Stephanie Burton, LMHC

SO, I’M CURIOUS…

Which of your beliefs have you consciously chosen—and which ones have you simply never questioned?

And this one is a little more personal:

What parts of yourself did you learn to hide, fear, or rebuke because they didn’t fit someone else’s idea of who you were supposed to be?

Thank you, Fisk Forever Alumni for creating a platform for connecting and highlighting alumni. It’s so beautiful to see all the amazing ways Fiskites across the world continue the legacy of our Alma mater.

Hi, Fellow Fiskites!

I’m Stephanie Burton, LMHC, a proud member of the illustrious Fisk University Class of 2010, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Following my time at Fisk, I returned home to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and continued my education, earning a master’s degree in Sociological Practice from Indiana University Fort Wayne and a master’s degree in Counselor Education from Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Today, I’m proud to serve my hometown through Courageous Healing, Inc., Fort Wayne’s first Black-owned, culturally centered, trauma-informed mental health organization. There, I have the privilege of working alongside 14 other Black and Brown therapists committed to providing culturally responsive mental health care to our community. In addition to providing individual and couples counseling, I serve on the organization’s Leadership Team as Program Manager.

I am a member of the American Counseling Association and have received specialized training in the treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders through Postpartum Support International.
I’m also the owner and creator of SoulFULL by Design, LLC (www.soulfullbydesign.com), an online mental health platform created to provide accessible, culturally relevant mental health tools, resources, and guides for Black women.

In December 2025, I added “author” to my journey when I self-published my first book, Sisterhood & Seasons Workbook: Reflections and Practices for the Seasons of Black Women’s Friendships. The workbook invites Black women to reflect on the beauty, complexity, grief, growth, and changing seasons that can shape our friendships throughout our lives.

From Fisk to Fort Wayne and throughout my work as a therapist, leader, entrepreneur, and author, I remain committed to creating spaces where Black people—and Black women in particular—can experience mental health support that honors the fullness of who we are.

Financially active. ☑️
Serving. ☑️
Showing up. ☑️

But are we in good standing with one another?

Sisterhood asks so much more of us than just membership alone. It asks us to notice what we bring into the room: our expectations, assumptions, communication patterns, boundaries, and protective habits.

As a licensed mental health therapist and proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, I’m bringing my clinical experience and lived understanding of sorority life into the collective, sacred space of our sisterhoods.

“In Good Standing” is a standalone SoulFULL by Design psychoeducation workshop that will be available for booking by D9 chapters. Whether your chapter includes it as part of an annual retreat, sisterhood programming, or a midyear sisterhood pulse check, the workshop is designed to create intentional space for Sorors to reflect on how we show up within sisterhood—and equip us with practical, psychologically informed tools that can help us care for ourselves, communicate with one another, navigate tension, and strengthen the bonds we’ve committed to nurture.

One conversation. One chapter. One stronger sisterhood at a time.

IN GOOD STANDING

Coming soon from SoulFULL by Design, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: In Good Standing is a psychoeducational workshop and is not group therapy, conflict mediation, or a substitute for individual mental health treatment.
… 💙

My relationship with silence is evolving. Read the full blog on my website, www.soulfullbydesign.com. Link in the comments.

What are you really saying when you tell someone to “calm down?”

I want a soft heart. A discerning heart. A liberated heart.

One that can love deeply without believing that love requires me to disappear.