Shenika Williams’ passion is helping others meet their health goals. To this end, she established Integrated Integrated Wellness & Psychiatry in Tacoma in 2021. “Our practice started on the heels of COVID-19,” Shenika told us. “We realized that there was such a need for more holistic comprehensive care in the Tacoma area.” When she says “we,” Shenika means herself as the owner of Integrated, along with her husband, Andrew, and her mother, Yvonne. All of them work together at the office on 7808 Pacific Avenue. Andrew, who works full time as a welder, helps out with any handyman tasks that need doing. Yvonne is the office manager.

 

Shenika has some impressive letters behind her name: Shenika Williams, MSN ARNP FNP-C. Originally from St. Vincent in the Caribbean, Shenika came to the United States as a student at the age of 21. She went into healthcare; specifically, she attended nursing school in New York while working as a nanny. “Everyone loves a future nurse as a nanny,” she confided. Let’s just say she has done her due diligence since those early days. After moving to Tacoma, she worked at Tacoma Rehab, Park Rose Care Center, Kindred Hospital, and several other nursing homes. “I knew that I wanted to advance my degree, so I focused on the acute care population of patients,” she said. “I was able to use my experience to gain a nursing residency at Tacoma General Hospital, in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit."

 

This was all pre-COVID-19. Shenika became a traveling nurse in places like Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida. As she gained competence, it became increasingly difficult for her to take orders from those above her–especially questionable orders. A poor experience with a high-handed doctor gave Shenika the impetus to return to school once again and get her nurse practitioner degree from South University in Georgia.

 

By this time, she was gaining an awareness of what was most important to her, not only in healthcare, but also what suited her best as a career. After working at MultiCare, RediClinic, and Virginia Mason, all back in her beloved Washington state, Shenika decided she was finally done taking orders. She started her own business: Integrated Family Medicine & Aesthetic Wellness, also known now as Integrated Wellness & Psychiatry.

 

“When I went to an outpatient clinic environment from acute care, I sighed a breath of relief,” she recalls. “This was where I needed to be. I felt at home, and I knew that this is what I needed to do with my life. I never looked back after that.”

 

What sets Shenika’s practice apart is that one word in the business name: “Integrated.” “We focus on your mental and physical health,” she said. Patients come to Shenika for mental health concerns and she treats the whole person. “We have multiple niches,” she explained, highlighting the important connection, for instance, between mental health, hormone health, and gut health. “We focus on the areas that aren’t regularly focused on but are just as important for our optimal wellbeing,” Shenika continued. “When a person’s hormones are not functioning properly, their body goes out of whack.” If not addressed, she explained, this can lead to permanent and chronic dysfunction manifested as Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, and/or Obesity. Along these lines, Shenika mainly consults with female patients who are experiencing unmanageable symptoms from varied stages of perimenopause and menopause.

 

Shenika has a big heart, and she values difference. Moving from the Caribbean to the United States taught her how to be independent and rely on herself. At the same time, it taught her to seek community, and the importance of being a part of a community. Ironically, maybe, this means seeing each person as an individual and treating them as such at her practice. After undergoing a DNA test, Shenika found out that she has many different heritages herself, including British and Native American. This made her feel even more bonded with those around her. “When looking for a provider,” she advised, “find someone who can meet you where you are at and who will learn who you are, respect who you are, and acknowledge that as part of your treatment. There are so many multicultural people that we consult with and their treatment plans are a reflection of who they are--unique.”

 

The mission at Integrated Wellness & Psychiatry is to advance and enhance the quality of healthcare access in Black and multiethnic communities in Pierce County. They are proud to be a minority-owned, woman-owned medical clinic that represents, works with, and lives within the multiethnic communities of Tacoma. They offer personalized care in Family Medicine, Weight Loss, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Psychiatry, and more.

 

Shenika and her husband have two small dogs and two cats together. They love spending time at the beach and enjoying all that our beautiful state has to offer. The South Sound is home. To her neighbors, Shenika says, “Provide genuine care and people will find you; they will gravitate towards you. My main purpose on this earth is taking care of my patients.” You can contact Integrated Wellness & Psychiatry at (253) 474-3329.