We recently connected with Michelle Worley and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

It was 2014 and I was working at a therapeutic boarding school in the KC Metro. I had a surgery coming up and the doctor informed me that there would be a 2 week recovery following the procedure. My immediate thought was, “That’s great! I get a vacation!” Then I paused. The fact that recovery from a major surgery seemed like a vacation to me sent a very strong message: that I was burnt out and needed something to change.

I had always dreamed of owning a private practice but the business side scared me! There were so many growing pains as I grew from an individual private practice to a group practice. The journey has been one that has spanned the vastness of emotional experience. From self-doubt and discomfort to courage and self-compassion, it’s not been all that different from the overall experience of being human. I believe, at my core, that all of us are worthy of a human experience that includes connection, safety, and self-compassion. It is my desire that anyone who enter this space experiences feeling welcomed and cared for. And that, when they are ready, they will come and sit with one of us, knowing that as they do they will be greeted by another human who sees their inherent worth and desires for them to see the same in themselves.

As I reflect on this journey, the greatest lesson to me is the existence of beauty in pain. So often, we are encouraged to pull away from pain, to distract ourselves so we don’t have to feel it. The world can be very “helpful” in encouraging us to pull away from pain. But it’s the leaning into the pain where we will find out greatest lessons. I’m so grateful I had the courage to lean in. Looking back on these past 8 years in private practice, I have learned so much…about myself, about others, and about the beauty of the human spirit.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’ve always been an observer of people, desiring to understand their inner workings, desires, hopes, and dreams. I also struggled greatly in school due to undiagnosed ADHD. So while I desired to help I didn’t believe it was possible to find a career that I would both excel at and that would provide for me financially. My first attempt at college did not go well. I was asked to leave the program due to not maintaining an appropriate GPA that the school required. After much soul searching, I decided to try again and found a small private university at which to complete my education. This was a much better fit for me! After graduating with my undergraduate degree in Psychology and my Masters in Family Therapy, I began working in nonprofits and residential treatment programs. After 6 years, I decided to bravely enter the world of private practice.

I opened Great Oaks Therapy Center in the Westport area of Kansas City in 2014 as a solo practitioner. It wasn’t long before my solo practice became a group practice, now comprised of 20 incredible therapists, from graduate student interns to clinically licensed therapists.

Great Oaks aspires to offer a wide range of mental health services to our community. We are often asked what kinds of clients we work with and the answer is “it depends”. Who we serve is dependent upon the therapists here at that time. With a huge focus on training new therapists, Great Oaks is ever changing and, thus, the culture and offerings change with that.

While there are many different independent therapists and interns here, we all have a common goal: to connect those in our community with a therapist who will be a good fit for them. The decision to start therapy is not often an easy one. Reaching out can be really challenging for a lot of people. When you sign up to do a free consultation with one of our therapists, we want you to know, above all else, that we simply desire for you to find a therapist who is a good fit for YOU. That means, even if we spend 15 minutes on the phone with you we have no expectation that it will be us that you choose to work with.

In addition to therapy, Great Oaks is intentionally training new therapists to be successful and sustainable in private practice. While we are helpers at heart, the business side of private practice can be really overwhelming while trying to also provide the best care to our clients. Great Oaks training program, Launch, aims to develop, prepare, and equip graduate student interns and pre-licensed and licensed therapists to enter the private practice world healthy, competent, and creative in three main areas: professional, clinical, and personal. We believe that clinical competence is important but that being a good human who has done their own work is even more valuable.

Services we provide include individual, couple, family, and group therapy in addition to bringing mental health awareness to businesses outside of Great Oaks through the use of trainings, psychotherapy groups, and psychoeducation. We have a strong desire to connect with and build up our community.

Session fees begin at $40 per session with graduate student therapists and increase from there depending upon the therapist’s training and experience in this field. While we do not accept insurance, we are glad to offer a detailed receipt to our clients for potential reimbursement from their insurance carrier. We are also happy to refer you to other practices who do take insurance. It is our main desire to help you find a safe place to land.

If I had to choose one thing to be the most proud of in this work it has to be the incredible team of therapists I’m surrounded by every day. To know and trust that the culture of Great Oaks is filled with compassionate, intentional, and kind humans makes me so honored and excited to continue this work and offerings to our community.

Any advice for managing a team?

I have worked for many businesses and the one constant is this: the mental health of the owner directly impacts the mental health of the community. As leaders, our willingness to address our own needs, struggles, and challenges is witnessed by our team. I have seen far too many leaders attempt to lead only from their strengths, working very hard to repress any challenges. As good as we are at that, the felt experience of that repression by your team will be impactful.

One of my favorite tools for understanding myself outside of my own personal therapy is the Enneagram. Beatrice Chestnut’s book, “The Nine Types of Leadership” provided me amazing language and perspective for understanding my own system which, in turn, impacts my team. It’s important not to underestimate the power of understanding our selves and continuing to grow.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The most impactful marketing I have used is word of mouth. I have spent a lot of time building my brand, making beautiful images in Canva, utilizing SEO, networking, and offering free services but the majority of our referrals come from current and past clients which is the greatest compliment I could receive. It is such an honor every time I receive an email that starts with, “My friend sees a therapist there and said you’re all really safe.” Nothing is better than that!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greatoakstherapy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatoakstherapy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatoakstherapy/

Image Credits
Anthem Photography Michelle Worley