WP158 | Balancing Clinical Practice with Christian Conviction - Live Consulting with Shirlonda Shepard M.Ed, LPC, CPCS, CACII
This week’s episode of the Wise Practice Podcast is one I’m especially excited about because it’s a live consulting session with the amazing Shirlonda Shepard, owner of True North and Associates in Savannah, Georgia. Shirlonda came to the show with a heartfelt question: How can faith-based therapists integrate their Christian values into counseling while staying ethical and professional?
I love conversations like this because they get to the core of what so many of us wrestle with—how to honor God in our work without overstepping our role as clinicians. In this episode, Shirlonda and I talk openly about the gray areas: what to do when faith and ethics seem to collide, how to support clients with different beliefs, and what it means to let the Holy Spirit guide your sessions.
You’ll also hear us dive into practical topics like marketing your faith-based practice, handling tough client conversations, and even hiring staff who align with your mission.
If you’ve ever wondered how to integrate faith into therapy without losing your footing as a professional, this episode will speak straight to your heart.
When Faith and Ethics Meet in the Therapy Room
Shirlonda’s question—“What challenges do faith-based therapists face when balancing clinical excellence with their Christian values?”—sets the stage for an honest conversation.
Whitney shares insights from her presentation at the American Counseling Association Conference, where she spoke on using faith as a resource in therapy rather than as a doctrine. She reminds listeners that forgiveness, meditation, community, and gratitude—all core Christian principles—are also evidence-based interventions that promote well-being.
As Whitney put it, “Even if you’re not a faith-based person, these are tools that help clients heal.”
Shirlonda agrees, noting how closely Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) aligns with biblical teachings: “It’s about transforming your mind,” she says, referencing Romans 12:2’s call for the renewing of the mind.
Respecting Beliefs While Maintaining Boundaries
The two counselors discuss one of the biggest challenges faith-based therapists face—addressing clients’ lifestyle choices without imposing personal beliefs.
Whitney emphasizes, “It’s not our place to tell somebody how to live unless it’s a matter of safety. Our role is to help them explore what’s right for them.”
Shirlonda adds that this can be tricky when faith convictions are strong, but ethics and respect must come first: “If you already know a client’s choices conflict deeply with your beliefs, it’s okay to refer out. We have a code: ‘Do no harm.’”
Letting Clients Define Faith for Themselves
Whitney and Shirlonda both highlight the importance of client autonomy. When a client identifies as Christian, Whitney says, “That doesn’t mean I tell them what I think Christianity is. My role is to help them find God, not define Him for them.”
She encourages therapists to ask open questions like, “What does this passage mean to you?” or “How does your faith community guide you here?”—and to refer clients to their pastors or spiritual mentors when theological questions arise.
Shirlonda echoes this, noting that her clients’ faith experiences vary widely. “Sometimes I just help them research, reflect, or bring faith into therapy in ways that feel authentic to them,” she explains.
The Difference Between Faith-Based and Christian Counseling
The conversation also touches on the sometimes-blurry distinction between “faith-based” and “Christian” counseling.
Faith-based counseling, Whitney explains, welcomes clients of all beliefs and encourages them to bring their spirituality into the therapeutic process.
Christian counseling often centers on the therapist’s Christian worldview and may include explicit references to Scripture or prayer.
Both agree that transparency in marketing is crucial. Whitney shares a story of a client who unknowingly saw a devout Christian counselor and left mid-session because of unexpected religious content. “It’s fine to be faith-forward,” Whitney says, “but clients deserve to know what kind of care they’re walking into.”
Bringing Faith into Business Decisions
The discussion moves from therapy ethics to business leadership. Whitney explains how she screens potential hires at her practice, Waters Edge Counseling, to ensure they’re comfortable with clients who request a Christian perspective. “It’s not about requiring a certain faith,” she says, “but about making sure they can respectfully support clients who want that.”
Shirlonda reflects on adding a faith-based page to her own website, True North and Associates, and creating video content that invites clients into that space authentically.
Community and Encouragement Through Wise Practice
As a member of the Wise Practice Community, Shirlonda shares how the network has provided accountability, business training, and encouragement.
She laughs, recalling how peers helped her confidently enforce cancellation fees: “They gave me biblical backing too—like, ‘You’re worth your time!’”
She also appreciates the Business Will training, which taught her how to plan for unexpected life events in her practice, and how Profit First principles have changed the way she manages her finances.
“Some of these things I never learned in school,” she says. “But through this community, I’m learning how to build a sustainable, faith-aligned business.”
Final Thoughts
Whitney closes the episode by reminding listeners that faith integration doesn’t have to be complicated.
“It comes down to listening to the Holy Spirit, leading with love, and trusting that your clients will find their own path toward healing.”
This episode beautifully illustrates how faith and professionalism can coexist—not through preaching, but through presence, empathy, and integrity.
Shirlonda Shepard’s Resources
Links and Resources
Learn More about Wise Practice Consulting
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[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: Hi, I am Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith-based practice consultant, and I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. Wanna grow your practice, wanna grow your faith, wanna enjoy your life outside of work, you've come to the right place. Each week on the Wise Practice Podcast, I will give you the action steps to have a successful faith-based practice while also having a good time.
Now, let's get started.
[00:00:29] Jingle: Where she grows your practice and she don't play. She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast. Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast.
[00:00:47] Whitney Owens: Hey everyone. It's Whitney and you're listening to The Wise Practice Podcast. So glad that you're here. I have to tell you.
I've been blown away by what's happening in the Wise Practice community. These members are amazing and always inspiring me to do better things within my practice, giving me new ideas just the other day. In our Q and a call, someone came up with an idea of something that's been generating revenue in their own practice.
And I was like, wow, why aren't we doing that? And so now we're looking at a different offering in our practice from a few minutes on a q and a call is leading to revenue generation and serving our clients in the area, so incredible. Members are saying things like, it's been so encouraging to have people cheer on me on in my wins, and I finally found tools and accountability to take my practice forward.
This is what the community is all about. And for a limited time from November 12th to the 14th, you could try it out for just 89 cents for your first. You will get access to weekly live trainings, expert sessions, small group connections, edible paperwork for your practice, discounts for events and resources.
It's faith-based, it's practical, and it's full of people who get what's going on in and through you and your practice. Here's the exciting part. Over the next few weeks on the podcast, you're gonna hear from these voices yourself, people within the Wise practice community 'cause they're real and they're making changes in themselves and in their practice.
So I'm doing live consulting on the podcast where I'm gonna answer burning questions from these practice owners as you get to know them and get your questions answered. So if you've ever thought, I wish I had a supportive space where I could get answers and encouragement and resources from my practice, this is it.
The Wise Practice community is waiting for you, and this is special offer. So I wanna make sure that you jump on it. November 14th, sorry, November 12th through the 14th for only 89 cents a month. Now today on the podcast, you're gonna hear from Shalonda Shepherd. She is so cool, and she talks about. How do we integrate faith appropriately and address issues in a way that's ethical?
In a way that aligns with our values, with our faith, and also within our license in our states. And I love this question, and so we tackle some different issues here on the episode. And so you're gonna really enjoy considering some of these dilemmas and also thinking through how you wanna address these things.
So looking forward to introducing you to Shalanda and you being a part of our conversation today.
Welcome back to The Wise Practice Podcast. Looking forward to interviewing my friend here, Shalanda Shepherd. She's a licensed professional counselor and the owner of True North and Associates a mental health agency based out of Savannah, Georgia. She has extensive experience supporting individuals, couples, families through life transitions, trauma and relationship challenges, drawing from her background working with active duty soldiers in her expertise and approaches such as C-B-T-A-C-T, and Trauma-Informed Care.
She's passionate about helping others build resilience and live with greater clarity. Beyond her clinical work. She's also active in community outreach, professional development, and mental health advocacy. Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for having me. Yeah. It's so fun to have another therapist in the area that I know and can have on the show and a part of the community.
That's really special to me. Thank you. Yeah, happy to be
[00:04:22] Shirlonda Shepard : here.
[00:04:22] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well, s Shalanda, before we kinda get going, if you can share a little bit more about yourself, maybe how long have you had your practice, and then maybe a little bit about your family, just so people kind of understand your background and who you are before we get going.
[00:04:36] Shirlonda Shepard : Okay, no problem. So I've actually been in practice not quite a year yet. It would be a year at the close to the end of September. And as far as my family is concerned, I have a blended family actually. So meaning I ha I was married, then I got divorced and then I got remarried. But I have a child that's 22.
My husband has an as an adult child as well. So yeah, it's just our little small family here in Savannah. Love it. Love it. Great. Alright, so what is your question for consulting today? So my question is, what challenges do faith? Faith, excuse me, faith based therapists face when balancing clinical excellence with their Christian values?
That's a good question.
[00:05:23] Whitney Owens: Well. Can we do that?
[00:05:28] Shirlonda Shepard : I think we can.
[00:05:31] Whitney Owens: I think. Mm-hmm. I think we can too. Mm-hmm. The first thing that comes to mind, this was, this really was impactful to me. I was at the American Counseling Association Conference back in March in Orlando, and my talk was actually on how to use faith as a resource in therapy.
So it was the idea of. The components of our faith, you know, community and forgiveness, prayer, meditation, you know, these are clinically proven methods that help clients. And I said, Hey, you know, even if you're not a faith-based person, these are tools that you need that are important for your clients that you need to be utilizing.
But I spoke also about myself as a Christian, and that that was my background and that. It was important to me that I'm not only using my faith, but I'm also using research understandable clinical skills. And a girl came up to me afterwards who's now in the last practice community, but she came up to me afterwards and she said, I am new in my faith.
And I didn't think that Christians could use evidence-based treatment. And this means so much to me because I thought I was gonna have to let go of evidence-based treatment to be a Christian therapist. Does that Oh wow. Yeah. Does that surprise you?
[00:06:52] Shirlonda Shepard : Yeah, it actually does. Because even, yeah, science, evidence-based therapists or practices also incorporate gratitude and all those things.
And so part of that I think is thankfulness is being grateful. As well. So yeah, that, that is, and even, even a little bit deeper than that, even if you're looking at CBT, right. And how it's about transforming your mind and one of the biblical scriptures is about renewing of the mind, so it actually kind of goes together.
That's right. That's right. I actually
[00:07:21] Whitney Owens: did a group years ago, it was a CBT group on, it was called Renew Your Mind, renew Your Life. Oh wow. And it was based on that passage and using CCP T, so I, I appreciate that you brought that up. Have you found it challenging in your own clinical work with clients to use faith?
Or how do you incorporate faith? What are some of your challenges?
[00:07:45] Shirlonda Shepard : I guess my challenges would be more so about lifestyle choices and making sure that. I'm not, you know, although, yes, I'm a Christian, but I also believe that people can do, and who do what they wanna do, that's what they choose to do. Right.
And so that's kind of one of the challenges. And so I, I kind of get conflicted sometimes with that, right? I think that's, that's one of my main challenges. And then also, not necessarily in clinical work, but even talking to other therapists, you have some, some therapists that are, you know. They are really kinda rigid when it comes to some of their practices, when it comes to their faith, and that's their choice.
Right? But also, I do think as a, as a therapist too, we do, we have, we have some type, we have a ethical code that we stand by, right? Do no harm. And so if you already know that this is not gonna be your cup of tea, why, why bother with the client? Right? Why even take that client on?
[00:08:52] Whitney Owens: Hmm. Yeah, you're br Okay.
This is, this is great. You're bringing up some issues that definitely need to be thought through and discussed. Mm-hmm. I, I love, first of all, we're talking about the ethical ramifications really important. And we also know ethically, it's not our place to tell somebody how to live their life or what to do unless it's right danger.
You know, like, yeah, yeah. Don't go kill yourself, you know? But like other things, like that's their choice in how they wanna do things and, and I do think that. Overall, the Christian community, in my opinion, gets stuck on certain lifestyle choices or ways to do things, when really the Bible's about so much more than that.
Right. Right. Mm-hmm. And so it actually kind of makes me think of the idea, and this is a simplistic example of something, but if a client were to come in and say, you know, I, I drink throughout the week, you know, maybe they have a couple of drinks a few times a week, not like every night, all the time. A therapists could run the gamut on what they think about that.
Right? Some might think, oh, I'm, I'm a Christian. You're putting something negative in your body and that's bad and you shouldn't drink, da da da. Other people would be like, that's actually helpful for her 'cause she's such a tight, wide, she might need to take a drink every once in a while to relax and like to let go and it's okay to enjoy life.
And so I'm just saying like, we can take that and it could be so many different things. So I think as a therapist, it's about us helping our clients find. What they want and what works for them instead of us telling them what they need to be doing. Right, right. I with
[00:10:28] Shirlonda Shepard : that. Mm-hmm.
[00:10:29] Whitney Owens: Yeah. And so then, you know, and I'm sure you do this, we evaluate at the very beginning and we find out if our clients are Christian and then if they are requesting, you know, giving them the opportunity to talk about if they want that in their therapy.
Right. Right. Mm-hmm. Let's say the client is open to that. Well, sadly, these days Christianity means so many different things. Right. We have, we have a wide variety of what's, okay, not okay, how I live my life, how I don't live my life, that kind of a thing. So even if a client says to me, I want a Christian perspective in my counseling, that doesn't mean that I tell them what I think Christianity is and what I think the Bible is.
Because look, I really don't know. I think I kind of know, right? I try to know, but I wanna help them find God. It's not me saying, here's God and do it like this. I say to them, Hey. What do you think this passage means to you? Mm-hmm. And, and then also understanding like, yes, I know some things about Christianity, but I did not go get a theology degree.
And so I really do try to point clients back to their own theological backgrounds. And plus someone who's Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, non-denominational, a lot of different ways of teaching and I don't wanna presume to know what I think is their way. And so I try to get them to educate me, but also say, Hey, why don't you go to your pastor with this question and kind of see where that goes.
Mm-hmm. And sometimes I've had relationships with pastors to help clients so that I can understand their perspective. As well.
[00:12:02] Shirlonda Shepard : Yeah. Okay. Thank you for that. Yeah, I think that that's good with, with that, yeah. I've, I've done the same thing, or either I'll kind of like look up different, I'll give them different resources.
Right. Because I think recently marijuana was a, a topic that came up. Okay. And so one of my clients was like, Hey, I'm smoking, but I'm trying to live that Christian life, you know? And I was like, well, I don't. Really? No. You know, I, I think you got, you need to talk to your pastor, but also we kind of looked up a little bit of research during the session too to kind of see what other perspectives was.
So I think, yeah, I think definitely. And like you said, Christianity means so many different things in today, right. And there's so many different denominations as well. And so as far as like the teaching and those type things and Right. I'm not a, I'm not a biblical scholar. I didn't go to school for theology, so I don't know everything.
So I do think referring back, you know, just go, going back to their church or you know, looking up them also kind of doing their own research. You know, making sure that the research is legit though, but them doing their own research because you know, you can start, you'd be like, yeah, cool, we can smoke weed in church.
Oh, know about that.
[00:13:11] Whitney Owens: Yeah. That, that's funny. Well, I'm glad that you kind of put it back on the client to say, Hey, what you think this means for you? I, I'm reminded of a client years ago that came in and was smoking every day. Now this was not a faith-based client, but was also saying, I'm not doing well.
Like I'm failing in my classes. I'm getting to work late. And I finally was like, let's, let's just talk for a few minutes about. What marijuana, how it impacts your body, how it makes you less focused and tired or whatever, more relaxed. And it was like, she had never thought about that. And I said, well, no wonder you feel unmotivated when you get back from class because you smoked before you left.
Right? And she just had this realization and I said, if you want your grades to get better and you wanna have a good job, you're gonna have to stop smoking. She went home, I couldn't believe it. She went home. Put it all down the toilet and changed your life. Oh, wow. I was like, whoa. But like me, we know this.
They have gotta find it for themselves. All we're the same way. If somebody tells me to do something, until I know for myself that I need it, I have no motivation to get it done. Right.
[00:14:23] Shirlonda Shepard : Yeah. So you're absolutely right.
[00:14:25] Whitney Owens: You're absolutely correct. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So we are more like Christian Gods. On the journey to them finding themselves.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. I had a professor in graduate school, Dr. David Benner. I don't know if you're familiar with him. He has a lot of books. One of 'em is called The Gift of Being Yourself, which some therapists I know have read and I got to go on a retreat with him. He was an, he's an incredible person and spiritual teacher, but also therapist.
And he just taught me a lot about providing space for people. And he would say, he said things like, yeah, clients would come in the room and be like, don't you be praying for me. I don't want you praying for me. But you know, he prayed for his clients, not in the room with them and all those kinds of things.
And so I just kind of go back to the simple parts of being a Christian therapist. I think we make it complicated. You we're pulling out the Bible, we have to tell people how to do things. I, I just think it really goes back to listening to the Holy Spirit. You know, inviting the Holy Spirit's presence into our, into our sessions.
Mm-hmm. And then really going back to the foundation of Christianity, it's about love, it's about acceptance. Right? It's about caring for our clients and then trusting that through that process they will find God right. And what that looks like.
[00:15:47] Shirlonda Shepard : Right. And sometimes I'll you, you're, you're right about that.
And what I normally do is I'll ask the client if they say, you know, if they identify. As, as a Christian, I said, okay, well how do you want to incorporate that in your therapy and how, because again, how I may look at it as incorporated incorporating may be different than what they really want, and they may not even want that.
[00:16:11] Jingle: Mm-hmm.
[00:16:11] Shirlonda Shepard : That's the other part too. Sometimes they're like, yeah, no, I don't wanna do that. Sometimes like, yeah. You know, I do. Mm-hmm. So I do
[00:16:18] Whitney Owens: ask those questions. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Definitely. Well, any other other thoughts coming up for you as you think about incorporating faith into treatment? No, not right
[00:16:28] Shirlonda Shepard : now. I don't, I don't, I don't, I can't think of anything at this moment.
How do you, I guess we've kind of went back and forth like, no, I don't think so. Yeah, I don't think I, I don't have any other questions.
[00:16:38] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Great. Well, I think another important thing to point out here, and this goes a little bit more on the business side. Is if you do choose to be a Christian therapist, you know, if someone feels like this is a part they wanna incorporate into all their work, it's very important that we market that way.
Mm-hmm. And I have, boy, I've had a lot of stories today. So another story of a practice owner that I know was not a faith-based person and or Christian I should say. And she went to a therapy appointment and the therapist was. A very devout Christian counselor and had Jesus all over the place like Bibles and even had a picture of Jesus facing the client while they were in session and was asking her some very strong, it was evident within 15 minutes.
With strong questions around Christianity. The girl literally got up and left the intake session midway through and was like, this isn't gonna work for me. But I think this is so important. What she said was, it's fine that this counselor wants to do that, but it needs to be communicated to her clients that that's the type of treatment that she does because she, I mean, she left with a terrible taste in her mouth.
[00:17:53] Shirlonda Shepard : Right. Yeah. I can kind of make, I can understand that. Yeah. Because it's like you're not, and, and I think there, and then is there a difference between a faith-based counselor and a Christian counselor? Mm-hmm. Because, and I'm asking that because I was at a conference a couple of months ago and the lady was like, yeah, I'm a Christian counselor.
I was like, oh. And so she was saying whatever she was saying, but it didn't fit well with me, and I was just like. I don't, I'm not quite following you. And she told me that, well, as a Christian counselor, yeah, I don't have to be licensed. I'm just certified. I was like, oh. Oh, okay. I, I, yeah, I don't know anything about that, so I.
So that's another whole, that's a whole nother ram that I don't know if this podcast is for that or not. So I think, but I'm saying that because clients have to be careful also when it comes to looking for therapists that are Christian counselors or either faith. Faith, because although yes, I'm a Christian, I'm gonna respect whatever faith you have.
Right? And no, I may not necessarily. I don't practice your faith. Right? But here's the other part about this. I think a lot of the religions right do have some, some, some interconnection. As far as like basic principles, respect, yes. Right. Basic principles. So even if you're using it, even if you're going from that, that, that standpoint, even like let's say I'm, I'm somebody that, that's the Muslim come in my office, right?
And they was like, yeah, I do wanna incorporate faith, but obviously, I'm gonna be honest, I ain't never read the Quran. I don't even know what the Quran look like. I'm just, you know, and I'll tell the client that, right? But I also tell, I'll also kind of use what I do know from, from the Bible, right. And say, okay, well how does, how does that, how does, how does forgiveness, what does the York, what does Quran say about forgive?
Or does it talk about forgiveness? You know, kind of. So then that way they, they are able, they are able to kind of have their faith in the session, but not necessarily me kind of giving it to 'em, if that makes sense.
[00:19:52] Whitney Owens: Yeah,
[00:19:53] Shirlonda Shepard : definitely.
[00:19:54] Whitney Owens: I love that. Yeah. I've actually had some clients with all different times of faith backgrounds, you know, and helping them figure out what does that look like for them.
Yeah. I've also helped clients research different faiths to try to figure out where they stand. Because they weren't sure. Mm-hmm. I, when I think of faith-based, to me that means you respect and invite any kind of faith into the room. Right? Okay. And to say you're a Christian counselor means you've got some kind of understanding of Christianity and have some kind of training as a counselor.
Not everyone thinks the same thing, but you know, at least for us here in the state of Georgia, the word professional counselor. Is, you know, protected and you have to have the license to be able to call yourself that. So I, I greatly appreciate that. There actually is an organization, and I'm not gonna get it said perfectly, but it's like the Christian Counselors Board of Association or something for the state of Georgia.
I've had, I've had one of the representatives on the podcast. So there is a certification that people can get in some states. Now that is not, that organization is not specifically, you know, through the board for the state of Georgia. It's a separate organization. Right. You get a separate certification from it, but it's not licensed through the state of Georgia.
So there are organizations out there that hang their shingle again, you know, and they say, we offer this to you, here's a certificate. I mean, look, you and I can do a training, give somebody a certificate, you know? Right. So. I do think some people go and do that. I also was recently researching about pastoral counseling.
Every state has a different qualification for that, but you can get a certification in that. And so you're not technically a counselor, but you're pastoral, you know? So that is out there too, to be thinking about. But yeah, I think, I think you do have to consider what is, what does Christianity mean? What does that look like?
And everyone's gonna have a different idea of that. And I would encourage clients, or if you're hiring or whatever, like to really. You know, ask those questions of people, like, what does your faith mean to you? What does that look like when you practice it? Because you want your practice to be aligned and you want clients to get the treatment that they're looking for.
[00:22:12] Shirlonda Shepard : Mm-hmm. Now you mentioned hiring, so if we are still talking about it from a business aspect, right? So I know you have two practices here, Savannah. So when you, when you hire, I mean, is that, is that a question that you ask your therapist? Okay.
[00:22:28] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So in our screening we do like a 15, 20 minute screening before we do an interview.
And that's really to just. Weed people out, you know, that aren't good fits before I'm spending my time. So that's completed by somebody else on Zoom. Mm-hmm. We look for a lot of different things like did they show up on time? Did they dress okay? You know, we do some other qualifiers like, Hey, we have staff meeting this day, this time, and here's what the potential schedule would be like because these are deal breakers.
If they're like, I can't, I won't work in one evening, then we don't even need to interview. 'cause you gotta work evenings to see clients, you know? So anyway. Mm-hmm. One of the questions we have on there is that based on our history and where we're located, being in Savannah, Georgia, we do get people that call, we're specifically requesting a Christian perspective in their therapy.
You know, would that be something that you're comfortable inviting to into the therapeutic work with your clients? Most people say yes 'cause I don't need them to be a Christian. 'cause technic, you really can't do that. You can't hire someone, right? To say you have to be this, you know, unless you're in a different, like a nonprofit or a 10 99, something like that.
But, but it is okay to say, I need you to have this comfort or this modality. I mean, it's just the same idea that if I was an eating disorder clinic. Hey, do you work with eating disorders? Like if you don't wanna work with eating disorders, this is not for you, so, right. Yeah. That's how we handle it. And most people will either be very upfront about their faith and say, oh, I'm a Christian, I love that, da da da.
Some will just say, you know. That's not who I am, but I am comfortable with providing that. I used to grow up in church. I'm not opposed to it. I want to help clients find that, you know? Mm-hmm. Whatever their faith is. And I'm okay with that too. Mm-hmm. But there are also some times that people will get very upset, which is so interesting to me, because it's not like I'm telling 'em what they have to be, but they will just flat out go, oh, I'm not a Christian, and that's wrong that you would ever want to incorporate that into therapy, blah, blah, blah.
And I'm like, that's, that's fun. This is not the place for you. They
[00:24:37] Shirlonda Shepard : didn't
[00:24:37] Whitney Owens: do
[00:24:38] Shirlonda Shepard : their
[00:24:38] Whitney Owens: research
[00:24:38] Shirlonda Shepard : on your company.
[00:24:39] Whitney Owens: Yeah, that's true. It's funny though. I also had some people say they don't wanna work here because they think we're too Christian and they haven't even met us yet. Well, this is what we know about you, or this is what we saw.
And I'm like, I really wish you'd given us a chance to talk to you about that. Because they don't like the idea of overtly Christian practices. You know, such a variety out there. Right.
[00:25:02] Shirlonda Shepard : It is.
[00:25:03] Whitney Owens: Absolute right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, we, we market ourselves some as a Christian practice. We have that on the website, Christian counseling page.
And we certainly don't, don't say that we're not, but it's not something we overtly market because I want to be able to meet the needs of all different types of clients, you know, that are coming in. And then, you know, that's a little similar to True North. You know, true North has that element of. Of a faith feel to me, but also not overt and it's welcoming of all different things.
'cause we're all looking for where our true north is. Right. And that's how we got the name. I love it. I love it. So, so Slanda, what would you say are kind of your next steps or things that you're gonna be thinking about from this time that we had together today?
[00:25:48] Shirlonda Shepard : Kind of, I, I did hear you say you have that on your web, on your page.
Maybe maybe incorporating that on my page. 'cause I don't think that is an actual tab on my page, on my website that that'd be great. Um, but maybe kind of not go back and look at that. So it maybe incorporate that. And also when it comes to like, I guess s se, what is the STO practices and those type things, making sure that's kind of there too.
And I do some vi, I've done some videos in the past, so maybe even incorporating some of those, maybe doing some videos just for faith-based, um, to kind of invite that, you know, to, to invite people into that space.
[00:26:27] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Wonderful. Well, I know that you're a part of the Wise Practice membership community, so could you share a little bit about what that is and what it means to you?
Oh, you put me on the spot.
[00:26:38] Shirlonda Shepard : Ha. So for, so I started, I, I got connected through the masterclass and, which was great by the way. I do recommend that for people that are coming into starting their practice and for the com as far as the community, I, I'm able to. Attend like webinars once a month, once or twice a month.
Also, there is a like a, I won't call it a supervision group, but it's more of an accountability group as well. And I think that those things are really helpful. 'cause I know a couple of weeks ago, well maybe about a month ago, I attended the accountability group and I was sharing about how. I'm scared of charging people the full price when they don't make the appointment.
And so they kind of, they encouraged me and you know, gave me some biblical, biblical background too, like, wait a minute. Nice. You know? Yeah. So, yeah, they did that too during that time. So that was nice as well. But yeah, I do, and I think last week, was it last week, the lady, I don't remember her name, I'm, I apologize, came on and talked about, oh God, what was it?
The, oh, your will. Yes, your, your business wheel, right? Um, so those are things I don't remember being taught that in school. I don't remember people even having conversations about that, right? Recently I've heard, Hey, you gotta have this in your informed consent to say, Hey, something happened to me called this person.
But I went online and looked at her at the business. I, I'm like, why didn't I think of this? This is a great thing, right? Yeah. So, yeah, so those are the things that have been helpful for me in the community, being able to have these extra resources. Things that you may not necessarily think of when you're starting a business, or even if you've been in business for years, some of these things you may not think of, right?
Because I can remember looking at therapists informed consent. I don't remember seeing, seeing that, even that little blur about, Hey, if something happens to me, this is what. What's gonna happen? So, so, and people have been in business for years, right? So just knowing that piece I think is helpful. And it's a, it is a resource.
Just you, you learn stuff every day. That's right. And also because of that, because of being in the wise community, I learned about, what is it? Profit Purpose. Yes. I'm incorporating that as well. So, yeah. That's great. So those things are not, those wouldn't have been things that I wouldn't have been, I wouldn't have had access to if I wasn't a part of the wise community.
So thank
[00:29:03] Whitney Owens: you. Aw, well, thank you. Well, I'm so glad to have you and I appreciate you sharing about that, and this has been a really enjoyable conversation today. I think it'll be helpful for people as we figure out how to integrate faith into our work. And so thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
[00:29:22] Jingle: So click on follow and leave a review and keep on loving this work we do with Whitney Owens and Wise Practice Podcast, Whitney Owens and Wise Practice
[00:29:37] Whitney Owens: Podcast. Special thanks to Marty Altman for the music in this podcast. The Wise Practice Podcast is part of the Site Craft Podcast Network. A collaboration of independent podcasters focused on helping people live more meaningful and productive lives.
To learn more about the other amazing podcasts in the network, head on over to site craft network.com. The Wise Practice podcast represents the opinions of Whitney Owens and her guests. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and the content should not be taken as legal advice. If you have legal questions, please consult an attorney.
