We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ariel Harrison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ariel below.

Ariel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

I would like to say that my decision to establish my business was planned, but it was not. I decided to legally create my practice 12 years ago and did not move forward. At the time, I created a DBA business account, but became pregnant with my oldest son and didn’t entertain it anymore. I moved on and worked in other settings and different school counseling and counseling related positions. The decision to revive my business came from a combination of talking to my counseling clients about taking risks and also needing additional income to support my family. I was working a part time counseling position that was meant to help keep my skills fresh but my needs changed and I wanted to do something different. I searched for free and paid resources, such as logo makers, website builders, and I joined many counseling groups on social media to see what others were doing. I started to market to my friends, found many resources that provided free trial periods, and reached out to past and present clients about their interests in working with me. I wanted to make the business my own, highlight my strengths and interests, and include my personality in how I connected with potential clients.

Challenges included marketing to people, finding acceptable fees for my service that met my needs and my clients’ needs, and making sure that the investments were comparable to the rewards. My initial fees were very high and I was not getting many clients. After lowering them to an acceptable rate, I began to attract more clients. I outsourced to companies that handled my accounting and credential needs and then I relied on referrals, word of mouth, and social media marketing to attract clients. This was also a challenge as I had to really read about what certain companies offered, their fees, and the feedback of others who used their services. Another challenge that I experienced included being hasty to book new clients. While counseling is a human service, it is also my means of income so I did not do a great job in the beginning of verifying insurance and costs prior to having my sessions. I ended up conducting a few sessions without getting payment and a few clients did not return after being charged my late and no-show fees. I had to learn how to balance the business aspect of handling things (and being able to financially provide for my family) with my empathy and drive to help others.

If you are a young professional who is interested in starting your own practice, I would highly recommend finding groups that cater to supporting new counselors. I was able to find two businesses that completed the legal paperwork to establish my business and four companies that provided marketing. I would also inquire about free trial periods as many organizations provide these to new counselors. Joining social media groups helped me and continues to help as many organization provide paid referral rewards in which each professional might benefit. It helps to weight the pros and cons of paid services in regards to investment versus rewards, as well as not all organizations or businesses are equal. I encourage young professionals to do research and talk to those who have used the services. Finally, I encourage you to make your business your own. While many businesses follow a specific formula to become established, your personality, your interests, and your experience set you apart from others. Embrace the things that make you who you are.

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

My name is Dr. Ariel Harrison. I am a mother of two boys, a counselor educator, a licensed professional counselor, author, and former school counselor. I began my professional journey as a school counselor because I possessed a strong desire to help children. After working as a school counselor for almost 13 years, I transitioned into the field of counselor education in higher education where I help to educate future school counselors. I also attained my license as a professional counselor to support the needs of teenagers and adults. I present at conferences on various topics that support K-12 students, counselor educators, and graduate students. I also self-published a book to support single parents and primary caretakers attending graduate school online. Currently, in addition to teaching future school counselors, I also work primarily with teenage girls and women of color clients on a variety of topics including life changes, work/life and school/life balance, self-esteem, infertility, and coping skills. I also work with parents of K-12 students in providing ways to support their children in the school setting. What sets me apart from others is my drive and ability to get to know my clients for who they are rather than the challenge in which they are experiencing. Building relationships and finding strategies to help others are extremely important to me, and I believe that passionate can be experienced with how I work with clients.

I am very proud of the K-12 students who have crossed my path, the current and future school counselors who I have taught, and the clients who have developed healthier coping skills and support. I am also very proud of the example that I have been able to set for my own children who have been able to see the work and time that I place into helping others. I would like for potential clients or followers to know that I truly care about my clients and students, and I want them to succeed on their terms and in their unique ways. Life can be a beautiful mess at times! Between relationships, work, school, and physical and mental health we can find ourselves trying to balance and make sense of it all. Some of us smile through the confusion and pretend to have it all under control. Others are slowly unraveling trying to understand what’s happening. It can become tiresome trying to handle things on our own. Everyone has the opportunity to grow, learn, and change with the right person guiding them along the way. Reaching out for some counseling support can be that first step, and I am ready and happy to help.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The path to where I sit today has not been easy at all. I transitioned from school counseling into higher education and thought that I had found my dream job. Around this time, I also got engaged. I was a single mother at the time and moved with my son to a new state to start the next phase of my life…or so I thought. Five months after starting my new job, I received news that I was going to be laid off. This resulted in having to move again with my son prematurely, speeding up my wedding date, and being unemployed for a few months. I rested on my school counseling degree and experience although I desperately wanted to work in higher education. I researched what I needed to do to work in higher education as I worked as a school counselor and ultimately quit my job. In this time, I became unemployed again and applied for a part time position at my former college. I worked very hard and made sure to tell everyone how much I desired a full time position. After 10 months, a position opened and I got it!

Also during this time, my marriage became challenging with my husband, I experienced secondary infertility challenges and miscarriage, and eventually separated from my husband. After a successful cycle of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and the birth of my second son, I chose to file for divorce, which created an increased need for me to support my children and myself. With a newborn and a nine-year old son, I researched how to start my counseling practice. I developed a plan to manage both positions working from home and have been able to find ways to successfully balance motherhood and work. Life has consistently had ups and downs; however, I have learned to figure out ways to address them and used them to support others who experience similar situations.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The first aspect for growing my clientele includes conducting sound work and relying upon my training and experience. I have to work effectively with others and maintain good business practices to support what I do. I’m constantly open to feedback and my clients have referred my services to others based on their experiences with me. I also have heavily relied upon social media connections and trends to gain support for my business. Having others share my social media profiles and posts coupled with having past clients refer my business has worked well for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://secure.helloalma.com/providers/ariel-harrison/
• Instagram: @arielharrisonconsulting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arielharrisonconsulting/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ariel-harrison-consulting-stonecrest
• Other: https://openpathcollective.org/clinicians/ariel-harrison/