Meet Monique Whitley Phillip | Mental Health Counselor & Practice Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monique Whitley Phillip and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monique, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process in creating Jars of Clay, A Sanctuary has been to create a place where women would feel safe enough to receive comfort and reassurance, while building or re-building a life structure for themselves that would sustain them. Because of my clinical background in mental health, the most natural way for me to do that was to create a private practice solely focusing on women’s issues, with the mission of helping them uncover the things about them that make them valuable.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was a teenage mom, who at age 18 began working at a local hospital in Houston as a secretary. That was my first big girl job, and I worked my way up to becoming the Executive Assistant of a CEO of another hospital. I also managed a transplant clinic for a little while, and worked in the healthcare space for just over 14 years. During that time, I dropped out of college twice and was just trying to hold things together. I thought I would never finish school. When my dad passed away in 2008, I became really thoughtful about my life’s purpose and the direction I wanted to go. It motivated me to go back to college to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. At the same time, I worked full-time, volunteered as a mentor for teenage girls, and took care of my three kids with my husband.

I graduated from the University of Houston in 2011, and began pursuing a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling at Liberty University, which I completed in 2013. I got through it by praying a lot, crying a lot, and having a very regimented schedule. What I learned from that time is that God shows up strong in my weakness. He showed me that I could do things that I never in my life thought were possible. That lesson has become foundational to the way I approach treatment with my clients. They have gifts and potential in them that I am determined for them to see.

Once I graduated and got licensed, I began working in community corrections, which is a fancy way of saying probation. I learned a lot of core skills there, but wasn’t seeing my clients heal as deeply as I thought they should. I decided to become certified in providing trauma therapy, and the rest essentially is history. I found something that I loved that would give me the satisfaction of seeing incredible women be healed from the inside out.

In 2019 right before COVID started, I left agency work and started my own private therapy practice focusing solely on the wellness and healing of women. I named it Jars of Clay, A Sanctuary based on the scripture 2 Corinthians 4:7 that says, “We have these treasures in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us”. That means so much to me, because I know that each one of us without question have gifts given by God that so often gets overshadowed or covered up by our hurts. The work that I do is a labor of love for me, because I get to help reveal a person’s value to them, and in doing so in many ways validate my own healing over and over again.

Part of my dream for Jars of Clay is to effectively partner with as many community organizations in the state as possible who also serve women in different capacities, to provide effective quality mental health care to those women who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to access it. One day I will see it happen!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My first thought would be to take her to Union Station, because it’s a historic building and the atmosphere is so lively. Sometimes there is great live music being played right out front, and there are several restaurants to choose from. The Denver Botanic gardens are are great place to take in some natural beauty and serenity. Then, we’d probably hit up the History Colorado Center, because it’s honestly the best museum in Denver (and I love history). We might stroll down the 16th street mall, which usually also has great music that you probably wouldn’t hear anywhere else; and we may head over to Cherry Creek Mall for some shopping.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would have to say honestly that the person who deserves a lot of credit for where I am today would be my mom. She was a model of how to pray and work diligently to create stability, so that others could thrive.

Website: www.jocsanctuary.com

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