Today we’d like to introduce you to Aline-Vanya Guillaume.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Aline-Vanya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born on the beautiful island of Haiti, affectionately known as the Pearl of the Antilles. My father passed away right after graduating from law school. In search of a better life for herself and her only child, my mother immigrated to the United States.
She raised me as a single parent, teaching me the value of hard work and education.
Upon graduating from high school, I attended the University of Miami (Go Canes!) in hopes to eventually go to law school. During my sophomore year of college, while participating in a pre-law club, the Guardian ad Litem came to one of our meetings. They were trying to recruit volunteers to help advocate on behalf of neglected and abused kids in the foster care system.
I still remember feeling puzzled at hearing them speak about our foster care system. Being raised in a sheltered environment, it was shocking for me to hear about kids who were taken away from their homes.
I immediately wanted to know more. I signed up to volunteer, and that’s how my trajectory shifted from law to social work.
My first job out of college was licensing foster homes and teaching a parenting class to aspiring foster and adoptive parents.
After two years of working in the foster care system, I went back to school to pursue a Masters in Social Work. While in graduate school, I accepted a position to become a manager of a Women and Children’s homeless shelter. Working at the Miami Rescue Mission is where I believe I matured in every area of my life. In those five and a half years, I was exposed to some of the most traumatic experiences and stories that you can imagine. I also met some resilient individuals who I admire. It was during that time that my passion for unprocessed trauma, adverse childhood experiences and Christian counseling was birthed.
With a heavy heart, I knew it was time for me to leave that position in order to grow in my field. I briefly worked at a public hospital and with teenage parents while working towards my license.
At the end of 2017, my life changed completely. On December 30, 2017, my mom went to the emergency room for what we thought would be a quick visit. She was later diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma/Leukemia. I immediately became her primary caregiver, and the next eight months were filled with watching my mother, who is my heartbeat, suffer through aggressive chemo treatments and surgeries.
Two months prior to my mom’s diagnosis, I accepted a position as a program manager with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies. Months into my mother’s illness, I became overwhelmed with my responsibilities at work, home, and caring for my mom. I knew that I needed to leave my position so I could be available all the time for my mother’s care, however, I still needed to bring in income as we did not know at the time what would happen to my mom.
Seeing that I was licensed at the time, my husband and I prayed and made the decision for me to start a private practice. This would give me the flexibility I needed and bring in the income at the same time.
A month after starting my practice, my mother passed away. I’m grateful that she saw the practice come to life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think or ever wanted my own practice. It was one of the best decisions we made. I absolutely love what I do. The best part is: I get to do it my way.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest struggle in my journey was during graduate school. At the time time, I was managing a homeless shelter, attending classes at night at Florida International University which was about 45 minutes south from my home and work, and I had an internship at a rehab in Pompano which is about an hour north of my home and work. To this day, I have no idea how I manage to do my job, excel at my internship and graduate with a 3.8 GPA.
I was also facing some health challenges which required surgery.
I was beyond burned out. On graduation day I cried tears of relief.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Therapy Terrace Counseling Center story. Tell us more about it.
I am a Christian Counselor, a LCSW Qualified Supervisor and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
I believe many adults are living an unfulfilled life due to unprocessed traumatic events that took place in their past. Present hardships may also encourage poor decision making which can result in regrets. Using biblical principles, I help individuals during their toughest seasons.
In addition to adults, I am experienced in helping adolescents cope and process traumatic events through evidence-based techniques such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.
I have years of experience in providing services to hundreds of individuals in the areas of trauma, crisis intervention, depression, anxiety, suicide ideations, infertility, post-traumatic stress disorder and more.
I’m most proud of the individualized unconventional therapeutic care that I provide to my clients. I modify treatment interventions all the time to fit my client’s needs.
I do not believe in a one size fits all form of therapy. My sessions are challenging, however, the goal is to see results.
Tell us about your favorite and least favorites things about our city.
I love my city!!
What I love the most is the different cultures. While walking around the Magic City, you will be exposed to so many different languages, foods, and dialects.
What I like least about our city is that it’s overpopulated.
Contact Info:
- Website: therapyterrace.com
- Phone: 9545266678
- Email: aline@therapyterrace.com
- Instagram: @therapyterrace
- Facebook: @therapyterrace
- Twitter: @therapyterrace
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
