Today we’d like to introduce you to Genevieve Lu.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I almost didn’t go to college due to personal matters and my family’s financial situation at the time. I worked hard in high school as an International Baccalaureate student balancing many extra curricular activities. A classmate of mine nominated me for The Posse Foundation Scholarship. After going through a 3-part dynamic assessment process, I was 1 of 10 selected to go to Pepperdine University from the DMV area. At 17 years old, I moved to the opposite coast and embarked on the most formative 4-year journey of my life. What recently has replaced that as the most formative journey is my journey to become a mother and live every day as a full-time working mom who is also balancing a private practice business. I thought I was going to be a plastic surgeon at first, but a major shift in my spirit led me to a different kind of work: helping to restore people from the inside out as a mental health therapist. I studied Psychology at Pepperdine and also got an undergraduate professional certificate in Dispute Resolution from The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. This led to a job at the Center for Deployment Psychology shortly after graduating in 2015. I started Grad School at The Graduate School for Education and Human Development at The George Washington University in 2016, while I balanced full-time employment and later part-time employment as an Academic Success Coach for GW undergraduate business students. Due to my background as an “Army Brat” growing up, I wanted so deeply to work with Veterans but something impacted my ability to intern for the VA during my grad program. I then pivoted into working with children with autism, emotional dysregulation disorders, and other comorbid diagnoses such as anxiety and depression. I feel so fulfilled to be able to work with people of all ages using many modalities, staying true to my cognitive-behavioral and person-centered lens. While it is extremely challenging at times to balance both motherhood and my career, I would not have it any other way. At 3 years old, my daughter recognizes my role as a therapist and never ceases to ask me, “Mommy, how was your session?” when I walk out of my home office.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey has not always been smooth. In my first week of grad school, I found out in an abrupt and harsh way that the internship I had been dreaming of had been discontinued. I couldn’t work with Veterans, and I had to pivot. I found other ways to achieve this goal of working with this population through government-contract employment. I also participate in as many trainings as I can to continuously expand my knowledge on how best to understand and most effectively work with this population that is so near and dear to my heart. I have had to walk away from employers and jobs that did not always align with my values or did not value me as a person. One thing I have had to learn is that there will always be trials and tribulations in your career, and it is up to you to figure out if you are going to stay there or pave your own way. My mantra for 2025 was “No fear, seriously.” I decided to finally launch my private practice, something I had been wanting to do for a while but had been struggling with internal doubt.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I was a Military and Family Life Counselor on a military base in Maryland. I balanced this along with my private practice, where I met with my clients on the evenings and weekends. Soon, I will give running my practice full-time a shot. I will be licensed in a new state soon: Missouri. My hope is that I could fill up my caseload and find other creative ways to grow my practice, like through social media or my art. On my free time, I draw caricatures of pets, people, and make coloring book sheets. I will also launch online therapy groups. The sky is the limit when you have a business.
While I have established my specific approach to therapy as a blend of Cognitive Behavioral and Person-Centered, I believe that in the field of therapy YOU as the therapist are the greatest tool. I think who I am as a person is my #1 strength; it is what allows me to build therapeutic rapport and alliance with others quickly. I live and breathe genuine expression of self, the value of always honoring life and other living beings, and belief in the power of resilience.
If you live in the state of Maryland and are interested in individual therapy, check out my website: www.resilienthumanspiritcounseling.com
What matters most to you?
Authenticity. I do not ask of my clients something I have not been able to achieve in my own walk of life: living life authentically. I take to heart quotations such as these: “To be loved is to be known and seen.” and “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change” by Carl Rogers, my favorite psychologist of all time. When we truthfully confront our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in their rawest form, we can build self-awareness which will allow us all to have stronger relationships and connections with ourselves and others.
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