Meet Stacie DeFreitas | Psychologist, Educator, and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacie DeFreitas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
It’s challenging to pinpoint the most important factor behind my success, but I believe it is a combination of my community of support and my drive to make a positive impact on society and individuals. My support network includes a variety of mentors from my youth to the present, as well as my family and friends, many of whom are colleagues or former colleagues. When my confidence in my abilities or my strength to push through barriers wanes, I am grateful for the people around me that help me to see all that have I have accomplished and all that I can accomplish. They help to lift me out of doubt. My drive, cliché as it may sound, is really to make the world a better place. I believe it is the responsibility of every human being to leave the world better than we each found it. This looks different for everyone, so I just try to use my gifts to leave a positive impact on the world. Whether it’s through my writing, teaching, mentoring, providing therapy, or just trying to move about the world with positive energy, I do my best to improve whatever I touch. My drive to leave a positive mark combined with my community of support to hold me up when I falter, make my success possible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The best thing about my career is the variety it offers. I became a clinical psychologist because I knew I would get bored doing the same thing all the time. I wanted a career that would allow me to shift my focus periodically without going back to school. Graduate school was brutal, and I wasn’t going to do that again. I started my career doing clinical work (psychological testing and therapy) at an inpatient hospital with severely mentally ill youth and quickly realized I wasn’t built for that full-time. However, I discovered my love for mentoring graduate students and teaching. This led me to seek academic positions, and I spent 12 years at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), primarily teaching undergraduates.

Being a professor is rewarding because of the variety of tasks involved. Beyond teaching, I conducted and wrote research, presented at conferences, engaged in meaningful service, and led important initiatives. One of my proudest accomplishments is publishing my book, African American Psychology: A Positive Psychology Perspective. I wrote it to fill a void. I thought existing books were too negative and didn’t reflect the Black community I knew and loved. My goal was to educate everyone about the beauty and the struggles of the African American community, providing historical context and a path toward improved psychological health. The best compliments I’ve received are from students who said my book didn’t feel like a textbook because it was enjoyable to read and really spoke to them.

Despite the variety, I eventually found my position at UHD wasn’t meeting my needs. I wanted to do more to support mental health, particularly for people of color. While at UHD, I periodically worked part-time offering mental health services in schools, but it was overwhelming to load those tasks on top of my already heavy workload and the positions often lacked the autonomy I sought. So, I looked for another position. Today, I am an Associate Professor at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and, until recently, served as the Director of Clinical Training for their doctoral program in clinical adolescent psychology. The administrative demands limited my writing time, but now on sabbatical, I have the space to write. I’m excited to be working on both nonfiction and fiction book projects. I also have an opportunity to develop an assessment program and do therapy—clinical work I haven’t done in years. Being a professor has opened many doors for me, and who doesn’t love having the summer off?

While my career choice has many positives, it also has challenges. The variety of responsibilities can be overwhelming, especially when I felt unable to say no to various tasks. Today, I’ve learned to say no and even built a decision tree to ensure tasks align with my goals, which has been crucial for my peace of mind. Structural impediments like racism and sexism have also impacted my journey. The academy, like any other place in the US, has a problematic history. I’ve had to leave institutions and opportunities because their structures did not support me, regardless of my performance. When I left, I provided suggestions to improve their culture, though I suspect they fell on deaf ears.

One key lesson from my journey is to live by my ideals and prioritize my health—mental, physical, and spiritual. This means not engaging in work that doesn’t align with my values. I regularly identify my goals and work towards them, maintaining my wellness in all ways. I know I can’t serve others if I’m unwell. This shift has allowed me to embrace my whole self, including writing fiction, a childhood goal. I’m grateful to have time for fiction writing now, which wasn’t possible when I was focused solely on tenure and my academic career. This change has made me a better mother, wife, and friend. I’m no longer exhausted, so I can give to others, which feeds my spirit.

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?
Figuring out where to take someone is tough because, honestly, it depends on the person. But let’s start with my go to spots—catching up at my place over drinks and snacks, because nothing beats your own couch for good conversation. After that, we’d get outside for a walk at one of Houston’s lesser-known parks (which shall remain nameless to keep them peaceful), or if they don’t mind a crowd, Hermann Park with a possible detour to the Natural Science Museum because, let’s face it, I’m a nerd and I love a good science museum, well museum period. Eating out is a must, and some of my favorites include Seasons 52 (get the sea bass!), Traveler’s Table (yes, the Old Fashioned flight), India’s (my favorite Indian food in the city), Mia Bella (classic Italian), and Hopdoddy for a solid burger. Since I’m a psychologist and people-watching is practically a professional hobby, we’d hit up a mall for a couple of hours of free entertainment—maybe with a little shopping on the side. A movie with full meal service at Reel Luxury Cinemas or Star Cinema Grill would be next, and if it’s football or basketball season, we could check out a game at one of the local colleges like the University of Houston or Prairie View A&M. There are so many good venues for live music, so it would be great to catch a show. My favorite concert that I’ve seen in the area was Jill Scott at the Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land; Mary J. Blige at the Toyota Center was a close second. My husband is a fan of darts and got me into playing at Flight Club and Mexican Sugar is so good, right across the parking lot. As for nightlife, it depends on the vibe, but Urban Social (always good for happy hour too) or Five Central make for excellent people-watching to end the night! I’ve got a few places that I still want to visit myself, so we might attack that list. They include the Houston Museum of African American Culture (I’m kind of ashamed that I haven’t made my way over there yet), The Library Wine Bar (because I love books and wine), and the Texas shaped pool at the Marriot Marquis (one of my good friend’s favorite staycation spot).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many that I could recognize as being pivotal to my success, but I will focus on two important men in my life. The first is my husband, Andre DeFreitas, who is likely my biggest champion. He sees greatness in me and I can see it now too because of his encouragement, support, and love. I am forever grateful that we found each other.

The second is Dr. Ernie Wade. I met Dr. Wade as a child. He is the one who inspired me to become a clinical psychologist and showed me how one person can have a positive impact on so many. He has mentored and encouraged me, and countless others, over the years. I hope to one day look back and see that I have impacted the world in a similar way. Thanks Doc!

Website: drstaciedefreitas.com;  solunamw.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drstaciecraftdefreitas

Instagram: @docdwrites

Image Credits
Springer Publishing Company Andre DeFreitas Textbook and Academic Authors Association Stacie DeFreitas via Canva