Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cyla Fisk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cyla, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?
I’d like to focus on two important lessons I learned that very much go together. To trust your gut right away when something doesn’t feel right and prioritize your mental health over other competing needs. I accepted two very different job offers while I was a pre-licensed clinician that resulted in two fairly catastrophic endings because I didn’t do either of these things. I unfortunately had to learn the same lessons twice because I was desperate at the time to gain hours toward licensure and jump ahead in my career.
When you are an associate marriage and family therapist working toward licensure there are a lot of hour requirements needed. A lot of those hours are working with either children, family or couples. So when I found a job that would quickly help me attain these hours by seeing adolescents at a school, I jumped on it even though it was unpaid and had some job duties that didn’t sit well with me. I never really wanted to take this associate position because of that but felt that it was necessary to meet my goal of becoming licensed (and therefore actually make money and have freedom in who I choose to work with) in two years. I ended up enjoying working with the adolescents but didn’t like the other parts of the position and I especially didn’t like the politics of the school. I felt very uncomfortable there and we ended up not parting on good terms, which was very upsetting due to the fact that I didn’t get to properly terminate treatment with my clients. If I could go back and tell myself to be a bit more patient and keep searching for a different position, I would. Because this job definitely led to some burnout and heartache.
The other position I had led to very high anxiety symptoms. A few weeks into it I found myself shaking when going into the office and dreading going back the next day. I stuck with it longer than I should have because it was important to me to stick with something I committed to and I felt that there was a lot of important things for me to learn there. But I wholeheartedly believe that you should never stick with something that is causing you that much distress. The fact that I didn’t leave sooner resulted in me having some prolonged stress reactions that took quite a deal of time for me to heal from.
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 Cyla Fisk and I am the owner of Her Space Therapy Los Angeles, a psychotherapy practice based in Pasadena, California. We specialize in trauma therapy and perinatal mental health. We have specialized training and experience helping women during pregnancy and postpartum as well as those struggling with infertility and loss. Individuals also come to us seeking support with depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, grief, relationships and the stress that comes with day to day living.
I am a mother of a sweet 3-year-old girl and can speak from experience on overcoming the challenges of becoming a parent. I utilize self-disclosure in therapy with intention to help the clients I see feel validated and to understand that they are not alone in the challenges they face. I have spent a lot of time learning about resources in our community in order to refer clients to places that can help them grow their community and support network.
I am most proud of the fact that my therapeutic methods have had such a great impact so far on the women I have sat with. It motivates me to continue growing in my skills and share them with other therapists so that we may have a larger team one way to help even more women in our community. I am very passionate about what I do and look forward to expanding my knowledge and my practice.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
Definitely yes. I really love what I do. I constantly feel inspired by my clients and colleagues and enjoy being in connection with others all of the time. I feel cognitively stimulated on a daily basis and it doesn’t hurt that all of the energy I put into my work truly makes a difference in peoples’ lives. Are there other things I’m interested in and would love to pursue? Yes. If I had a lot more hours in the day would I also be pursuing a job with my dance background or as a travel or party planner? Probably. But no, I don’t want to go back and change my choice in career. This is where I want to be.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Creating close and trusting relationships with colleagues and other health professionals has played the biggest role in growing my clientele. Originally I cast a wide net of people that might refer to me and vice versa, but that only got me so far. The deeper connections with a smaller group of individuals and businesses has been not only the most helpful in bringing in clients, but also for fostering my own connection and support within my business and personally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.herspacela.com
- Instagram: @herspacetherapyla
Image Credits
Amanda Quinlan