CEPR Graduate Graces the Cover of Bluff City Magazine
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The latest cover of Bluff City Magazine features the face of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research (CEPR) graduate Karla Lewis. Lewis, known to many as “Coach Karla,” is a professional counselor in Memphis, who started her own private practice during the outset of the pandemic.
“I had been working in counseling for about 18 years… and really wanted to venture
into doing private practice,” said Lewis. “Private practice provided more of an opportunity
for me to make a
great impact with clients.”
A born and bred Memphian, Lewis received her bachelor’s in business administration management from Fisk University. Early in her career, she said she worked as a substitute teacher, and a love for teaching drove her to get her master’s in counseling from UofM’s College of Education in 2007.
Lewis explained, “I enrolled in Intro to Teaching to see if I would like it. I became more drawn to the counseling program and then changed my focus to counseling from here. The COE program promotes a high degree of professionalism and ethics in its students.”
The success of her practice attracted the attention of Bluff City Magazine several months ago, who wrote an in-depth piece in their February/March issue about Lewis’ s upbringing, educational journey, and business ventures. She said the article was a hard secret for her to keep but well worth the wait.
“I was honored and excited about being able to share my story with Memphis,” Lewis emphasized. “I also wondered how it would change things for me and my business.”
Now, with her success and added publicity from the article, she hopes her story will inspire the next generation of counselors to help address problems in the ever-evolving world of mental health.
“I hope that people feel more comfortable about seeking mental health services,” Lewis said. “I’m honored that people trust me enough to tell me their challenges in confidence and feel comfortable enough with me to allow me to help guide them through their different walks of life."