Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Beth Kadlec. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Beth, thanks for joining us today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

Starting out as an intern, I was thrown into the mix really quickly. I was working at a residential treatment center for the treatment of addiction. My clinical supervisor was nearly 40 years older than me, and she had seen a lot. I was green, but didn’t know how green I was. I wanted her to teach me, to give me specific answers – to match my version of what I thought supervision should be. Instead, she told me to “trust my gut”. She didn’t mean that as cliche. She didn’t go into much more detail, except for telling me: “that sensation in your body; use it, it’s diagnostic”. Now 15 years later, I know how to attune to my nervous system, my belly, my chest, my gut in a way that calls me into the very present moment with clients. My style has evolved to be psychodynamic and is all about the relationship with my clients. My body, my ability to discern and trust what I’m feeling in my gut is one of the greatest tools I use in sessions.

Beth, 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 really love my work. I feel so lucky and blessed everyday for the opportunity to connect with people in a deep and meaningful way. For me, therapy is about aliveness. So many people – including myself for many years- have been walking around half asleep. Self-awareness and exploration isn’t celebrated in a lot of families, For the most part, people are taught / or buy into the idea that the human experience is about avoiding pain. It’s not!!!! Comfort or avoiding or controlling is not the answer. So many people develop coping mechanisms that would be deemed as more likeable/ more acceptable than feeling and expressing a full array of emotion. When we are shut down to our full aliveness, of course we are shut down or not attuned to our purpose, our passion and our potential. Helping folks reconnect to that inner spark is such a gift.

I’ve been in private practice for a long time since 2012 – working since 2010 as a therapist. Before private practice I worked in the drug/alcohol treatment space. My first internship was working at inpatient treatment center for addiction, a very gritty place. Eventually moved to a very fancy place in Malibu.
I got into it by way of my own healing journey. I struggled with substance abuse and addiction in my late 20’s and discovered the awesomeness of actually going to therapy. I started begrudgingly, and was very skeptical. It took me a long while to grow to trust that process – once I did, it was profoundly helpful. When the idea came up, my therapist was supportive and encouraged me to apply to graduate schools
I started at University of Santa Monica which was a deeply experiential 2 year healing journey. I earned my masters in Spiritual Psychology in 2008 and then worked as a volunteer, classroom assistant and reader at USM for the next 5 years. I started my second Masters in 2009 in clinical Social Work at University of Southern California.

What I’m most proud of is that I had a vision — and I’m stubborn as hell. I took consistent action toward that vision. I knew I wanted to work for myself and have my own practice. I had no idea how much I would learn about business along the way. I figured it out as I went along. I got married and even had a baby during the years I was gaining hours for my licensure.
Most of the clients I attract are high achievers who are looking to optimize and get help with the human experience. It’s not a perfect analogy but its much like seeing a personal trainer to gain an edge with their fitness. A lot of very fit very strong people still see a trainer. Why doesn’t that model apply to mental health as well?!

My brand is authentic and relationship-forward. It always has been. I LOVE the clients I work with. As I see it, my work is about connection. I get to connect deeply with several people each day. Conversations are intimate and raw and sometimes we talk about dark things. We feel emotion together. My role is to be present and co-regulate. I get to be the steadiness in the storm, which is one of the greatest ways I get to learn about being human. I have wounded, reactive, impatient, impulsive and controlling parts of myself too. The more accepting (and honest and transparent) I can be about that, it helps model that for others. Ultimately – so they feel less alone. There is so much magic in the relationship!

As a women in recovery I maintained a completely sober lifestyle for over 12 years. Then approximately 5 years ago, the opportunity to participate in a plant medicine ceremony came my way. Over the course of that year I participated in 4 different ceremonies/journeys with a group of women. I understood something I had sensed longed ago – but wasn’t mature enough or didn’t have the proper matrix in place to practice — which is: drugs/medicine could be used to expland consciousness in a way that was enduring. I learned about integration. I learned about leaning IN to my curiosity and intentions vs. escaping my current reality. My headspace/mindset was too chaotic when I was younger and using substances socially. The healing and work I did in my 30s — and over those 12 years in recovery laid the groundwork to explore in a new way.

Since 2021 I have been working with ketamine. I’m so excited about this additional tool for healing and connection. The depth available to us in alternate levels of consciousness is humbling and mindblowing at the same time! I am zealous about working with psychedelics in an ethical and legal way with my clients. For now, that means I work only with ketamine. In the coming years, it may include drugs like psilocybin or MDMA.

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

This may sound obvious, but referrals have been the very best way to grow my business. If we are applying strategy to that, it means working backward. People give referrals if they have a positive experience. So it helps that I work with clients that I am really excited about and I genuinely like. Clients can feel that I truly care about them – because I do. I can’t / don’t try to control the outcome — but I do hope that my clients have a good therapeutic experience.
It also helps that culture has changed quite a bit re: seeking support for mental health. It’s not as stigmatized as it once was to go to therapy. I acknowledge that some cultures and some families still view it in a less flattering light.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Again, it might be an obvious answer but providing high quality, ethical and consistent care helps build reputation. Being seen as trustworthy is paramount to the container with clients, so I keep my word. I call when I say I will. I’m on time for sessions. I provide email follow-ups, resources and introductions when I say I will. I try to call back or email back every person that contacts me. I also do my best to stay connected with colleagues, make referrals often and reach out to others for peer consultations. I also do my own work (in therapy and healing) and I share transparently about it with clients- when it is therapeutically appropriate. My hope is that my reputation is built on my ways of being, my character traits, and values versus my accomplishments.
I also try to use social media mindfully and intentionally– even somewhat sparingly. I don’t post anything that I don’t align with. I try to write posts that are authentic, not overly curated or only positive.

Contact Info:

• Website: bethkadlec.com
• Instagram: beth_kadlec_therapy
• Yelp: Beth Kadlec MA, LCSW

Image Credits
group photo by Ricky Lesser