Meet Kimberly Parker, LPC, LCDC | Owner and Therapist of Revive to Thrive Wellness Center, PLLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Parker, LPC, LCDC and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was originally born in San Diego, California; however, I spent most of my life living in Murrieta and Temecula (about an hour away from San Diego). From a very young age, I knew that I wanted to be a helping professional, but I was unsure of what my dream job would be. Initially, I thought I wanted to be a Doctor or Dentist, but after taking Anatomy and Physiology, I quickly revisited my options. Thereafter, I decided to major in Psychology and minor in Sociology. During my undergraduate career, I took a course that introduced the idea of group therapy (with Dr. Steven Frieze of CSU, Dominguez Hills) and it was an amazing experience. During that semester, I said to myself, “this is what I want to do!” So there I was, in the last semester of my undergraduate career, making the decision to apply for graduate programs. At the time, I thought Clinical Psychology was the only route that I could take to offer therapy, so I enrolled in a Masters of Arts in Psychology program and earned my degree in about 18 months. Thereafter, I made the decision to apply for doctoral level clinical psychology programs and I didn’t get into any of the programs. I was completely devastated! I found myself working at a job that I loved, but not being able to use to degree that I earned and also feeling a bit discouraged about next steps. I knew something needed to change, but I wasn’t sure what my next step should be. That feeling of being stuck led me to meeting with Dr. Fred Rabinowitz who was the Head of the Psychology department where I worked at the time (The University of Redlands). In the meeting, we discussed the differences between Clinical Psychology and Counseling and I determined that Counseling was the better fit for me. Making that decision led me to applying to Master of Science in Counseling programs, which brought me to Texas and the University of North Texas. On a more personal level, I’ve had many life experiences that have impacted who I am today. During my childhood, my family and I would go to harsh neighborhoods in San Diego to feed the homeless. These experiences were some of the first moments in my life that let me know that I had a heart to serve others. In addition to feeding the homeless, I also lost a dear friend to suicide during my last semester of high school. That experience made me feel a pain that I had never felt and also served as another push of why I needed to serve others. More generally, I have always found myself offering space for others to share their deepest secrets and empathy, so that they didn’t feel alone. Additionally, I have been inspired by members of my family-of-origin and close friends. I absolutely love what I do and cannot imagine doing anything else.

What should our readers know about your business?
Opening Revive to Thrive Wellness Center has been a dream come true. I began seeing clients there in April of 2021 and became full-time at the end of June 2021. In my solo practice, I have a diverse caseload and have the opportunity to work with the best clients. Most of my clients are working to overcome anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and relationship issues (which are all my main areas of interests). I am so proud to be the first business owner in my immediate family and I am honored to walk through life with my clients. I believe somethings that set me a part include my ability and passion to be culturally competent (in an effort to do no harm to my clients), my quirky and genuine personality, the quality of service that I offer, and my specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Regarding starting my business, it was relatively easy to get started; however, it took a lot of time and patience (especially due to the learning curve). As many of my peers would agree, Counseling programs do not prepare you to be a business owner, so at the beginning, “all things business” were new to me. Thankfully, I enrolled in a few business owner groups and received much needed mentorship. The support of these groups (and their fearless leaders, including Dr. Ajita Robinson) have been so helpful. In addition to receiving mentorship, having accountability partners have been so helpful. It really takes a village to run a business! I have learned so many lessons along the way and know that I will continue to learn more, as my business and vision grow. The biggest lessons that I have learned so far include, being in the know of all the in’s and out’s of my business, contracting the right help (i.e.: business coach, attorney, accountant, etc.), and knowing that I can’t do everything on my own. What I want the world to know about my brand is that it was created by a person who loves people! I want nothing more but to see my clients transition from surviving to thriving. I want my client’s to know that life does get better and that they can recover. There is always hope.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While I am a California girl at heart, I have come to love a lot of things about Dallas. If I had a friend come to visit, I would begin the day at Pangea Restaurant for a delicious brunch (Chef Kev is amazing). Thereafter, I would take them to Deep Ellum, so that we could do a bit of shopping and to grab a coffee at The Wild Detectives. Next, we would head over to Branch and Bird in Fort Worth for dinner and drinks (Lavender Lemonade is my favorite), while ending the night at Silver Leaf Cigar Bar (for some good music, good company, and chill vibes).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am so grateful for my amazing support system. First, I have an immense amount of gratitude for my higher power, God. I believe that He has given me a heart to serve others and I will always be so grateful to do this work. Second, I must give a huge shout out to my immediate family (mom, dad, Audrey, Yatta, Ayden, Zuri, and Aubree). Their love and support carries me through on my toughest days; I love them with my whole heart! Third, I want to give a shout out to the great mentors in my life (Latrina Raddler, Amanda Esquivel, Amazing UNT Counselor Educators, and more)! Every text, phone call, class, or meeting has meant so much to me. Lastly, I thank life experiences for showing me that I am capable of overcoming any obstacle and that I can turn my pain into my passion.

Website: https://revive2thrivewc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyparker_lpc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-parker-ma/