Passion has power. With passion comes motivation, responsibility, and action, plus a strong willingness to get things done.

A true personification of passion is Anastasia Taylor.

A student in the Executive Master’s of Business Administration program and a professor of social work, Taylor’s mission is to help others. 

“I really wanted to provide services to the community,” Taylor said. “With focus on mental health services and being the best of the best.”

In 2013, Taylor founded the nonprofit EmpathyHQ, devoted to helping Dallas-Fort Worth families find quality mental health services that are affordable and accessible. The organization offers varying services pertaining to multiple groups of interest, including one-on-one counseling, Taylor said about the Fort Worth office.

“Our Arlington office offers these individual services and groups of different kinds,” she said.

The clients range in age, including young children, teenagers and parents. Each service offered varies in targeted audience, with some being more therapy based and others focusing on behavioral responses, Taylor said.

Alyssa Nicholson, a TCU Master of Education Counseling Student, interns with Taylor and EmpathyHQ. Her subgroup and clinical path both focus on mental health counseling. The internship teaches Nicholson vital skills to practice on her own through working with real clients.

“I’m growing as an individual while working with them, and I’m wanting to work toward becoming a licensed play therapist,” she said.

The internship has already impacted Nicholson in a big way. She’s gotten to see children better connect with their parents through training. The parents’ gratitude toward the services has inspired her, Nicholson said.

Aside from working directly with EmpathyHQ, Taylor teaches an introduction to social work course through the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The irony, however, is that there are no social work majors in her class, Taylor said.

“It’s been fun to ask my students how we can use our different experiences and backgrounds to speak up and challenge our own beliefs, see how social issues are interconnected, and make a difference,” Taylor said. 

Sophomore business major Vivian Chen has loved being Taylor’s student, emphasizing Taylor’s passion for the subject and the real-world applicability of the content.

“Learning all of these different chapters has given me a  more open- minded perspective on other people’s feelings and opinions,” Chen said. “It’s made me be a more empathetic person and has made me sit down and actually think about these problems.”

Alongside teaching, Taylor has a special relationship with ROXO, TCU’s full service, student-run public relations and advertising agency through the strategic communication department.

“They’re bringing so many different things to life that I can’t think of myself,” Taylor said.

Megan Yates, junior ROXO vice president of creative and culture, worked closely with Taylor and EmpathyHQ to develop different ideas.

“It was a great way to use our strategic communication skills for a bigger purpose,” Yates said. “I look forward to watching EmpathyHQ flourish with her at its head.”

Taylor’s success with EmpathyHQ, though, could not have come alone. 

“It’s been phenomenal to have so many amazing leaders that have coordinating abilities and connections,” Taylor said. “And the support of my cohort has really allowed me to embrace the community aspect of TCU.”

Taylor looks forward to the future of EmpathyHQ, and is grateful for all TCU has given her – whether it’s with her students, her classmates, professors or communicators.