Meet Simara Blair | Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

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

Hi Simara, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always dreamed of opening my own private practice. I was gently pushed by my mentor to turn my dream into reality when I couldn’t sustain working in a traditional work environment. I had a newborn and a 2 year old and reached the crossroads that many moms face, do I put my kids in daycare or find another way? I felt like I could be the mom I wanted while continuing my purpose as a therapist. I chose to take the leap of faith and open Strength & Serenity Counseling in 2017.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Strength & Serenity Counseling is psychotherapy private practice. It is our mission to provide person centered quality care for anyone seeking healing, health, and growth. Our practice helps adult individuals, couples, and families find a safe place to explore mental, emotional and relationship challenges.

We offer therapy and coaching services. Each team member specializes in unique areas. I specialize in perinatal mental health and bipoc women’s issues. These two population of people are so important to me because of my personal challenges. I struggled with postpartum anxiety and had no idea that it was a condition and was treatable until I was in the pit. I have committed to support new parents and their mental health after getting certified from Postpartum Support International. As a Black woman, a multicultural woman, and a Latina it is crucial to create safe spaces for women who look like me. I love that women of color can come to me and feel like they can breath a little easier because of some shared experiences and familiarity.

I’m also happy to share that Lauren Peterson specializes in Christian Sex Therapy. This area is desperately underserved. I love that we can offer Christians a space to explore, enhance, and heal their relationship with sex.

My newest team member is Stepfan Jones he specializes in working with young adult men. I think it’s safe to say that Black Male therapists are unicorns. I’m so glad to have him on my team to help support men of color.

It’s been 4 years since opening my practice, its been a great learning experience. I think I was initially just happy to see that I was helping people and able to contribute to sustaining my family. When the pandemic hit, it obviously shifted the world, but I wasn’t sure how my business would be affected. I’m honestly grateful to not only still have a business, but to see it grow.

A few lessons I have learned along the way:

1. Adaptability and flexibility are key. I’m very much so a learn-on-the-go kind of a person. I’m comfortable not knowing all the answers and being willing to make adjustments that are needed. I think once I let go of the notion that everything needed to be perfect in order to be functional, I was able to get my business off the ground.

2. Anxiety, fear, and doubt are going to be there- it’s apart of the journey. Confronting my limiting beliefs, insecurities, and inner critic was and is the hardest thing to deal with for me. No one outside of myself is stopping me from doing anything, yet there were those emotions and thoughts that I had to fight through in order to following through with my goals and dreams. At this point, I acknowledge when they come, but I don’t let them stop me from completing what I set out to do.

3. Learn from everywhere. I remain open to learning from unexpected sources. Let’s be honest, I have invested all of my academic career to learn psychotherapy, not business. Owning and operating your own practice requires a different set of skills. I’m grateful to pull from a variety of business, financial, and management resources to create a healthy working environment with healthy boundaries.

4. You don’t need to do it all alone. For the first 3 years of my business I did it all; marketing, networking, social media, book keeping, administration, billing, and therapy. I heard Andy Stanley say this a long time ago… “do what only you can do”. There was a point in my practice where I realized if I wanted things to change I would need to allow someone else INTO my business in order to help it grow. It was so hard to do because it’s my baby. Hiring an accountant, an assistant, and a social media manager has been extremely helpful in allowing more time to do things that only I can do for myself, my practice, and my clients. It’s a hard thing to do as an entrepreneur because money spend for others is coming out of your pocket. But it’s a worth investment, especially if they are people you trust who offer quality service.

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?
If my best friend was visiting I would take her to Jeju Spa. It is my favorite place to go when I need to wind down. As mom, someone else is always in need of something. Jeju is the place for ME. There’s something special about being in Jeju, you are confronted with a bit of nerves at first because most of the time you’ll be in the nude. But I love the environment everyone is friendly and it just encourages body positivity. I also love the body scrub, steam room, and hot saunas.

We would definitely stop by the Georgia Aquarium. It’s a beautiful experience.

I would take a hike and a swim at Fort Yargo.

We stop by Slutty Vegan for lunch and take a stroll by MLK’s home.

I would also get us private massages by my girl Wachena Woodward.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout out to my friend and mentor Linda Close. She was the gentle voice that reminded me to listen to God’s prompting and hold tightly to faith as I walk the journey of entrepreneurship. She flies under the radar but stands so firmly in power and purpose.

Website: https://www.strengthserenitycounselingservices.com/

Instagram: @simarablair