Ask Dr. PaQuita Pullen, PhD, NCC, LPC-MHSP, how she became a Counselor, and you will not hear a story about a defining moment or lifelong dream. Instead, you'll hear about survival.

“My journey is very much one rooted in my beginnings, rooted in survival. They were not rooted in dreams and aspirations and all of that.”

As a first-generation college student, Dr. Pullen was navigating unfamiliar territory with few examples to follow. During that time, she experienced a sense of loneliness and uncertainty. One evening, she found herself thinking about how many others might be feeling the same way.

“I just remembered not wanting people to feel alone.” The next day, she declared psychology as her major and began moving toward a profession centered on connection and support.

That desire remains the foundation of her work today.

As an NBCC Foundation Doctoral Fellow, Dr. Pullen transformed an idea from her Individual Fellowship Plan into what is now Ubuntu Counseling and Wellness, a growing organization based in Nashville. She opened the practice 6 years ago and has expanded from a solo private practice into a team that includes additional clinicians, interns, and wellness professionals. The organization continues to evolve with plans for structured rest cohorts, digital resources, workshops, and other offerings designed to create more pathways to care.

The growth of Ubuntu Counseling and Wellness reflects Dr. Pullen’s willingness to challenge assumptions. Early in her career, she often heard narratives suggesting that Black communities were reluctant to seek Counseling services. Rather than accepting those statements at face value, she began asking deeper questions.

“Everyone was saying that we didn’t go, but nobody was saying why aren’t we?”

The answer, she believed, required Counselors and organizations to look inward. If people were not engaging with services, what messages were being communicated through the environment, the approach, and the culture of care itself? Ubuntu Counseling and Wellness was built around creating a space that communicates belonging.

“We really just spoke to humanity and said, ‘We care about you and actually want you to be here.’”

Today, the organization’s mission extends beyond traditional Counseling models. Dr. Pullen describes it as creating a whole person wellness ecosystem for people who want to live more and perform less. That philosophy embraces Counseling while also recognizing the importance of movement, relationships, creativity, spirituality, and cultural traditions as part of the healing process.

For Dr. Pullen, her perspective on wellness has been shaped by both professional and personal experience. Having visited 24 countries, she has observed how different cultures define health, wellness, and healing in different ways. Some approaches focus on the presence of joy, connection, ease, and fulfillment.

“I think it boils down to survival and thriving.”

That distinction has become increasingly important in her work. Though Counselors are often trained to recognize signs of distress in others, many struggle to acknowledge the impact of chronic stress in their own lives. Dr. Pullen believes meaningful change requires moving beyond surface-level solutions and examining wellness through a broader lens.

Those themes were central to her recent NBCCF webinar, Well Workplaces Require Well Leaders for a Well Future: Understanding, Addressing, and Navigating Counselor Burnout Beyond Self Care. The presentation explored burnout as both an individual and systemic issue, challenging participants to consider how personal responsibility and organizational responsibility intersect.

“I talked about how to be well.”

Drawing from the philosophy behind Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are,” Dr. Pullen encouraged Counselors to think beyond performative self-care and consider what collective wellness looks like.

“We have to take care of ourselves, but we also have to take care of the ‘we are.’”

The webinar also introduced participants to concepts related to nervous system care, an area that has become a major focus of her work. Though self-care is often discussed in terms of activities and routines, nervous system care examines what happens when the body remains stuck in chronic states of stress. Over time, that prolonged stress can affect emotional regulation, decision-making, physical health, and overall well-being.

As Dr. Pullen explains, many people have become so accustomed to functioning while disregulated that they no longer recognize its effect. Her work encourages others to focus on internal repair and regulation, helping them better understand how stress shows up in their daily lives and how they can respond in healthier ways.

The webinar also approached the belief that burnout inevitably means quitting, but Dr. Pullen believes otherwise.

“Maybe you don’t need to quit, but maybe a better thing is pivoting.”

She has incorporated that in her own career. Whether building a business, expanding services, mentoring Counselors-in-training, or creating new educational opportunities, she has consistently adapted.

“Yes! I will pivot as often as I need to be in alignment with what serves my highest good.”

Her commitment to mentorship reflects those same beliefs. Dr. Pullen views supporting future Counselors not as an optional part of professional life but as a responsibility.

“We owe it to each other.”

That belief has guided her continued involvement with the NBCC Foundation after her fellowship year ended. She credits the Foundation with providing opportunities, encouragement, and a sense of belonging that allowed her to show up fully as herself.

“One of the things that I have felt mostly from the Foundation is that I get to be me.”

Whether she is speaking at conferences, leading workshops, mentoring Counselors, studying wellness practices around the world, or preparing students for leadership experiences abroad, Dr. Pullen remains deeply connected to the work of helping people move toward greater alignment, connection, and wholeness.

She describes herself as an embodied practitioner, someone who is continuously learning while teaching others. She invites people to approach wellness with curiosity, honesty, and self-compassion. She encourages them to honor their own rhythms, release what no longer serves them, and trust that meaningful change often happens one small step at a time.

Dr. PaQuita Pullen is the Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Counseling and Wellness. She received her BS from Middle Tennessee State University, and her MA and PhD from Trevecca Nazarene University. She is a 2020 NBCCF Doctoral Fellow and volunteer. You can connect with Dr. Pullen on LinkedIn.

Counselors interested in gaining practical strategies for navigating burnout, strengthening wellness, and creating a future where both individuals and systems share responsibility for helping Counselors thrive can view Dr. Pullen’s webinar on CCE Academy. 

To learn more about the NBCCF Fellowship program or explore ways to get involved with the NBCC Foundation, please contact the Foundation at foundation@nbcc.org.