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

Hi Dana, thanks for joining 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.

Allie and Dana met at age 19 at a local university, Millersville University of Pennsylvania. We were both psychology majors and in the psychology honors program. We became friends through mutual friends and often worked together on our honors thesis and later graduate school applications. Allie went to graduate school at La Salle University in Philadelphia for her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Dana went to the Philadelphia suburbs to West Chester University of Pennsylvania to study her masters of Clinical Psychology. We stayed in touch however we weren’t as close due to busy schedules. Allie moved to New York City after graduate school to work with families in the criminal justice system. Dana stayed in the Philadelphia suburbs to work in a clinic in one of the most impoverished neighbors in Pennsylvania. In 2017, we became close friends again as schedules and time allowed. In 2018, Dana moved in Lancaster, Pennsylvania near our undergraduate alma mater. In 2019, Allie moved to Lancaster as well.

Many people told us not to start a business together because partnerships are “too messy”. They gave us advice about how we would feel competitive over each other, and how difficult it is to trust people. Business advisors thought we should start 2 separate practices, be located in the same building, and just refer to each other. We are so glad that we did not do this! Starting Rooted Lancaster LLC together has been the best decision. Therapy is an isolating job for a private practice therapist, and we are so glad that we have each other. It was a risk, but we practice the same communication skills that we teach clients everyday. It’s hard work, but ultimately worth it.

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

Rooted Lancaster LLC is a small women owned and operated private mental health practice in Lancaster, PA. We specialize in trauma, sexual issues, relationships, life transitions, difficulty with emotions, and stress management. We offer couples therapy and individual therapy. Allie is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist with a systemic approach. She works well with teens and adults. Her specialties including trauma, relationship issues, and issues with sex. She particularly likes working with women with low sexual desire issues. She also is a 200 hour registered yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance and has taken trainings on how to incorporate yoga as an intervention in trauma therapy. Dana is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a trauma informed behavioral approach. Her specialties include trauma, stress management, and life transition. She is an EMDR Certified Therapist through EMDR International Association and has specialty training in working with individuals struggling with complex trauma. Complex trauma is several types of trauma causing symptoms at the same time. Dana commonly works with religious trauma, sexual abuse, and attachment trauma.

We opened Rooted Lancaster LLC virtually in 2020, and we opened our physical office in Lancaster, PA in July 2021. In March of 2021, our practice grew so that we were able to quit our full time jobs.

We are down to earth yet provide high quality counseling services. We do some insurances because we feel that therapy should be accessible to the average person. We are a 2 women run show, and we are very proud of our practice and our work. We are offer a straightforward and transparent experience that we believe is very much needed in our local community.

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

We believe in creating a client experience that we would want from a therapist if we were seeking out services for ourselves. We manage the experience from start to finish. We get the majority of our referrals from word of mouth – whether it be from other therapists or current/former clients. We don’t believe that we are competing with any other therapists in our area so making connections from an abundance mindsight is key. There’s enough business for everyone to thrive, and we hope to find clients that uniquely match with our practice.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

We stand by the idea that in order to be a successful therapist, you need to be doing our own personal work. We think therapists should be doing their own therapist and professional supervision to continue to unlearn patterns and recognize biases that could come up in the therapy room. None of us are 100% objective, so you need a lot of self awareness to recognize when this interferes with treatment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootedlancaster.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedlancaster/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootedlancaster/

Image Credits
Dana Hampton, Allie Lindt