We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristin Calverley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristin below.

Kristin , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I can honestly say that my first job completely changed the course of my career. I landed a job in women’s perinatal mental health and was housed in a busy hospital right on the NICU, postpartum, and antepartum units. At that time, I had limited experience in perinatal mental health or neonatal issues so it was a steep learning curve. I’d been very oblivious to these life experiences beforehand as I didn’t have children at the time. Nevertheless, I loved coming to work everyday and wanted to learn everything I possibly could relating to what the patients were going through.

I was so moved by what people went through with their pregnancies, deliveries, and NICU stays. Seeing the resilience firsthand of these families going through such hard times was life changing. It really helped me to appreciate how to support people differently when they’re going through experiences out of their control, By witnessing such vulnerable times in peoples lives, I gained a whole new perspective on the complexity of women’s reproductive mental health and knew I’d found my passion. Since then, I’ve continued to work in perinatal mental health and hope to continue doing so for the duration of my career.

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

I wanted to be a therapist from a young age, always wanting to help people, and being intrigued by the uniqueness of all people. My private practice is called Inner Balance Psychological Services and I offer virtual visits to suit busy lifestyles. I help high-functioning, driven women who are struggling with reproductive concerns and/or anxiety. Specifically, I have extensive training in perinatal mental health including fertility and pregnancy struggles, postpartum anxiety, depression, and OCD, as well as birth trauma. My approach is very actionable and skill-based so that my patients have the necessary tools to thrive. I strive for patients to feel like themselves again as quickly as possible. I’m also working on some new things that have yet to be revealed, but will allow more people to access these services that are so desperately needed. Follow me on social media for all the updates.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Knowing I always wanted to be a therapist, I didn’t really question my choice and went straight into college pursuing psychology. After I finished my bachelor’s degree, I began to wonder if I was blinded and should maybe shift gears towards something that didn’t require another 6-8 years of education. So, I began teaching and taught ESL abroad for a couple years. I enjoyed teaching and was content, but never felt overly passionate about the field. I realized that teaching shares a lot of commonality with therapy. I eventually went back to graduate school and never looked back again. I can honestly say, given that I did question the choice but resumed course, I would still choose this life 1000 times over. It’s a privilege to work with people in such a personal way and seeing results of helping people find their way inspires me everyday.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Being a solopreneur, I find that connecting with other professionals to be a key component of keeping my sanity and helping my business thrive. It’s so necessary to have peers with whom to discuss professional issues. I also appreciate the connections I have with complementing professionals, such as psychiatrists, other physicians, dietitians, doulas, midwives, PT’s, etc. as we can provide more comprehensive care when we work as a team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.innerbalancetherapy.ca/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkristincalverley/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristincalverleyphd/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-calverley-phd37bb9877?originalSubdomain=ca
• Other: If you struggle with panic attacks, get my free survival guide at www.drkristincalverley.com/panicguide

Image Credits
Jacinta Christos for book image