Meet the essential peacemaker

Kimery Irby, MSSW, LCSW, is a multifaceted mental health therapist and healthcare leader who has dedicated her career to the growth and development of individuals across their lifespans. 

Kimery has over 15 years of experience providing psychosocial case management services, crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, supportive counseling, bio-psychosocial assessing, therapeutic counseling, discharge planning, care coordination, mental health, dual diagnosis treatment, and diagnosing (according to the DSM-5). As a clinical and medical social worker, she has dedicated many years to serving in macro, mezzo, and micro settings, lending her creativity and leadership skills as a change agent for the resiliency of clients and organizations in the Greater Mid-South.

Her encounters with trauma-affected children, parents, families, and professionals within the healthcare and court system ignited her passion for advocating for cultivating psychologically safe environments. Kimery believes that Trauma-informed care (TIC) is not just a rapport-building tool but the foundation for developing transformative relationships to begin healing. Inspired by the CDC-Kaiser Permanente adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study, attachment theory, and her post-pandemic observations, Kimery expanded her professional portfolio beyond her thriving therapy practice. Kimery also practices as a Life Coach, Separation and Divorce Coach, Alternative Dispute Resolution Rule 31 Family Mediator with a domestic violence designation, and Collaborative Divorce Family Professional. In addition, she loves to speak about her passions and experiences during panel discussions and professional development workshops. In the spirit of advancement and enhancement, Kimery’s professional memberships include the National Association of Social Workers, the Memphis Collaborative Alliance, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and the Memphis Bar Association. Kimery’s post-secondary and graduate education includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Martin, a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and Paralegal Studies at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Kimery loves to operate in her creativity by expressing herself through cooking, crafting, and movement. 

Kimery Irby,

The Essential Peacemaker

  • Essential Pieces Therapy Plus (EPTP) is proactively supporting the Healthy People 2030 promotion initiative to “Create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining the full potential of health and well-being for all.” Below you will read about how EPTP embraces the five Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).

  • Mental Health is synonymous with financial stability. By assisting you with working through life stressors and emotions, you will increase your motivation to operate and manage your finances.

  • Early life stress and adverse events can have a lasting impact on the mental and physical health of children, (Currie, 2005). EPTP's goal is to assist parents and/or guardians to take steps in the right direction to improve and maintain their own mental health. Thriving mental health in parents is essential to making the greatest impact on the early childhood development of their children. Well-adjusted children usually grow up to become stable employees, mentors, parents, and community leaders.

  • About 1 in 10 people in the United States don’t have health insurance, (Berchick, Hood, & Barnett, 2018.) At Essential Pieces, quality holistic evidence-based care is the top priority. All clients are encouraged to connect to a primary care provider for optimum physical health. Physical and mental health are closely connected, and both impact one another. If a client is unable to access the care of a primary care physician, community-based resources will be provided.

  • Creating a space at EPTP where clients can learn the tools to become ideal family members, neighbors, co-workers, and exemplary citizens is vital. By becoming a living example of someone who has overcome obstacles, individuals may be inspired not to give up or see another path.

  • Establishing solid social support outside of EPTP is imperative. EPTP partnerships with the greater community will assist clients in gaining and maintaining appropriate social and community support.

Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved [date graphic was accessed], from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health

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TESTIMONIALS

  • "I started visiting with Mrs Kimery in the Fall of 2020. I was going through a rough time and quarantine made me fall deeper into myself. I remember that summer I began to feel numb and didn’t like going outside. I struggled to make friends and felt like no one understood me. I had little faith that I would ever be accepted for who I am. As I began visiting with Mrs Kimery she began to get me to challenge my thoughts. As in before I would have a thought and not make an effort to fully find the proof behind the thought. I take the my skills from therapy into my life on a day to day basis. I give myself time to feel emotions and know that what I feel is valid. I have truly enjoyed seeing Mrs. Kimery these last few years. She had impacted my life beyond words ."

    — Happy Patient

  • "I am a patient of Ms Kimery Irby. I started therapy with her in 2019 after a sudden life event. In 2019, I lost a dear loved one suddenly and unexpected. My usual reaction was always to suppress my own emotions and be there for my immediate and extended family. Something was different this time, I didn’t quite feel like myself. A few weeks later, I started experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. Not sure why or what was causing it, I knew it didn’t feel right. I call the 24 hour mental support line on my job. They offered me immediate counseling and connectected me with Ms Kimery. That’s when my heeling truly began. As an African American male, I had only experienced counsel through church and marriage. Ms Kimery was my first experience in one on one council. Through her I have learned many important skills to manage and strengthen my mental health. My first lesson was: Healing is something you have to work toward, it doesn’t just happen. I had suppressed so much over my lifetime that there was no room for the event in 2019. We started acknowledging the current pain and continued to unpack the years of suppressed emotion. I learned that its ok and very important to acknowledge my own emotions before I care for others. Also, As a husband, father, friend, employee etc, its ok to not be in control. I don’t have to control everything that’s happening around me. I have accepted the fact that, I really don’t have control. My Favorite is the word NO. As the oldest and matriarch for the extended family, I am always being pulled in or asked to give or do something. I have learned that its ok to be selfish when it come to my physical and mental health. Self-care is a priority and not an option. I have become really good at saying NO and not explaining why. Its truly a complete sentence. No. Starting therapy with Ms Kimery in 2019 was the best decision I could have made. I have utilized the acquired skills and tools to get through these past 3 years. Who knew that I was going to go through Covid and loose seven more close family members, including my sweet Mom. I am stronger today because of my time with Ms Kimery. As a black man and father, brother etc, I advocate for and encourage counseling in my family and community."

    — Happy Patient