Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Candace Anthony.
Hi Dr. Candace, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have been in the mental health field for over 16 years, and I feel it is aligned with me. I was a peer mediator in middle school, took psychology classes in high school, and have always felt a calling to be a listening ear for those around me. I didn’t know precisely what this would look like when I started, but I can tell you this is where I am meant to be.
I started with my Bachelor’s in Psychology (shoutout to SEMO) and went into the Community Counseling program at UMSL. While earning my master’s at UMSL, I worked in direct care in a residential facility, where I discovered my passion for working with teens. Throughout my time in the field, I have worked with youth in foster care and residential care, in school and community settings (including in-home services), and up until 2017, that’s where I saw myself for the long haul. At the same time, I had a passion for higher education that I hadn’t tapped into since graduating from SEMO, so after reflection and exposure, I found myself at Maryville University in an Ed.D. program in late 2017. I had all this knowledge and experience, and something still felt off. This is how I ended up leaving an agency I had been at for 10+ years and moving full-time into my private practice. Since then, I have been using my skills to impact change from a more systemic approach, providing workshops/training and consultation work. I moved from working directly with clients to working with the systems that serve them.
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?
Regarding what I want to do, the road has seemed smooth. Now, figuring out how I want to do things is where the struggle has come. For years I have done just what I’ve been hired to do when working for others. And while I’m grateful for the experience, it didn’t allow me the room to take the risk. I believe the first part of my career gave me all the knowledge I needed, while where I now provide me with the creativity to make it my own. Part of that is because of the “old school” counseling teachings I was exposed to (I graduated in 2008!). Be a blank slate, don’t show yourself, and don’t have family pictures in the room. These are the messages I received in the first part of my career. The side effect was that I didn’t feel the permission to be my whole self. So the first few months of full-time private practice were me asking what I wanted to do. How do I want to show up? What is the impact I want The Ellis Agency to have? And over time, by putting myself out there, I engaged with my clients and did what came naturally to me instead of getting approval from someone else.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about The Ellis Agency?
The Ellis Agency provides clinical and consulting services at the intersection of mental health and education. Our practice partners with local systems to ensure every client achieves their social and emotional goals, no matter the starting point. On the client side, we provide individual therapy and psychoeducational workshops. It has been a solo practice for the last few years, but we are expanding to a group practice! Our counseling services strive to be authentic, open-minded, and accurate.
Our consulting services guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of mental health programming. The purpose of this service is for the organization and its leaders to understand the “Why?” and “How.” behind its programs and ensure processes that make sense. Our practice meets people and organizations amid their transition and helps bridge where they are and want to be.
What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Whew! So I’m usually a “burn it all down and start over” kinda girl (lol), but I will say that I believe the field is heading in the right direction. I would love to see the recognition of more holistic practices within the therapy world. Thankfully, there is more understanding of cultural differences within the area and for therapists, there is more permission to be open be yourself. And there is work to make licensing more universal so that you get approved in other states, which is key with people being more transient with their living.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheEllisAgencyLLC.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEllisAgencyLLC
