From Adversity to Advocacy: How a Local Mental Health Counselor Inspires Women and Girls
Meet Monique Whitley Phillip, MA, LPC-S, NCC—a dedicated mental health counselor whose journey from teen mom to influential advocate is truly changing lives. With a profound commitment to uplifting women and girls, Monique combines her personal experiences with professional expertise to offer invaluable guidance and support. Her story is a testament to resilience, strength, and the transformative power of mental health.
Having navigated the challenges of early motherhood, Monique understands firsthand the obstacles many women and girls face. She now channels that experience into her practice, providing compassionate, practical advice that empowers her clients to overcome their own struggles and build fulfilling lives. Through her work, she creates a space where women and girls can find hope, healing, and the tools they need to thrive.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Let’s start with an introduction. Tell us about yourself. Feel free to share your business, your life’s mission, and what brings you joy.
Hey fellow powerful women! I’m Monique and I am the owner of Jars of Clay, A Sanctuary, a telehealth mental health group practice in Colorado geared towards women’s wellness. I am originally from Houston, Texas and moved to Colorado 8 years ago. I’d never been to such a beautiful place, and feel so blessed to get to live here. I have worked in behavioral health for more than 15 years now and have always had such a heart for working with women. Because of my own experiences and those of the women in my family who I so admired growing up, I am way too familiar with having to be the strong independent woman. Throughout my own journey I have come to have such a deep understanding of how much of a survival state that is, and how much it takes away from the ability to just sit in who we are. Groundedness is so much more of a place of strength than survival.
God planted a seed inside of me many years ago to begin mentoring teenage girls and young adult women. I had an entirely different career then. Being a teenage mom, I felt compelled to give them a space to be seen, heard and understood. Looking back, I clearly was trying to undo my own hurt by pouring into others. To a large degree it worked, because during that time, God was healing me, transforming my heart and developing a ministry. I went back to school to obtain degrees in psychology and professional counseling, and became a Licensed Professional Counselor with a trauma certification. Since then my heart has been set on fire to heal the broken hearts of women who have experienced undue hardships that have caused them to forget who they are.
There is a scripture in Isaiah (42:16) where God says, “I will lead the blind by a way they have not known. I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them, and rough places into level ground.” I wholeheartedly believe that He has made me into one of the vessels through which He does just that.
The entire concept behind Jars of Clay is to illuminate the treasure that He has put in every one of our clients; the value in them that has been snuffed out by life circumstances. We see it in them and can hold space for them until they see it, too.
Here at BBN, we’re all about sharing women’s stories. Tell us about a time you had to overcome an obstacle? What did that moment in your life teach you?
One of the biggest obstacles that I’ve had is when I was hired by a large organization in Denver to be one of two managers to lead a team of people in housing the most vulnerable of the homeless population. We found them, housed them in new residences, and provided them with case management, healthcare, counseling, and mentorship. This sounds like a great thing, except that they weren’t used to living inside, some of them were literally falling apart, and all of them were deeply traumatized. Helping them to stay in their homes successfully turned out to the one of the most unexpected and greatest challenges we faced. With a whole lot of prayer, a gazillion strategy meetings, blood, sweat, tears and heart, that program was not only successful in Denver, but got national attention. Other organizations across the country started to model their programs after what we were doing. That was probably the most rewarding experience of my professional life to date, because I was able to see what could be done when God enters the picture. He turns the impossible into something so completely incredible, and in doing so, saves the lives of many.
Photo Credit: Cains Candids
What do you believe is the biggest challenge women in business face?
I think one of the biggest challenges women face is not being taken seriously. We are not too far removed from an era where wives could not even have a bank account without their husband’s signature. We are still coming out of the trauma of being marginalized, silenced, and being taken advantage of in every part of our society. This is the importance of uplifting and edifying each other, looking each other in the eye, showing kindness and pouring into each other. This is why organizations like Boss Babe Networking are so very important.
We need safe spaces to be heard, to be connected and to grow without shame.
What did the younger version of you want to be when you grew up?
For most of my growing up, I just knew I was going to be a singer. I was in choir from elementary school all the way up through college. I LOVE to sing. If I sit quietly long enough, random songs will pop into my head, and you’ll hear me start to hum without me even realizing I’m doing it. Unfortunately, I don’t like solo performing all that much. So much for that career. . . I guess it’s good that I got good at something else.
What advice would you give women in business?
I would say to never stop learning. Ask hard questions. Get comfortable with being the dumb one in the room, if that‘s the space where you can gain the most knowledge. Research, strategize and implement. Don’t be too independent. Learn to leverage your resources wherever you can, because it saves energy, time and money. I would also say that while it’s important to make a profit, it is not the most important thing. Every piece of advice to others does not need to be charged. Pour into others regularly, just like you want others to pour into you.
Where can our readers connect with you online? Feel free to add your social media links, websites, etc. Also, you’re welcome to skip this.
https://www.instagram.com/joc_sanctuary/
https://www.facebook.com/jocsanctuary
https://www.linkedin.com/in/monique-whitley-phillip-ma-lpc-s-ncc-7296b140/
