Tamara E, LPC

Hello and Welcome to Tamara E, LPC, a psycho educational podcast designed with you in mind! I wanted to begin by telling you a little bit about me and why this podcast matters to me. To do this I have to go all the way back to my own childhood. I often imagined that I had an idyllic childhood, but this was a rationale that I used to survive, however, I wouldn’t realize this until many, many years later! In reality, I had endured my share of childhood trauma and emotional scars that I would subsequently spend a lifetime trying to overcome, just like we all do! I definitely don’t own any share of the market when it comes to emotional pain and trauma, this is the challenge we all experience in some form throughout our lifetimes! Out of my childhood grew an unending urge to help others. It was in helping others that I was able to find my joy, or maybe it was my escape. I was able to externalize all my pain by ignoring it and “being of service”. Believing if I could be “good enough”, that I would be loveable, the problem was that I didn’t love myself. Now, a little older and, humbly, “a little wiser” I know that negative childhood experiences will ultimately win that battle, you must go through it, going around it will never resolve the inner pain that we all experience! None of us can do this until we are ready to process that pain. When the time is right, you will find the strength to face it head on! I’m here to guide you on that journey. In college I found a passion for lofty intellectual pursuits, I couldn’t get enough intellectual conversations coupled with a good latte! I became a teacher and was able to continue to suppress my own pain by helping the Middle Schoolers that I taught science and math to. I was a “fan favorite”, the teacher with whom the kids would come and sit with at lunch and talk about their problems! This is what I loved about teaching! I soon realized I really wasn’t meant to be in the classroom. Thus began my journey to becoming an LPC, that is, a Licensed Professional Counselor. A job that I truly love have a passion for. Along my life path I went through one divorce, a second marriage, twin sons and a daughter, as well as a relocation from Michigan to the suburbs of DC (Northern Virginia) when the kids were young. I also got a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1995, and have struggled with that ever since, my twins were born 7 weeks prematurely leaving one with Cerebral Palsy as well as multiple other impairments, including epilepsy and severe intellectual delays. I went through a religious phase, a spiritual phase, a traveling and living abroad phase and ultimately an acceptance of my life just as it is now. This is no easy feat. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter; I am a teacher, a guide, a friend, and most of all a mental health therapist who learned to love herself for who she was, flaws and all. My greatest joy is helping others on their own journey’s. I now own my own private practice and I do not believe that anyone ends up in my office by coincidence. I still find my greatest personal fulfilment in helping others, but I no longer do it to cover my own pain, I do it because I “get it” and that has made all the difference. Throughout this podcast we will touch on many topics that I see in my practice as a therapist. We will explore topics that will help you understand yourself better who you are no matter where you are in your own journey. I believe that mental healthcare should be a HUMAN right and it is for this reason that I created this podcast, to offer help to anyone who needs it, free of charge. I want to thank you for joining us. Please help expand our reach by clicking like, and don’t forget to share and offer feedback! If there is a topic that you would like to hear about, let us know, we want to meet the needs of our listeners. Listening to or watching or corresponding with this podcast does not constitute a therapist/client relationship. Although the contents relate to mental health practices, it is designed for entertainment purposes only. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a mental health professional in your area or go to the nearest emergency room for appropriate care.