We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Juliana Posato. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Juliana below.
Juliana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
While I was working for another practice, I realized the ways in which I wanted to be an authentic therapist did not mesh well with the goals of the practice. I knew that if I had spent so many painstaking years building on my education and receiving my license as a therapist, I wanted to be as authentic in my work as possible. Therefore, something had to change. The first step I took was to reach out to my peers, other therapists I had close relationships with who also had their own practices. It was very important to me to make sure I utilized all of the resources I had in front of me. I met with a colleague I went to graduate school with, and she offered me the name and phone number of the company she was leasing her office from, and I decided to give it a try. I met with her on a Thursday, met the owner of the leasing company by the following Monday, and secured an office right after the meeting. This was a huge relief off of my shoulders, although the other weight was having to tell the practice I would be leaving. I think a lot of people have a hard time standing up for themselves in their place of work, but I believe the motivation I had to be an authentic therapist pushed me to get through the discomfort. In the waiting period before I left my job, I set out to establish the practice. Because I knew I would be the only owner and employee of the business, I learned through research that I needed a DBA to establish the existence of the business in the county I live in. After that, I worked with the town my office is in to file any paperwork and pay any fees needed to meet compliancy requirements for the business. While this was happening, I knew I needed to save as much money as I could to have a smooth transition. This step was the most difficult for me, as I was not receiving a suitable income at the time. I had made a lot of sacrifices along the way, but I knew it would be worth it once my practice was established. Expenses added up, and I was simultaneously keeping up with everyday life of bills, groceries, gas, just like many others struggle with. From the deposit I made with the leasing company to the final decorative touches, costs surely added up, but I managed to make those necessary purchases. In the end, I was able to leave my past job at the end of June 2024, and was able to open my practice two weeks later. Something that was reassuring to me was knowing that my patients I had built relationships with wanted to continue their therapeutic relationship with me, even though I was changing locations. This allowed me to feel a sense of security, not only from a financial point of view, but knowing that I had made a positive impact on my clients felt incredibly rewarding. Looking back on this experience, if I were to do anything different knowing what I know now, I would have told myself to make these changes for myself sooner. Risking my financial and career stability was something that my anxiety had a lot of trouble with, but choosing my mental health and happiness over my fears is something I will never regret. My advise to therapists who might be considering starting their own practice is: identify your support system, save your money, and put your mental health above your fears.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I would call myself a little bit of an extroverted homebody. I was born, raised, and currently live in western New York. I hold my home city close to my heart. I received my Bachelors Degree from Nazareth College, double majoring in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. After that, I took a year break and worked for a couple of research labs to boost my clinical experience. Then I attended graduate school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and received my Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. From there, I worked for a private practice to build my clinical hours and study for the state licensing exam. The services I provide are mental health services for teens, adults, couples, and families. The issues I work on with my clients are vast and wide, but some common issues are anxiety, depression, poor communication, and family trauma. What I think sets myself apart from other therapists is the emphasis I place on comfort in the therapy room. My office is colorful, inviting, and cozy. From blankets to pillows to candy, I try to make my clients feel at home when attending a session. I find this extremely important to the therapeutic process to bring out not only the authenticity in myself, but the authenticity in my patients as well. I take pride in the work that was necessary to get me to this point in my career. Seven years of education, three years of clinical experience, one year of studying, and commitment to my clients has allowed me to successfully open my practice. The main things I want people to know about me as a therapist is that I am fully committed to supporting healthy change in people’s lives, and I would not have my own practice unless I truly loved my work.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
What I think is most helpful for succeeding in the field is passion, commitment, setting boundaries, and taking time for yourself. Passion is a requirement for this field, beyond the education and licensing. You need to love the work you do and be motivated to learn more every day. Therapy is an ever-evolving field, simply because time inevitably moves forward. If you don’t have passion for the work, you are less likely to establish authentic connections with your clients, and building a connection is the foundation to creating healthy progress. Your commitment towards the work goes hand-in-hand with your passion. Just as your patients are committed to creating healthy change in their lives, you must also be committed to be a reliable support for your patients to aid them in reaching their goals. Setting boundaries with your clients is another key to success in the field. Therapists who work for themselves and maintain their own practices need to be able to separate their work life from their life outside of work. As therapists, like me, who are not only therapists, but business owners as well, it is imperative that your life is not consumed by your work. Boundaries with clients looks like not carrying their emotions when you leave the office, not answering clients’ non-urgent messages before and after work, and only taking as many clients and sessions per day as you can handle. Everyone’s capacity differs in terms of a patient load. Personally, I do not take more than six clients in one day, or 24 clients per week. This allows me to prevent burnout and to keep my passion alive for the work. Finally, just as everyone deserves breaks, therapists especially need their breaks, vacations, or time away from the office. We are providers of care for so many people, often we forget to take care of ourselves. What I have found helpful for me is to have about four weeks of vacation per year. Quarterly vacations not only allow therapists to “reset,” but, if planned out, can give therapists something to look forward to if there are times of the year that feel heavier than others. In day to day life, I do my best to maintain quality relationships with my family members, my friends, and do the activities I enjoy to unwind, such as reading or visiting a local coffee shop.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Although I may sound like a broken record, I believe my authenticity has helped me build my reputation in the therapy market. Professionalism in your work is a non-negotiable, but showing your clients you are just as much of a human as they are brings a deep sense of comfort for them. Often, therapists take a “blank slate” stance in that they actively try to not show emotion, or remain neutral in their responses to their clients. In my personal experience, this has left clients feeling as if they are looked down on, or unable to be vulnerable during session. My reputation as a therapist is built on simply being a human: one who can laugh, cry, banter, debate, and be open with their clients. Sticking to this has allowed to me not only maintain by clientele, but grow my clientele as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/juliana-posato-rochester-ny/1336650
- Instagram: @julianaposatolmft
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliana-posato-lmft-381519231
