Meet Lana Amawi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lana Amawi. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Lana Amawi, MSSA, LISW-S, has over 25 years of experience in mental health across various multidisciplinary settings as well as clinical research. Lana is an Ohio state licensed Clinical Therapist and Social Worker who has been working in private practice for the last 15 years. Psychological Counseling Solutions was established in 2008, and more recently Coaching & Consultation Solutions. One of Lana’s niche populations are the medical and dental healthcare warriors around the world. Lana’s multicultural experiences and fluency in Arabic helped start her career at the Menninger Clinic (Topeka, KS), followed by Henry Ford Behavioral Health and Arab American & Chaldean Council (both in Detroit). She is the Cleveland liaison for NuDay Syria, a nonprofit humanitarian organization based in New Hampshire. Lana has also been very active with refugee resettlement and offers counseling and therapy for those who witnessed and experienced trauma due to the civil war in Syria. She still has great connections to Syria, as her parents were raised in Damascus and immigrated after graduating from medical school. Lana still has family in Damascus, as well as other parts of the Middle East and Canada. 

Mental health has always been passion for Lana. The “Because You Matter” title and the name of her 501c3 non-profit organization was inspired by the You Matter movement, which was created and administered by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in 2015. https://youmatter.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/about-you-matter-2/. Lana’s non-profit will help fund mental health treatment, resettlement, and education for women and their families. 

You can contact Lana via her email, website, LinkedIn, or Instagram. 

Email: lana@lanaamawicoaching.com 

Site: www.lanaamawicoaching.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachformedicalprofessionals 

Instagram: @lanamedcoach 

Favorite Quotes: 

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s learning how to dance in the rain”. (Vivian Greene) 

“You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance”. (Kahlil Gibran) 

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention”. (Kahlil Gibran) 

Inspirational Songs: 

(Arabic) Alhamdulillah by Fares Karam 

(English) I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross 

(Spanish) Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Chapter in my book: BECAUSE YOU MATTER 

BE A BELIEVER 

Wow, we made it. A year into this incredible and unpredictable pandemic. It’s Friday and our holy day of the week. The rain signifies the opening of the sky from the heavens and creates a greater closeness to God. It is days like this that we are encouraged to pray and ask God not only for help but for mercy. The world as we knew it is now gone. Mere memories in our respective minds. But isn’t it about time that we start living again? Isn’t it about time that we reassess our lives and reprioritize our responsibilities, goals, aspirations, and dreams? I don’t know about you, but my life was incredibly hectic. I’m a wife, a mother to a very active 11-year-old therapy private practice owner, and started a coaching and consultation business almost six months ago, volunteer, and had a small semblance of the social life. Life was full but too overwhelming and contributing to my anxiety. 

I needed to add something positive in my life and always wanted to add another credential. Coaching has become very popular in the last ten years and especially in the last five or so. My style of therapy does include coaching, which I feel makes it more effective in the long run. So, I did some research and came across the Coach with Clarity Program run by Lee Chaix McDonough. She has this amazing membership program that allows therapists who are interested in being coaches learn about the craft itself and how to distinguish it from clinical practice. What a beautiful community and she is warm, genuine, thoughtful, full of exquisite information, and has an amazing tribe herself. More research needed through the ICF (International Coaching Federation), and I found Symbiosis Coaching. The Executive and Life coaching programs were fascinating and intriguing. I started Oct. 30th, 2019, with the CEC or better known as the Certified Executive Coach program for the subsequent 8 weeks. The CLC or the Certified Life Coach program started in November 5th and went through May 5th, 2020. These courses were all done via Zoom. We had about a dozen in our CEC cohort and almost three dozen in our CLC cohort. Snehal Singh was our instructor, leader, coach and eventually became my friend. Remember, I was in the midst of my proverbial personal and somewhat professional hell. Her enthusiasm, spirit, zest for life, and infectious laugh kept me and the rest of us going through this nightmare we were living. How were we going to open coaching businesses when people no longer had money? Who was going to hire us? We all powered on and, thankfully, passed our certification exams. 

In the midst of this victory, I was struggling with my own anxiety. I remember calling one of my psychiatry colleagues while sobbing in the parking lot of my office building, just desperate to make this go away. God, please make this go away! I know you’re teaching me something, but PLEASE make it go away! I was pleading and praying, praying and pleading and more pleading and praying. Suggestions were made for medications but no to avail, as those were targeting the primary diagnosis for depression vs. anxiety. I remember calling my mother and crying; I mean the deep cry when you’ve lost someone you loved. I did; I was losing myself to this debilitating anxiety. I was losing a battle, fiercely losing THIS battle. And frankly, I rarely lose a battle because I’m equipped, and I’m a believer. But this one was taking me down like a great white shark ripping me to literal shreds with its rows of teeth. This was now during COVID-19. I couldn’t see my parents in Kansas City, and they couldn’t see me. I became even more distraught. I am an extrovert and need my every three months fill from my family. You mean NO ONE could help me?!? 

My mother and I would video call, and she would read verses (suras and ayahs) from the Quran, our holy book, to ask for God’s assistance. She would repeat many times in Arabic, “My God send the angels to help her.” I was so depressed that I spent hours and hours in bed. If I didn’t need to go somewhere, I stayed in bed. I had NEVER in my life of almost 49 years experienced something like this. The grocery store trips were absolute sheer and utter terror. I was having panic attacks under my masks. Plus, people during that time were very suspicious, and their body language to match. All were on guard and very fearful. We had no idea what was going on, did not have all the facts, or know frankly how long this was going to last. Do you remember when COVID-19 first hit and the grocery stores looked like they had been robbed. The bread, milk, peanut butter, pasta and sauce, paper towels, and oh the TOILET PAPER! TP was flying off the shelves like Best Buy TVs on Black Friday. People were hoarding like crazy as the feeling of fear and doom became their reality. 

My husband was working in the MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit) at Cleveland Clinic main campus and was dealing with this nightmare with his respective colleagues. When he came home, I was literally Lysol-ing him because I had no idea what was coming into our home. The looks on his face vacillated from fear to fatigue as him and his colleagues around the globe became the AAA team to control the effects of this deadly virus. 

Then came my practice changes. I was used to getting ready in office attire and meeting my patients and clients face-to-face. I now had to engage in telehealth and do my job from behind a screen. Wait really? I had to properly access, treat, and manage mental health issues and conditions from home and use HIPAA-compliant platforms to stay on track. This actually was incredibly fatiguing. Hour after hour, and client after client. When COVID-19 first hit, my practice volume dropped drastically. Many employers were downsizing and laying people off from their jobs. This also meant they no longer had their insurance. Ninety percent of my patients and clients have insurance. 

Many of us belong to different personal and professional Facebook groups and were looking for support, solace, and advice as to how to get through pandemic with the same efficiency as prior to March 2020. My saving graces came from the Mothers In Private Practice (MIPP) and Northeast Ohio Social Works and Counselors group. This was actually started by my bestie Rita Abdallah, and some of us occasionally are backup admins. This was a very scary and worrisome time. So much discussion revolved around whether it was financially wise to keep our respective offices. Then came the COVID positive tests and death of friends and loved ones. No one prepared us for these F5 tornadoes that absolutely devastated us with no warning system. How the heck were we supposed to stay strong for everyone else when our own lives were crumbling around us?!? Absolutely NOTHING in graduate school or our lives rehearsed us for this. We did, however, develop a great sense of resilience and became very innovative as we navigated through this treacherous storm. 

BUT telehealth did have many positives. Clinicians and practitioners were seeing their patients in their natural elements. Their homes and offices were now on preview. Children and fur babies scrambled the rooms while these telehealth sessions were taking place. I actually looked forward to having a few particular sessions as I met beautiful cats. I witnessed hilarious catfights as it broke up the sense of overwhelm experienced by all. I looked forward to viewing stunning pieces of art and furniture as we were tackling problems and the emotions that came with them. 

We have seen a shift in businesses, attitudes, and daily activities, including home life. We are finally getting back to some of our regular routines. Honestly, I haven’t felt this good since I can remember. I’m taking medications and vitamins to regulate my thyroid and anxiety. My family, friends, and different women tribes are a part of my daily existence. I would not have made it without my parents, my sister Deana and my besties tribe Rita, Heather, Rasha, Iklas, Amani, Priti, Sandra, and Snehal. The people that we meet in our lives are no coincidence. Never underestimate the power of God. Just be a believer – believe that life is mostly episodic. Believe that God has a plan for you. Alhamdulilah, I did just that. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Books: Because You Matter: Personal & Professional Stories of Our Healthcare Warriors during COVID-19 

5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins 

Atomic Habits by James Clear 

Any books by David Baldacci 

Apps: 

Trello, Cosi, Instacart, Amazon 

Podcasts: 

Brene Brown 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lanaamawicoaching.com
• Instagram: @lanamedcoach

Image Credits
Leigh Roth Photography