We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Alejandro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Starting my private practice has been one of the biggest risks I’ve taken in my life. I did not start my private practice as I had envisioned in my two year plan. The same plan that I had communicated to my director during a performance review (which was stellar BTW) at my last job two years prior. Little did I know that I would be promoted to middle management at this job, absolutely hate it and then get fired. This was the first time I had ever been fired from a job, not including The Children’s Place store my freshman year in college. That, did not hurt my ego as much as being fired from a job I’d been for 5 years and had previously loved until that damn promotion. A true lesson in “be careful what you wish for!” I could have easily applied for another job at a non-profit or another insurance company but since I had sent the message to the Universe that I would be starting my private practice in two years, and it was almost two years to the day I said those words out loud. I took a chance. I already worked for a group private practice for about 7 years by then so I had a back up. I had some clients, I just had to get more to build my own. I got working on getting paneled with insurance companies. A friend from graduate school offered me office space in her office suite, but then ghosted me when I was ready to move forward. So I looked for my own space and found a great one, I’m still there. It was a slower build than expected and that ramped up my anxiety but the entire time the Universe provided. I was able to trust and have faith that being fired was the Universe’s way of kicking my butt into action. If all had gone well at my last job, I would probably still be there wanting my own business but still working for someone else’s. I had no idea what I was doing, so I listened to podcast, joined facebook groups and learned what I could as fast as I could. I still sometimes feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. and I took the risk, set “failure is not an option” as my mantra, because I don’t want to work for anyone else again. It hasn’t always been easy, pretty or less stressful, but it feels like freedom.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Ivan a first generation Puerto Rican female, the youngest of 5 women raised by a single mother (my hero) in the north end of Hartford, CT. I always knew I would be a healer/helper.
People always ask me when did you become a therapist? Sometimes I laugh and say my whole life. I have always had people approach me and start telling me their life stories, Even as a child, perfect strangers anywhere I’d go would just start talking to me. As a child I always knew I wanted to be a helper/healer. From a very young age I when asked what I wanted to do when I grow up, I would say a doctor, most specifically a pediatrician because I absolutely loved babies. In high school when I found out about medical school and how rigorous that would be, I changed my mind and took an honors psychology class and fell in love. Graduating from Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, I went into the social services field. I worked in child protection services for 5.5 years and that was tough and I learned so much about children and families and the unjust systems. I had to leave the job because of this and extreme burn out. I had started graduate school in a marriage and family therapy program and knew that had found what I truly wanted to do, therapy. I wanted to help people before they became part of that broke system. I then became a forensic interviewer, no less stress or heartbreaking but a great gift, to be able to give victims of sexual abuse and witness to crimes a safe space to share their trauma and a voice. I graduated grad school and had to leave that job to gain clinical hours for licensure. I worked with children in crisis and once I was licensed, started working at a group private practice and at the corporate insurance job, approving mental health services. Then I got fired and started my own practice.
Fast forward 7 years and my practice looks very different than it did when I started. I used to work with families, children, couples and individuals but as I’ve evolved in my spiritual journey so has my business. I now work with individuals mostly women, with anxiety/depression, in life transitions and on a spiritual journey. I still work with some couple but my work is specific to couples who want to continue their relationship, become closer and grow together. I no longer work with volite/hostile couples.
My work is an eclectic mix of psychotherapy, mindfulness, and energy work. I provide a safe, down to earth space, where the client is the expert in their life and I am the expert on how to move out of what no longer serves you. I meet clients where their at and nudge gently when I know and sense that it’s time. Depending on the clients comfort level, I may incorporate shamanic journeying, parts work, visualization, tapping, sound healing, crystal healing, soul inquiry, reiki, breath work, chakra clearing, oracle card readings, into our work together. I also work with plant spirit/herbs to create healing oils, slaves and tinctures. I haven’t started incorporating this with clients yet but we will see how it unfolds.
I also offer sound healing meditation circles once or twice a week. It’s called Divine Rebels Sound Healing Circles, Divine Rebels is my Facebook group. IN this circle I lead participants in a short relaxation meditation, proved 45minutes to an hour of sound with ancient instruments Himalayan singing bowls , gongs, ocean drums, rattles, drums, chimes and more. Then participants can share their experience if they feel called to and at the end we do an oracle card pull. People have experienced profound healing during these circles.
Shamanic Reiki is also another healing modality I offer. It’s the combination of reiki and shamanic practices. Making it a more interactive healing experience for the client.
Individual Sound Healing session, where the bowls are placed on the person’s body to accelerate healing and directly target any traumas, pain or stuck points.
I am also a retreat facilitator focusing on ancestral healing and self-love. I have done primarily day retreats but this year I have two weekend retreats one on June 2-4 at Copper Beech Institute https://www.copperbeechinstitute.org/upcoming-programs and one in September at Guest House Retreat and Conference Center in Chester, CT.
Crystal Dreaming to simply explain this it is shamanic journeying while lying inside of a crystal mandala. Here is the actual definition by the founder Raym Richards https://www.crystal-dreaming.com/: Lying in a unique mandala of crystals your practitioner will facilitate a gentle shift in your consciousness into an expanded state where your Crystal Dreaming inner journey occurs. In this enhanced state of awareness, after clearing all energies not totally aligned with unconditional love, it is possible to experience a state of absolute bliss, where profound emotional, physical and spiritual healing may occur.
Crystal Dreaming will locate and dissolve challenges manifesting here and now that have their roots in another time and place, often in past lives and frequently relating to unresolved emotional trauma.
Crystal Dreaming will bring clarity of purpose to your life and frequently leads to a blissful reconnection with the Divine. Your unique shamanic journey presents you with a golden opportunity to consciously activate and align with your life plan in a state of perfect harmony with the rest of creation. The results of Crystal Dreaming sessions are profound, permanent and immediate.
What sets me apart? I would say who I am as a person and how my light shines out into the world. I’m not for everyone and that is ok for me, because everyone is not for me. I try to be straightforward and honest, authentic and nurturing. Not sure if this sets me apart bit it definitely attracts the right clients for me, at least most of the time!
While this is not a service, I also do a Facebook live segment, which I’m restarting on May 7, where I interview people about their spiritual and entrepreneurial journeys.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Self-care and work -life balance are imperative in any field but especially in the psychotherapy and energy healing fields. I always say to my clients “if you aren’t healthy no one else around you will be either.” Recognizing when burn out has caught up to you and taking time to rest, Pouring into your own cup before you pour into anyone else’s, especially for women and women with children. Knowing when to stop and rest and also not to forget to have fun.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Word of mouth.
When I knew that my psychotherapy practice would be evolving into a spiritual psychotherapy practice, I hired a spiritual business coach. I paid a lot of money for this person, and she was just really starting out. My initial reason for hiring her is because I wanted to create an online course to earn some passive income. I did this and the course did not sell at all, but I gained confidence, clarity and the understanding of the social media marketing world: copywriting, visuals, pain points, posting 4-5 times a day, live videos and the list goes on. And I also learned that I wanted to do retreats and started doing those. I did these things for a while and I gained visibility and some new clients, but I didn’t make millions like most of those coaches will have you believe. I still do some of these things today just not as often. I do them when I feel called not because I have to get clients. Word of mouth referrals are my number one source of referrals and psychology today depending on their algorithm. Word of mouth is so meaningful for me because it’s like a real time testimonial in an in person interaction between two or more people, we need more in person interaction with each other.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://4wholehearthealing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4wholehearthealing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.alejandro
- Linkedin: JessicaAlejandrolmft
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY8bw6mUebE364G3lRx2L2w
- Other: https://jessicaalejandrolmft.com/ https://www.facebook.com/4wholehearthealing/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/wholehearthealing
Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/luisamatalucciphotography/