Meet Tiffany Poke | Licensed Clinical Social Worker

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

Hi Tiffany, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My idea for my business came from a combination of experiences and a deep passion for helping others. I was raised by an amazing social worker, my mother, and an extremely talented artist, my father. Growing up in a home with a social worker, I learned about the importance of social justice, mental health awareness, and advocacy. Growing up in a home with an artist, I learned about the importance of self-expression, unrestricted creativity, and being present in the moment.

After becoming a licensed clinical social worker, I started feeling less motivated about working for other people, which I was doing in my current therapy job, and more interested in working for myself. I was passionate about making mental health care affordable for people. I also felt deeply inspired by the positive outcomes I was seeing in my clients through my use of art in therapy.

I decided that I wanted to leave my current job and create a private therapy practice that provides an integrative approach to mental health care.

I made the decision to always accept health insurance, and always provide the option of sliding scale session fees. This way I could help make therapy more affordable for my clients so that more people could receive support.

Fast forward a year and my business was up and running. I named it in honor and in memory of my mother who was my favorite social worker.

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?
I am most proud of the reputation that has been established in the community about my business, The Grace Center. The majority of our clients found us through word of mouth or were referred to us by their closest friends and family members. This lets me know that we are doing an amazing job helping people through their mental health challenges, and people feel comfortable trusting us.

The road to get to where I am today had its challenges. Building a caseload of clients, establishing relationships in the community, and maintaining work life balance as a mommy of 3 young kids proved challenging many days. I had to learn to identify my values and keep my focus on the things I valued most. I also had to learn to organize, budget, trust myself, and prioritize joy in the process of it all. Once I became more intentional about the implementation of these things, establishing and growing the business became easier.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this question. Where do I start?

So I love being outside. I think we would definitely visit some of my favorite outdoor spots. We would maybe start on the Eastside Beltline and see where we end up. We could venture up to Roswell Mill one day to sit under the waterfall. We could also maybe go tubing down the Chattahoochee River. If we’re hungry, we’d hit up Slutty Vegan and maybe Insomnia Cookies after that.

Depending on the time of year of the visit, we’d definitely go to some festivals. Dogwood Festival, Inman Park Festival, One Music Fest, or any others that might be going on. I’m a festival girl.

Yoga on the green at Atlantic Station would be nice. City Winery at Ponce City Market would be fun one evening. Rock Steady would be cool too.

Let’s see, for food we’d definitely have to go to La Fonda, Flying Biscuit, South City Kitchen, and Velvet Taco at some point.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe much of my success to my family, my daughters Skye and Shiloh, my son Sage, and my husband, Hanif. Their support and encouragement have been invaluable. They have always believed in me, and they provide both the motivation and the encouragement needed to pursue my goals. Skye often tells me, “Mommy, I’m proud of you and your business,” which means the world to me. I am deeply grateful for their role in my journey and their constant presence in my life.

I also owe my success to my parents. Without the influence of an amazing social worker mother, Grace Davis, and talented artist father, Norman Davis, I don’t think I would have pursued the career path that I did, allowing me to be a strong advocate for mental health care, and a clinical therapist incorporating art to help heal those in need.

Website: https://gracecentertherapy.com/

Instagram: @the_grace_center

Image Credits
Photographer – Ariane Reina Photography
Hair – Entiycing Crowns
Makeup – Krystal Palmer