Be Set Free, Inc. held an open house on Jan. 21 to celebrate their one-year anniversary of being located in Leeds.

Owner and certified grief counselor, Angela Davis, runs her business with Jamie Moore, certified life coach, and Porschia Fisher, counselor.

Through Be Set Free Davis provides help with loss, depression, anger, domestic violence issues coping, problem solving, suicide prevention and life coaching. 

“Grief can be anything, you can lose a loved one, go through a traumatic experience like divorce, lose a house, a job or a car and go through grief,” said Davis. “I saw people who were coming in that had lost people from covid and I really enjoyed dealing with people who were grieving,” 

The services offered through Be Set Free are what Davis described as holistic therapy, which she said means mind, body and spirit healing.

“We’re going to focus on healing you from the inside out. I want you to be healed in every aspect,” said Davis. 

Through grief, she’s recognized that people struggle to take care of themselves, which is why it’s also important that the person be physically healthy. She said she hopes to return balance to their life and spiritually uplift them.  

This kind of counseling Davis practices involves art and music therapy in sessions.

There are no religious requirements to seek services at Be Set Free. Davis said there’s no discrimination based on religion, age, economic or any other social factors. 

“I don’t care if you don’t go to church, I want to make sure I take care of you in the best possible way to heal you,” said Davis.

Be Set Free was made out of Davis’s own grief after losing her best friend and pastor within a short period of time. She realized it was something people need help with as she navigated her own tribulations. 

“It’s something I find rewarding and I feel like I’ve made a difference in somebody’s life at the end of the day, so grief counseling it is for me,” said Davis. 

Before making Leeds the home for her business, she’s worked in Anniston, Pell City, Talladega and Columbiana. 

“I kind of bounced from community center to community center because I wanted to serve different regions,” said Davis. 

She described Leeds as the perfect spot because of its location in St. Clair County and proximity to Talladega and Columbiana, places she would visit often to offer services through DHR.

Her first year in Leeds was trying because from January to October, everything was busy and then suddenly fell off. She said business, in recognition and attention of the one-year anniversary, is now beginning to pick up again.

She said she was able to keep her business thriving by doing contract work through DHR, who paid for the clients to see her and kept the clients from having to pay out of pocket. 

If someone comes in paying out of pocket, Davis runs her fees on a sliding scale. However, she said she’s given a lot of her services to people who may struggle financially. 

“If somebody comes in a says ‘I don’t have any money today, can I pay you next week?’ I’ll see them anyway,” said Davis. 

Davis said she just feels like people are hurting and is agreeing to help people however she can. 

“On a typical day, whatever needs somebody has, I try to feel my way through the day to see how I can best benefit that client,” said Davis. 

Hours for Be Set Free are typically 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Davis said she can be flexible and can stay until 3 p.m. or later if she needs to, but this type of accommodation requires scheduling arrangement before. She also said she’s available for virtual sessions.

More information about Be Set Free and the services Davis offers can be found at www.besetfree.website or call 205-702-6204. The office is located at 1628 9th Street NE in Leeds.