We were lucky to catch up with Laura Wood recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

When I was in graduate school to become a counselor, I noticed that I wasn’t like the other people in the program. I didn’t feel like I fit in very well, I felt like they all did things the “normal” way, and I was the total opposite. I started the program in 2013, as a single mom of three young boys, 6, 8, and 10 at the time. By then I had been married and divorced, lived all over the country and even in Germany for a while (my ex is in the military), I had worked a bunch of odd jobs to keep myself and kids afloat and was working full time throughout the program. I was sarcastic and notably less serious than the rest of my cohort. I was super busy and would turn in assignments at the very last second, I would “wing it” when giving a presentation because I can’t follow a script, and I was always a little too honest. I maintained a 3.75 GPA and did well in each class, but I still felt like I was completely different than the other students. This had me questioning myself so much so that I wondered if I was the “right kind of person” to be there, I thought I wasn’t serious enough, professional enough, even good enough.

The Masters of Science in Counseling program was almost four years long, and around halfway through I asked my faculty supervisor, who is now President of the Arizona Counseling Association, if I should even continue the program. I shared with her how different I felt, that my style is unconventional and I didn’t think I fit the mold that was expected. What she told me changed everything. She said, “That’s exactly why you should be here.” She went on to explain that the way things have been done for years isn’t necessarily the way they should still be done in the future. She told me that my differences weren’t weaknesses, but they were assets, that people who are struggling need people who they can relate to. They need authentic human connection and that my life experiences and personality that I felt made me the “wrong kind of person” actually makes me exactly the right person for them.

I think about her answer all the time, I realized two things in that moment; that my story is my strength, and that I may not be for everyone, and that’s a good thing.

For all of the reasons that I felt like an outsider, I’m now a group practice owner with a full caseload and a wait list. I am now a counselor supervisor and I work with those who feel like they’re not exactly what is expected. I help them know that they are exactly what is needed. When we own who we are and how we got here with full respect for our whole selves, we become the best version of ourselves. That is the version that the world is going to benefit from.

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 always knew that I wanted to work in the social services space. Even when I was a little girl I wanted to be a counselor. I imagined I would work in the department of children and family services so that I could help kids and teens who felt like they didn’t belong. I had kids of my own at a very young age, so my plans for college changed quite a bit. I finally got to start working towards my career after I was divorced and moved back here to Arizona.

To put myself through school I got a job at the University. The road to becoming licensed is about 8 years of education and 2 more of supervised practice so along the way I moved into leadership and then marketing. When I finally graduated I had spent years supervising others, building teams and departments, and solving complex institutional problems to improve the client experience. All of that work taught me how to run a business the right way, how to navigate different personalities and competing priorities. I use all of those skills in my work with clients, helping them get to the heart of the problem, understanding that there are trade offs along the way, and that we can reach a point of inner alignment that allows us to make the best possible decisions and optimize our own life experience. When we make choices consistent with our values and have the self-awareness to honor our fears and feelings, we become more stable, less conflicted and ultimately fulfill our potential as human beings.

I specialize in working with kids, teens, young adults, and moms. My practice is focused on complex trauma and dissociative disorders. What sets us apart is that we do more than what’s required to be qualified, we put our money and time into training, supervision and consultation in order to stay focused on our clients’ goals and ensuring that they get value out of every session. Every week my team meets and staffs cases, works through challenges and has space to reflect on their own processes as they relate to treatment progress. Supervisees and interns get at least one additional hour of weekly training and supervision.

One of the most important aspects of my practice is that we have enough support to offer the best possible care. Athletes have coaches, counselors need mentors. Our work is deeply impacted by our own ability to be present and balanced. We need consistent reflection and training in order to maintain the highest quality of service to our clients. They deserve that from us.

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

One of the most important things that helped me was supportive friends and colleagues. In the beginning, I partnered with other business owners and professionals that I knew and offered free groups or sessions in order to create an authentic network of people who believed in what I had to offer.

My brand has always been about becoming the most authentic version of yourself, to do that I had to put myself out there in that way. Early on, and even now, I feel incredibly vulnerable because to really know my brand and my work is to really know me, and that’s a little scary. I’m definitely not going to be perfect, but I can promise that I am always going to be real.

Reputation is about credibility, it’s about consistently showing up the way you say you will. To me that means keeping my brand promise by being genuine and connecting with my clients and community to offer them the support they need.

Any advice for managing a team?

Trust, mutual respect, boundaries, and consistency are some of the most important parts of good leadership and team dynamics. Building trust starts with being trustworthy, you have to do what you say you’re going to do, follow through with your plans, and respect your employees as autonomous adults who deserve to be there. If they don’t think you trust them, they won’t trust you. We can’t control other peoples behavior, we can only influence their decisions. This is one of the hardest things for leaders to learn because we often want everything to be done our way. We can’t do everything ourselves, and we shouldn’t try to. We have to let go of control and set boundaries with ourselves and our team so that everyone understands their specific role, what they’re expected to do, and how their work impacts the bigger picture.

Motivation comes from a sense of purpose, autonomy, and mastery. If you’re leading a team, it’s your responsibility to help your employees find those things in their work in order for them to be motivated to give their best. Before an employee is fully autonomous, you need to map out their role and how it contributes to the outcomes for your clients. They should know the answers to the questions; What other roles depend on them doing their part? How will clients be impacted positively or negatively by their work? What roles do they depend on for their work? We need to map this out for them so that they can gain a greater sense of purpose within the organization. When they’re new, we need to offer consistent support. Our role as a manager is to teach them what they need to do, show them how to do it, watch them perform their tasks, and then we hold them accountable once we are sure that they understand the expectation are capable of achieving it.

Morale comes from a sense of belonging and value. We must show our teams that we believe in them, we trust and rely on them, and that we appreciate them. People want to be heard and validated. Great leaders are willing to listen and respect the people who are sharing their ideas and insights, even when they don’t like what they’re hearing, they validate what is said and the intent behind it. Managing a team is like being the head of a family, everyone is different but they are all accepted for who they are and what they offer to the group, as the leader we are responsible for their well being and they deserve our support. If you show up for them, they will show up for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.benavieri.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/benavieri
• Facebook: Facebook.com/benavieri
• Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/company/benavieri

Image Credits
MacPea Photography