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

Alright, Ariel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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.

You know, the biggest gamble I ever took was right at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. I’d had my therapist license since 2015 and was running a part-time private practice on the side, mostly focusing on military members and their families, but all done remotely.

But here’s where the leap of faith came in: I decided to leave a steady, full-time job to go all-in on my online therapy work. Let’s be honest, in the middle of a global crisis, that’s not a decision you take lightly. Plus, I’m immune compromised, so the situation was even more complex for me. My salaried job wasn’t allowing remote work, so for my health’s sake, a change was in order.

And you know what? Things got interesting in no time. I realized a lot of my colleagues were also trying to navigate online therapy, a new online world for them. They had a lot of fear and doubt about virtual therapy. So, I said to myself, “Hey, why not help them?” I started offering training on how to conduct ethical and successful teletherapy sessions with children and adolescents, as well as how to effectively, legally, and ethically move a practice entirely online.

Turns out, that big leap was the best thing I could’ve done. Not only did my private practice keep its head above water, but it soared. Today, it’s grown into the Guidance Teletherapy cooperative, with 12 top-notch therapists whom I’ve had the pleasure to help set up their own successful online practices.

So, yeah, it was risky, but it drove home the fact that in our line of work, you’ve got to stay adaptable, always keep learning, and never forget that our ultimate goal is to be of service to others, all while making sure we’re taking care of ourselves, too.

Ariel, 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?

Hey there, I’m delighted to share a bit about myself with the CanvasRebel readers. I’m a Filipina American woman, working from my home base in sunny Reseda, California. If you’re wondering about the kind of work I do, well, I’m not your run-of-the-mill therapist. I identify as a ‘Geek Therapist’, and what that means is that I weave my clients’ passions and fandoms right into our sessions. One day, we might be deep in a game of Fortnite, the next we could be unraveling life’s mysteries with help from our favorite superheroes. Heck, sometimes we even dabble in creating fan fiction, placing ourselves alongside beloved characters who guide us on our healing journeys.

I always knew I wanted to be a therapist. Growing up, I grappled with a learning disability, and it was my school counselor who first showed me the power of therapy. They created a safe and fun space for me, offering undivided attention and trust. That experience had a profound impact on me, and it propelled me toward a career where I could provide the same support to others.

The mainstay of my work is helping folks manage their mental health and navigate the complexities of mental illness. I empower my clients with coping strategies for stress, burnout, and anxiety, guiding them toward resources and tools that help them better understand themselves. Plus, I’m big on incorporating multicultural elements into therapy. We draw strength from our heritage, and using it as a form of resilience in our sessions is just incredibly powerful.

If there’s one thing I’m super proud of (although it’s a touch bittersweet), it’s a guided grief journal I recently developed. I called it “Waves of Grief: A Guided Grief Journal,” and it’s a tool to help fellow grievers navigate their journey. The journal provides self-reflection prompts, ways to honor our lost loved one, and even suggests ways to create meaningful remembrance rituals. It offers insights into the grieving process, teaching concepts such as types of grief, grief triggers, and even grief dreams. Creating this journal was deeply personal for me, as I dedicated it to my father who passed away earlier this year. I had searched for a journal to help me with my grief and didn’t find any that hit the mark, so I made what I had hoped to find: https://amzn.to/43CBZUi

If there’s one thing I want you, my followers, fans, and potential clients, to know about my work, it’s this: I am fully committed to tailoring the therapeutic experience to you. Your interests, passions, and heritage all have a place in our therapy sessions. In my book, therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s a personalized journey, and I’m here to guide you through it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Ah, I love this question because it’s such an important part of my journey as a therapist.

So, for the longest time, I thought I couldn’t bring my authentic self into therapy sessions. Y’know, the geeky side of me that finds so much joy, healing, and connection in my favorite fandoms. Back in school, they taught us that this kind of personal passion had no place in a professional therapy setting. They thought it wasn’t “professional” enough, you see. It was okay to tap into this part of myself when working with children, mainly because some of my supervisors saw geek culture as something juvenile.

But then, in 2013, I attended San Diego Comic-Con, as I do every year. But this year was different. Picture me, walking around, absorbing all the usual sights and sounds, and I stumble upon this panel. The panel was run by therapists and psychologists talking about using superheroes in therapy sessions with service members. And I thought, “Wow, this is it! These are my people.” That was a defining moment for me.

Fast forward to getting my license in 2015, and I decided to shake things up. I began to incorporate my love for all things geek into my practice, and let me tell you, I haven’t looked back since.

Now here’s the cool part: that very same panel I attended back in 2013? It’s run by a non-profit called Geek Therapy, and guess what? I’m now a board member! It’s such a wonderful full-circle moment for me.

So yeah, that’s a lesson I had to unlearn – that being professional meant being impersonal. Now, I know better: my authentic self is not just welcome in therapy sessions, but it’s also a powerful tool for connection and healing. After all, there’s a little bit of ‘geek’ in all of us, right?

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Growing my client base has been a journey, and one strategy has stood head and shoulders above the rest: networking. But it’s not just about hobnobbing at events or swapping business cards at a conference. No, it’s about cultivating genuine relationships with a range of people – friends, colleagues, neighbors, online therapist groups, and even social media connections. Each person is a unique link in the network, and every link has potential.

I’ve also learned to network outside of my field. When you step out of your immediate circle, you open yourself up to fresh perspectives and new opportunities. One of the surprising opportunities this strategy has given me is getting to speak on panels at Comic-Con. Yes, you heard that right – Comic-Con! This year, I’ll be on not one, not two, but three panels. I could hardly believe it when I got the news. Me, the Geek Therapist, getting to share my expertise at the epicenter of geekdom!

Another incredible opportunity that came my way is co-hosting a podcast, The Happiest Pod On Earth. It’s a wonderfully fulfilling experience, and I get to reach out to a whole new audience.

Now, being an online-only therapist, I’ve had to find creative ways to grow my practice. It’s all about digital networking and making my practice visible in the online realm. And I’ve discovered that networking is really a two-way street. As much as you’re looking to connect with others, remember that you’re also a potential connection for them. It’s about reciprocity and building mutually beneficial relationships.

One aspect of networking that I’ve found to be especially powerful is women supporting women. We, women, have unique experiences, insights, and skills to bring to the table. Connecting with other successful women not only inspires and empowers us but also opens up exciting new opportunities I could never have foreseen. I mean, who would have thought that a therapist would end up providing mental health training for Fortune 500 companies? But, there I was, doing exactly that. Women’s belief in me led to some of the most rewarding experiences in my career.

So whether it’s online or offline, within my field or outside it, I’m always open to connections. Networking has been my secret ingredient for growing my clientele, and it has opened doors to worlds I never even considered. It’s a strategy I swear by, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.         

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.guidancett.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airyell3000/ ; https://www.instagram.com/happiestpodgt/ ; https://www.instagram.com/guidanceteletherapy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/airyell3000/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/happiestpodgt ; https://twitter.com/guidancett ; https://twitter.com/airyell3000
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/geektherapy