Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shahidrah Cowgill, Owner of Fundamental Foundations Counseling Center, PLLC, located in Little Elm, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Fundamental Foundations Counseling Center is a multi-location, multi-practitioner group mental wellness practice headquartered in Little Elm, TX. Our team of diversely trained providers offers support to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families across North Texas in our offices and via telehealth/virtual services. The FFC Center employs innovative and community-oriented solutions to help clients Recover, Live & Thrive. Our services include Intake & Counseling Assessments, Individual Counseling, Family, Couples & Marriage Therapy, Child & Teen Counseling Support, EMDR Therapy & Intensives, and Faith-based Counseling support. The FFC Center currently has three locations in the DFW area, Little Elm, Allen, and Dallas. Furthermore, our telehealth and virtual services continue to support people across the State of Texas. We offer counseling intervention and aftercare support for depression, anxiety, grief & loss, trauma, life transitions, relationship struggles, attention & focus issues, identity, divorce recovery, addiction recovery, and more.
Our preventative services focus on resilience, stabilization, and wellness for everyday life and for people with everyday stressors. Our mental health check-ups and day retreats are our answer to creating a universal and preventative mental health strategy that can reduce the incidence of a mental health crisis. This intervention is also cost-effective. By screening for cumulative risk factors that may progressively increase vulnerability to burnout, this process informs participants of life pressure points. It provides recommendations from a licensed professional to lessen the risk and increase protective factors and overall well-being.
These services are ideal for business professionals, healthcare professionals, super-moms & dads, and really anyone who works in a high-stress environment. We can also cater our services to companies and teams who desire to keep their staff functioning and well. With increasing service demands and a national shortage of workers in the workforce. The increased demands, work challenges, and adversities place significant demands on current staff and can negatively impact performance leading to burnout attrition.
During the pandemic period, we have seen an extraordinary rise in the demand for mental health support. Many in the helping professions of healthcare, insurance, human resources, education, delivery services, and more have had to step up and answer the call to support their communities and customers. These demands have come with a high cost leading to compassion fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and disruption in healthy coping strategies, along with other issues. Our services of mental health checkups, wellness day retreats, creative healing arts classes, social fitness activities, and psycho-education courses provide alternatives to activating mental wellness routines consistently. Mental wellness preventative services may be accessed anytime, but we recommend monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, or annual follow-ups.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Shahidrah Cowgill, and I am the owner and Clinical Director of Fundamental Foundations Counseling Center. I am currently licensed by the State of Texas as an LPC Supervisor and nationally certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. As a clinician, I have had the privilege to work with clients of all ages addressing issues of relationship struggles, mood & anxiety issues, trauma recovery, life transitions, grief and loss, and much more. Beyond the scope of my clinical work, I am a serial entrepreneur, author, speaker, podcast host, mentor, devoted wife, and mother.
I fell in love with the mental health field in 2003, working as a Skills Trainer at a private mental health care agency in Hawaii supporting children with special needs. As a recent college graduate, I needed exposure to the world of psychology and the opportunities available in the clinical arena. Needless to say, it was a wonderful learning experience that inspired me to pursue a master's degree in counseling and a dream of opening my own counseling center.
In 2011, the vision for Fundamental Foundations Counseling Center came to life as a part-time, solo counseling practice. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the need for mental health support multiplied, giving me a unique opportunity to grow the practice. We currently have 13 providers on our clinical team and an administrative team who are second to none.
Each day I am motivated just knowing that I will continue to exponentially impact and bless others beyond my own efforts through our awesome team of providers with who I have been privileged to work, train, and empower to support a community of children, teens, couples and families.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The FFC Center has grown to be an established practice with 11 years of service to North Texas communities. Our practice has expanded to 3 physical locations and provides telehealth counseling support to people across the State of Texas. Our internship program continues to expand to training multi-disciplinary providers so that the community at large continues to receive competent care for many years to come.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is finding balance with all the hats you must wear and decisions that must be made, especially at the beginning of your business. Having a good self-care routine is important, so you don't burn out or get discouraged.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
3 Tips for New Business Owners or current business owners seeking to grow their business.
- Find a mentor in your industry who is willing to share their expertise; it will save you time, money and help you avoid making big mistakes.
- Write your vision and know your numbers; you can't activate a vision without first knowing where you are and what you need.
- Strive to have functional systems in place so that when transitions happen, your business won't be upended.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Check out Shahidrah on the PsychSpeak Podcast, where we look at breaking the stigmatized view of mental illness, analyze trending and relevant pop culture, and highlight preventative measures you can take to strengthen your resiliency. Listen to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. All of our socials can easily be found through our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theffccenter.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.fundamentalfoundcounseling.com/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3viajF6
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theffccenter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theffccenter
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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