Turning Pain into Purpose
My name is Alicia, and I have been running my own therapy practice for over ten years. But if you had told me years ago that this is where I’d be today, I wouldn’t have believed you. Becoming a therapist wasn’t part of my original plan—I simply wanted to help people. But one day, on my way to my own therapy session, a thought struck me: What if I started my own therapy business? That question changed everything.
My journey wasn’t easy. I didn’t grow up with stability. I spent time in foster care and was surrounded by family members struggling with addiction and trauma—pain that trickled down to me. At 23, I became a single mother. When I was seven months pregnant, the stress of it all took such a toll on me that I developed facial paralysis. At the same time, my father was battling cancer. I was about to bring a baby into the world, completely on my own, with no idea how I was going to support us.
Grief nearly swallowed me whole. But therapy saved my life. It gave me a way forward when I couldn’t see one. I enrolled in a social service work program, and from the moment I stepped into that classroom, I knew I was where I was meant to be. Everything felt natural. I understood the material as if I had lived it—because I had. And for the first time in a long time, I felt a deep passion guiding me forward.
Loss didn’t stop there. Over the years, I’ve lost 10 family members, including my very best friend. And last year, I faced another devastating loss—my 35-year-old sister. People often ask me, How do you keep going? How do you even get out of bed in the morning? The truth? Some days are hard. I miss my family deeply, and I always will. But every morning, when I put my two feet on the ground, I remind myself that I’ve been given another day—a chance to live, to love, and to be grateful.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt a deep passion guiding me forward.
There is so much to be grateful for. I have a career that never feels like work. I get to sit with people, hear their stories, and help them find healing. That, to me, is a blessing. I’ve made a commitment that for the rest of my life, I will set my intentions and make the most of the time I have.
I also embrace the things that bring me joy—the little moments that make life feel beautiful. I love walking through nature, the feeling of the warm sun on my skin, the freedom of riding in my Jeep with music blasting. I love traveling, meeting new people, and having deep, unexpected conversations with strangers on the street. I love the ocean, the way it reminds me of how vast and limitless life can be. I love dogs, the unconditional love they bring into the world. And at the end of the day, nothing beats curling up for a comfy night’s sleep—or getting lost in a great TV binge.
One of my greatest joys is my daughter. Now 21 and in her third year of university, she wants to follow in my footsteps. Our bond is everything to me. Growing up without my mother, I longed for unconditional love—and now, I get to experience it every day.
There was a time when I wondered, How am I supposed to get through all of this? But through therapy and personal growth, I shifted my perspective. Now, I see it differently: I get to go through all of this. The things that once broke me were the very things that saved me.
I believe that life’s struggles, as painful as they are, can lead us to the highest version of ourselves—the version we never knew was possible. And that is why I do what I do. Because I know, from the deepest parts of my heart, that healing is possible. That transformation is real. And that no matter how dark things seem, there is always a way forward.
The things that once broke me were the very things that saved me.