Founder/CEO
VaShonda Eason, LCSW received her Master of Social Work from the University of Arkansas and has served the mental health needs of the Northwest Arkansas area since 2004.
VaShonda is clinically trained in building and maintaining relationships and has years of experience providing counseling services in the Northwest Arkansas and River Valley school districts. She has provided therapy to clients of all ages, maintaining the purpose of “meeting the client where they are at” to ensure a foundation of empathy and a safe place to process through life struggles. VaShonda practices from a person centered framework through training in Solution Focused Interventions and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) Techniques. She is also EMDR certified and can utilize that technique to best assist her clients. VaShonda has been providing counseling services to clients, including college students and adults in a private practice setting since 2012. VaShonda served as Clinical Advisor and Regional Director for a local agency, training and supervising multi-disciplinary teams to provide ethical and effective services to the community. She is passionate about assisting others to reach their full potential, despite the everyday struggles life may present.
VaShonda consistently surpasses expectations for all that she meets, and she meets a whole lot of people. On an average day, VaShonda is visiting multiple schools to attend to her school based clientele and meet them where they are to conduct therapy. After meeting with kiddos all day, you can find her traveling back to one of her two offices to meet with office based clients and fulfill all of the operational tasks of being a CEO of an ever-growing mental health private practice in the area. Her support as a leader is palpable. Her day never ends there, though. Once she leaves the office, she is greeted at home by three of her own precious kiddos, a husband and a dog. Succeeding in one area of life is admirable and worth recognizing, but VaShonda excels in all aspects of life and does so gracefully, humbly and with complete confidence. She is a force and a gift to the Northwest Arkansas community.
VaShonda displays the qualities of an effective leader, social worker, parent, and friend. She is calm in the face of adversity, a true guiding light for not only her clients, but her staff and family. She is compassionate and brave. She stands up for those that need support and constantly goes out of her way to make sure people are heard, held, and that their stories are respected. In addition to the soft qualities that make a human accessible and easy to connect with, she also is a fearless leader, confident speaker, and challenging mentor that builds bridges for those around her to cross and grow on their own.
She deserves a spot on the Ones to Watch 2020 because she has curated her own genuine success story. When Eason Counseling and Associates began, it was a solo side project VaShonda was committed to growing over the years. Shortly after she began, the need in the community grew, and she was able to hire two additional therapists and two support staff members. Through hard work, dedication, and constant connection creating and networking, her reliability and consistent commitment to this work has allowed the practice to grow to twenty therapists and eight support staff members. This community trusts that Eason Counseling and Associates will continue to provide safe, private, and quality care, and that is due to the groundwork VaShonda has paved for years.
VaShonda is a proud Razorback and continues to live in Fayetteville with her husband and three children.