Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Stephanie Byrd.
Hi Dr. Byrd, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey into psychology began long before I ever stepped into a therapy room. I spent over 15 years playing competitive soccer, including at Florida State University (go NOLES!) and for most of my life, that was who I was — an athlete. When that chapter ended, I felt untethered. I didn’t yet have the language for it, but I was grieving: the loss of identity, structure, and purpose. It was in that space of uncertainty that I became curious about human resilience — how people heal, rebuild, and find themselves again after life shifts beneath them.
That curiosity became a calling. I went on to earn dual bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications as well as dual master’s degrees in Child and Family Relations and Clinical Psychology, followed by a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. My early work in acute psychiatric hospitals and community mental health settings opened my eyes to both the strength and fragility of the human spirit — and to the deep loneliness that often comes when people suffer in silence. I saw how powerful genuine connection could be in helping people reclaim hope.
Over the past 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most complex and often difficult-to-reach populations — from inmates in correctional settings to elite athletes, special forces and military personnel, and high-performing executives in corporate leadership. Each group carries its own kind of armor, its own culture of silence around pain and vulnerability. Helping them find language for their experience, permission to seek help, and the courage to heal has been some of the most humbling and transformative work of my career.
In 2016, I founded bareWell, a group practice built on one simple truth: connection heals. My goal wasn’t just to create a therapy practice — it was to build a professional home. I wanted to create a space where therapists could grow safely into their best selves — a culture rooted in authenticity, collaboration, and compassion. At bareWell, we talk openly about the “work behind the work” — our own inner growth as clinicians. We believe that when therapists are emotionally safe, supported, and engaged in their own healing, they show up more fully for their clients. The culture we’ve built is guided by our shared values: connection, integrity, and humanity. Those aren’t just words on a wall — they’re how we show up for each other and our clients every day.
As bareWell grew and I had the chance to interview and work along side the younger generation of therapists, I began to notice a troubling trend across the field. The rise of big tech therapy platforms and the shift to remote work, while increasing access, have also created unprecedented isolation for many clinicians. Too many therapists are now practicing “behind a screen,” flying solo without consistent consultation, mentorship, or community. The very people who hold space for others’ healing are burning out, disconnected from the same kind of support we encourage our clients to seek.
Together with my partner, Laura Todd, I co-founded bareWell Consulting (bWc) — an extension of bareWell and our shared mission to restore connection and integrity within the mental health field. Our mission with the consulting arm is to build a trusted community where licensed clinicians can find authentic connection, combat the normalized hyper-individualism and isolation within our field, and feel deeply supported in both their personal and professional lives — moving together toward progressive, collective healing.
Grounded in research that shows authentic connection as a key antidote to burnout and isolation, bWc provides structured consultation and peer support that strengthens clinical competency, nurtures resilience, and restores meaning in the work. Through collaborative consultation, reflective dialogue, and a commitment to clinical integrity, we create spaces where healers can sustain their well-being, grow in their craft, and redefine what it means to truly thrive in the field of mental health.
At bWc, our focus extends beyond professional development — we are intentionally cultivating a community that uplifts, supports, and honors the humanity of clinicians. Our core values — Community, Connection, Collaboration, Consultation, Competency, Integrity, and Clinician Well-Being — are all grounded in one guiding principle: that liberation and sustainability must coexist in our work. We believe that thriving clinicians create thriving communities, and that caring for the healer is an ethical act of resistance against the exploitation and depersonalization that too often creep into our field.
Out of this mission, I developed the Therapist Stages of Development Model ©, a framework that maps the growth and evolution of therapists over the course of their careers. The model was born out of countless hours of consultation, supervision, and my own lived experience as both clinician and business owner. It helps therapists understand that our development isn’t linear — we cycle through stages of growth, burnout, renewal, and reclamation throughout our careers.
My “why” behind the model is simple: our field cannot sustain itself if we don’t tend to the people within it. The work we do changes us — and that’s a beautiful thing, but it also means we must remain in a process of self-reflection, community, and continual learning. We can’t model healing for others if we abandon our own. The Therapist Stages of Development Model © is both a mirror and a guide — helping clinicians locate themselves in their professional journey, normalize their struggles, and re-engage their passion with integrity and purpose.
I feel deeply blessed to have had a career that has been both profoundly rewarding and endlessly generative — a path that has allowed me to grow alongside my clients, colleagues, and community. As I look ahead, I’m eager to see what the next chapter brings as we expand our consultation and professional development offerings nationwide. My hope is to continue creating spaces — for clients, clinicians, and leaders alike — where growth, authenticity, and connection remain at the center of the work.
At its heart, my story is about evolution — as a person, a psychologist, and a human being who believes that growth never stops. I’ve learned that healing isn’t a destination; it’s a way of living. And I can’t imagine a more meaningful life’s work than helping others — and those who help others — do the same.
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?
Definitely not a smooth road — but I’ve come to see the rough parts as some of the most meaningful. Over the years, I’ve experienced burnout more than once. Working within large, often unhealthy systems where red tape and barriers to care exist at every turn was both disheartening and exhausting. I spent years trying to navigate environments where funding was scarce, bureaucracy overshadowed humanity, and mental health professionals were often expected to do more with less. It created seasons of disillusionment and sadness that tested both my resilience and my faith in the system.
One of the greatest challenges has been the stigma that still surrounds mental health — not only in society but even within our own field. We’re constantly working against ingrained cultural narratives that equate struggle with weakness. I’ve seen how those messages silence clients, delay healing, and burn out the very clinicians trying to help. Those realities have shaped so much of my advocacy and my focus on creating spaces where authenticity, vulnerability, and humanity are strengths, not liabilities.
The COVID era brought another wave of both challenge and opportunity. Overnight, the entire field had to pivot to telehealth, and I suddenly found myself not only learning how to provide care through an entirely new framework but also training my team to do the same. It was disorienting at first — therapy had always been such an embodied, relational experience — but it also expanded our reach in remarkable ways. We were able to connect with people who might never have received care otherwise, and it allowed us to reimagine what access could look like. The field grew in resilience and creativity, and so did we. But now, several years later, we’re also seeing the other side of that boom: clinicians spending entire days behind screens using telehealth platforms as their practice and are more isolated than ever. The very innovation that increased accessibility has, in some ways, deepened professional disconnection — and it’s become one of the central issues I’m passionate about addressing through consultation and community-building.
But my biggest lesson in resilience started much earlier — long before I became a psychologist. For over 15 years, soccer was my identity. When my athletic career ended, I lost not just my sport but my sense of self. What followed was a period of deep depression and anxiety, underscored by grief, loss, and a profound sense of being untethered in the world. I had no idea who I was without the game. That season of my life, though painful, became the catalyst for everything that came next. Psychology found me at a time when I desperately needed to understand myself — and through that process, I began to heal. In helping others make sense of their pain, I was finding meaning in my own.
Now, years later, my career has come full circle. I have the privilege of working with the athletic community again — not on performance, but on personhood. I help athletes reconnect with who they are beyond their sport, supporting whole-person well-being that includes emotional and mental health. I also collaborate with coaches, staff, and organizations to increase mental health literacy and reduce stigma in athletic spaces. It feels like a homecoming — transforming what once felt like loss into purpose and impact.
There were many moments along the way when I had to learn how to pivot — to find ways to rejuvenate myself through growth, new learning, and stepping into unfamiliar territory. Shifting populations, working in different settings, and continually expanding my perspective became my antidote to burnout.
Becoming a business owner brought its own steep learning curve. As a psychologist, I had no formal business training, so building a practice from the ground up was both thrilling and terrifying. I had to learn by doing — what I learned and which I use often- taking imperfect action. For a lifelong high achiever and Type A perfectionist, that was a major growth edge. But it taught me one of the most important lessons of all: perfection is not the goal — authenticity is.
Embracing my own imperfectness, my own humanity, has been one of the greatest gifts of this journey. It’s allowed me to sit with others in theirs with more compassion and less judgment. It’s become a cornerstone of how I now train and mentor other therapists — helping them see that their evolution, their questions, and even their struggles are not signs of failure, but evidence that they are growing. The path hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been deeply transformative. Every challenge has expanded my capacity to hold space — not just for my clients, but for myself and for the clinicians who are walking their own road toward wholeness.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At bareWell, everything we do is rooted in one simple belief: connection heals.
The name itself captures our philosophy — “bare” meaning to uncover or reveal, and “well” meaning in good health. We believe that true healing begins when we allow ourselves to be seen — when we can safely reveal who we are and what we’ve been through to become the most authentic version of ourselves.
bareWell is a San Diego–based therapy group built on this foundation of authenticity, connection, and compassion. We provide therapy for individuals, couples, and families, specializing in helping people who feel stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed, find clarity and meaning in their lives again. We have specialists covering many areas of need and serve a wide range of ages and presenting concerns. Our approach is individualized and relational — we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all therapy or treating symptoms in isolation. Instead, we focus on understanding the “why” underneath the struggle, helping clients uncover patterns, build awareness, and reconnect to their emotional, physical, and relational well-being.
Our spiral logo symbolizes that journey — a universal emblem of growth and transformation. Like a fingerprint, it reminds us that each person’s story is unique. Healing is not linear; it’s winding, imperfect, and deeply human. We’re proud to have become a trusted resource in San Diego’s mental health community, serving many of the region’s military bases and the surrounding community as one of their reliable and knowledgeable providers. Through years of collaboration, we’ve built relationships that reflect both our expertise and our deep respect for those who serve.
bareWell is also proud to partner with national organizations committed to advancing mental health access and advocacy. In partnership with the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Behavioral Health, I’ve developed and led programs focused on resilience, mental wellness, and the transition from sport to life beyond the game. I’ve been honored to co-lead Mindfulness Morning at the Hall in Canton, Ohio, facilitate resilience panels alongside the University of Michigan, and collaborate with Hope Desk and Texas Tech University to bring culturally competent, athlete-centered mental health education to collegiate settings.
Locally, our team continues to create dynamic, inclusive professional trainings such as our highly requested “Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby” workshop for other mental health professionals. The program invited clinicians to explore the often-taboo and nuanced topic of sex in therapy through honest, reflective dialogue. The overwhelming feedback — that it should become a recurring series or three part workshop series— is something we’re planning to expand through bareWell Consulting (bWc) in 2026.
Through partnerships with the NFL Hall of Fame Behavioral Health, The Hope Desk, and Fund Recovery, we’re extending our impact nationally. These collaborations allow us to innovate pathways to mental well-being and foster sustainable change — ensuring that comprehensive, compassionate care is accessible to all. Fund Recovery, for example, works to close the funding gap for individuals seeking mental health or addiction treatment, providing direct financial assistance and scholarships for care. Together, we are helping to build a fortified support system that doesn’t just address crisis, but cultivates resilience, access, and long-term wellness for a brighter future.
What I’m most proud of, though, isn’t just our clinical reach — it’s our culture. At bareWell, we’ve created a professional home where therapists feel emotionally safe, supported, and connected. We value transparency, authenticity, and true work-life balance. Unlike many practices that emphasize volume or productivity, we prioritize quality of care and the well-being of both clients and clinicians. That’s been consistent feedback from our team — that bareWell is a place where people can truly be human first. Some have referred to it as “therapist rehab” – a place therapist can go to be seen and valued for the hard, healing work we do!
As a mentor and supervisor, I take great pride in the growth I’ve witnessed in my team. Many of the therapists who have come through bareWell began their journey anxious, unsure, or burdened by imposter syndrome — and have evolved into confident, grounded, and congruent clinicians. Some have gone on to start their own practices, and I couldn’t be prouder. People sometimes joke that I’m “grooming my competition,” but I see it differently. I see it as part of my responsibility — to give back to the profession, to nurture the next generation of therapists, and to model what it looks like to do this work with both heart and integrity.
At the end of the day, bareWell is more than a therapy practice — it’s a reflection of what I believe the field of psychology can and should be: human, relational, ethical, and deeply connected.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’ve always been a lifelong learner — I read constantly and across a wide range of subjects. Curiosity is what keeps me grounded and inspired, both personally and professionally. My bookshelf is full of psychology classics and new research, but also memoirs, essays, and books on leadership, creativity, and resilience.
Some of my go-to reads include The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Attached by Amir Levine, Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab, and What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry. Each of these books offers a different lens on healing, relationships, and the importance of understanding how our stories and experiences shape us. I return to them often, both for myself and in my work with clients and clinicians.
I also integrate mindfulness into my daily life whenever possible — apps like Headspace and Calm are go-to’s for me and for many of the people I work with. Simple practices like breathing, visualization, or just taking a pause are powerful reminders to slow down and reconnect with ourselves.
While I’m not a big podcast person, I appreciate the ones that bring real, grounded conversations about being human. Some that resonate with me include:
The Psychology Podcast with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman – thoughtful conversations about creativity, growth, and the science of being human.
Therapist Uncensored – deep dives into attachment, emotional regulation, and authentic relationships.
We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle – an honest, compassionate look at vulnerability, resilience, and self-acceptance.
For me, the best resources are the ones that remind us we’re all still learning — that growth and healing are ongoing processes. Whether it’s through a book, a breath, or a quiet walk, I try to surround myself with things that bring me back to curiosity, compassion, and purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.barewellgroup.com and www.barewellconsulting.com
- Instagram: @barewellgroup
- Facebook: @barewellgroup
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barewell
- Twitter: @barewellgroup
Image Credits
Andrea Walls @Off The Walls Photography
Jon Matthews
