Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamyra Villines.
Hi Tamyra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My passion for mental health started at an early age.
I grew up in Mebane, North Carolina (a very small town). I was raised Southern Baptist, religion is the cornerstone of my family. The combination of religion and the limitations of a small town, mental health was not discussed. It was the ‘monster’ that everyone had some kind of experience with but no one talked about.
We pray about it, give it to the Lord, and move on. My mother is a single mother who had her struggled with addiction my whole life. Due to my father’s struggle with addiction, he was absent for the majority of my life. I am now aware that some of my environmental factors had a huge effect on my mental health, struggling with anxiety very early in life.
My family would say ‘Tamyra has her spells’ referring to what I know now as panic attacks. I was prayed over, anointed, baptized, and rededicated to the Lord (several times and not in that order) in an effort to fix these ‘spells’.
Leaving my small town and going to pursue my Bachelor’s degree was a game-changer. I went from only knowing people from my small town in North Carolina to meeting individuals from Africa, Spain, Iceland, etc. The exposure to the different cultures gave me more insight into my own family.
It made me realize that there is a lack of knowledge in my community about mental health, this was bigger than in Mebane, NC. People are suffering in silence because of cultural norms. The stigma was holding people hostage. In college, I decided I wanted to be a mental health therapist to help spread normalcy about mental health.
Once I completed my master’s degree, I was eager to take all this knowledge back home. My passion was to break the stigma surrounding mental health in my community. I started hosting forums in my town that offered resources for mental health services. My goal was to normalize the conversations around mental health.
I am currently working in private practice in Fort Lauderdale, FL. My private practice still has the same mission — breaking the stigma surrounding mental health in my community and normalizing conversations about mental health. Many of my clients are persons of color and for the first time in therapy.
I have been blessed to work in many different areas of the mental health field, providing me with the knowledge needed to be in private practice and serve my community in this capacity. It is a combination of my personal and professional experiences that have paved the way to fulfill my passion for becoming a mental health therapist.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road — those three words in one sentence make me chuckle. Believing in something that many of your support systems do not, can be a very lonely journey. I was able to access education and resources that granted me the opportunity to set myself free.
People tend to shame what they don’t understand. Some people had a hard time (maybe still do) wrapping their minds around how I would have a whole career in mental health when (in their eyes) it is not a real thing. The idea was ‘you don’t tell a stranger about what’s going on in your house, you take it to God’.
In my community, the church serves as the therapist. At the present time, more people are creating comfort around mental health. We have moved the mark a little but we still have a long ways to go.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Lynn eTherapy, PLLC is my private practice where I offer individual and group therapy at the outpatient level of care.
My practice is named after my father, Lynwood, who died at the young age of 53. My father did not experience much life free from his addiction. One of the driving forces behind my practice is to honor my father by helping others seek mental and emotional freedom.
In my private practice, I only work with adults. My practice is 100% virtual, allowing me to service a broader group of clients. I have experience working with the following; personality disorders, anxiety, mood disorders (depression, Bipolar, etc.), and addiction.
Many people come to therapy when they are experiencing some kind of transition in life. My goal is to work with my client to identify how to battle negative thinking patterns, regulate emotions, and increase positive behaviors.
Ultimately, I want every person of color to have the opportunity to experience therapy! I love connecting people to mental health resources.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
It truly takes a village.
I’ve had teachers and professors pour into me and created spaces where I can thrive. My family has been a pivotal part of my growth professionally and personally. My fellow therapist of color has welcomed me into this field with open arms, many paving the way for me.
I have a set of friends that allow me to be Tamyra the person and not the therapist. My younger sister is my anchor through this all. My therapist has provided me with the necessary skills to maneuver life as an individual, separate from being a therapist.
I have learned to lean on my support system in different ways and allow them to 100% show up for me. As a mental health therapist, I am exposed to some of the deepest parts of people. It is imperative that I have a support system that allows me to take that hat off and show up authentically myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lynnetherapypllc.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lynn_etherapy_pllc_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/lynn.etherapy.9
Image Credits
Oprah Stephens and Tiara Harris
