Coleman Wilson, LPC

Coleman Wilson, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Louisiana has been my home from the start. Starting off in Baker, then to Zachary, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette in 2012, all the while with New Orleans in between, the majority of my most memorable experiences and valuable relationships all reside here in this great state. Even as a kid, I was aware of that not everything unique about this state is savory. I noticed people struggling with things they didn’t understand and/or couldn’t control. It took me many years to understand the true nature of these issues and the factors that contribute to their formation and continuation. As an adult searching for a career, I found helping people with the struggles I had seen growing up quite appealing. In a way I was also looking for answers to my own struggles as well.

Counseling is something I became interested in when my dad started training to become one later in his life. When I learned there was a profession where you could actively work with people who were struggling to cope that sounded interesting and rewarding. Twenty years later, here I am! It started with me volunteering at a local suicide prevention hotline in Baton Rouge in 2007. There I learned the basics of mental health awareness and research based methods of how to deal with people in severe distress. From here I decided to make the move to become a professional helper. I applied to UL’s Counseling Education program in 2012 where I learned how to be a counselor. There I learned the basics as well as made lifelong friendships with like-minded folks.

While in the program I was required to find an internship location. Addiction was an area I was not familiar with and felt challenging myself would be worth the risk for the future of my career. I got selected to work at Victory Addiction Recovery Center in 2014 where I got to observe the unique dynamics and challenges present for addiction work. Attending groups, taking notes, talking with clients, and eventually teaching my own classes and groups was an experience that still resonates with me today. Working with addicts and alcoholics is still a passion of mine. I understand the stigma placed on them by those who have been affected by their behavior while in active addiction as well as those who are ignorant to the ways of the disease. Providing a safe place for them to process the chaos of addiction, learn how they got here, how to not return, and how to make sustainable change has been one of the great joys of my life.

My first paid job outside of graduate school was in 2014 working for Volunteers of America where I worked in more of a social work capacity assisting people with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar, and severe depression. Working together with a team of professionals, I worked to help our clients get connected with substance abuse resources, help them stay sober post discharge, and several others activities of daily living i.e. community transport, budgeting, exercise, socialization, keeping up with appointments, etc. Working with this population, while challenging, was also rewarding. It also showed me firsthand the plight of the impoverished and those who have fallen through the cracks of the system. I am sympathetic to those who struggle with disorders that disrupt their lives and have found effective methods of treating those individuals compassionately.

After four years in the field I decided to hang my shingle and try out private practice in 2017. Since then I have treated a wide range of issues from depression and anxiety to grief and relationship issues. I’m particularly passionate about helping people with self-esteem issues and those who are having difficulty identifying patterns in their lives. Using critical thinking, mapping techniques, and active listening I have been able to help my clients gain perspective and direction to help them break free from their cycles and/or negative environments. I truly can’t imagine myself doing much else for a living than this. I love what I do and am excited to meet new people every week in such a unique way.