Meet Masa Hashem Saif | Licensed Professional Counselor; Founder and Clinical Director of Think Tank Counseling

We had the good fortune of connecting with Masa Hashem Saif and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Masa, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
What has helped me succeed is my persistence in finding different ways to reach my goals and my perspective on failure. I believe that “failure is when you stop trying” and that when I fail at something it is a learning opportunity. If you have mastered everything you kind of create a glass ceiling effect and stunt your ability to grow. So, I never have it all figured out and I am always open to learning from my failures and learning from how others have approached things.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Think Tank Counseling is a family owned practice which allows us to be hands on. We specialize in holistic treatment of mental health disorders, addiction, and dual recovery. Think Tank understands how important quality of care is to the betterment of our clients’ wellbeing. Our practice houses providers with different specialties and strengths who are able to tackle the struggles associated with both mental and nutritional health. We pride ourselves on our wide array of specialties and our focus on case consultation within our team in order to provide the expertise of several years and approach in order to provide the best possible outcome for our clients’ health. Think Tank Counseling is integrative and holistic in utilizing the mind-body connection and continued collaboration with the client and practitioners involved in our client’s care to achieve an individual’s optimal wellness. We use mental health and functional nutrition to integrate the brain and promote overall mind-body wellness. As a business owner, I wear many different hats and we split duties and tasks between us according to our strengths. I have had my fair share of struggles. To include mental health struggles that has impacted the entire family, grief/ loss, struggle with transitions, finding balance in being a business owner and a mother, perfectionistic tendencies, functional depression and anxiety. I believe every struggle and experience I have had, aid me in being an effective therapist. It is also why it is important to my family and I to offer accessible quality care. For as long as I can remember, I was always drawn towards helping others with what they were going through. Growing up, I found myself in an advisor, mediator and caretaker role to acquaintances, friends and family. I loved the idea of coming together with another person to find resolutions to their unique and individual struggles that could be sustainable. When creating Think Tank Counseling, I wanted to make sure that our approach to therapy aligned with values such as collaboration. Think Tank is essentially the meeting of the minds. As far as whether it was easy or not; we face new challenges every day and we are constantly looking for ways to grow and thrive so we can help our clients and provide stability for our staff. We care strongly about every person that walks through our door and hope to somehow impact each and every one of them positively. As a counselor, you aren’t taught about the aspects of business management, credentialing, filing insurance claims, marketing, advertising and so much more. Some of it you learn as you go and others you learn the hard way. The lack of certainty can be scary but it is a risk worth taking when it comes to creating a mental health care practice that makes a difference to our clients lives. With that being said, owning a business is hard. It’s never just a nine to five job and we don’t just get to go home after a long day at work. It gets exhausting but we get to do something we love and we wouldn’t have it any other way! I have learned that as long as I am open to growth I can learn from my clients, staff, failures and successes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Bishop Arts for brunch at Boulevardier as well as visit the shops. We would also go to Reunion Tower and Klyde Warren Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are lots of people that have influenced, impacted and have had a hand in my success and the success of Think Tank Counseling. I’m going to start with my roots. My parents (Omeir and Enas Hashem) have shown me from a very young age that no matter what you have and no matter the obstacles you encounter, that I am able. My parents both held jobs and went to school while they had my sisters (Mira and Maya) and I. We had very little at the time and through their perseverance and hard work they have given my sisters and I safety, security, and the ability to realize our potential. Think Tank is actually a family owned business. Think Tank would not be succeeding without my family at the core. My husband (Samier Saif) is another great influence; his ability to strategize and identify alternative solutions is astounding. I am always learning something from him. I have also learned so much from past mentors (Bob Fine and Rachel Williams) and the Facilities that I was fortunate to work at. Think Tank Counseling’s Team is of course core to our success. Our Chief Operations Officer/ Majority Owner and my Dad, Omeir that takes care of the day to day operations. Our front office Manager and my sister Mira keeps the place running. Last but not least, Think Tank’s therapists that truly give themselves to taking the very best care of their clients.

Website: www.thinktankcounseling.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thinktankcounseling

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thinktankcounseling

Image Credits
Sonaynicolephotography