Constance Cosby

I attribute my success to my faith and being blessed and having trust in God. I also credit my environment and what I grew up in, which motivated me to want to reach for the stars and do more. I grew up in a small hometown in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and I never really felt when I was younger that where I was at was final. I always knew I wanted more, and I always knew that I was gonna be somewhere else. I always knew I was gonna leave. That drive and knowing there was something bigger out there for me has been a huge part of my success.

The best career advice I've received is to build a strong foundation and always look to serve others in how you can help meet the needs of others first. Helping and serving others is what success is really all about. Always keeping the client or the patient in mind, just being a servant first, even a servant leader. That perspective of putting others first and focusing on service has guided my entire career.

I would advise young women to never give up, and if you sometimes have to take a step back, it doesn't mean that you failed. Sometimes you need to take a step back to pivot, and it might be a better plan, but just because something doesn't work out doesn't mean that it's over. I've had many hurdles and many things where plans would always change, and I never gave up. There was always a way. So I would say to keep dreaming and just keep trying. Don't let setbacks define you or stop you from pursuing your goals.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are the barriers to care that exist in private practice. I'm one of the few providers that accept insurance, and I accept Medicaid as well, but I get reimbursed at a low rate. I pour a lot into my practice and take a lot of losses for community behavioral health. Unfortunately, a lot of hurdles come from how we are valued as social workers and what people think of mental health. There's a lot of stigma surrounding mental health, and people don't see it as important, but I believe a lot of the problems that we're having in this world stem from mental health and trauma. It's hard to continue to serve the community when you're not valued and you're not reimbursed or paid how you should be paid. It's a struggle within the mental health field, pouring yourself into others and not being compensated for the work you deserve.

I value spirituality above all, and I value being able to be creative and flexible. I'm a visionary, so I believe there are no limits. I like to dream big. I'm almost a little delusional at times, but everything that I've envisioned has come true in some way. I'm always dreaming big, always thinking way far in the future, because you need direction. Otherwise, what are we doing? If you don't have any dreams or any goals, then what are you working for? So I value my spirituality being incorporated in a lot of things that I do, and I also value freedom to create and flexibility.