Meet Catherine Packer-Williams: Counseling Psychologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Catherine Packer-Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Catherine, is there something you believe many others might not?
There is a “Positivity Only” movement that I understand but do not always agree with. It is critically important to surround yourself with people who support your vision and affirm you. I find that it is equally important to be able to hear and accept constructive criticism. A person who does not agree with you or questions you is not necessarily a “hater”. Even if you do not agree with the feedback, it is important to listen and engage in some perspective taking. Perspective taking can be an essential skill for success. In my work, it helps with marketing, negotiating, and consulting. It can also build resilience as you learn to address feedback that does not always feel good. Furthermore, taking a positivity only approach can turn toxic if it leads to ignoring or silencing negative parts of our lives that are part of the human experience. It can lead to living an inauthentic life and wearing a mask of being happy, successful, and living a problem-free life instead of facing and giving voice to the challenges we all experience. It can also lead to surrounding yourself with people who do not tell you the truth.

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?
After being in education for 20 years, I decided to make a change in my career. I spent the first part of my career working as an elementary school teacher and then as a professional school counselor. The latter part of my career was spent working in higher education as an instructor and then as an administrator. After losing my administrative position as part of a college merger, I decided to breathe life into a long-standing dream deferred. The loss of my position was the best thing that could have ever happened to me! It exposed the degree to which I was not living my purpose or fulfilling my calling. I always wanted to have my own private counseling and consulting practice. I decided not to push my dream on the back burner any further. CPW Counseling and Consulting, LLC was birthed out of a desire to provide culturally-rooted counseling experiences to help members of my community achieve their goals and heal their mind, body, and spirit. Furthermore, I have always been passionate about providing engaging, educational, and empowering experiences for people committed to making individual or organizational change or who have a desire for wanting to make a bigger impact in their communities. Now, as a consultant, I use my expertise to customize effective, results-oriented public speaking and professional development training events. I have heard it said that if you do something that you love, it will not feel like work. For the first time, I experienced that first-hand after starting my own practice. As an educator, I spent 20 years waking up each morning and reporting to a K-12 school, college or university. For the first time, I was reporting to myself. That was a welcomed change but also a difficult transition. I had to quickly incorporate an entrepreneurial spirit with my passion to advocate for mental health and fill the gap in mental health services by providing culturally informed counseling services. Being vulnerable by admitting all I did not know and joining a network of like-minded psychologists at BlackTherapyCentral.com helped me improve my learning curve. Despite my years of expertise, I also humbly engage in regular supervision and mentoring to help me proactively identify challenges and create effective, healthy solutions. From my experience from being an educator to becoming the CEO of my own counseling and consulting practice, it is never too late to go after what you want in life. I was very comfortable as an educator and probably would have remained in my position until retirement if it wasn’t for the shake-up of the college merger. Losing my position forced me out of my comfort zone and made me re-evaluate my definition of success. I came to realize that not taking the risk to live out my dream was a definition of failure, and I was living in an unconscious state of mind where I just did what was comfortable and easy. Now, I am wide awake, living with intention, and enjoying the manifestation of my dream career. Now, as a counselor and consultant, my role is to help others see their ability to self-determine their destiny and live a life more aligned with their dreams and goals.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When family comes in from out of town, we try to hit historic spots that help to ground us and remind us of our heritage. Visiting the King Center is always an empowering experience. I recommend that visitors not only explore the King Center and activities they offer for all ages but also take the Martin Luther King, Jr. History Walking Tour. The tour takes you to the MLK National Historic Site, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame and shares historical insights about the Sweet Auburn neighborhood where King grew up. The National Park Service provides a tour of King’s childhood home where he lived with his grandparents, parents, and siblings. If you are traveling with children, I highly recommend reading (or listening on YouTube to) the book My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris. It truly helps to bring the King residence alive for readers, young and old. It also makes the visit to the home more powerful and memorable. When it is time to eat, right on Auburn Avenue is The Busy Bee Café, which offers some of the best soul food Atlanta has to offer. You can’t go wrong with whatever you order. My favorite dish is their smothered pork chops with candied yams and collard greens. The sweet potato pie is superb!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been blessed to have Black women in my life who have lifted me while they climbed. Specifically, two mentors, Dr. Ruth Palmer and Dr. Sharon Blackwell-Jones, come to mind. Both women played a critical role in my development as a Black woman psychologist. Dr. Palmer was my research professor during my Master’s program in Counseling. I was the only Black woman in her course. She recognized my talent as a budding researcher and took an interest in helping me engage in research projects. She helped me as I struggled with imposter syndrome, which led me to doubt my abilities and have a fear of success. I know I would not be the scholar I am today if she had not taken the initiative to help me identify and capitalize on my strengths. Through her encouragement and support, I felt confident to apply to doctoral programs and earn my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. During my doctoral studies, I experienced insidious, covert racism that I never quite experienced before. It often left me feeling dumbfounded, disempowered, and dejected. That is when I met Dr. Blackwell-Jones. She not only affirmed my experience but also protected me. She did not turn a blind eye to preserve her status with her peers. She took the risk to speak out over what she saw me experience. She spoke truth to power in a way I was unable to as a student. Dr. Blackwell-Jones gave me a voice and validation. She made the time in my doctoral program bearable as she reminded me that I deserved to be there. Over a decade later, both Dr. Palmer and Dr. Blackwell-Jones are still active in my life, supporting, affirming, and lifting me through each new journey. Today, I serve as a mentor for young Black women in the field, using my former mentors as a model of how to lift while I climb.

Website: cpwcounselingandconsulting.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Drcatherinepackerwilliams/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-packer-williams/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drcatherinepw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCatherinePW/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoA9sru6OVsxFEzSamHRWJQ

Image Credits
House of Harley Radio