Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP #256: Finding Guidance: The Truth About Counseling Claudia Davila's Journey with Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Claudia Davila with Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center a good neighbor?

What does it really mean to take a holistic approach to mental health? Claudia Davila, founder of Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center in Frisco, offers a refreshing perspective on counseling that goes beyond conventional therapy.

Claudia's journey began in Peru, where she spent the first decade of her life witnessing poverty and systemic challenges while naturally developing the empathetic listening skills that would later define her career. After immigrating to California with her family, she experienced firsthand the difficulties of cultural adaptation, language barriers, and the stark contrast between collectivistic and individualistic societies. These challenges, rather than defeating her, became the foundation for her unique approach to counseling that bridges cultural divides.

The Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center offers comprehensive services including individual and couples counseling for all ages, play therapy, and telehealth options. What sets them apart is their team of bilingual, trauma-informed clinicians who create safe spaces for clients to feel truly heard and validated. Claudia passionately debunks common misconceptions about counseling, emphasizing that therapy isn't about giving advice but empowering individuals to discover their own solutions. She also refreshingly acknowledges that counselors don't have perfect lives—they've simply developed better tools to navigate life's challenges.

Whether you're curious about mental health services, considering therapy for yourself or a loved one, or interested in how cultural experiences shape professional perspectives, this conversation offers valuable insights into compassionate, holistic healing. Connect with Claudia's practice at mbscenter.net or by calling 469-573-4354 to explore how their trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approach might support your journey toward wellness.

To learn more about Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center go to:

https://www.mbscenter.net/

Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center

469-573-4354

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sofia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a counselor? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, claudia Davila, with her company Mind, body and Soul Counseling Center. Claudia, how are you today? I'm doing very well. Thank you so much. Well, we're excited to learn all about you and your business.

Speaker 3:

Can you tell us a bit about your company? Yes, of course. So the name of the center is Mind, Body and Soul Counseling Center, as you said, and it's a practice that's located in Frisco. We offer a lot of services, from individual counseling to couples counseling for all developmental levels and ages, play therapy, couples counseling, individual. We offer telehealth services as well for those who cannot come into the office, and we have several bilingual counselors, clinicians that are licensed in Texas. They are trauma-informed, culturally competent and very compassionate counselors.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, well, that's amazing to hear. And how did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's a very complex question. I've always been my personality has always been a bit on the sensitive side and I would always ask questions about behaviors as to why someone did this or what's the motivation behind this and very compassionate. I grew up in Peru for about maybe 10 years of my life my very first 10 years and I saw many issues with poverty, systemic changes, and I was always the kind of person that would listen to other people's issues, problems. They would love to come talk to me and it was just my nature to listen to others, without giving any advice, just validating their experiences. Of course, at that time I didn't know that that was was it called validating someone experience, but I've always had that in me and I always knew that I wanted to help others, um, and was very sensitive and empathic to other people's experiences well, it sounds like you certainly are a natural nurturer.

Speaker 2:

I think so, I think so, I think so. So, claudia, what are some, or what is the most common myth or misconception in your industry?

Speaker 3:

Well, I have to say there are several. Just like any field, right, it's not free from misconceptions, and sometimes these misconceptions can definitely deter some potential clients and or counselors also future counselors in this area. But one of the biggest one is that counseling is just giving advice. Right, somebody expects that you go in and they'll just give you advice and tell you what to do. This is a very common misconception, but in reality, it is about just helping the individuals gain the power to make their own choices. Gain the power to make their own choices.

Speaker 3:

We walk with clients in their experience, so we don't tell them what to do, but we discover solutions with them and bring them to an awareness that maybe they did not have before a session or a conversation with a counselor. So we guide them through the process of self-discovery. And not only that, but we create a safe environment for them so they can feel heard and validated and explore their behaviors or emotions or thoughts and combine all of them, which is one of the reasons why the name Mind, body and Soul was perfect, because that's what we do. We use that holistic approach to connect the mind, the body and the soul.

Speaker 3:

Yeah and another misconception, real quick, is you know the counselors that they have all their lives perfect and they have all the answers right, which is further from the truth. You know, counselors' lives are also, you know, flawed and we also get affected by the things that happen to us in life and trauma and the challenges, and we also have emotions. We're just because of our learning, maybe we're able to better manage those emotions, um, but it's definitely not flawless, so yeah now, when you say holistic approach, what does that word mean to you?

Speaker 3:

yes, um, a holistic approach is making sure that a counselor explores all areas of a client's life, meaning their thoughts, their behaviors, their emotions, their feelings not only their feelings, but on that emotional level, but also maybe physical. What's going on physically, what's going on nutritionally, what's going on intellectually, and so seeing all aspects of a person's life let's go ahead and switch gears.

Speaker 2:

Can you describe a hardship or life challenge you overcame and have made you a better and stronger person today? What comes to mind for you?

Speaker 3:

overcame and have made you a better and stronger person today. What comes to mind for you? Like I mentioned, I grew up in peru for about the first 10 years of my life, and coming to a new country, um, I moved, we moved, my family moved to um, california. That's what we emigrated to first. That's where we emigrated to first. We had family there, and that experience was definitely difficult, to say the least. One of them it was the culture shock.

Speaker 3:

The cultures are very different, coming from a collectivistic culture to a more individualistic culture. Not knowing the language English as Spanish was my first language and seeing also my parents and my brothers struggle as well, not only with the language but also with the culture, and that has definitely made me, and my family as well, much, much stronger as we learned the process of acculturating to the dominant culture, acculturating to the many different ways of people, education the language, and so it has been a very it was a very tough few years there for us. We became stronger, more closer to my family, having gone through all of it together, and now we all went to college, we all had our college degrees and, yeah, we definitely soared as much as we could and um definitely made it oh well, that's amazing to hear that you were able to make it so far, and I know it must have been so hard coming from outside the us.

Speaker 3:

People do things really different here, for sure yes, yes, it was very different, but it definitely taught us so much, um, and, of course, there's wonderful things about individualistic cultures. That has taught me so much, and you know continuing to further my education to all about you know female empowerment, and it's been amazing to learn so much.

Speaker 2:

and it's been amazing to learn so much. Well, that's amazing, and I hope you're able to combine the cultures too. Right, that's the ultimate way to be empowered. I guess you say Correct?

Speaker 3:

Yes, yes, we're having the best of both worlds.

Speaker 2:

Definitely so, claudia. Please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Mind, body and Soul Counseling Center.

Speaker 3:

Something that I can remember about our center. Well, I would say we have a very trauma-informed and cultural-sensitive approach that focuses on recognizing the impact of trauma and we incorporate that knowledge into the policies and the practices that we have and we promote that safety and that trust, right Confidentiality and ethical practice is the key for all we do all the decisions that we make and we help to empower those individuals by building on their strengths, fostering a sense of resilience and minimizing the re-traumatization that they may have experienced and where can our listeners go to learn more about mind, body and soul counseling center?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, they can go to mbscenternet.

Speaker 2:

Our phone number is 469-573-4354. Or they can also send me an email at claudiad at mbscenternet. Well, Claudia, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom, or call 469-221-9345.