Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica M. Bankston.
Hi Erica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have been a Mama Bear my whole life. Friends and family would come to me for advice and to vent. I was called a great listener, a rock, counselor, and true friend. I learned how to help others well but ignored my own needs. The “strong woman” personality I developed definitely helped me later in life when I became a Social Worker.
In 2019, as a seasoned Social Worker, busy mom & wife, with no white space on my calendar and too many volunteer and leadership roles, I found myself crying and sitting across the desk from another Social Worker asking for help for the first time in my life. I was almost 40 years old and strong, successful, and happy on the outside, but feeling so weak, stuck, and depressed on the inside. From that moment, I started to learn how to take care of myself first, and that included a therapeutic journey of grief recovery, radical self-care, spiritual healing, and a shift from employee to entrepreneur.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a business is hard! First, I really struggled with the unrealistic expectations of myself, society, and others. There are certain rules to follow (graduate, go to college, get a good job, get married, have kids, etc., etc., work, retire), and here I am with a good job, great benefits, and a whole retirement plan, but I’m deciding to give that all up for “a dream.” I had responsibilities and mouths to feed.
My dream was to be a counselor and have my own private practice. However, now I also wanted to work from home and only provide telehealth. I needed the freedom and flexibility to be with my family more and to be in charge of my own schedule. Telehealth was a newer way to provide counseling services, so I could not find many resources to help figure out logistics so that was a struggle at the beginning. This changed after the pandemic, of course, though, so at least I was ahead of the game, having already started the process when 2020 happened!
Another part I struggled with was the whole business side of entrepreneurship. I’m a helper. I know how to do the people work, but I had no experience with accounting, social media marketing, billing, systems, etc. The rest of this stuff I learned how to do along the way with coaches, mentors, and team support.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bankston Counseling Services?
I am the Owner & Mental Health Counselor of Bankston Counseling Services. Right now, my focus has been providing individual and group counseling for teens and adults. I specialize in helping those who struggle with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Life Transitions, and Stress. Since learning how to practice what I preach, I have found that I love helping other women (especially the overachiever, the helper, the giver, and the people pleaser) also learn how to take care of themselves. I get to focus on this while my team members & family handle a lot of the business side of things. I’m so grateful for their support!
Throughout my practice with others, I especially concentrate on educating clients on the importance of establishing a regular self-care routine. Though my counseling services are provided online, my team and I do facilitate an annual Self-Care Day, which is an in-person day retreat to help others in our community learn how to practice self-care as well.
I am so proud that my brand is linked to promoting self-care advocacy, community care, and mental health & wellness.
In an effort to reach others where they are, I am also developing resources to help others practice regular self-care on their own. I have 2 journals available for purchase now, with more resources to come.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
One thing that others may not know about me is I recently experienced a huge surprise about my ancestry. Through DNA testing, I had unexpected results in not only my presumed ethnicity but also the results of my biological father. I grew up thinking I was Mexican and Italian. I have learned now that though I do have Mexican and Italian in my ancestry, I am also Black. It has been an exciting chapter to my life story and a positive experience for me overall so far. I am grateful for that, as I know many who experience a DNA surprise do not always have such a favorable outcome.
Another thing that may be surprising to some is that I’m a therapist with a therapist, and I’m a coach with a coach. I strongly believe that all helping professionals need a therapist, coach, or mentor. We have to take care of us too.
Pricing:
- $125 per session
- Insurance also accepted
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/ericambankstonlisw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bankstoncounseling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bankstoncounseling/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ericambankstonlisw
Image Credits
Em Christine Thomas
