Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Morish.
Hi Tiffany, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m from Chicago, Illinois, born and raised and I relocated to Dallas, Texas in 2018. My journey began in 2002 after I completed my first year of college. I originally started my journey as an Architecture Major in college, when I attended Detroit Mercy University. This was the best decision I made when I decided to go away to college. I discovered that I was more passionate about the art and creative side versus the technical and mathematical side of that field. I quickly found my desire for the human services arena after taking a course in social work. I continued to practice my art as a hobby.
I completed my undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL as a Communication Disorders and Sciences major. I also minored in Child Psychology which sparked my love for counseling people of all ages. The combination of classes I took made it difficult to choose between becoming a Speech Pathologist, an Audiologist, or a Psychotherapist.
In the midst of my first four years of college, I became a first-time mom. My eldest daughter, Mya, made me more determined to finish my degree considering I had just become a single mother when she was a few months old. She spent her first 3 years of life on my college campus attending the on-site daycare and at times, accompanying me to class. We lived in the off-campus apartments which were graciously covered by financial aid. After graduation, I moved back to Chicago and pursued a job in Social Work but I quickly learned that my degree was not going to be enough to bring in the fulfillment and income I needed.
I did some research on different fields and discovered a master’s degree program in Rehabilitation Counseling. This major was intriguing to me because it allowed me to pursue a more clinical field while still becoming an expert in helping people with disabilities. I was accepted into the Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling Program at Northern Illinois University. I instantly fell in love with this program. I loved the medical training; the group therapy training and the authentic internship experience I received from the Hines Veteran Hospital. I was well prepared to take on this field. I also learned I could pursue a Licensed Professional Counseling status with the same training I received for this program. Upon completing this program was became a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor in the same year. In the midst of finishing my master’s degree, I gave birth to two more children, Olivia and Bella.
When I finished my degree in 2018, I moved my family to Dallas, Texas for an awesome job opportunity. I appreciate the people I’ve met along the way and built relationships with.
I am very passionate about my work and my ability to integrate both arrays of knowledge and experience into my daily sessions. I provide psychotherapy to a population of individuals that have been overlooked for many years. I recognized that many of the teachings and evidence-based research on various modalities were completed on Caucasian, middle-class men. However, helpful this research has been, I make it a point to continue being culturally competent and take 3 training a year on multicultural competencies. I help many people of various sexual orientations, gender identities, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
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?
The road was never smooth for my path. I found myself in between jobs after leaving the social work position and eventually moving back in with my parents. When I was applying to schools, I was rejected by 9 programs. This was very discouraging for me and caused me to doubt my abilities.
I started working as a mobile outreach provider, providing transportation to people in need of shelter and conducting well-being checks on the people’s loved ones. This job paid the bills and was fulfilling but it didn’t feed my desire to do something more. I continued to apply for programs until somebody gave me an opportunity to interview for enrollment. I will never forget that day I received a telephone call from Dr. Amanda McCarthy asking me to come to the Northern Illinois University Campus. This boost of confidence allowed me to see that among all the “no’s”, if you are patient you will find the “yes”. One week later I received an acceptance letter into the program.
The company I worked for made it almost impossible for me to attend classes and I had to gain support from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). I am very thankful for the EAP because it helped me break down barriers within my department. I experienced discrimination and unfair treatment daily from management. I was determined to advocate for myself and make it through school despite the unfair treatment. I will not name the company, but I will say the program lost the contract and is no longer operating.
During my final year of the master’s degree program, I gave birth to my last daughter Bella and sustained a birth injury. It took me 3 months to recover from a ruptured uterus and I still had to have corrective surgery a few months after that. I was not ready to give up on school to nurse myself but I recognized I needed to slow down. I remained a single mother at this time and relied on relatives for help with my children. My daughter and I survived this ordeal and came out stronger than before. I healed and worked with my professors to turn my “Incomplete” classes into “completed” classes. They were so gracious and patient and I love them still for all they do for me and other students.
NIU has an amazing community for its Rehabilitation Counseling cohorts.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am the founder of Living Unapologetically 365 Counseling located in Dallas, Texas. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and I provide virtual teletherapy services to the public. I am also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and specialize in working with people with various disabilities. I will receive full licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor in January of 2023. I work with adolescents and adults to provide them with a safe place to share their hurts and experiences. I service a large BIPOC and LGBTQ population and I enjoy being knowledgeable and trained to work with my shared populations. I believe my ability to relate and be culturally competent sets me apart from others. I recognize cues my clients give me when they are talking about certain aspects of their lives that someone who didn’t grow up in similar circumstances couldn’t relate to.
I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which is a great tool to help remove negative thoughts, self-blame, people-pleasing behaviors, and unhealthy thought patterns. I also use Person-Centered Therapy to aid the client in finding solutions to their issues that will leave them feeling empowered and able to continue independently after therapy. I use Solution Focused therapy to help a patient discover a new way to approach situations that trigger unwanted emotions or habits.
I’m proud of my brand because it was created from a need to be unapologetically me. I grew up with many restrictions and traditions that keep me in a shell. I was not allowed to freely express myself without being put down or dismissed. I create an environment for my clients to be themselves unapologetically, 365 days a year. I provide them with tools to become more independent with their coping strategies and mental health needs. They feel empowered, confident, and worthy within a few sessions.
I want my readers to understand that they must vibe with their therapist even if it means they need to try a few. I offer consultations for free to allow people to address their need for comfort with a therapist. I am fully transparent about cost and commitment. I do not accept insurance and all my services are cash pay only but I do provide a superbill for the clients to seek reimbursement for the services they render from me. I offer services for those experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship issues, couples, life transitions, and anger management. I use Simple Practice to provide a secure video conferencing space for our sessions. I provide a thorough overview of what therapy would look like and the commitment they would need to see improvement. My platform allows me to provide therapy to clients all over the state of Texas and I want people to feel welcome and comfortable reaching out to me.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love the atmosphere, the weather, and the many opportunities Dallas has to offer. I’ve traveled to Houston and truly enjoy the many activities and places to eat there. I would not trade my new city for anything but I do plan to retire in Mexico.
What I least enjoy about Dallas is the inconsistencies when it comes to services. If an establishment states they open at 8 am and I arrive at 8:30 am only to see that they are closed, I get frustrated. I’ve noticed since moving here that I see a lot of that when it comes to businesses. I just hope it gets better because that’s how you lose customers.
Pricing:
- Initial Intake $100
- Individual Sessions $100 per session
- Couples Intake $175
- Couples Sessions $150 per session
Contact Info:
- Website: sites.google.com/view/living365counseling/home
- Instagram: @living.365.counseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082557771607
