For this edition of our LIT Interview Series, we’re excited to introduce Khumo Masege, a licensed therapist and LGBTQ inclusion consultant from South Africa. In this interview, Khumo shares her journey to becoming location independent and creating her portable online practice, the positives of this career choice, and some of the challenges she’s faced along the way.
You can read the interview below, or if you prefer, watch our co-founder Sonia’s conversation with Khumo here (or both, as these are separate conversations and each cover different topics!):
If you want to hear from more inspiring colleagues, check out the full series of interviews on our LIT YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there!
Introducing Khumo Masege: An LGBTQ Inclusion Consultant and Licensed Therapist from South Africa
Welcome, Khumo – can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a Queer, black, neurodivergent human! I’m from South Africa and spent 9 years living abroad in the US. I moved back to South Africa in 2022 and continue to engage traveling to different countries while I work nomadically through my solo practice.
Who do you work with and what do you support them with?
I work with LGBTQ and/or folks of color across the world seeking out support with managing relationships, self-esteem, sexuality and gender, neurodiversity and trauma. I offer individual and relationship mental health support, public workshops and sex education, group support spaces and LGBTQ inclusion training for organizations and spaces.
Tell us a bit about your journey. What inspired you to become a location independent therapist, and how did you make it happen?
I’ve always loved travel, but living abroad ignited a passion for seeing new places and experiencing cultures in a really unique way. Becoming a therapist during the pandemic and essentially being forced to make online therapy work also opened a whole world of access and flexibility in my professional life that allowed me to keep traveling once I moved back to South Africa. I didn’t make it so much as I fell into it and luckily loved it! haha
The Benefits and Challenges of Working Internationally as an Online Therapist from South Africa
What do you like most about your work? What are the most rewarding aspects of being a location independent mental therapist?
I love the flexibility it awards me! I also love that I get to provide that to my clients in the process. Finding a provider is a really challenging experience without feeling like you are tied to one place because they can’t move with you. Being able to offer folks access without it feeling like they need to sacrifice their mental health care in order to explore the world is really rewarding!
And what do you like least about your work?
The lack of community. Something I am still trying to figure out is if online community is enough for me and also how to create community that may not always understand how I do my work.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a location independent therapist?
Figuring out the logistics of care, and finding other providers who can speak to my similar experience. I want to do this work in the most mindful and meaningful way possible and so it does require being able to offer folks resources that are applicable to them and their individual experience.
What do you wish you had known before starting your journey as an online therapist?
How much screen time would take a mental toll. I love playing video games and watching movies and it feels harder to do when my whole day involves being on my computer.
What has been your biggest achievement so far as a location independent therapist?
Building my solo practice. I never thought I could do this myself!
What strategies have you found most effective for marketing your services and attracting new clients?
I’ve found social media to be pretty rewarding. I think my niche is quite specific in South Africa/on the African continent, so I find it really useful to be online and have folks see someone who reflects their identities online talking about mental health and sex ed.
Work-Life Balance, Self-Care and Travel for an Online Therapist from South Africa: What do they look like?
How do you manage your work-life balance while running an online practice?
I try to schedule quarterly breaks. If it’s a financially challenging time, I just take off a couple of days but I try my best to schedule a ‘no email, no laptop’ time for a few days every quarter. I also confine working on work things to my office at home, so that the other parts of my house still feel like a separate space.
Let’s chat about travel! While some location independent travellers are full-time digital nomads, not all are. What does travel look like for you?
I am not a full-time digital nomad – I’m still trying to find the right balance for my travels. I aspire to have a home base and travel to different countries for a month or more a couple of times a year.
When I was in the US, I moved around quite a bit, having lived in 4 different states over the course of the 9 years I was there. I traveled to neighboring countries frequently as well! I’d love to go back to Mexico City but not until I’ve spent time in Portugal!
What does self-care look like for you?
Spending time with my partner, playing video games and spending time outside!
The Power of Community for Online Therapists
What was your main reason for joining the LIT Community, and how has the community helped you?
Building community with people who are in similar professional circumstances to me. It has been so helpful to chat with folks about how they’ve navigated language, solo practice building and prioritizing self and travel rather than work.
If someone was thinking about joining the LIT Community, what would you tell them?
DO IT! It’s full of so many opportunities and support spaces and an amazing way to build international community.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a location-independent mental health professional?
Think hard about what you value and want to achieve by doing it.
What are your future goals for your business and life?
Being able to travel for conferences, workshops and other professional opportunities would be amazing. Especially within the African continent, to share the importance of LGBTQ care.
Learn more and connect with Khumo Masege here:
You can find out more about Khumo’s work as an online therapist from South Africa here:
- Via her website: www.kmhealing.com
- Instagram: @kmhealing_
- Tiktok: @kmhealing
- Or her LIT Directory page
Are you thinking about starting your own location independent therapy practice? Let us know in the comments!
Want to meet more inspiring therapists like Khumo? Browse our LIT Interview Series here! And if you’re looking for more support, join the LIT Community now!
