Meet Carol Williams | Licensed Psychotherapist, Certified Hypnotherapist, & Creative Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carol Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carol, what principle do you value most?
I am a psychotherapist and my field, and in every field, we must develop a philosophical framework that helps guide us on our respective paths. In the ancient world, philosophy was a required field of study, especially for people in power and decision-makers because their decisions can have deadly effects. We do not teach that in primary education in the modern world. For example, I believe in honor more than loyalty. Loyalty depends on a transactional and conditional agreement and usually, the person demanding loyalty is not loyal themselves. Honor is better. It is not dependent on blood ties or one-sided expectations. Honor depends on seeing what is right and not who is right. How does that philosophical framework express itself in difficult decisions? I do not ask only what my ego wants. I ask what honor would do in this situation. I think that continually strengthening the integrity of my philosophical framework absolutely creates clarity of mind, body, and soul. How does that clarity benefit mental health? Well, it allows us to better treat ourselves with love and respect. It teaches us to fully commit to our higher selves and accept that others may judge that higher self because they may be blocked by the beliefs of their lower selves. It is not personal. It is the effect of suffering. Healing is honoring the pain without being loyal to the annihilating effects of continual suffering. That is why honor is vital.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have a private practice named Paragon Therapeutic Services. The name itself embodies the goal I strive to be, which is a paragon of an aware, compassionate, and wise human being. I dislike the idea of being an all-knowing expert because such a mind-frame makes the ego drunk and leaves us unteachable. The best lessons I have learned are not only from books but also from people who have gained wisdom through profound experience. I am part of the fabric of continually evolving myself. I am an immigrant and like most immigrants, we came here, to outrun poverty (as my father would always say). You learn a lot of good and bad with that message. Good because it pushed me to open my own business. Not so good because I must ensure fear does not clock me in that marathon. Yet, there are so many lessons I have learned from that. One is that we must replace the racetrack with our unique path. A path does not race others because it is too focused and committed to its goal. In an immigrant-built city like South Florida, with all of its beauty and resilience, we fall into that comparison-racing stress of where we should be versus remembering who are. I mean anything and anyone that can be taken from us is not ours. So, what is left? Who we truly are. My business is a small mirror of who I am and want to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love South Florida, especially the skyline and the beaches. I would definitely take them on a night cruise so they can see our amazing skyline. The architecture and high rises in Miami are the best in the world, so definitely some restaurants in that area. I am particularly obsessed with the new buildings in Miami. I am so excited to see how the blueprints of the Waldorf Astoria in Downtown Miami and St. Regis in Sunny Isles will look in 2026. Therefore, I would take my visitors to the areas to see the other developments and restaurants that exist. I love food so we would go to La Mar in Brickell Key for the food and the views. If in the Fort Lauderdale area, which is also experiencing amazing growth, I would take them to YOT, which is a great restaurant surrounded by beautifully designed superyachts, which again speaks to my love of design and engineering. For the art scene, of course, Wynwood, which is filled with immense talent. We know that South Florida is filled with Latin influence, but the Caribbean community of Jamaica, Dominic, Haiti, and the Bahamas is incredible, as the Afro-Caribbean community has further injected South Florida with a vibe of dignity and ambition. Therefore, I would definitely take my crew to restaurants like Fiery Irie and Coconutz Fusion Cafe. I am really happy to see more immigrants from MENA (Middle Eastern/North African) region, as that is where I am from, and with that comes the culture that contributes to S. Florida. Try Al-Amir in Fort Lauderdale and Layla in Miami Beach. Speaking of beaches, they are all beautiful. I recommend Hanover, the sandbars especially. I also like Hallandale Beach.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Two people deserve most of the credit for impacting my story: my husband, who is brilliant and honorable; and our daughter, who is strong and loving. My husband is from a different culture from myself so you would think we would be vastly different, but we have more in common than one would assume. I learned his Jamaican background has a lot in common with my Egyptian/Lebanese background. We both value working hard and enjoy playing hard. We both place a premium on manners and respect and view teamwork as ensuring each person is as strong as they must be. I learned from him how vital it is to have an ordered and clear mind. I receive from his gifts the skills of intellectual clarity and he receives from me the value of emotional intelligence, with each of us customizing it to our own style. I am incredibly grateful for that balance. I know what it is like not to have that, and it is chaos. Our daughter receives the best of what we have to offer, plus she brings into life her own unique combination of being rational and having a sort of detached compassion that old souls have that allows her to empathize without losing herself. She is someone whose essence I trust which is big because we can like some people but not trust their essence. Of course, she is still learning to trust her own intuition, but her core is full of resilience and wisdom, which is something that makes her trustworthy. She is also amazing at understanding the value of doing the right thing. There is a difference between receiving and taking. Taking is like stealing with no giving. Receiving is a form of giving. Thus, giving and receiving is sharing. She and my husband are excellent at that.

Website: https://www.paragon-therapeutic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paragon.services/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paragon-therapeutic/