Ashanti Pettaway

What first interested you in the field of counseling?

What got me into this field is that I really had an early introduction to counseling. I had a high school counselor that really helped me through a significant hard time in my high school years. And then in my adulthood, early 20s, when I’m trying to figure out who I am, I really got some help from a counselor that helped me navigate some of the unknown things that I was facing and wrestling with emotionally. And that really sparked my passion and desire for counseling. And I also just have this genuine love for sitting with people and helping them navigate life. And those are the things that really drew me into the field of counseling.

How has your personal background shaped your approach to therapy?

I come from a wonderful, loving, single-parent household. My mom’s one of my best friends ever and has shaped a lot of my life. And I had to grow up a little faster than normal. But over the time, I began to learn to appreciate the beautiful imperfection of my family. I think my perfect window of what I saw my family being up until my 20s was kind of shattered. But it was a beautiful thing because it allowed me to be able to appreciate the imperfections that we all have. And I simply learned to find hope in the midst of dysfunction and really feel called to help people do the same thing.

What brings you joy, both personally and professionally?

You know, something that brings me joy, personally, is just music. I love music. I can listen to it nonstop. Now, don’t ask me to dance because I’m not skilled there. But you will catch me bobbing my head regularly when I’m enjoying the music, vibing out to it.

As a clinician, I really just find joy in being able to help people find hope in the midst of the troubles of life. Sometimes things seem impossible, but being able to have somebody find a sense of joy, a sense of peace, of finding themselves, and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel is what brings me excitement as I serve.

What would you say to someone considering starting counseling?

I would strongly encourage you to do counseling because it never works out if it stays in your head. We all need to process. And we’ve got a lot of things that are going on in our head that trouble us, that torment us at times. And really, we just want somebody to help us figure those things out. The truth of the matter is, if we just do it ourselves and keep it in our head, nothing ever gets resolved and we stay in the same cycle. And so you should do counseling because it’s there to help you understand and work to break the cycle.