Meet Xiomara A. Sosa | Clinical Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, License Professional Counselor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xiomara A. Sosa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xiomara, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
For me, it was a mindful decision-making process. I became my parent’s primary caregiver, a labor of love for me, and I knew then that I needed to plan out how my life would work best during that process. So I went back to school to get my master’s degree, followed up by internships, practicums, and all kinds of things I needed to do to become an independent practitioner. That was important so that I would be able to have my own business, flexible hours, and all I needed to accommodate for the end-of-life issues with both my parents. It was also my second career so I was happy to transition into private practice for the rest of my life. As I go into my retirement years I will be able to continue working on my terms and for as long as I decide to.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m a Clinical Mental Health Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Summerville, SC. I’m most passionate about empowering diverse women who are struggling with challenges to heal and achieve well-being. I want women to know that there is no shame in seeking support and help for their healing and well-being journey, regardless of how they self-identify.

I am here to help my clients recover and find happiness in their work, relationships, and life. My background in health and human services combined with my education, training, credentials, and experience in mental health helps me to help my clients refine their lives and live the life they want to live. I provide a modern approach to counseling and therapy by combining traditional psychotherapy with a practical, problem-solving approach that creates a dynamic and efficient path for change and problem resolution.

Although I work from a wellness model, I can diagnose emotional and psychiatric disorders and guide clients in the process of living with such disorders. My training in addressing the needs of the whole person and in wellness and prevention qualifies us to integrate health care.

https://www.counselorxiomaraasosa.com/

Summerville Women’s Mental Health Studio is a private mental health practice providing a modern approach to counseling and therapy. We combine traditional psychotherapy with a practical, problem-solving approach that creates a dynamic and efficient path for change and problem resolution. Although we work from a wellness model, we can diagnose emotional and psychiatric disorders and guide clients in the process of living with such disorders.

Our training in addressing the needs of the whole person and in wellness and prevention qualifies us to integrate health care. We help with healing and well-being towards good mental health. We help clients heal and recover from anxiety, depression, dysphoria, and trauma/stressors.

We serve diverse women including cisgender, transgender, non-binary, and woman/feminine-identified clients. We specialize in women’s mental health and are bilingual, veteran, and LGBTQIA2S+ with lived experience.
https://www.swmhs.net/

The X- Studio is a mental health cooperative, and nonprofit organization. We are a group of multicultural, culturally competent, board-certified, and licensed professional mental health clinicians who provide a diversity of quality mental healthcare that is inclusive to diverse communities. As a mental health Co-Op, our members provide professional counseling, therapy, and coaching.

We help clients by meeting their needs online or in person. We take time to understand their unique experience in the world to help them live a happy, balanced, and fulfilling life. Whether they are experiencing life’s problems, seeking to heal emotional pain, or finding better ways of thinking, we can help them discover a new path.

They receive non-judgmental, personal, and intimate care from us. We are passionate about taking our clients’ values and using them to bring about positive and lasting change for them. The X-Studio is a welcoming space that provides culturally competent services that are inclusive to diverse communities.

Our unique space provides a private, confidential, serene, safe, cozy, and relaxed environment that is welcoming to diverse communities, including the veteran, LatinX, and LGBTQ+ communities. Our soothing studio environment offers complimentary coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water, cold beverages, snacks, and individualized care.

https://www.thex-studio.org/

Studio Talk Podcast is a weekly podcast about mental health. Our mission is to teach our community listeners about mental health through psychoeducation and to inspire them through social change.
Our style is storytelling.

Everyone has a mental health story to tell. Our approach is very down-to-earth and approachable. This space will not sound clinical or feel unapproachable and off-putting.

We have a story-style delivery and we welcome lots of engagement. We will share our own mental health experiences and have interesting everyday people as our guests to talk about their mental health stories.
We will also have other professionals as guests to discuss different topics about mental health.

We invite our listeners to share their mental health stories if they feel safe and comfortable doing so.
This is not a therapy session or a self-help space. We do not diagnose or treat on this platform.
You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

https://www.studiotalkpodcast.net/

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Downtown Historic Summerville is one of my favorite places. It has grown into a bonafide Hallmark Move Channel kind of scene and I love it. I would take anyone there and around the general area. The best thing I can say is to visit their website and go from there – it’s ever-changing and the best events are highlighted regularly.

https://www.summervillesc.gov/

Home

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Sadly, I can’t say I have a specific mentor or person in my professional life that I can genuinly give a true shout-out to. In my experience, the people I’ve worked with have not been as supportive or encouraging as I’d like them to have been, Especially other women. That’s always been a very sad reality for me to take in. I’ve never liked the office politics, competitiveness, and game-playing that goes on. So I’ve always been considered “that different one”. When I’ve had bigger visions and aspirations, they’ve been sort of held against me as if I think I am too good or better than anyone. Independent thinkers and women with different and unique visions for themselves seem to make others uncomfortable, especially other women, in my experience. I know that is not the way it is everywhere or for everyone, but for me it has been the case, So for me, my mom and my dod have always been the ones who have provided that support, love, and encouragement. My shout-out goes out to them!

Website: https://www.swmhs.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorxiomaraasosa/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiomaraasosa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XiomaraASosaCom

Image Credits
Xiomara A. Sosa