Empowering Emotional Well-being in Shanghai's International Community

Janice Holland is quietly changing Shanghai's mental health thinking in a fast-paced city. She founded Courageous Living Consulting, where she trains and empowers mental-health professionals, schools, and organizations to build trauma-informed, emotionally healthy communities.

She is on SIMHA's board and co-leads the Mindspring Counselor Training & Internship Program, helping the city improve its talent pipeline and affordable care. From teaching to school counseling to professional supervision, Janice's goal has been to help the next generation of trauma-informed therapists, leaders, and communities thrive.

Before we talk about Courageous Living Consulting, would you please introduce yourself?

My name is Janice Holland, and I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (Texas) and a Certified Trauma Model Therapist. I'm the founder of Courageous Living Consulting in Shanghai, where I train and empower mental-health professionals, schools, and organizations to build trauma-informed, emotionally healthy cultures.

I also serve on the board of SIMHA (Shanghai International Mental Health Association), overseeing professional development. I co-developed the Counselor Training & Internship Program at Mindspring, which continues to train high-quality emerging counselors while expanding affordable mental health support for the international community.

My career has taken me from teaching to school counseling to private practice, but my lifelong passion is the same: training, teaching, and preparing the next generation of trauma-informed therapists and leaders.

Why, after living in Shanghai for a few years, did you decide to strike out on your own and build a consulting business?

During the pandemic in Shanghai, like many others, I watched a global mental health crisis unfold in real time. I knew I had trauma-recovery expertise that could support the wider community – especially international schools struggling with overwhelmed students and staff.

At the time, I was a counselor at Shanghai American School, where I worked for six years. The work was meaningful, but I increasingly felt I was using only a fraction of my capacity. My background spans teaching, clinical supervision, consulting, and training – so staying within one environment felt like operating at just one quarter of who I am.

I love one-on-one counseling, but my deepest passion is developing and equipping others. Once I understood the level of need in the community, stepping into entrepreneurship became the obvious next move.

Opening a company in China required months of paperwork and patience, but when my business license finally came through in January 2025, it felt like a full-circle moment. Now I get to partner with schools, mentor emerging counselors, and train therapists across China and beyond – and, for the first time, I'm able to use the full breadth of my skill set.

What makes Shanghai's business environment so remarkable?

Shanghai is one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking cities in the world. It's full of global citizens who are innovative, resilient, and open-minded. When there is a need in this city, communities move quickly to respond – a quality that I deeply admire.

There is also a unique hunger for growth here. Whether it's schools, founders, or families, people in Shanghai are driven to understand themselves and invest in solutions that elevate well-being. It's the perfect city for mental health innovation and trauma-informed leadership.

What do you hope to contribute to the community?

My vision from the beginning was two-fold:

First, I wanted to introduce trauma-informed education, leadership training, and nervous-system-aligned leadership training to Shanghai's international community. More schools and organizations are realizing that when people are in survival mode, they can't learn, lead, or connect at their full capacity. I saw an opportunity to help build emotional safety and resilience as the foundation for well-being and performance.

Second, I wanted to address a growing gap in mental health access and counselor training. After the pandemic, demand for support surged while opportunities for professional development and affordable mental health care shrank.

So I partnered with Davy Guo at Mindspring to launch the Counselor Training & Internship Program – giving emerging therapists a structured, trauma-informed training pathway while keeping low-cost, high-quality support available to the community.

Ultimately, this work is about strengthening both people and the systems that hold them. Shanghai has given me so much, and contributing to its growth in emotional health feels deeply meaningful.

What are the biggest challenges setting up a business here? How do you stay motivated?

The business registration process in China can be long and highly detailed. At times, it felt like a second full-time job on top of beginning to scale my consulting work internationally. But meaningful work deserves persistence. I stay motivated because I know what's possible when people feel safe, seen, and emotionally grounded.

I have witnessed students, professionals, and survivors transform. The impact ripples out across communities. In fact, last Sunday my boyfriend mentioned that it was Sunday night and gave me the look like... "Aren't you dreading Monday?" I just looked at him and said, No... I'm excited to start the week. I truly feel that way every single week, and that metric is how I know I am in the center of my mission.

What was the moment that made you most proud?

There have been many. Walking away from a secure job at Shanghai American School to pursue this work was a turning point. Holding my Chinese business license after months of paperwork was another. Seeing the Mindspring Training & Internship Program approved, along with meeting the courageous emerging therapists who joined, felt like a significant step forward for the future of mental health in Shanghai.

But my proudest moments are the quiet ones: when a school leader says they finally understand trauma differently, when a therapist tells me my training changed how they show up, or when someone shares that they feel safe in their body again. Those small, human moments remind me exactly why I do this work.

What are you working on?

• Developing trauma-informed professional development pathways for schools and organizations

• Leading and expanding the Mindspring Counselor Internship Program

• Hosting global online trainings with the International School Counselor Association

• Continuing my US-based programs for women healing from trauma • Preparing new workshops on trauma-informed leadership and nervous-system-aligned performance

• Building partnerships to bring trauma-informed support to more international schools and organizations

Who is the female role model who has inspired you?

I'm inspired by women who build meaningful work without abandoning themselves in the process – women who create from purpose instead of perfectionism or self-sacrifice. I collect art of women from all over the world... it is a reminder to me that all women from all walks of life are brave, strong and beautiful. Women I look up to and admire for overcoming adversity and building a powerful life are Maya Angelou, Sara Blakely, Arianna Huffington, Sophia Amoruso, Marie Curie, Reshma Saujani, and so many more. There have also been countless therapists, educators, and clients who bravely choose growth every day that inspire me to continue to dig deep and keep evolving.

Do you have any advice for women entrepreneurs?

Yes – do the inner work alongside the business work.

Entrepreneurship demands self-trust, emotional regulation, and the courage to lead based on your values, not fear or performance.

Your nervous system is your greatest business asset. Your authenticity is your greatest brand strategy. Your well-being is your greatest business infrastructure.

And that's why my company is called Courageous Living – because real success doesn't come from pushing harder but from learning to live and lead as your truest self.