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

Katelyn, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

In 2013, I was a junior at the University of South Carolina studying Hospitality and Event Planning and it was time to start looking for a summer internship. The summer before, I had done a catering internship and knew without a shadow of a doubt catering was NOT for me. My home church was hiring youth interns (paid!) so I decided to take a chance and expand my field a little bit to event planning in churches.

My faith has always been the most important thing in my life so it was natural for me to make the jump from the wedding world to ministry. The event planning process was similar in that it involved small details, flawless scheduling, and an eye for design. However, the hiring process was a bit of a mountain for me to climb. I had previously applied to the job two summers before and been rejected, but college taught me the importance of perseverance and not taking “no” for an answer. It’s not about being successful on the first try, it’s about not giving up and trying again until you succeed. I applied again, interviewed with the youth pastors, and was finally selected to be part of the team.

Something I hadn’t planned on was the amount of counseling I would be responsible for as a youth intern. So many of these teens were wrestling with deep struggles and needed someone to talk to who they considered safe. Truly, I knew that summer that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: care for those who are hurting and teach them about Jesus.

Katelyn, 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?

Most importantly I’m a Christian. I’m also a mom of 2 boys and a military wife. I’m a published author and trained and certified biblical counselor. My style is grand millenial and I love all things blue and white. Party planning and hosting in my home is where I thrive when I’m not counseling.

In my counseling, I offer effective, individualized, care using the Scriptures.  I provide theologically rich virtual counseling to women in the comfort of their own homes removing the barriers of transportation, childcare, and illness. Many times, women, especially postpartum women, need counseling but are unable to leave their homes and children. That’s where I come in.

I counsel women in their late teens to 40s struggling with anxiety, fear, depression, anger, uncertainty about the Will of God, chronic illness, trauma, and many other issues that plague followers of Christ.  I also help families find unity in Christ and restore relationships.

As a counselor I promise to be there for my clients every step of their journey. My goal is to help them grow in trusting the Lord through their struggles, understand the scriptures and how the Holy Spirit changes the heart, and move forward to be more like Christ through progressive sanctification.

These things are so important to me because I’ve been there. I’ve been the young mom struggling with postpartum anxiety and depression. I’ve been the wife wrecked by her husband’s infidelity. I’ve been the woman living with the chronic pain of Endometriosis, home bound and lonely. I am a good counselor because I have been in the shoes of the women I counsel and I have learned strategies to tackle anxiety and depression with the truth of the Bible.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Social media, particularly Instagram and Facebook have been invaluable to growing my practice. I have spent countless hours listening to podcasts on marketing, creating reels and content, going viral, answering questions, and just connecting with people online. It’s a way to market myself and my business and the only cost is my time. I share counseling help, home decor and party planning content, and memes that make me smile and it’s enjoyable for me and my followers. Social media has given my business a place where people can get to know their counselor before they start sessions with me, that way our sessions are successful because they know we’ll be a good fit for one another.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start?

The wonderful thing about counseling virtually is that it is extremely low cost. Before I started counseling virtually, I had a brief hiatus from working because I had become a mom and childcare was a major barrier for me. I was a stay at home mom and I greatly missed being in the working world but I didn’t know how to fund my job since childcare would take up most of my earnings.

All I needed to start counseling virtually was a certificate and a tablet. My county doesn’t require business licenses so that wasn’t an expense. My husband watches our children while I counsel in the afternoons after he gets home from work so that’s not a cost I have to worry about. I do all my own marketing on social media for free and in person networking which also costs nothing. My capital was very low.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://biblicalcounselingmama.godaddysites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biblicalcounselingmama?igsh=MXhiZWN1OG9pdnA5cA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Sherry McKenzie Katelyn Ross