and it can also be true that I’m a very accomplished person. I’m acknowledging what I’m feeling, and acknowledging something factual.
What in your life has taught you the most about yourself as a person?
Taivia: I would say my journey to becoming an LPC. It was rocky. I have never seen so many different variations of myself. I’ve seen the version that gave up, the version that decided to keep going, the version that felt hopeless, and the version that felt excited. I’ve seen different sides of who I am like a lot of what my clients experience. I’ve been there. Maybe in a different capacity, but I’ve been there. I’ve felt those feelings. I know what it’s like to feel hopeless, depressed, and excited, especially pertaining to your career.
What brings you joy in your own life?
Taivia: Water. Being around water makes me feel joy, peace and very much calm. It can bring a ray of sun to a rainy day. When I’m feeling sad, I’ll reminisce and look at beach photos. I’ve made a point over the last few years to always film the ocean and take nice videos when I’m there so that I can look back and reminisce to feel like I’m there again.
If you’re ready to fulfill your goals and needs in your relationships and you’re ready to feel empowered in your dating life, Taivia is ready to support you in your journey. Schedule a free 15 minute consultation with Taivia today by clicking here!