We were lucky to catch up with Jesse Westfall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Getting started is often one of the biggest barriers we can face in life. Whether it’s making a career change, Embarking on a creative endeavor, or even having a challenging conversation with a loved one, taking that first step can feel impossible. Beginning my own practice, I knew I was taking a risk. I was walking away from the stability of a predictable salary, leaving the comforts that came with working under close supervision and guidance, and doing something that frankly no one I knew personally had done before. On top of all of this, I was often presented with the doubts of others, not necessarily doubts in me or my abilities but more so doubts about the feasibility of what I was about to embark on: how will you get clients, how will you get health insurance, what about paying taxes? People are often intimidated by what they don’t know, we all love to stay in that comfort zone at times, but I knew that private practice had always been the end goal and I was motivated to not let the unknowns stop me. That sounds brave when worded like that, but the reality was, I couldn’t let the unknown stop me. I knew that staying in the non-profit world was not sustainable for me and burnout was setting in quickly. After becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I started taking the steps to open my own practice, working part time in the evenings while continuing to work for my full time job. Slowly and steadily I was building my caseload, with the goal of having half of a full time case load before leaving my job. Suddenly the world came to a stop, things changed dramatically when Covid-19 hit. Suddenly even the things that had seemed predictable were no longer predictable and many of us had no idea what the next day would hold. Maybe it sound ignorant or possibly naive, but I actually did not, initially, find myself questioning my decision. I was ready to just take it day by day and continue with the plan. I had given notice at my job, I was nearing the case load I had set as a goal, I was loving the work I was doing in my private practice, and I was possibly even more than ready to leave the non-profit world as we all struggled to figure out how to continue our work in such a different reality. My determination aside, others in my life began to assume I was going to change my mind, the option to withdraw my notice and remain at my job was offered to me, peoples fear that I would be unable to successfully launch my practice increased, and the expectation to stay with what is known was a comfort for many. Partly to address concerns of my loved ones, partly to assure them that I was thinking critically about things, and partially to ease my own anxiety about whether or not I could succeed, I set a deadline. I told myself that if I was losing money by the end of the summer, I needed to start looking at other options. I had been saving more with the knowledge that my finances would be less predictable and I knew I could manage for few months. My stable job came to an end and I put my full energy into my practice. In the months I was building my case load, I wont pretend anxiety and doubt didn’t show up, but I also didn’t see another option. Private practice had been the goal since I was 16 and I was determined to make it happen. It wasn’t always easy, there were periods where the clients seemed to come rapidly, getting multiple new clients in a week, and times that it seemed the phone just wouldn’t ring. With every client that committed to working together, I can assure you I did a goofy little dance, sometimes just a potential inquiry from a client could elicit a dance. Summer came to an end and not only had I managed to not lose money, I was doing better than I had been while working at my job, not only financially but my health, wellbeing, and work-life balance had all improved. In hindsight, I recognize it was a risk, but nearly four years have passed since I started this journey, I have two employees in my practice, an office that I love, and clients that make me more and more grateful to be doing this work.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Oakland, CA. I have a small practice consisting of myself and two employees. I am licensed in California and Oregon, providing services to clients in person in Oakland and virtually in both Oregon and California. I am certified in Eye Movement and Desensitization Therapy (EMDR) and, in addition to providing therapy to clients, I provide consultation and training to other EMDR therapists.

In my practice, I work with a wide variety of client experiences. I am particularly passionate about working with those who have experienced sexual trauma, recent traumatic incidents, and adults who experienced abuse as children, and neurodiverse clients.

I have been passionate about this field since highschool, in particular I recall being impacted by the experieces of a classmate of mine as well as an incredibly powerful speech by Kevin Hines, who my mom excused me from class to see. Between those two experiences, the path stared. The more I learned the more I needed to learn, prompting me to pursue both an undergrad and graduate degree in psychology. Looking back, I can see how important this pursuit actually was for my own wellbeing.

I strive to be a therapist who defies the stereotypes of who you might think of a therapist being. I bring my full and authentic self to my work, and yes that means my flaws and fualts. I enjoy showing up with my clients as a human being-who is a therapist.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Genuine interest and curriosity about the human experience. I often think back to a class discussion in grad school in which I became self-conscious, feeling as if I had talked to much and asked too many questions. I remember beginning to back track and feeling as if I needed to justify why I was so intrigued by the conversation at hand. My professor paused my at this time and simply said “you are fascinated about why people do the things that they do and are the way that they are, don’t let that go and you will be just fine in this field”. Althought easier said than done, and perhaps a bit of an over simplification about how to succeed in the field, I have found this statement to ressonate throughout my career. One of the best things we can do for our selves and our clients is remain currious, avoid assumptions, and approach each individual as the deserving, worthy, and unique individuals that they are.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Consistency.

When starting out it can be tempting to market yourself to any and all clientele. We’ve all seen it before, the therapist on the online directory who has selected every single “specialty” and treatment approach. For me I have found that narrowing in on the work I truly love doing, specifically sexual assault trauma, recent trauma, and attachment trauma, has helped me to develop referal sources that lead to clientele who match my approach and style. By narrowing in, clients who come my way are more likely to be a good fit and continue the work together. Narrowing in can feel scary and limmiting to therapists, especially when building a case load is so crucial. It’s important to remember that we do not need every client and we cannot be the right therapist for every client. What we do need is enough (for my practice thats about 24) clients who are a good fit. In doing this we can make our own work more sustainable and we can do a better service to clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: jessewestfalltherapy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessewestfalltherapy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessewestfalltherapy
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessewestfall

Image Credits
Anya McInroy