Why I Do What I Do
By Tina J. Smith
When I stepped into the world of the helping profession, I had one simple goal: to see people healed and stepping into hope and a future. I never planned on growth. My desire was clear and heartfelt. I had experienced hardship in my own life, but through it all, something kept pushing me—not just to heal myself, but to help others heal too. A deep desire was born: to get help, to rise, and to never stop rising.
My story continues to fuel my passion to love people better—even imperfectly. Because the truth is, we’ve all been hurt by others, and we’ve all, in some way, caused hurt too. But sitting in blame will never carry us to the future we hope for. Pain must be felt, experienced, and ultimately healed.
The stories of hardship I’ve lived through continue to drive me to help others connect to their own hard stories—to heal those stories and rise again. Our healed stories birth new opportunities to help others, in whatever place we find ourselves. Maybe it’s helping a mom broken by miscarriage or a stillbirth—because you’ve walked that same painful path. Maybe it’s a broken marriage you never thought you would heal from—until you did, and maybe you found yourself, and even love, again. Maybe it’s the gut-wrenching grief of losing someone—where the pain felt unbearable, but in time, you allowed yourself to grieve, and little by little, that grief became lighter.
Your story matters. It can be the reason someone else realizes they are not alone.
This is the heartbeat behind everything I do. And now, it’s what fuels my desire to support other therapists in this field. My experience, my growth, and the adversity I’ve faced have brought me to a place where I want to pour out—imperfectly, yet deeply and honestly—from a place of love for people.
Doing different in your life often looks like adding in what replenishes your heart, helps you grow, and reveals new parts of yourself you didn’t know existed. Even in my own life today, I’m choosing to practice differently. If you’ve read one of my other blogs, Healing Is Not Linear, you’ll know that it comes from a deep awareness of my own healing journey—both personal and professional. I’ve recognized that I need different: time away at silent retreats to pause, write, and heal; joining a book club with likeminded, growth-minded people; stepping into a new season of mentorship and healing; and spending more time with girlfriends who truly know and love me. These are not luxuries—they’re lifelines. What do you need to do in this season for yourself?
Selah Counselling, Mediation, and Training Center was born from a heart-passion to see lives changed, transformed, and grown. My professional journey mirrors my internal journey. I began in solo practice, then grew a team, and eventually realized that my role was shifting—to now train therapists and release them into this meaningful work.
That evolution led to changes in name and identity: from Tina J. Smith Counselling & Psychotherapy, to Tina J. Smith & Associates Counselling & Psychotherapy, and now to Selah Counselling, Mediation, and Training Center. In 2022, we also launched the Selah Treatment Center to reduce the barriers to mental health care by offering subsidized services.
Each professional change has been a reflection of my own personal transformation. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned—one truth I can pass on to every client and every therapist we train—it’s this:
Healing, change, and rising happen when we’re willing to look in the mirror and ask, “What reflection do I want to see looking back at me?”
For me, the answer has always been simple:
Keep healing. Keep changing. Keep loving people. Rise again.
So I can continue to help others and love people better. Letting go of perfection. Leaning into purpose.
What is the healing you want to see in your life?
We’re here to help you write a future story you can love.