We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Luna a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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.
I have taken many risks in my adult life. I think when you are first generation, taking risks is a big part of the journey to success. Looking back, I think the greatest risk I took was to move to a different state to pursue a romantic relationship. I was 28 years old and met a person I connected with. He moved to Austin, TX a month after we met. We continued a long distance relationship for a year and then I decided to move. I remember feeling very conscious of the risk and trying to minimize it as much as possible, making sure I had a job, health insurance, all the responsible adult stuff in order. But, looking back, it really was a big risk. I am not a risk taker so it seems a bit out of character when I think about it. I am glad I took it as it helped me grow into who I am today and led me to be able to build a life with whom has become my life partner.
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’m a Latinx psychotherapist. I have a small private practice in Washington DC, and am also licensed in Virginia and Maryland. I work with people of all ages, and specialize in anxiety, relationship issues, family of origin issues, and childhood trauma. I got into my field because my mother was always very interested in psychology and I decided to pursue it when I started college. Once in college a close family member of mine was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which is a severe mental illness, this cemented my interested and began my passion for helping people who struggle with mental health. I love my job and find inmense fulfillment in what I do everyday.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
There are two main factors that I think helped my reputation within my field/market. Number one is doing good work, being able to provide quality mental health services to clients so they see improvement in their mental health and progress towards their goals. The second is being responsive to clients and potential clients. Always following up within 24-hours and even if I am not accepting clients, following up and providing referrals to other providers. When owning and running a business, it is equally as important to provide quality services while engaging with customers so that they want to return and tell others about you.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I became pregnant with my first child I was working as a mental health therapist for a Community Service Board with a local County. It was a fast pace, stressful job and the commute was 45 minutes long each morning and evening. Once I delivered my baby, my perspective and motivations shifted and I didn’t want to work that many hours anymore. I asked for a part-time position, 30 hours. The director denied my request, so I quit my job. I was in a privileged position at that time that I didn’t have to work. I took seven months maternity leave and then started looking for another job with a local county, same type of position I had held in the past but part-time. I never thought about going into private practice. I always thought I would work for a local State agency and pluck away until I retired. Looking back, I think I felt that private practice was something unreachable for me.
When my son was seven months old I started job hunting. I applied for a private practice part-time position on a whim, thinking that this was the time to explore and take a chance. I also applied for a part-time position with the State. I got called back for an interview for both the same week. My initial instinct was to go back to where I was comfortable, which was a job with the State. It was a very hard decision to make at the time, but I ultimately took a chance, knowing that it was an opportunity that would not come again soon. Taking that chance and pivoting from what I believed would be my next step, has opened so many opportunities and enriched my life tremendously.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lauralunatherapy.com
Image Credits
Laura Luna