Today we’d like to introduce you to Patty Montero.
Hi Patty, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was always the friend in the group that was considered the wise confidant. People would trust me with their drama and their secrets and would leave our interactions feeling better. This continued in high school where I took my first psychology course. I never thought about pursuing psychology. I wanted to be an actress or a teacher, but still found the subject matter fascinating. Fast forward a couple of years later, when I was trying to discern what to do with my bachelor’s degree in psychology. I always liked the idea of teaching or I could continue on to graduate school, but wasn’t sure what to do, so I asked for signs. I wanted confirmation from God as to where He wanted me to go next.
I was accepted into the Master’s program in Mental Health Counseling and took that as a very clear sign to continue. Throughout the many jobs that I had to help me along the way, the same experience kept following me. Strangers opening up to me, people wanting me to hear their stories, friends counting on me for support. It came very natural to me. I figured, if I can do this in a way that I could continue to help people and make a career out of this, then I had reached success.
As part of my experience I was able to work with teens and felt like I was truly making an impact. It was an age group I felt I could connect with, and at most of my sites realized not a lot of adults wanted to work with them. I couldn’t understand why. Teens may act hard to love, but they needed to feel understood and supported. Once they felt they could trust me, this trust would allow them to hear me out and we would start to implement healthy coping tools. Soon after getting licensed in 2015, I started working in high schools as a Licensed Therapist and continued to grow in my experience using faith as a resource.
When my family gave me that initial push to open up my private practice, I thought, no way, it’s too soon. But that planted a seed in pursuing my own office space and creating the practice of my dreams. My doors officially opened in 2018 and I have been proudly serving teens, young adults, and couples since then.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One thing that I left out of my discernment period was that I was newly in my faith and listening to God wasn’t something I found easy to do. It was hard to trust in something I wasn’t sure about. My mom had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and I was newly fired from my job, with no reason given. Signing up for a master’s program with potentially no job and needing to sign up for a student loan didn’t sound like the best logical next step to pursue.
Similarly, opening a business while being employed full time in a school while working with teens also created a period of chaos and stress that most small business owners can understand. At first I kept my business a secret because I didn’t want my coworkers to think I was doing something inappropriate or against my employer. I chose to initially not work in private practice with teens so there would be no fear of conflict of interest, but for the first couple of years it felt like a lot to carry mentally.
Then we had 2020, and this therapist was struggling along with most of humanity. It reminded me that our dreams are important but so is taking care of ourselves. My church and my faith have been huge sources of support and serving there has kept me rooted when times get challenging.
Thankfully my mom recovered and is now cancer free. My student loans provided me the opportunity to study and pursue my career that has allowed me to open my private practice. I am so blessed that every challenge has been turned into opportunities for growth and to prove to me that I am full of courage and confidence. Life can try to knock you down, but when your faith is bigger than your fears, you can conquer it all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and specialize in Christian Counseling. Couples choose to work with me because they want to improve their relationship and practice healthier communication. Women and professionals also choose to work with me when they are ready to create positive change in their life to become their best selves. I offer EMDR therapy as part of the many treatment tools in my toolbox and love to incorporate a faith based approach for those who consider it important. I choose to lead my business with transparency and honesty as I value the time and investment people make when they elect to work with me. I also am happy to help others find their therapist should I not be the right fit for them. Therapy is so powerful and finding the right therapist for you is really important to me.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I would love to publicly thank my family who have been my biggest supporters and always cheer me on. Running your own business has it’s highs and lows, and they always help lift me up during the lows and help me remember why the work I do matters. I also have to shout out my own therapist that has helped me work through some of my own limiting beliefs that have allowed me to become a better person, business owner, and ultimately a healthier therapist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.brighterheartscounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brighterheartscounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brighterheartscounseling
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/patricia-montero-coral-gables-fl/412951
Image Credits
Genesis G Photography
