Meet Natasha Jones | Private Practice Owner & Soul Care Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natasha Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natasha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I was working 2 full time jobs in Community Mental Health, helping my husband run a transportation business, and serving clients in private practice all while raising my children and keeping my head on straight. I figured there had to be a better way to achieve my spiritual, family, and financial goals than giving up 70 hours of my time to growing other peoples’ businesses.

I started looking for ways to expand the wonderful reputation I had as a trauma healer in order to grow my private practice and give up grinding and hustling in exchange for working from rest.

Being away from my husband and young children all day was no longer an option.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My brand is ever-growing and I’m so grateful to offer services to other mental health practitioners as well as recovering strong friends. At Natasha Jones Coaching & Consulting, I use my nearly 20 years of experience to partner with mental health clinicians who are ready to establish, maintain, or grow their private practice. In my course Your Private Practice Guide, I walk them through every step of the process from branding, to identifying their ideal client, to establishing the legal business entity, selecting systems, credentialing with insurance and so much more. I was able to grow my practice to 6 figures within a year of getting serious about my business and I love showing others how to do the same!

In my Crowns over Capes community, I empower strong Black women to choose themselves, prioritizing their own needs and identifying the issues that cause them to put others first. These women have the opportunity to join the Virtual Strong Friends Retreat, during which I walk these women who have been strong for everyone else through their own healing process so they can cast their superhero capes in exchange for their queen’s crowns.

Everything I teach, train, or guide in is something I have needed and could not find. I remember looking for a counselor who was Black like me, Christian like me, and a REAL person like me. I remember being so strong for everyone else and thinking to myself, I wish I had someone who could carry my weight the way I carry the weight of others. And I remember realizing it was up to me to take my healing into my hands and to help others like me in their healing journey. So while I have faced many challenges in this entrepreneurial journey, I have learned so many valuable lessons which I now offer as short cuts to others so they can significantly reduce the mistakes they make. And the similarities in the individuals I serve, aspiring practice owners and strong Black women, are remarkable!

I’m also a published author. I believe in sharing information in various mediums in order to reach people in the places and formats in which they are seeking the information. In my guided journal, Until My Next Session, I provide prompts, resources, and transformational information to help individuals in therapy get the most out of their experience.

If I had to hang my hat on one thing, I would hang my hat on the fact that I did not give up. I’ve experienced rejection, abandonment, imposter syndrome, a 10 year long journey to a Masters degree – and I kept faithing it until I made it to where I am now. One of the toughest lessons I’ve had to learn was to remain encouraged no matter what it looked like or felt like. I can spot discouragement a mile away now and I take pleasure in speaking life when people experience what seems like the death of their hopes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite places in my city is a local park with a walking trail and lake. It is peaceful, serene, and a stark distinction from the busy-ness of being a business owner. There are several bodies of water nearby, and I literally get to pick and choose which one to visit.

Now good food – that’s my jam. We have a spot on the water called Fish & Slips that has THE BEST crabcake sandwich and Oysters Rockefeller.

If homestyle is the vibe, we’re heading straight to Ellen’s Homestyle. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but when you step inside to Tomiye’s jolly greeting, feel the love from his heart, and smell the food from his kitchen, you WILL want to order one of everything. If I want fried fish, I head over to the Virginia Beach location where Ellen serves up this deliciousness!

I eat A LOT of seafood, and when I’m in the mood for a boil bag, Boil Bay in Norfolk gets my business. Oh, and I enjoy a couple spots on the oceanfront too, like Waterman’s & Our People’s Soulfood.

When I want that curry, jerk, oxtail…it’s another unassuming spot right here in P-town called Happy Time. But they don’t have chicken patties, so I go to MP Island for that.

In the evening we might head over to catch the ferry between Portside and Waterside. I’m not much for partying these days, but the atmosphere is right for relaxing.

I also like to support Black businesses, so we may stop by Ambyance Fragrances to order or make uniquely scented candles and chat with the owner.

My friends and I are very similar, we prefer good conversation, good food, and good vibes, and we are company enough for one another. These favorite spots are a bonus when we’re together.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have always had a wonderful group of friends who celebrate my genius and encourage me in my endeavors. From university professors like Dr. Katrina Walker who would not let me settle for a degree and no license, to my college friend (former) Mayor Nikuyah Walker who taught me the importance of maintaining connections, to my childhood friend turned husband who is my absolute biggest cheerleader, I am surrounded by adoration, encouragement, and support.

I watched my mom raise 6 children as a single, widowed mother, which taught me to do what I had to do to make things happen. So often when people celebrate my ability to face, endure, and overcome adversity, it’s really homage to being raised by my mom.

And there is no way I can shoutout these wonderful humans without shouting out the one who made us and the source of my strength, God Himself. When I reflect over my life and all I’ve done, I know it was all made possible because of The Omnipotent & Loving One who sees every one of my imperfections and chooses me still.

Website: https://www.thestrongfriendsretreat.com/ and https://natashajonesconsulting.com/

Instagram: @natashaljones

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1NatashaLJones/

Youtube: The Soul Care Therapist

Other: https://msha.ke/natashaljones/

Image Credits
Eugene Szolis (brown background) Anastasia Thompson (outside photos)