From Counselor to Author: GSW Graduate Anntoinette Briley Publishes “Welcome To..”

by Jackson Carlstrom, Editor-In-Chief

In 1998, Anntoinette Briley graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University with a degree in Psychology. Since graduating, she has become a licensed professional counselor in Columbus, Georgia, and a national certified counselor in mental health. She is currently with Path Mental Health, where she does online counseling sessions.

This year, Briley took her experience with counseling and channeled it into the world of writing, publishing her own book titled “Welcome To..” It is a volume of motivational sayings and phrases that Briley hopes will inspire and bring confidence to readers who may be struggling in their personal journey.

Pictures from promotional events for “Welcome To..” in Columbus and LaGrange.

Photo submitted by Anntoinette Briley.

“It’s actually an inspiring and motivating book that was created to help those who are struggling, whether it is psychologically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally,” Briley said. Briley then goes on to describe what inspired her to write her book. “One of the many reasons the book came about was that I had one of my old friends who contacted me a couple of months after the death of his father, and he was dealing with that, as well as a whole lot of other insecurity issues. And he asked me if I could send him little inspirational phrases every day. So I was online, and I would be Googling things, and I’d think about him, and I’d look at specific quotes to send to him. And then one day, I said to myself that I could do better than that. So that is how I started writing my own little inspirational phrases. And also, during this time, it was the beginning of the pandemic. So, a lot of my clients were struggling with bunkering down and sheltering in, and they were losing sight of who they were. They were struggling with depression and anxiety from being closed in, not being able to work, socialize, or see family and friends. So, they were also an inspiration for why I created this book.”

Pictures from promotional events for “Welcome To..” in Columbus and LaGrange.

Photo submitted by Anntoinette Briley.

Briley describes the process she went through while writing her book. “Honestly, it wasn’t difficult at all,” Briley said. “Because what I do when I write, I always think about the population or community I’m trying to reach. It’s not gender-based or race-based; it’s more so about the inner-man of a person, the spirit of a human being. How I would want someone to treat me is basically what I wanted to inspire others with, because I know how it feels to have low self-esteem, to not feel that you’re worthy or to feel less than, and to just have one person say something positive to you can change your whole outlook.”

Briley goes on to discuss the publishing process after writing her book. “It was an interesting-siting and tedious process. I can say that I learned a lot. I learned that I really needed to be more hands-on and actively engaged,” Briley said. “I didn’t think that I would need to, because I took the route of a publishing company. Before that, I had a lot of people telling me to do it myself, self-publish, go through Amazon, and I was like okay. But I knew me. And I knew then that I was not in that mindset of wanting to do it on my own. I wanted a one-stop shop. So, I went through a publishing company, and I found that with the company, I still was actively involved and engaged in every single step of the process, with the proofreading, with the reviewing, and everything else. So, I would say it was tedious and time-consuming, but overall, exciting.”

Briley talks about some of the many things she learned while writing and publishing her book. “What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m stronger than I thought I was. I’ve learned how to step outside of my safety zone,” Briley said. “There are people that I do want to reach with this book, and I want them to know that you are loved and you are worthy just like the next person.”

“Welcome To..” can be found on Amazon, Google Play, Apple Books, and Barnes and Noble.

Pictures from promotional events for “Welcome To..” in Columbus and LaGrange.

Photo submitted by Anntoinette Briley.

Pictures from promotional events for “Welcome To..” in Columbus and LaGrange.

Photo submitted by Anntoinette Briley.