Founder Interview With Victoria D. Stubbs, Inner Truth Psychotherapy & Wellness
Photo Credit: Inner Truth Psychotherapy & Wellness
Victoria D. Stubbs, LICSW, LCSW-C, RMT, is the founder of Inner Truth Psychotherapy & Wellness, a private practice specializing in therapy and wellness services. With over 20 years of experience in social work, she has a background in domestic violence and housing, having been one of the founding developers of the District Alliance for Safe Housing, the largest domestic violence housing program in Washington, D.C. Victoria provides a unique and empathetic approach to therapy, incorporating mindfulness and somatic practices alongside traditional modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic Theory. In 2015, after coming out, she began offering therapy to help others on similar journeys, eventually transitioning to full-time private practice in 2021.
During our interview, Victoria shared her career journey, detailing her transition from the nonprofit sector to academia and, finally, to private practice. She revealed that her own experience of coming out later in life inspired her to become a therapist and create a space for people to be their whole selves. Victoria emphasized the importance of maintaining boundaries and practicing intentional self-care to sustain a career as a therapist. She also discussed her work with LGBTQ+ clients, her favorite brands, and her connection to farmers' markets—a nod to her childhood helping run her father's produce stand. Let’s jump right in!
Can you walk us through your professional journey and how you got to where you are today?
When I became a social worker over 20 years ago, I did it with the intention of designing and evaluating programs; specifically programs focused on women’s rights and women’s health. I spent many years working in domestic violence and housing in Washington, D.C., as well as working with vulnerable older adults. I was one of the founding developers of DC’s largest domestic violence housing program called the District Alliance for Safe Housing. While at DASH, in addition to co-facilitating trauma healing groups, I began doing what I called “therapy light” with many residents. I realized that I had a way of connecting with the women that was educational and therapeutic. I began to think more about becoming a therapist at that time. However, I was burned out from the intensity of working in nonprofits, burned out from doing crisis-based trauma work, and I was going through a personal life upheaval because I was coming to terms with my sexuality.
To make room for my own healing, I left the non-profit sector in 2011. I got a job in higher education as a field coordinator and clinical instructor, where I helped students navigate their social work field placements and taught graduate courses. In 2015, after coming out, going through a divorce, and starting my life over in my mid-thirties, I decided to try my hand at therapy part-time. My goal was to be the therapist I wished I had during my years of seeing multiple therapists. Someone who understands the journey of coming out later in life, who understands the process of unraveling to re-discover yourself. As I grew spiritually, I also realized how important it is for people to have a space to acknowledge, incorporate, and be their whole selves, especially when parts of who they are might not be easily accepted by others. In 2016, I became a full-time professor teaching 4 graduate courses per semester and seeing clients part-time. In the fall of 2021, I left academia and went into full-time private practice.
What inspired you to offer the services you provide?
A few things. My own journey of coming out later in life. Also, a very close longtime friend of mine died in 2015. Her passing caused me to focus more intentionally on the role of stress and self-care on our health and well-being, especially for high-achieving women of color. Then, in 2017, I had a profound spiritual awakening that led me to understand my spiritual abilities/gifts more deeply. The more I understood who I was, the more I understood my purpose.
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your journey as a service provider, and what did you do to overcome this?
I was never taught how to be a business owner while going to school for social work – none of us are. It’s a steep learning curve understanding the do’s and don’ts of business and even embracing an entrepreneur mindset when your focus has been on social justice and working within organizations and institutions. I had to invest a lot of time and money in learning how to operate a business. I also had to spend time getting clear on what my lane is, how I wanted to operate as a business, while also constantly blocking out the chatter from everyone trying to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. It can be extremely overwhelming.
Photo Credit: Inner Truth Psychotherapy & Wellness
If you could give one piece of advice to future LGBTQ+ service providers within your field, what would it be?
Make sure to do your own healing work before you become a therapist, and continue to practice intentional self-care while being a therapist. Therapists must manage many things at once when interacting with a client. The biggest thing we must manage is ourselves – our own triggers, our own biases, our own boundaries. I think it’s important that therapists have a strong sense of self and have done some degree of healing core wounds before doing this work so that we can show up as our best selves and be self-aware enough to know when our stuff is showing up in the room and possibly getting in the way. We don’t need to be “perfect,” but if we don’t know what our stuff is, it can be hard to catch it when it shows up, which can cause harm.
“Being a therapist requires stamina so it’s important to rest, rejuvenate and restore one’s energy daily, as well as weekly, so that the work can be sustainable. Practicing intentional self-care is important and can include having good clinical supervision for new clinicians and ongoing clinical coaching or consultation for licensed professionals. Intentional self-care also includes ongoing therapy, tending to your health and well-being, and making sure to set and maintain healthy boundaries. For example, I tell new clinicians to stick to their set schedules, just like a store that’s open from 10 am to 6 pm. If you start offering extra time slots, they tend to become permanent, leading to boundary issues and loss of control over your schedule. If a client can't fit into your time frame, they can pick another day. Once you start expanding your availability, you can end up struggling to get your time back. This is a crucial boundary to maintain.”
How does being openly queer inspire or impact your business?
My coming out story often resonates with people who are grappling with their identity as a whole-sexuality and gender. We often forget that coming out is still not easy for everybody, especially later in life (over 30). It’s important that my clients know my story so that they know they are not alone. That at least one other person understands them and has been through some part, if not all, of what they are going through. I also work with a lot of non-binary and trans clients. I have supported several clients through their transitions, both socially and surgically, including writing medical letters for top surgery. I am sensitive to the sacredness of finding and being one's true self, whether it’s through their sexuality or their gender identity.
What brands or services by LGBTQ+ founders are your go-to's and why?
My go-to brand for vodka is FOU-DRÉ, a Black and queer-owned company based in Maryland. It's local and delicious!
For therapy and sexual wellness services, I recommend Infinite Zen Therapy & Copper Sexual Wellness. They are sex therapists who do amazing work — and both of them are owned by dear friends of mine. I refer clients to them often.
Photo Credit: Inner Truth Psychotherapy & Wellness
Who is your favorite LGBTQ+ celebrity, and why?
One of my favorite LGBTQ+ celebrities is Audre Lorde. Our coming-out stories are similar. She had a beautiful way of using words. I quoted her in my book.
Can you share one fun fact about yourself?
I love exploring farmers' markets in the summer! My father was a farmer (vegetables) and I used to run our produce stand out in front of our house in the summer as a kid. We grew, picked, bartered, and sold fruits and vegetables in the summer. If we didn't grow it, we knew someone who did. Farmers markets help me to stay connected to that part of myself.
