Season 4 (Episode 13): Prophetic Word for Mental Health Professionals, Counselors, and Life Coaches
In this solo podcast episode, Shakeela Torres—prophet, licensed therapist, and founder of Empowered Purpose Academy—delivers a prophetic word aimed at mental‑health professionals, Christian counselors, and life coaches. She begins with a detailed recounting of a vivid dream about a chaotic bridge and a crowded therapy office, interpreting it as a warning that many will face spiritual and emotional turmoil and that reliance on family faith alone will not save them. She emphasizes personal responsibility to seek a direct relationship with God, citing Mark 16:16. The episode then shifts to a personal testimony of her 15‑year therapist journey, including education, licensing hurdles, a period of low caseload, a spiritual crisis, and a dramatic surge in demand during the COVID‑19 pandemic that pushed her practice from 5‑10 to ~30 clients weekly. She describes how God used those seasons to prepare her for larger ministry. Throughout, she issues a clear call to action: (1) enroll in her Christian life‑coach certification, (2) join mentorship programs for aspiring or seasoned Christian therapists, (3) obtain training in healing and deliverance, and (4) anticipate an imminent, urgent need for qualified Christian mental‑health providers. She also announces upcoming resources—a workbook titled “10 Stumbling Blocks for Christian Leaders” and a broader program for Christian leaders. The episode concludes with multiple prayers, invitations to subscribe, support the podcast, and contact information for her academy.
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Welcome to Pain, Passion, and Purpose. I am your host, Shakeeta Torres, where I share mental health education, biblical teachings, and tips to help you to heal on purpose so you can walk boldly in your God-given purpose. This podcast is sponsored by Empowered Purpose Academy, a certified online Christian academy where where we provide services such as certification for Christian life coaches, mentorship for master's level aspiring and existing Christian therapists, mentorship for Christians, and continued education courses for the body of Christ. You can visit www.empoweredpurposeacademy.com to learn more and to download your free guide. If you like today's episode, please subscribe and leave us a raving review so that others can tap into the knowledge and wisdom that will be shared on this podcast. Thank you so much for being here.
Hello, welcome, welcome back to those of you who will watch this replay later. And so I'm going to go ahead and just jump into, um, today's word from the Lord, what God has given me to share with his people. Um, as you can, um, see by today's title, it is called Prophetic Word for Mental Health Professionals and for Life Coaches. Okay, and so before I get into it, I want to say a quick prayer, and then we'll go ahead and I'll share what God put on my heart, um, to share about a dream that I had, and also to interpret, uh, what it is that he gave me recently to share with you all. And so, Holy Spirit, I just thank you right now. God, I ask you, God, that this word, uh, will fall on good ground. Father, I pray, God, that your people will take heed and hear what you are saying and not what Shakeeta Torres is saying. Holy Spirit, use me, God. God, continue to give me insight, revelation, Lord God, into what you're saying about what's to come. Holy Spirit, give me the strength, God, and the boldness, Lord God, to speak your word in truth and love and boldness, Lord. And so, Father, I thank you. Holy Spirit, as you go before me, God, speak through me. Use me however you see fit. In Christ's name I pray. Amen and amen. And so I come before you, uh, you today as first, I'm, I'm God's messenger, I'm God's prophet, and also I'm a licensed therapist. For those of you who are not familiar with me, um, I have been doing therapy for, my goodness, for almost 15 years now. Okay, um, you can go to my website to learn more about me, shakeetatorres.com. But I've also been in ministry, um, for a very long time as well. And I'm also, um, have been in the background doing what God's calling me to do, um, in my prophetic office as well for many, many years. But, um, over the past, um, year or two, God's been really pushing me out into the forefront, um, to really share his heart. And even now in this hour, he's pushing me out there even the more. And so here I am declaring the word of the Lord and sharing with you what he's given me to give you. And so first I want to share, so, um, I had a dream on July 22nd. Okay, on a Saturday, well, Friday, well, yeah, Saturday, uh, right in the late midnight hour. And so this is what I saw, okay. So I had a dream that I was traveling and there were vehicles, um, on this bridge. And this bridge was like cluttered with like vehicles everywhere. I mean, he was blowing a horn, people were trying to just cross over this particular bridge. And I was in one of the vehicles too, but I was more, uh, more observing than anything, seeing what was going on.. And I was in this vehicle and there's this family that I used to see for counseling, um, a few years back. And so long story short, um, their grandmother was like their matriarch. Their grandmother was also a believer and she loved the Lord, okay? And she really was the glue to keep her family together, um. And so some of those family members from her family were in the vehicle But I saw some of them like fall off over the bridge. When I looked down, they were like literally hitting the ground. They were dying. And so this was happening on both sides of the bridge. The bridge didn't even have like a, a gate on the side in order to keep the people from falling over. And I was just crying and crying and crying to the point where I felt myself like crying in my sleep on and off, like that whole, that whole, you know, time there. I was dreaming, okay? And so y'all, just to see it. It was just so much chaos, and people was frantic and fearful and full of anxiety, okay, crossing over a bridge, all right. And so then, uh, my dream, um, transitioned, and I was in this office setting, and it was me and like two women who were waiting to see like a therapist or a doctor of that, you know, of that sort. I knew we were there to see someone because I could see cubicles, I could see like office, um, doors with people in there, um, seeing someone, talking talking to someone, okay? And it was packed. The line was long, like people were waiting, like it was crazy. And so I was there beside these two women. I was sharing with the two women, you know, my story about how God had healed me from anxiety. So I shared that story on a different, um, live I did called Progressive Miracles. If you go to my YouTube channel, you'll be able to see that. I'm— I'll try to go back and link it down below so you can watch it as well. And I share in great, great detail how God had healed me from the spirit of anxiety and fear. Okay, I used to have really bad anxiety, you know, years, years ago. And so we was waiting. So then my dream, it ended. Okay, so I wrote that dream down. Um, you know, I had been asking and waiting God, waiting for God to give me understanding and revelation as to what I saw. Okay, so fast forward this past weekend, um, which was August— let me see, what's today? August the 21st. So today's Monday. On Saturday, August the 19th, I had took my daughter to the skating rink, and the night before, God was giving me more dreams and information about, you know, other things that was to come, okay? And so the skating rink during this time wasn't packed. And so I don't skate. I can't skate. I suck at skating, okay? I gave up, girl. I can't, I can't do it, okay? But my children, they love skating, all right? So I took my little one, and she was just skating, having a good time. And I, I was sitting there. The guy, I want to talk to you. Okay, so I begin to sit with him and he begin to share with me other things that were to come that I would share a different time. Okay, but today, you know, during that time, he also began to just share with me about this dream. He had me go back and look at this dream so he can give me information and revelation about it to share with you all. He said, share this word with my people. Okay, I'm like, all right God, I got you, I'll do it. And so long story short, what God was showing me, this what he told me, So the bridge, of course, people crossing over, y'all. What's to come is going to be so crazy and so chaotic, okay? God has not given me the revelation for me, Shakeeta Torres, as to everything that's to come. I've seen little bits and pieces here, you know, over the years, what God has been showing me about what's to come, um, but he hasn't given me, um, the verbiage for it yet, right? So I'm very careful about what I share, and I don't share certain things until I— until God released me to share it, all right? So the other people, if you go on YouTube, who are strong prophetic voices who are sharing, um, more revelation as to what God is showing them about what's to come. So I encourage you to allow God to lead you to these people, um, to be able to hear some of what they're saying. So I'm not repeating what someone else is telling me. I'm sharing with you all what God put on my heart to share from my platform. Okay, okay. And so, um, God begin to share with me, said many people or like latching on to their family members who are believers. Many people think because it's like they're connected to certain people in their family and friend group who are strong believers that it's going to save them. And God was saying that's not true. We're in the hour where we have got to surrender our lives to God for ourselves. We have got to, you know, have a, have a full relationship with God for ourselves and not be dependent on our family members, not be dependent on people that are strong in their faith, it's going to save us. It's not going to save us, okay? So I was, you know, going to the word of God. My God, give me scripture, give me scripture, right? And so I end up being on Mark, let me see, chapter 16, verse, uh, chapter 16, verse 16. It says this: whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But whoever does not believe will be condemned. Okay, and of course, right, no one is exempt from going through— no one is exempt from enduring hard times. No one is exempt from lack, okay, in some areas during certain times of our life, believers and unbelievers. But the difference is, whatever you are a believer, you know, under God, we're God's children, we're God's remnant. God will take care of us, right? And not only that, when— if you die, who we gonna be with? We gonna be with the Lord. And so the people, the family I saw on this bridge that I'm familiar with, I know their family dynamics. And so God was using that as a, as an analogy, as a picture to show me that just because you're connected to someone who is of strong faith and your faith is not strong, or you don't believe in God, it doesn't mean that you're going to be saved, okay? Because even the word of God says that, you know, eventually there will be no prophecy, there will be none of that, right? We have to have the word of God embedded in our own hearts to sustain us for what's, for what's ahead. And so I encourage you, if this is you, if you were that person who, who was lukewarm in your faith, who was not reading your word, who was not praying, who was not seeking God for yourself, I encourage you to get into that, to seek God, because God desires to speak to you. God desires to lead you, and your grandmother and your mom and whoever else cannot save you. They're there to sow seeds. They're there as a watchman, honestly, for the family, right? And to encourage the family. But you can't be completely dependent on them to be able to do these things for you. You have got to learn and practice what's been, what's been poured on the inside of you from family, okay? That's part one of the dream, okay? Part 2, you know, the dream that I had was about being at this office setting where I was waiting. We were waiting to see someone, uh, with a doctor, therapist, life coach, whoever it is. And the Lord began to minister to me. He said, daughter, tell my people, those who I have called to go back to school to do counseling, God said, do it, do it now, do it now, because it's a dire need in the earth. Okay, so I'm going to share my story about the pandemic in just a moment, but I want to share this part first. And so the Lord began to just minister to me, even to me as Shakeeta Torres. He said, daughter, I'm calling you to lead my people. I'm calling you to lead the way, right? Over the past 2 years, I have been building and plowing and preparing for what's to come as well. I mean, kind of like Noah in a sense, where God's telling me to create all these different things, and it's not for just for now, but also for the future, okay? For what's ahead. And so for those of you who desire to be a life coach, but you know, you keep putting it off, God said go ahead and get your training and what you need now and prepare for it now. Quit delaying it, okay? And so, you know, I do have a program, um, to certify Christian life coaches. If you're interested in that, please join. But I'm sharing with you, you know, um, tools and strategies and things that you need to be able to help your clients, okay? I have a whole academy where I have certifications and training. I'm all about teaching and training. That is my mandate. I teach and I train, okay, um, God's people, God's leaders, therapists, life coaches, okay. I'm equipped to do that. And God was telling me, go forth, daughter, go get these people, share with them, God, share with them what I have given you, okay. And so of course, you know, as far as therapists, what God was showing me too was that some of you, it's like y'all in school But as you know, it's a, it's a long journey getting your license. Okay, so I'll share my journey real quickly. So the therapist, I had to go to school, get my bachelor's degree, then, you know, do my master's degree. In the master's program, you have to do an internship as well, um, as well as my BSW program. Then after I finished school and graduated, I had to go for 2 years and get hours in training under a supervisor, under a licensed therapist that was supervising me. Then I had to go pass the test. So it took me— I failed the test 3 times, okay? 3 times. By the grace of God, because God kept pushing me to pass and keep, you know, you know, to keep going, I passed the test, okay? And so I passed the test, you know, and then, you know, that was 2016. But prior to that, I spent 5 years working under a different agency where I was learning and God was using me and God was training me, not only as a therapist also as, um, also as a prayer warrior, intercessor for his people, helping them to heal, you know, spiritually and heal mentally, okay? And so, you know, fast forward in 2017, I began my own private practice as a therapist. And even in that, you know, God was still teaching me and training me on how he wanted me to, um, help his people, okay? And he had called me to the body of Christ, you know, it's especially those who want to lead in any capacity, because they struggle a lot mentally, emotionally, and all that good stuff. All right. Okay. And so for me, um, during that time as being, you know, in my own private practice, I wasn't seeing a whole bunch of clients every single week. I probably had maybe about, you know, 5 or 10 clients, you know, a week. So now I'm going to transition into the other story I want to share with you about my own journey as a therapist.
Okay.
And so, um, I just remember, I'm like, God, like, I am like seeing only like 5 to 10 clients a week, okay? And I've been plowing, I've been obedient, I'm praying, I'm fasting, I'm doing everything you're asking me to do. Why isn't my caseload increasing? Because I had bills to pay, I had overhead costs to pay. I even had clients at time where God would have me see them for almost for free, right? It was a sacrifice for me, but I had to be obedient to what God was asking me to do, and it cost me a lot. It cost me greatly, okay? Where I am today, it cost me. It cost me, all right? And so, long story short, um, I said, God, I don't understand, like, what are you doing? God said, I'm training you and I'm preparing you. But God never told me why or what, right? In my mind, I always knew it was for ministry But as far as like the very small intricate, you know, um, information about that, I didn't have that from God yet, okay? And so I remember right before the pandemic, um, I said, God, I am tired. Like, y'all, I had reached a point where I was like, okay, God, I'm about to get another job. I'm about to just move on and do something completely different because this is not working for me. This is not bringing in, um, financial stability for me and my family, you know? And so I was just getting really tired. I was, I was becoming very weary, all right? And so, um, it was to the point where even my husband said he was scared. Let me tell you why he was scared. Because I'm the kind of person that I go after God with all my heart, right? Whatever God tell me to do, I try my best to do it, okay, at all cost, okay? And so for him to see me in a state where I was like being nonchalant, where I didn't really want to go forth anymore, I'm like, God, I'm tired, right? I'm sitting here working hard. I mean, y'all, for those of you who in private practice, You already know, you know what, you know why, you know how hard it can be, um, to build and keep your business going and keep people in the door, keep people happy, work on billing, insurance, right? I had an assistant, but you know, I have to pay her, pay myself, pay the bills. It was a lot, it was a lot. And so, um, long story short, I remember like I was there in that state for maybe almost 2 weeks weeks, and it was very unusual for me. And, um, but at the same time, I feel myself— I started to feel like spiritually naked. And I noticed that even if I thought about praying, I didn't, I didn't feel God's presence anymore. And then I began— I started getting scared, and I was like, oh my God, oh my God, what's going on, right? And so, um, I started scrambling. Oh my God, let me get in my word right now. What's going on? Like, okay Lord, like tell me, like where am I at? Like what's going on. And God would not speak to me for a few days. He would not speak to me. And so I remember I was at the table, the kitchen table, and I was like, God, here I am. I repent. I'm sorry. I apologize, Lord. You've been so good to me, Lord. I begin to just pray and just pray over myself. And I heard the Lord begin to speak to me, and he said, you better not ever, ever, ever, ever get out of place ever again. He said, you know better, you know better. And I was just crying and crying. He was like, I have need of you, I have purpose for you, I have souls attached to you, and you cannot afford to abandon your post. You can't afford to abandon what it is that I'm calling to do because you've came too far. I, at this point, I knew too much. I knew God, right? I know I had a relationship with the Lord. God trusted me. God gave me so much spiritually, y'all. And I begin to cry. I'm like, God, what are you gonna do? God said, you're gonna have to travail and labor for me to labor for your anointing again. I'm like, what? So yeah, I had to like go into like prayer, some fasting, and I literally had to like, like, what's the word, sacrifice, in order for me to get back the anointing on my life, y'all. Seriously, like, that's the thing. And so, um, I didn't feel my mantle anymore. I didn't feel the weight of it anymore. During this period. And then, um, all of a sudden I felt the drop on me again. Boom! And I felt like a weight just fall on my— fall on my back. I like, oh my God. So God was like, I'm restoring you, but don't you ever do it again. And so ever since then, like, I've been trying my best, y'all, to make sure that I'm obedient and that I'm doing what God is asking me to do. Because I know, I see now for sure, I see it, I see the— I see the vision now as to why I have to keep going, because there's so much attached to me, okay? And it's not about Shakeeta, it's about what God wants to do here on the earth. And so I've been allowing him to prune me, to test me, to prepare me, to get me right, to stretch my capacity, to stretch my mindset, to restore me, to get me back, you know, on a consistent prayer life, consistently with reading my word and being in his face daily and being obedient and dying to myself. Y'all, it has been a sacrifice. It has been a journey, but it has been so worth it because I know God. I know God's character. I know God's voice. I know God's love for me. I know God's love for his people. And so pretty much he told me, I'm not gonna waste what I built, which is me. He's built me up, okay? And so, you know, right after that, a week later, this is where, um, the pandemic started. And when the pandemic began, you guys, and they started coming here to the US, right? Oh my goodness, it was like the net broke. The demand for therapy once— it skyrocketed, y'all. It skyrocketed. And so I went from seeing, you know, 5 or 10 clients a week to almost 30 clients a week. 30 Okay, not to include my husband, he's working still, you know. My children are home, they— we actually end up homeschooling them because them being in school online was just too stressful for them and for us. And we find it a lot easier for us just to homeschool them ourselves. Um, I was also building my brand at the time. Um, God was having me do different things behind the scenes to, you know, get things in order for my ministry and to be more on social media. Um, I had started a nonprofit this time. I was like getting bored, members. You guys, I was extremely busy, but here's the thing, I was prepared for it. God has stretched my capacity during this season. That period of time for me where things seem to be slow, when things seems to be crawling for me, that was the time when God was preserving me, preserving my energy, teaching me, talking to me, equipping me, right? Stretch— doing all these different things so that I will be able to to withstand and endure that. We also had a prayer line during that time for almost a year. So my husband and I had a prayer line every single week. We had a prayer line, people from all over the world who would call in. We would have like a Bible study and then we would have prayer. So I was doing that as well, y'all. And so what I'm saying this to you to encourage you and to know that whatever season that you're in, right, you know, ask God, ask God to give you insight and clarity as to what you, you know, as to what you should be doing right now. Right now, okay? Right now, because we can't afford to miss it. And I almost missed it. I almost missed it, y'all. I would have not been ready for those people if I had not, um, had not gone back to God to get it right, to get it right. And so I've had clients I've had over the years who has told me, Shakeeta, thank you so much for being in position. Thank you so much for being, um, in here, because like I was able to help them mentally and able to help them spiritually as well, okay? Mental health is mind, body, and spirit, okay? The demonic exists, okay? God exists, all right? Everything is not spiritual, but not everything is, um, you know, uh, not everything— healing and deliverance, all right, it's different, all right? So I did a whole teaching on that with my, you know, uh, Community for Life coaches about what's the difference. There is a difference between healing and deliverance, okay? I won't get into that today, right? Um, but you know, deliverance needs to go forth sometimes for people to be able to really heal mentally, right? And sometimes they just need heart healing. Their heart is broken. They've been through a lot. They grieving, right? And so for what is to come, hear me again on this, you guys. Mental health professionals and also life coaches, hear me what I'm saying. This— you guys have got to prepare. Ask God, what should I be doing right now to prepare for what is to come? Then the Lord also told me this too. Look at my note card. He told me, he said that, um, for those of you who are being called to do therapy, right, it takes so long. And so God is going to need, you know, need of you like soon, like very, very soon. And so some of you guys need to go ahead and become certified in, you know, healing, certified in deliverance, certified in all these different things So that way, whenever people need it, you are available, you are there. And so this is why I have my program for, um, Christian life coaches, so you guys can get the tools that you need, um, to be able to help God's people and empower what he's calling you to do. So if you want to join that program, I still have that. Go where God leads you. My program, join. If not, go where God leads you. All right, I'm not a person that want to manipulate anybody to do anything. That God not calling them to do. Okay, for those of you who are, um, emerging therapists who are new or even seasoned therapists who need more support— my God, like, how do I incorporate my faith? How do I incorporate that into therapy? How do I incorporate modalities into therapy? How do I do this, you know, ethically without being in trouble, right? I have a program, a mentorship group, just for you specifically. It's already been built out. I've been building it out for a while now. It's open, available, um, you can apply. I want you to apply if you want to be a part of it to make sure you were a great fit, right? And so what I'm seeing too is that I just see so much, you guys, across social media. People are afraid, even brain got up. But here's the thing, when you're led by the Holy Spirit and you led by God, God will cover you, okay? And God will even, you know, have that person to ask you questions that's leading to those faith questions, okay? And so it's so many different ways to do it depending on where you are. I know some of you guys work with other companies where you guys are not advertised as a Christian therapist. This program is still for you. Please join. Um, I'm going to be doing a series, um, on videos of testimonies and things that happen and what God gives me about being a Christian therapist, so you guys can really see, um, have an understanding of how you can do that without crossing those ethical boundaries, okay? So I know by the state, each state is different, I get that, all right? And so again, um, you be the www.empowerrpurposeacademy.com, you can learn more about the program for life coaches, the program mentorship group for aspiring and existing Christian therapists as well, okay? So that's the word that God gave me specifically to share, um, with you all on today. All right, um, the third thing I have in the making now, I'm working on this now, what God has told me to, um, start building out even the more, um, is a program for emerging and existing Christian leaders. Okay, who are Christian leaders? If God has called you to lead in any capacity to serve other people, you are a leader. Okay. You are a leader, okay? And so with that being said, um, he had me to write this workbook slash book called 10 Stumbling Blocks for Christian Leaders, okay? This book includes audio teachings, it includes, um, assessments, and a lesson for the 10 different things the enemy tries to use to cause Christian leaders to stumble. I'm sharing in the audio, which is my testimony, what God has given me for each one, um, from talking about imposter syndrome to unresolved trauma. We're talking about perfectionism, we're talking about, um, pride, we're talking about comparison, and so much more. So my program is going to be built around this book primarily, and then, you know, I'm a therapist as well, so I'll be adding information resources, tools for you to help you to overcome anxiety, to help you to overcome depression, to help you identify the roadblocks and the patterns in your life that the enemy wants to use to keep you going in a circle, to keep you stuck. Okay, um, we're living in a time right now where all we keep hearing about is— my gosh— prosperity and money and wealth, right? There's nothing wrong with desiring those things. There's nothing wrong with having those things if your mind My God, it's not being renewed. If your heart is not renewed, if your character is not refined, you will not be able to sustain the prosperity that God may have for you, okay? And so that's what I'm called to. I'm not called to business and teaching you how to do all those things. I'm called to mental health, and I'm called to help you to heal emotionally and mentally, to be set free, healed, and delivered, okay? Um, I also do speaking engagements where I teach, you know, at churches. I'm doing workshops uh, ministry engagements about mental health and faith, okay? And so, uh, if you're looking for that, if you need a speaker, here I am. I do have fees that apply according to what your needs are for your ministry and for your church, um, but that's what God has called me to, and I'm good at it, okay? I'm good at it, all right? So, um, with that being said, thank you so much for watching this video. I pray that you, um, are inspired. I pray that God speaks to you directly. If this does not fit you as far as like being a Christian leader, a therapist, or a life coach, please share this, um, with someone who you believe it would help. I would greatly appreciate that. Get the word out to these people to get them up and going. All right, and so I want to say a prayer before I end, and I'll just be— I'll be done, you guys. Okay, it's all I have. And so, Holy Spirit, I just thank you right now for your word. God, I thank you, God, that you're just breathing even on me right now. Father, I pray for your people, God, for those who are, um, aspiring therapists, for those who are existing therapists who are afraid, my God, to be able to share your word, God, to be able to operate, God, in healing, oh Lord God, according to your way, God, that God you would give them strength, you would give them strategy, you will build their confidence, oh God. Father, I pray, God, for those, um, leaders who are out on the battlefield, who are plowing, who are doing what you're calling them to do, God, in excellence, oh God, that God you continue to give them strength. Holy Spirit, I thank you, Lord God, um, for my ministry, God, and that God you are calling me for a time such as this. Holy Spirit, I thank you for your word. I thank you, God, for trusting me. I thank you, God, for vision and insight. I thank you, God, for clarity, Lord God. And God, I love you with all my heart, Lord. And I thank you, Lord God, for the hedge of protection that surrounds your people. Father, help us, God, to get our hearts, our hearts in order, and to get everything in order, Lord God, so that we'll be ready, Lord God, for what's to come. God, give us, ah, God, give us dreams. God, give us visions. God, oh God, allow us to see, Lord God, that you care about every single area of our lives, and that God, you desire to an intimate relationship with us. So Father, we love you today, we honor you, Lord God. In Christ's name I pray, amen and amen, amen and amen. So I will see you guys next time.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. Our prayer is that this podcast episode has blessed you. Don't forget to go and subscribe and leave us a raving review. If you would like to sow into this ministry or to this podcast, Pain, Passion, and Purpose, you can do so at anchor.fm/painpassionandpurpose or Cash App $shakeetatorres. Thank you so much, and I will talk to you next time.
