Meet Kresence Campbell | Psychotherapist

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

Hi Kresence, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

After giving birth to my daughter in 2016 I began struggling with postpartum depression. I had a hard time getting to therapy with a newborn and could not find a therapist of color.

In 2017, after I became licensed and I decided that I wanted to help other mothers that went through what I did. I wanted to ensure that therapy was easily accessible. I opened Holly Street Counseling and began providing virtual therapy services.

What should our readers know about your business?

I believe I stand out from the rest because of my many experiences in the mental health field. I have worked in every psych hospital in the
Philly area, I have worked with people who were sentenced to time in state psych hospitals, children of abuse, and sex-trafficked teen girls. I don’t just work with treating the mental health of my clients, but I look at the individual as a whole! We discuss the importance of diet, exercise, spirituality, sleep, and finances. If a client discusses struggles with maintaining their mood, I don’t always assume it is depression. We discuss how their diet can be impacting their mood and possibly the need to follow up with a PCP to ensure there isn’t anything medically contributing to this.

I have suffered from mental illness and I know what that feels like. No one wants to feel alone or judged. I provide my clients, especially a safe space to just be them. I’m the therapist that sends funny memes because it applies to what is going on. I’m the therapist that will hold you accountable and support you in forgiving yourself. I remind my clients that even the smallest win is a success and a setback is just a lesson, not a fail.

I remind my clients I am not the driver in the journey of therapy, but
just the GPS reminding them where they want to go and how to reach that desired destination.

My book “Balance” is one of my proudest career accomplishments! It discusses the importance of self-care by helping to understand the psychology behind it. It examines all 8 areas of self-care and provides practical tips/ tools on how to implement and maintain self-care.

Being able to do what I do today was made possible by the hard work and dedication I learned from my mother and the support of my husband. I sacrificed time and energy to get my business started and to get my name out there. It wasn’t easy but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Along the way, I have learned that it is imperative to practice what you preach. I have put my business on pause twice because I had to focus on my own self-care. It was scary but I never lost a client that wasn’t meant for me. I have learned to walk by faith and not by sight. I have
learned the importance of setting and maintaining a work-life balance by setting and maintaining professional boundaries. I have also realized that I don’t know everything and that is ok. There are some clients that I just cannot help and that is fine. It does not speak to who

I am as a therapist and does not make me any less qualified to do what I do.

What I want people to know about me is: that I am just like them! Just because I am a therapist does not mean I have it all figured out. I am just a regular girl who comes from a family of immigrants who learned the importance of education, God, love, and hard work! When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2017 I refused to allow my life to
stop. Keep going through the face of adversity at the pace that you are comfortable with. Life isn’t a race and it’s ok to take a break.
Motherhood has taught me that as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If my BFF was visiting we would first stop at a drag brunch. Why?
Because they are a place where you can let your hair down and just be you! The next stop would be at City Winery in Philadelphia. I am a science nerd at heart and they have an amazing wine tour that teaches about the science behind wine.

Ocean prime would be our stop for dinner. They have upscale donning and the ambiance is everything!

We would finish with a private room at Yokatori boy for late-night sushi and karaoke.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I dedicate my shoutout to my dear Auntie Elaine who passed Mother’s Day morning.

She was my peace in the calm of a storm and the exact definition of love. She had a smile that could light up a room and an infectious
laugh. She had a heart of Gold and was a true gift from God. To know her was to know what Agape love is.

Website: Hollystreetcounseling.com

Instagram: Kresencethepsychotherapist

Facebook: Kresencethepsychotherapist

Image Credits
Tate Digital