Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTasha Thomas.
Hi LaTasha , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It was March 2020 and we were all trying to navigate Covid. I was transitioning out of a private practice I had been working at for some time and had taken a position with a local agency to supervise school based mental health clinicians. My last day of work for the private practice was March 7th and I was scheduled to start the new position that following Monday. I got an email on Sunday stating that they were shutting down and would NOT need me and to check back in with them in August. At the same time, I was in the process of starting the practice part time and had planned on renting space in a local yoga studio, which also fell through, due to the uncertain times we were navigating. As you can imagine, both of these instances were devastating, and could have stopped me in my tracks, but I remembered conversations with a father figure of mine, Fredrick Millings, where he imparted on me to study something that would allow me to work for myself one day. And, my Master’s Degree in Community Counseling was just that!
I live in Shillington and would pass the old Shillington School House everyday, so when I got the call about the yoga studio not working out, I went there immediately and they had a space that was coming available April 1st! I took it! I was not prepared at all for this endeavor, but I did it anyway. I used a little savings and that month’s mortgage to make it happen. The property managers were accommodating and allowed me to lease a smaller space than what they were advertising, which was heaven sent.
The world was totally shut down at this point, but I had an office that needed to be furnished. I ordered everything I needed from an on-line store and had it shipped to my home because deliveries at the time were limited and would not be physically placed in the office. This meant that I had to unbox and take everything to the office piece by piece. I did it! Just me and my pick up truck! And, opened the doors for clients that had a difficult time having sessions at home, whether that was because of attachment, focus, or safety issues. We wore masks and took temperatures. The agreement between myself and the clients was that if anyone had symptoms, we would stay home. I also started offering walk and talk sessions during this time. It worked out!
I never ran a business before this and early on, while struggling to learn the ins and outs, I had a moment where I remembered that my grandfather and his twin brother owned and operated Thomas’ Trash Collection here in Reading for years, and found solace in the fact that I stand on their shoulders as I continued to navigate this uncharted territory.
March marked six years in business and we have grown into a larger space, still in the Shillington area, where we continue to color outside the lines that conventional society and the mental health field at large have created. We are a home for the mind, body, and soul and are steadily building a one stop shop where all dimensions of a person can feel safe and seen! This feeling is one that we also try to extend to other mental health clinicians or healing art folks that are looking for a place to do their work, their way; with complete clinical autonomy and freedom of time. As we work with the next generation of mental health clinicians, via intern partnerships with a few local colleges and universities, we strive to help them challenge convention and to feel prepared to do work in the world that is eclectic, trauma-informed, decolonized, and full of heart!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Covid was the main obstacle that needed to be overcome. The other is the fact that I had never run a business before and had to learn the ins and out of what that meant on many different levels. People come and go and some of the initiatives that I have put out into the world have fallen flat. But, all of these obstacles have just forced me face my fears and I am better for that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
LaTasha Thomas Founder of Zen Holistics Counseling & Wellness, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Psychedelic Assisted Therapist, EMDR Trained Practitioner, Clinical Hypnosis Provider, Reiki Master, Sound Healer, Breathwork Facilitator and Yoga Teacher whose work sits at the intersection of trauma healing and integrative wellness. She specializes in supporting clients—particularly women and other marginalized communities—in reclaiming emotional freedom, nervous system balance, and embodied self‑acceptance through evidence‑aligned, compassion‑centered care.
With advanced training in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, LaTasha weaves neuroscience, somatics, hypnosis, ancestral wisdom, and ritual into a therapeutic approach that honors the full complexity of the human experience. She is known for creating spaces where clients feel deeply seen, supported, and empowered to explore the roots of depression, anxiety, trauma, and emotional constriction.
As the founder of Zen Holistics Counseling & Wellness in Reading, PA, LaTasha is expanding her practice into global healing retreats and creative wellness offerings that blend ceremony, sound, movement, hypnosis, and psychedelic‑informed transformation. Her clinical mission is to help individuals cultivate emotional flexibility, reconnect with their inner truth, and experience profound shifts in mood, meaning, and self‑acceptance.
LaTasha’s work is guided by the belief that healing is both a science and a sacred art—and that when holistic offerings are integrated with intentional psychotherapy, they can open pathways to resilience, clarity, and deep personal liberation.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am always open to collaboration! I love connecting with other like-minded individuals or organizations for the betterment of self and community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zenholisticscounseling.com
- Instagram: zen__holistics
