We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Gastorf. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.
Lauren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
Owning my own business wasn’t a goal when I first decided to become a counselor. However, while employed in a variety of settings, I realized the benefits of greater flexibility in my schedule and more clinical autonomy. Enter private practice.
I looked into group practices initially. The idea of immediate community with other clinicians and administrative support was appealing to me. I didn’t fall in love with any of the practices I checked out, though. Financially and creatively it made more sense to go out on my own.
While still employed, I spent about six months planning. I decided on a business structure and a name, built my website, found an office to sublet, and began the credentialing process with several insurance panels. All of this was facilitated by consulting with other practice owners who were gracious enough to answer my questions and share their own experiences.
A lot of clinicians opt to work for an insurance company or somewhere else when beginning their practice to offset lack of income. This is a solid move if you have the bandwidth to do it. I didn’t at the time. I was burned out and working two jobs at once didn’t feel possible, so I jumped both feet into private practice once I started it. This was financially scary and also incredibly freeing. While building up my caseload, I had much needed time to develop a robust self-care routine that has (with some alterations) largely stayed with me throughout the years. It took about three months to profit and about four to get to a caseload that felt full to me at the time.
My practice has evolved over time. Early on I spent more time networking and building connections in the field. When my children were babies I worked two long days a week and that was it. As my kids have grown, I have had the capacity and desire to work more days of the week. I juggle my work hours around the boys and have family to help, too. I am a person who likes to workout in the morning and take my time having breakfast and coffee so I block off several weekday mornings for that routine. Every year I participate in a handful of trainings to prevent burnout and continue learning and growing as a counselor. While I do not attend many networking events, I prioritize monthly consultations with other clinicians.
May 2025 will be ten years in private practice, and I’m so grateful. I encourage any counselor seeking the ability to enjoy your work and shape your practice and workflow around other areas of your life to consider private practice.
Lauren, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In a previous Voyage Dallas article I talk about what brought me to the counseling field – largely my own experience with mental health struggles following a soccer injury that greatly restricted my movement for a period of time. I later went on to obtain my undergraduate degree in Kinesiology, the study of movement.
Movement has always been an important part of my life, even when I didn’t specifically know it was integral to healing. As a kid I was often playing outside pickup soccer games or riding my bike. As a teenager I participated in sports. Today I prioritize walks and workouts and gravitate towards activities that involve movement. I jump on the trampoline with my kids or throw the football with them in the backyard. I seek out travel that allows me to hike, ski, or swim.
I’m a big believer in our bodies storing our emotional experiences and, as such, we are best served paying attention to our bodies and incorporating mindful movement to facilitate both physical and emotional healing. In keeping with this belief, I offer therapeutic interventions that are somatic. Somatic means “relating to the body”. In addition to traditional talk therapy focusing on the mind, I use approaches that incorporate the body into treatment, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Polyvagal Theory (PVT), and Trauma Conscious Yoga Method (TCYM). Because these approaches are complex, rather than attempt to describe each, I’ve linked each one to its source so you can read more if you are curious.
Each of these approaches have helped me evolve as a person and as a counselor. EMDR has been a game changer for so many of my clients who have experienced trauma. When I discovered IFS, its language and depathologizing framework aligned with my understanding of people more profoundly than any other theory ever had. Polyvagal theory (PVT) changed the way I perceive human behavior and has been incredibly helpful in communication, both personal and professional. And TCYM has given me license to incorporate more movement into sessions. With each person I work with, I incorporate most of these methods in one way or another. Having a variety of theories and approaches readily available allows me to tailor the counseling process to each individual’s unique needs. I enjoy this creative process.
I often meet weekly or biweekly with clients for 50-55 minutes at a time. I also offer extended sessions, especially for clients wanting to work very specifically on an issue. In extended sessions ranging from 90 minutes to 2 hours, we often have an identified target to work on using EMDR and incorporate IFS, TCYM, and PVT to facilitate the process. At the end of an extended session the goal might be to feel a significant shift in your perception or distress level related to an event or issue. Sometimes, especially in the case of complex trauma, the goal of each session might be greater stabilization, emotional regulation, and getting to know the parts of your internal system more. In addition to psychotherapy, I offer LPC Associate supervision.
More important to me than the methods I use is the way my clients and supervisees experience me. It’s human nature to want to be seen as we are, accepted, and validated. That’s what I hope all my clients and LPC Associates receive from me. I genuinely care about each person I work with and that’s the most important thing I’d like people to know about me as a counselor and supervisor. I am thoughtful about my approach with each person and how I show up in the room authentically and attentively.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn ignoring my body. Playing sports growing up taught me body awareness, which is incredibly valuable. However, with higher levels of sports there can be an underlying message of, “Notice what’s happening and push yourself to keep going as much as possible.”
The thrill of pushing your body to its limits can feel exhilarating, especially if your efforts result in winning a race, scoring a goal, or contributing a key effort to your team. Sports were a huge part of my life growing up. Sports taught me about resiliency, grit, work ethic, and how to be a team player.
As an adult removed from competitive sports, I started realizing the downside of continuously pushing my body. This manifested as chronic stress that showed up in a number of ways including digestive issues and anxiety, as well as an injury following my first pregnancy. I started realizing the need to push my body less, instead responding with acceptance. This has been a challenging, ongoing lesson for me, but very necessary as I enter new phases of life and as I age.
Today, as opposed to a vehicle to achieve, I view my body as the container of all my life experiences. It’s the only container I’ll ever have, so I value taking great care of it. I prioritize things such as sleep, nutrition, and mindful movement. I also check in frequently with my body. It’s kind of like asking a friend, “Hey, how are you doing?”
When my body is tired, I respond by building in more sleep and rest. When I’m overly busy and my body struggles to relax, I respond with more walks as opposed to higher intensity exercise. When I feel a low hum of anxiety, I know it’s time for more quiet, meditation, and reflection – or sometimes phoning a friend. Prioritizing taking care of my body often means communicating what I need to people in my life. Sometimes it means saying “no.”
I’m grateful for the evolution of my relationship with my body because it’s helpful in my work with clients. I take great joy in helping others develop a rewarding relationship with their bodies.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
In my opinion, community is essential for both well being and success in this field. Counseling is highly relational and requires high attunement towards our clients. It’s so important we have trusted people in our life – both personal and professional – who can attune to us and provide encouragement, support, and vital feedback.
Developing a professional community is a lot like making friends in school. It takes time, intentionality, and making a concerted effort to attend events and also be the initiator of lunch, coffee, or consultation. It’s invaluable having a few people to call with a question. Receiving feedback from colleagues regarding conceptualization, approaches, as well as how we’re showing up in the room is also necessary for success. Feedback also helps us grow in self-awareness. Growth can’t occur in isolation. We need relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vitalityprocounseling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitality.pro.counseling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitalityprocounseling
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-gastorf-m-ed-lpc-s-2967b116/
Image Credits
Archer + James Photography (all photos)