Her Story
About Lailah
Lailah Gude is a licensed mental health counselor associate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has been in the mental health counseling field for two years and has spent the past one and a half years in her current role at Ellie Mental Health, where she provides therapy sessions, case management, documentation, and community outreach to raise awareness about mental health. Gude began her career at Eskenazi Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, delivering school-based therapy to middle and high school students before transitioning to work with adults and young adults in an adult outpatient program. She holds a bachelor's degree in exercise science and psychology as well as a master's degree in mental health counseling with a certificate in behavioral health trauma. In addition to her primary role, Gude works part-time once a week at the Center for Leadership Development, supporting a program that helps high school students achieve academic success and earn full-tuition scholarships. Gude attributes her success to the stability modeled by her parents and values God, family, natural support, stability, and health in both her personal and professional life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lailah
01What do you attribute your success to?
Success to me is stability. I want to be able to be stable mentally, physically, even with my finances. Jumping into this career is a start to the stability. My parents have always showed me what stability looks like, how I can achieve stability, and I followed that path.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Not every client is going to be the right client for you. Not everybody is going to mesh well or your approach is not going to work with everyone. You can take constructive criticism from the client and learn from it, but always stay true to yourself, because that's what the counseling field is about. You tailor to your specialty, and if that doesn't work for someone, that doesn't mean it doesn't work for everyone.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just stay true to yourself, and really lean on your support system, because it's not going to be easy doing this alone, and not having a good support system. Have that support system and stay true to yourself in every room you walk in.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is talking all day. Having to talk all day can sometimes be draining. Having to put your entire self into session, and when you're hearing the most traumatic thing, it's hard to process that and have to move on to the next client.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Some of my values would just be God, my family, my natural support. Stability. Health.
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