Exploring Life & Business with Angela Banks of The Clarity Couch Counseling Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Banks.  

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My interest in being a mental health therapist began during my childhood. I was always observant and liked listening to people’s stories. As a teenager, my friends would often talk to me about their experiences, and I enjoyed being able to offer that supportive ear. However, as a child, I grew up in areas where there was a lot of crime and poverty as well as substance abuse and what I now suspect to be mental health conditions. I also grew up in a family where some of my family members struggled with these things as well. When I was accepted to the Psychology program at Ohio University, my only intention was to become a therapist. I had no idea that this would lead to a vast career within the mental health profession, where I now have a thriving counseling practice, and I provide clinical supervision, conduct research, present at conferences, appear in the media, and provide educational training and speaking engagements to multiple organizations. I am so grateful for my journey, and I attribute my success to my hard work, innovative thinking, as well as the supportive people in my life. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This has not been a smooth road. I’ve had many challenges because I’ve built my business from the ground up. I’ve had to teach myself many skills, and a ton of them have been well out of my comfort zone. I am still not 100% satisfied with the way things are as I truly believe there is always some improvement that can be made. Some of the struggles have been related to finding funding sources to sustain the practice, finding good people to work with the practice, and also systemic issues that exist within the healthcare industry. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
“The Clarity Couch” is a private behavioral health practice based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Clarity Couch is a small start-up business which was founded by me because I wanted to provide services in an impactful way. I was born and raised in Cleveland. I began my career working in community-based settings. While working in these settings, I noticed that there was a need for diverse service providers based on the clients that were being served. The families and clients that I worked with would express their appreciation for the experience of having a provider that was open to understanding their culture. This sparked the idea of opening a practice where clients could feel safe to be themselves and possibly even work with a provider that identifies with their culture or the experience of their culture. From there, “The Clarity Couch” was born. My practice was founded to service people within communities that have been historically marginalized, and our clinicians are licensed professionals that use evidenced-based interventions. 96% of our therapy clients served identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, and our mission is to provide a safe space to reduce the stigma of mental health. We achieve this through both therapeutic and psychoeducational services. We recently received the Valeria Harper Cultural Competency Award from the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Cleveland chapter for the work that is being done at “The Clarity Couch.” This is awarded to organizations that demonstrate excellence in working with minority populations within the mental health field. I have been featured in Ebony magazine, Popsugar, and other media outlets as an expert speaker on mental health in minority communities. 

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
I would think of myself as more of a calculated risk-taker. Meaning I typically will consider different outcomes and alternative perspectives when making a decision. I think risks are necessary when trying to reach a goal because you never really can ascertain how something might work out. For me, not taking a risk might actually be considered more of a risk because who knows what you can miss out on if you never do things that are somewhat risky. I definitely have taken risks, such as leaving my jobs and pursuing my practice. I was able to have the support of my partner, which definitely helped, but it has been risky putting so much into a business and not knowing how it will all work out. 

Contact Info:

• Website: theclaritycouch.com
• Instagram: @theclaritycouch
• Facebook: @theclaritycouch
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-banks-lpcc-s-32777340