Psychotherapist Extraordinaire and award-winning mental health clinician Lola Clay, A.B.D., Ph.D., LPC-S, CART, BCPC is a native Texan. She was educated in the Houston independent school District and was accepted into many prestigious Vanguard and College preparatory programs after being identified as gifted and talented. Lola became known for her soothing voice early in life and gave the morning announcements from kindergarten thru fifth grade at her elementary school and later was one of the many voices on KPUP radio during her sixth and seventh-grade year in junior high.
Lola made the decision to become a therapist at the age of 10 and began honing her craft at that time. Lola states,
“I was a sensitive kid; an empath, intuitive, and a mystic. My mother was thrilled when I developed an interest in psychology and helped to develop it. “
By the time she was 11 years old Lola read half of Jung’s collected works, Pavlov, and Erickson.
In her youth Lola enjoyed modeling, acting, and participating in pageants after being discovered in a JCPenney one summer while visiting family in California.
She developed a love of health and wellness early in life and enjoys softball, skating, and running. In undergrad, while at Texas Southern University Lola was a personal trainer and owned a mobile fitness company, Fit for You, Fit for Life dedicated to bringing a fitness initiative to gym deserts (areas without access to fitness facilities). Lola states,
“It was perfect timing because the state had the S.P.A.R.K.S. initiative at that time and improved playgrounds and park facilities on school campuses. All I had to do was show up with equipment and help people work out and provide psychoeducation related to managing stressors associated with poverty. I’m a realist so I recognize in order to establish mental stability you have to improve access to resources and meet needs, beyond basic needs. People cannot feel forgotten and thrive.”
Lola reports,
“I’ve never struggled with weight nor food because I am fortunate to be well-adjusted and have always put my emotional health first in life. Disordered eating (overeating or under eating) share the same origin. I have been body positive my whole life, accepting my body (and others) at any size. As a kid I was very thin and became well developed as an adolescent…never have I been obsessed with looks and weight, etc. I just always understood how emotions, behavior, society, and thought intersect, it’s a gift that allows me to help others.”
Lola’s expertise exceeds weight management and general psychotherapy. She works with businesses as an organizational consultant and has worked in many renowned mental healthcare facilities including the Children’s Assessment Center, Houston Area Women’s Center where she served as the Counseling Services Coordinator and established programs such as financial literacy and S.A.I.N (sexual assault injury nurse) on-call collaboration; The Council on Alcohol and Drug’s Houston where she was a member of the Safe4Kids federal pilot collaboration with Depelchin and Santa Maria Hostel, representing clinicians at the nation’s capital, and MHMRA where she served as a member of the Forensic Psych department at the Harris County jail. She is a certified Jungian therapist, trauma specialist, knowledgeable on sexual health and behaviors, transcendental meditation, domestic violence, and relationship expert and life coach. Lola’s philosophy,
“Every person deserves the best care…I’m going to give it to them in any circumstance, judgment-free.”
