Corley Pruitt

Corley Pruitt is a Licensed Professional Counselor. While attending Texas Tech University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, she worked with children and adolescents as a milieu therapist at Canyon Lakes Residential Treatment Center. Upon graduation, Corley went on to earn her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Amberton University. While finishing her masters she completed an internship at Timberlawn Mental Health System. After graduation Corley accepted a position at Homeward Bound, in Dallas, Texas, where she counseled clients in drug and alcohol detoxification and crisis stabilization.

Corley specializes in personal development and self-growth. She uses the science behind positive psychology to help individuals achieve life balance and increase their happiness and life satisfaction.

Corley is also a certified personal trainer and has assisted clients since 2005 to achieve their fitness goals through both mental and physical conditioning.

Why am I doing this?

Why am I doing this? My whole life I felt different. I felt separated and disconnected from the world that surrounded me. I was there, but not fully. I struggled my first 28 years with something, but I didn’t know what that something was. My search for that something led me on a long journey. My journey was one of trying to find myself. In college I constantly read “self-help” books and took every psychology course available to try to understand myself, my family, and life. I was constantly searching. During my time at Texas Tech I worked in a residential treatment center with mentally-ill children. I enjoyed the experience, and loved the children that I worked with. The job pushed me further down the road in psychology. In 2001 I graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

After graduating I still wasn’t satisfied with my life or the direction it was taking. I went to counseling hoping for answers. During this time I decided to go back to school and get a master’s in counseling. I had not helped myself, but felt that I could help others. I once again found myself working with mentally-ill children for my internship for school. I loved the experience, but there was still the nagging in my soul that I still wasn’t where I wanted to be. I graduated with my master’s and started my counseling internship working in a treatment center that cared for drug addicts and mentally-ill crisis patients. I learned so many life lessons from this experience, but once again I felt drained in life and unsatisfied.

One afternoon, while running with my dog, I ran into my childhood neighbor, Dr. Harkness. She gave me her business card and said she thought I might need her help. I thought to myself, I don’t need career counseling, I have a career. That evening I thought about my life and where I was. I realized at that time what I was doing was not leaving me fulfilled. I still had not found that something I was searching for. I started seeing Dr. Harkness and attending her groups. I realized that the part of career counseling I enjoyed most where the activities that challenged me to get to know myself and grow.

Several Aha! Moments took place in my life while I was learning about myself in career counseling. One of these special moments was in the car with my best friend and fiancé Matt. I was going on and on as usual about myself and what was wrong with me. He turned to me and said “Corley, why are you always looking at what is wrong with you? Why can’t you just accept your weaknesses as your own little quirks and laugh at them as a part of who you are? Why don’t you ever look at what is right with you and your life?” BAM!!!! There is was, right in my face. The one place in my 28 years that I had never searched: what was right with me?!

Shorty after this Aha! Moment Dr. Harkness encouraged me to attend the International Positive Psychology Association World conference in Philadelphia. Another Aha! Moment occurred for me during the conference. I attended a lecture given by Martin Seligman. In the lecture he was discussing positive psychology and why he felt it was such an important part of psychology. He stated that psychology has always been focused on helping people get from -10 to 0, but what are we doing to help people get from 0 to +10? That was it. I was at 0 and was desperately searching to get myself to +10. From that moment on I fell in love with positive psychology. I immediately ordered all the books I could find in the field of positive psychology. I knew that I wanted to help other Zeros learn to thrive and not just survive as I had been doing for so long.

That is why I am doing this. I want to help those at 0, that are just surviving life, get to +10 and start thriving. I feel the best way to help individuals get to +10 is with the help of positive psychology. I believe so many people in America are walking around unhappy with themselves and their lives. I believe the first place you must begin in order to start growing in the positive direction of 10, is by truly getting to know yourself. By knowing yourself I mean your character strengths (gifts and talents), your value system, your own special personality, and what it is in life that holds your interest, brings you passion and pushes you into flow. I hope that with my help, my clients learn how to live their lives to the fullest.

I hope that you find joy and happiness on your life journey!

Best Regards,
Corley Pruitt, MA, LPC