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

Alright, Katrina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

I decided to establish my own practice a few years before I actually stepped out and did it. I was working as a contract therapist at a group Private practice. I was learning a lot about the industry and how things ran on the business side of the therapy world. Two years before I actually left that practice, I decided that I was going to eventually go out on my own and do my own Private practice. The first thing that I did was to come up with a name and register it with my state and get the LLC process started as well as getting an EIN number. After that, I didn’t do anything with it until I began to feel like I was outgrowing the group practice and that I wanted to start doing my own thing. I had to pay attention to the things that I was learning and I began to take note and write many things down, which started the process of what my standard operations of procedures would be, as well as the systems that I needed to put in place in order to be successful. There were lots of doubts that came with this process, but it taught me resilience and persistence. I did a lot of research by watching YouTube videos and taking master classes focused on starting your own private practice. These things help me a lot. There weren’t many challenges other than the trial and error period and the figuring out of the many things that I didn’t know personally. It is amazing what a Google search can help you learn though! I do wish that there was someone who I could have leaned on who have walked the same path that I did that could help me along the way, but that was not necessarily the case. I did have colleagues who were able to help and answer many questions that I needed answered. The advice that I would give a young professional who was wanting to start their own practice is to start early and begin to doing research that will help you have things in place that you need to be successful. I would also suggest that they invest in their own future by taking classes or watching YouTube videos or talking to other people in the field. Who’ve already taken this leap.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My business is LIFE(Living Intentionally, Fearlessly and Efficiently) with KB. It is a private practice counseling business. I serve ages 16-60 and most of my clients are African Americans. My business is mainly telehealth which allows my clients to be comfortable in their own space or to have their appointment wherever they are (work, school, etc.…). This has been beneficial because many of my clients do not have to take time away from work or school or worry about drive to get to their appointments. There are not a lot of Licensed Professional Counselors who are African Americans in my community and I believe that it is important to be present as someone who understands some of the issues that our population faces. However, it is a challenge to get people to attend therapy due to stigmas that exist in our community. Starting this business has allowed me the opportunity to help decrease some of the stigma because of the education that I provide to the community and my clients about the benefits of counseling. Because I was raised in this community which gives me the ability to reach people who normally would not be reach because of the connection.

To get to where I am today, I worked my way up in the field by working in different settings to learn the ropes. I then moved into Private Practice part time and eventually to contracting full time. After doing that for a few years, I then moved into my own private practice.

It was very trying at times when I first started out, but I learned that I had to be very thorough and detailed and persistent. Balance is something that I learned was very necessary to be a business owner. I also learned how to set business boundaries for myself and others to ensure a successful business.

I have been the in the mental health field for over 15 years and worked mostly in schools serving underserved populations. I have been a Licensed Professional Counselor for over 10 years. I pride myself on being a product of the community that I serve as I was born and raised where in the area where I work. I also attended college here. I also understand the importance of having safe spaces to improve mental wellbeing for African Americans I have created this space as I am now practicing privately and mainly serve African Americans.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back I absolutely would choose the same profession. I love doing what I do and helping people to get to where they want to go in life by achieving their goals. I also enjoy helping people heal and become the people that they strive to be in life. I believe that the work that I do is one of my many gifts and is my ministry.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has honestly been my connections with the people in the community in which I live. I grew up in the city that I work in and many people trust my work because of that. A lot of my clients have been referred to me by word of mouth, organizations that I’m a part of, people that I’m connected to, other colleagues and places that I have previously worked. However, I do have a presence on social media and I get lots of referrals and clientele from that space as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lifewithkb.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.i.f.e.withkb/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithKB
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinatrbell/

Image Credits
ECB Photography Estrella Bennett