We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Sterk a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents have done right by us kids and have impacted us in a way we can have careers that also match our interests and what we are passionate about. Growing up, we didn’t have strict rules; our home environment focused on our family values, healthy and developmentally appropriate expectations, and learning as we got older how we wanted to contribute to our communities as adults. My parents coached our teams, volunteered for our dances, showed up to concerts, they work hard, and sometimes had long hours; they show up for us.

I believe two things they did right, out of many, is a lesson from each. My dad taught me about asking questions, and when I struggled with my mental health in high school, my mom got me into therapy.

My dad is a journalist, his job is to ask questions, listen, and take that information and write it in a way other people can understand, so this is a significant value he holds. As a student, I hated asking for help, I did not raise my hand in class, and school was pretty challenging. My dad specifically said, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.” He did not say, “you have to ask questions,” or “you must ask questions,” he attached an emotion to it; for some reason, that has stuck with me. I believe this was the foundation of my development in becoming a therapist.

My parents raised us in a community that had an “it takes a village” mentality. When the adults in my world could tell I was struggling with depression and anxiety, my mom, who has a background in medicine, was able to take what she noticed along with that feedback, and she got me into therapy as a sophomore. This was 2004; treatment was not very common in our area. I remember not wanting to go, and I do not think I had ever heard of therapy before. She took me to some old guy I found out later had helped others in my family and he came highly recommended. I do not remember how long I saw him, how many sessions we had, or what we talked about after I felt comfortable. I remember our first four sessions sitting silently, and there were zero expectations to talk; it was what I needed at the time. That was the moment I learned therapy was something I wanted to pursue. I spoke to him last year asking for referrals; it was a nice full-circle moment.

My parents continue to support my siblings and me in everything we pursue and genuinely are our number one fans. Do I think I could ever “pay them back?” No, not that they ever expect that, but working hard, serving others, and living intentionally is a good start.

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 grew up in Overland Park, completed my undergrad at Kansas State University, and loved the Family Studies program. I then started graduate school in Kansas City at Friends University, obtaining my master’s in marriage and family therapy.

Like many kids or young adults, I think there is a season they want to get away from where they grew up. I had a goal from my senior year of moving to Boston, which I did directly following my master’s in 2014. Boston was such a transformative time for me, not just personally but professionally. I grew in my craft of specializing in higher-risk cases from opioid addiction, high crime, and suicide to youth within the foster system, disordered eating, and non-suicidal self-injury. I had such a fantastic group of supervisors and colleagues that I appreciated the idea of a team environment rather than practicing solo.

Before moving to Boston, I knew I did not want to start a private practice; little did I know this would not have been an option anyway. Massachusetts requires graduates to work in an agency, nonprofit, or mental health group setting to complete all licensure requirements; most of that work is done in client homes providing services or within the community.

I am so glad I took this path, I was able to see mental health on a larger scale than just in a therapy office, and it molded the rest of my career.

I started with mental health nonprofits and agencies where I worked closely with child and family services, supporting youth and families in stabilizing reintegration back into the home from the foster system; I worked with young adults to build life skills for transitioning to adulthood and aging out of the foster care system. I also worked as the lead therapist at a group home for youth, where the idea of a mental health nonprofit agency started to develop.

It was not until I moved back to KC in 2018 I started to appreciate everything that Kansas City is and has to offer. Moving home from Boston was hard, but Healing Towards Wellness would not exist if I did not. Everything I learned while obtaining my clinical license led to this nonprofit; KC is the best place for us to grow.

Our mission and focus revolve around providing affordable and accessible mental health care by utilizing a wrap-around service model for those who otherwise would not have access. The wrap-around model allows clients to have a team meeting their mental, nutritional and physical health needs. Clients will have access to a licensed therapist; an anti-diet registered dietitian, and a personal trainer. Currently, we offer individual, couples, family, and group therapy. We hope to add other specialties to the team within the next year! We offer low-cost rates compared to the average cost of therapy in our area, and areas of focus include; disordered eating recovery, self-injury and suicide prevention, and couples and whole family work. We meet with ages 11 years old and above.

Being a nonprofit in itself sets us apart from the mental health space. Being a nonprofit allows for various funding, such as donations and grants; this allows the cost of therapy to stay low. Creating a wrap-around team is new to the area, and we believe it will be an excellent resource for KC. What sets us apart is being a full-run agency vs. independently practicing or being an independent contractor under another person’s license. It is essential that the staff and therapists have a steady livable wage; being a nonprofit allows us to achieve these goals.

There is so much to be proud of, and our team works so hard! These past three years have had ups and downs, times of immense growth, and times when growth was stagnant, but trusting the process is a substantial value we hold. Two areas we love sharing about are our teacher program and becoming known within the community. In October 2020, we started providing six-month free therapy for teachers and school staff. We knew they needed support during the pandemic and were expecting maybe ten people to reach out; by January 2021, we were serving over 30 teachers a week. We knew quickly that a need in the community needed to be met, but the number of sessions for one therapist was too much. As a team, we adjusted the program and continue offering five pro bono spots per clinician; spaces continue to be at capacity. It is one small thing we can continue doing for our community and our schools.

We are also incredibly proud that our community continues to believe in us, whether it be referrals for clients, donations, fundraisers, or being nominated for local awards, one being the Pitch’s “Best of” list for best group therapy. We are honored that our community believes in our mission and trusts us as a new mental health care space. We do not take for granted that we would not be here if our community did not believe we were needed.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe we are still working on this since we are still within our first five years of operation. There are also multiple “reputations” to build, such as our reputation as a safe and ethical mental health agency and a responsible, community-driven nonprofit. It’s important to build deep trust and mutual respect with both spaces. When I get a referral from a fellow therapist, I know there is trust because we are so protective of clients. We want to ensure they are cared for by someone we know will create space for healing. When we get nominated for an award or people choose to donate, that teaches me we have done an excellent job building those sturdy relationships beyond transactional relationships. People do not contribute to organizations if they do not believe in or trust them.

I have spent years building those relationships with fellow mental health professionals and companies we work and partner with. I genuinely want to know these people, their stories, why they became a therapist, or why they started their small businesses.

I firmly believe at the end of the day that money is vital to stay afloat, meet the needs of the community, and operate effectively. Still, if I do not genuinely care about these people, learn from them, support them and their mission or build trust with them, none of it matters. I would hope if asked about our reputation, those who partner with us and trust us with referrals would say we are intentional and authentic, we care, we do not have financial expectations from them, and we take our time in nurturing these professional friendships.

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

The three most helpful things I have learned in succeeding in this field, whether as a therapist or an executive director, are learning from others, staying up with how society changes, and being open to challenging my thinking. First and foremost, I need to learn from others and ask questions; we would not be where we are today if those I learned from did not take the time to pour their expertise into helping us. Secondly, society, cultural norms, and research are ebbing and flowing all the time, and we need to be aware of those shifts. Therapy and overall companies were different two years ago compared to now, and we need to pay attention. We must be flexible with how society and culture evolve, or we could become obsolete.
Lastly, I need to be aware of my own possible bias. It is essential to keep those in check to determine if it is driving decisions healthily or possibly holding clients or the company back from growing.

Contact Info:

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