About Us
Hi, I'm J
A sacred woman who curates experiences for transformation, centered in holistic care and a womanist ethic.
I do this work from the wealth of my professional education/experiences that make me a Holistic Wellness Specialist, combined with my intuitive capabilities and my lived experiences healing and evolving as an expansive woman.
I love all things wellness! I love reminding people that wholeness belongs to them, no matter what they have experienced or what their current context is. Healing is always possible and it is an ongoing journey.
I became a licensed therapist because of my own experiences with depression and suicidal ideation. I became a yoga teacher because of the ways being on the mat supported me through seasons of grief and was a springboard for personal expansion and daily wellness care. I answered the call to public ministry because of the spaces and models of care God was calling me to dive into as a young Black woman living in the intersection of many beliefs and practices. Like Lucille Clifton said, "I had no model...I made it up here..." There were few people I witnessed doing the work I dreamed of doing in the ways I needed for my own recovery and thriving, so I showed up to create and do it.
It is important for you to know that I am invested in your wellness because of how deeply I am invested in my own. This work brings me vocational joy because it is my life practice to be well and to see that others experience the shalom that God intended for us all.
Personal things about me:
I am a plant mama to over 50 house plants and a dog mom to pit bull puppy Toni Free Joy and her late sister, Nyia, who passed in 2021. I love being in nature and exploring good food!
This is Womanist Work
Black women saved me. Radical Black women willing to put their healing and wondering on display, by sharing their stories and art along their own healing journey, they are the ones who saved me. So I do the same. This journey of centering Black women in my work began as an 18 year old deciding to major in Studies in Women and Gender and African American studies with an emphasis on radical Black feminism. It continued through my professional journey, focusing my clinical research on depression in young Black women, ministerial contextual education during seminary in the womanist space of Spelman College, and more research on embodied womanist practices (to be expanded and published soon!)
I remember being a young Black woman needing therapy and having a poor experience with a white woman. It was in that moment that I decided, we need more Black women to provide the culturally relevant care required for not only our survival and healing, but that ignites our thriving.
For me, a womanist ethic of care is communal and involves an intentional focus on empathy, radical love, hope and healing, rooted in the experiences of Black women. The work of Creative Holistic Wellness centers this ethic in each experience we create and I have been blessed to partner with several organizations and institutions to center the care of Black women.
*Womanism was defined by Alice Walker. A full definition can be found HERE
My Brief Professional Bio
Joselyn Spence is a Holistic Wellness Specialist and Licensed Therapist who currently serves as the Director of Mental Health and Wellness for a national faith organization and is the founder of Creative Holistic Wellness, LLC. Specifics of her professional work experiences include being a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Registered Art Therapist (ATR), Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), Registered Yoga and Meditation Teacher (RYT-200) adjunct faculty member, mentor, hospital chaplain, preacher, and theologian. Most importantly, Joselyn is a sacred woman and a good friend, which deeply informs her work and process of caring for all.
She has a Masters of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, a Masters in Art Therapy and Professional Counseling from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a Bachelors in Studies in Women and Gender and African American Studies from the University of Virginia.