We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elisa Lyons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Elisa, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
While working full-time in a community mental health center providing school-based therapy services in my local community, I quickly noticed the need and limited options for quality mental health counseling services in this rural area. I established my private practice out of this need, and after a few months of working both practices, after much thought, deliberation and guidance, I made the huge decision to resign from my comfortable and safe community mental health job, to pursue my private practice full time.
I emailed my resignation on a Friday, and unbeknownst to me, when it was received and accepted on the following Monday, the life as we all knew and my future vision, would turn upside down and around. This was on March 13, 2020; the start of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t freak out and panic wondering if I made the wrong decision; wondering how I could financially survive without a salary, and question if I should recant my very recent resignation. However, I leaned in and trusted my intuition in seeing it through, and was actually quickly overwhelmed by the influx of referrals for individuals seeking counseling services. Through this, and various resources from the state and federal levels for not only small business owners, but the mental health industry, my practice was surviving, and actually thriving. I secured a physical office space and hired my first clinician at the end of 2020, and have continued to grow.
Looking back, pursing private practice is a risk of its own, but adding in the nationwide (and perhaps, worldwide) uncertainty of our economy and daily life through the pandemic, has been the biggest risk I have taken in both my professional and personal life, and also one of the best one ones I’ve taken.
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
I chose to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor out of a desire and passion to help children and families of Iowa. As a native of rural Southeast Iowa, I recognized the need to make quality mental health care more accessible to the people of this area, as i believe that it’s important for all people to have access to mental health services when they are needed. This led me to pursue a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from the University of Iowa, to work as a mental health therapist/counselor.
I have many years of experience providing behavioral health and mental health counseling services in a variety of settings and with a variety of populations, having worked with children as young as 2, adolescents, teens, and adults of all ages.
I have a special interest in working with children and adolescents and in treating survivors of trauma and abuse. I take the necessary time to collaborate and create the wide variety of treatment plans for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, anger, grief, or those struggling with the stresses associated with major life changes. I draw from a wide-base of psychotherapeutic and evidence-based techniques to best serve the needs of each individual client, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, art/play/sand tray therapy, person-centered therapy and EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing).
My providers and I at Iowa Family Counseling are somewhat different from other local practices, in that we align more holistically; seeking to have a truly collaborative working relationship with a client’s other healthcare practitioners, to ensure we’re all working together in treating the whole person….their mind-body-spirit.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I’ve had to unlearn since entering into the mental health industry, and especially since starting by own group private practice, is always saying ‘yes’.
Burnout is very real and typically comes on rather gradually until one day, you’re questioning why you are regularly calling in sick to skip work/sessions, becoming more negative and critical, feeling emotionally drained and unmotivated and daydreaming about a career in an unrelated industry.
In order to prevent this and maintain wellness, establishing boundaries is necessary. The word “no” is essential for healthy boundaries and was a lesson that I needed help with; unlearning my urge to be agreeable and say yes to everyone and anything, even when I didn’t want to. This has been, and I know will continue to be, an ongoing and required process for myself.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients has been from word-of-mouth referrals. From past or current clients (and/or their family members), to individuals I’ve met in both personal and professional work roles, receiving a referral to us from a potential client’s family member or friend that they deeply trust, is one of the most appreciated and successful means.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iowafamilycounseling.com
- Instagram: @IowaFamilyCounseling
- Facebook: @IowaFamilyCounseling