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

Karyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

When I started my private practice it was in the summer of 1999. In fact it was July 4th weekend. I was working for a local hospice at the time, and I knew I wanted to be “independent” for Independence Day! I was basically quitting my full time job in one fell swoop with salary and benefits to opening up a practice in Florida, in the summer, which used to be a relatively quiet season. Snow birds knew to get out of dodge in the heat of the summer! When I shared with my close friends and family that I was doing this, I did receive support, but also a lot of concern. “Why would you do this in the summer?” “Aren’t you worried about all of the competition of therapists in Boca Raton?” I was never worried, because I believe in abundance. I would always say that I believed that the right clients for my practice would find me, and that there are plenty of clients for all clinicians. I never felt worried or threatened. In fact over the years I have served as a mentor and support to countless clinicians who have started a private practice. Life presents itself with risks, and through facing them, we thrive. I am grateful that I have just started my 23rd year in private practice, and I couldn’t be happier.

Karyn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always known what I wanted to do with my life since I was ten years old! My school had the nicest guidance counselor who also became my English teacher. In college (Hook ‘Em Horns!) I studied psychology and in graduated school (Go Buckeyes!) I specialized in child and family counseling. I was working in retail while attending graduate school, which I hated, but believe everyone should have to do it for life experience. I wanted to find work in my field. Before the days of email, we had old-fashioned bulletin boards in the grad school mailroom, and I saw a job posted for a grief counselor for our local Hospice in Columbus, OH. They totally took a chance on me and getting that position greatly impacted the trajectory of my career. I had an incredible mentor who, when she retired in 2018, asked me to be a contributing author for her Grief Counseling professional textbook. Total full circle moment. I have been in my private psychotherapy practice for 23 years. I specialize in grief, loss, trauma, and fertility counseling. I work with children, teens and adults. I am certified in perinatal mental health, which includes postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. I also work with individuals and couples through their journey of 3rd party reproduction. I conduct mental health screenings for egg/sperm donors, gestational carriers, and intended parents who are on the journey of having a family. I am trauma trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Densitiization and Reprocessing) and a certified hypnotherapy practitioner. I was an adjunct instructor at Florida Atlantic University teaching Grief and Bereavement Counseling and Issues in Counseling Women. I currently serve on the board of Professionals United for Parkland (PU4P) serving the South Florida community following the aftermath of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy. I have also been a board member and trustee of Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, FL… I was honored to be nominated as a Woman of Valor by Hadassah.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am sure that most people can relate to the pivot that we have all had to embrace, which has been during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a psychotherapist, being in the office with my clients has been the industry standard so to speak. In my history of my practice, the rare “Skype” appointment, was just that, rare. Or the occasional FaceTime with a teenager was very infrequent. When the world shut down, grabbing files from my office and working from home was the ultimate “pivot.” Eventually I transitioned to a paperless practice and Telehealth. Although I do work in my office, I have two days working from home which my clients enjoy, and I admit, wearing workout clothes and hair in a ponytail has been really nice. In addition, being licensed in Florida opens up the entire state, so I can see college students, clients in rural areas, or truly anyone in the state looking for a therapist with my expertise and specialization.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I was fortunate to navigate my career with a specialization early on. While I was still working within the hospice movement, a colleague gave me excellent advise to specialize and not generalize. By creating a niche in my field made my practice much more marketable. In addition…Professionalism and Ethics, Integrity and Compassion. These are the hallmark values of my practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karynrosenberg.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karynlcsw
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karynrosenberglcsw
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karyn-rosenberg-lcsw-pmh-c-14248a68/