Taneka McCoy, MS, CRC, LCMHC-S (ACS), LCAS-A, NCC, BC-TMH

I attribute my success to purpose, perseverance, and a commitment to continuous growth. My career path was not a traditional one, but each experience helped me discover my passion for counseling and supporting others through healing and personal transformation. By investing in ongoing education, embracing leadership opportunities, and remaining dedicated to serving both clients and emerging professionals, I have been able to grow as a clinician, educator, and business owner. Most importantly, my personal experiences have strengthened my empathy and resilience, allowing me to lead with authenticity, compassion, and purpose.

For someone who wants to start their own practice, I would say to work for other organizations first and try different settings. I have had the pleasure of working in different professions and settings - I have done home counseling, school-based counseling, and more - so get a feel for all of the above. It is okay to delegate because we don't have to be the profession of everything. There is so much that is entailed in running a practice, and it was a very big learning curve for myself when it came to things that I am not the professional at. Our program did not include business management, so learning those aspects - the credentialing, contracting, and so much more - can feel overwhelming. Get a mentor and work for other practices to learn prior to taking that leap, because you can feel defeated and not fulfill or pursue that dream. There are laws, ethics, and regulations, and it can get very heavy, so referring out and delegating is something that I have had to learn to do if it is something that is not my skill set. There are people out here whose profession it is to handle those things, and if we have the resources, just go ahead and get someone else to do it because it is more important to get it done. When you start a business, we oftentimes want to do everything - one, to probably save money, but also having that control piece - but just trusting people with your dream is sometimes the hard part. When I first started my practice, I was doing everything - I was trying to do my billing, just doing everything - and it is like not having days off, which can lead to burnout, and you are not being able to be your best self in all the areas because you are trying to do all of that and be a mother or wear other hats. Learning to delegate is sometimes hard when we are first starting out, because sometimes it is a matter of resources.

One of the biggest challenges in the mental health field is meeting the growing demand for quality care while navigating workforce shortages, clinician burnout, and evolving healthcare systems. At the same time, these challenges present significant opportunities to expand access to services, embrace innovative approaches such as telehealth, and strengthen the next generation of mental health professionals through education and mentorship. From my own experience transitioning from nursing and rehabilitation studies into counseling, building a private practice from the ground up, and balancing the responsibilities of both clinician and business owner, I have learned that adaptability, continuous learning, and strong leadership are essential to creating sustainable growth and meaningful impact in our profession.

The values that guide both my professional and personal life are compassion, integrity, authenticity, and service. I believe that helping people receive the right support is more important than whether that support comes from me personally. If another provider is better positioned to meet a client's needs, I will gladly make that connection because my priority is ensuring they receive consistent, high-quality care. I also believe in treating the whole person rather than focusing solely on symptoms. My trauma-informed approach emphasizes understanding the root causes behind challenges and creating meaningful, lasting change. Additionally, my own healing journey has given me valuable perspective and empathy, allowing me to connect with clients in a genuine way and support them with understanding, respect, and compassion.