Sharlene Hilton McClendon, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor | Claimed

My businesses are Healing Together Solutions, LLC, a counseling practice started in 2018, and a Podcast called “Me, Myself, and I: How to Have a Relationship with Me”. Through my Podcast, I provide information surrounding the importance of building a healthy relationship with yourself which influences the whole person and builds a healthy relationship with others. Relationships are the cornerstone of who we are, and when a relationship with self is not established, others’ viewpoints and opinions, and trauma can become the mirror for a person’s identity. An identity that is not based on the original self of an individual but that of someone else and life experiences. Also, through MMI, I am a speaker, educator, and coach for organizations, churches, and companies to address the breakdown in the culture of relationships.

In my practice, I am a licensed professional counselor. I see clients 18 and older and offer a supportive, non-judgmental, and safe environment to be seen. I specialize in offering a holistic level of mental health treatment to support individuals who are experiencing mental health challenges due to life stressors and sometimes relationships. Relationships are the foundation of who we are, yet they are the most difficult for us to navigate. Our family systems teach us how to engage in our families and when it is damaging or a lack of communication and direction, it can be devasting. In my practice, I start with the needs of my clients which almost always are connected to outside influences, so supporting my clients in seeing themselves and developing a relationship with themselves gives them a voice as they learn to identify who they are. There are six essential keys to developing a relationship with yourself.

First is safety, if we don’t know how to keep ourselves safe or how to identify safety, we don’t trust ourselves. Secondly, trust, if we don’t understand safety, we don’t trust ourselves, which leads us to seek others’ view of safety, which can have devasting consequences. Thirdly, stability teaches us endurance and steadiness that support our decision-making. If we are not stable, we can easily be moved due to our emotions and feelings which are easily changed. Fourthly, acceptance allows us freedom for ourselves that is driven by our originality. If we don’t understand and accept our originality, we can often compare ourselves to others which keep us chained to everything but ourselves. Fifthly, patience makes room for us. It allows us room and space to be intentional about who we are and our life direction.

Lastly, love, love is a combination of all the above keys. Together, with safety, trust, stability, acceptance, and patience, we have a foundation that supports individuals truly loving and seeing themselves. Love is an action word, but most times, individuals view it through the lens of emotions and feelings, which as I tell my clients can change like the wind. One minute you feel it and the next, you don’t. So, when I think about my practice, I think about a whole level of care that allows individuals to become their whole individual selves.