We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Russo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.
Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
Starting a private practice from scratch was both exhilarating and frightening, especially when there was zero training in how to run a business while in grad school. I come from a long line of business owners and dreamt of having my own business one day, but once I started my career I was fearful that was a pipe dream. In starting my career as team lead for a community therapy business, I saw a side to running a business that did not seem attainable or fulfilling. I recognized that this was not where I was going to thrive, so I decided to quit and worked under Dr. Katrina Lokken doing psychometric evaluations while seeking out more counseling opportunities. After about 6 months, she took a chance on mentoring me and encouraged me to start therapy with some of the teenagers that she was testing. Working with kids was not at all on my radar, but as a “yes person” I took on a couple of teen clients, and much to my surprise, I loved working with that population, and they loved me. As my caseload started to grow, I started asking Dr. Lokken, her officemates, and my peers in the Georgia Therapist Network questions about what was needed to start my own practice. Dr. Becky Beaton’s Mental Health Forms that she sells were a game-changer, as well as my Psychology Today membership. I listened to tons of podcasts, including Brighter Vision, which helped tremendously with providing information about getting involved with insurance panels, specialties, creating a website, etc. Eventually my name got out there, referrals were coming in, and I was able to stop the psychometry position to solely focus on my private practice. There were a lot of ups and downs for the first couple of years and lots of learning curves, so for therapists that are considering opening a practice–do not expect it to be easy. For example, there were cycles where people were calling all at once, and then months would go by without getting one call. Just be patient, keep your advertisement profiles current, and ask for help in the community if you need it. When advertising, speak to your target audience so that they relate with you and your skillset; this will get you a lot of calls. Be a “yes person.” When given an opportunity to try something new, even if you don’t think it’s something you’re interested in, try it. You never know where your niche may lie. Be the therapist you would want to have, and run your business the same.
Andrea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Andrea Russo, LPC, LMHC of Sacred Space Counseling. I started my practice in 2014, and predominately work with late teens and young adults who are processing the end of their childhood, and navigating through the beginning stages of adulthood and independence. I am licensed in the states of Georgia and Florida and offer telemental health sessions only at this time. I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach and welcome my clients’ uniqueness. Most of my clients leave my sessions with a feeling of support, relief, acceptance, and knowledge of how to work through the destructive thought patterns that things like stress, anxiety, and depression can cause. The most rewarding part of my job is when clients “graduate” from therapy, when parents reach out to tell me the difference they see in their child, and when clients notice and celebrate their successes (big and small) with me. I bring an openness, acceptance, calmness, and level of encouragement into the session that help my clients open up as their authentic, beautiful selves.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What I think most helped me to build my reputation within my community was authenticity. In grad school they teach you to be almost robotic in your mannerisms and responses, which can cause clients to struggle with connection. It was very important for me to study the Code of Ethics so that I could use my education to be a person of support, as MYSELF, rather than a sterile, masked version of me. Another helpful factor was that in my bios I have a picture of my dog and I, as I like to attract fellow dog-people/animal lovers, and when writing my bios I speak to the clientele that I feel most passionate and competent in working with.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
One thing that I think is so helpful in succeeding in this field is finding connection. By that I mean with your own therapist, with your peers, with fellow professionals, with yourself. The field of psychology is still very new; there is so much information at our fingertips including books, podcasts, retreats, etc., but by connecting with yourself and others, you can gain so much more insight into real problems, solutions, etc. You really get the chance to gain perspective and explore creatively through conversations with others. One thing I challenge myself to do at least once a year is to travel abroad. Outside of my own therapy, this is singlehandedly the best way to help build perspective and insight into the challenges of being a human.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arussotherapy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-russo-03269151