We were lucky to catch up with Lauren MacKellar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

There have been many moments throughout my professional career and personal life that have shaped what I do now. I feel lucky that much of my experiences in life can be informative to my work and vice versa. One moment that launched a pivotal change in my career, was the experience of having my first child. I had always wanted to be a mother and felt such a purpose in this role. I also loved working as a therapist, yet realized, I was in a space that didn’t fit where I was in my life or where I wanted to go. Becoming a mother led me to realize that I wanted more freedom and creativity in my work. My entry into motherhood was beautiful, yet also traumatic. I realized the need for support in this area and began focusing my attention on therapeutically supporting mothers. This resulted in joining a practice that allowed me the freedom to pursue this in my professional career. In finding this greater sense of purpose and connection to my work, my motivation increased, and the connection I had with clients became that much greater.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

All my life, I’ve truly enjoyed learning about people and supporting them in their goals. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career that helped others, and after much exploration in different fields, I landed in the field of mental health counseling. My own experiences in life greatly impacted the focus of my work. Throughout my personal counseling experience and the knowledge I acquired in graduate school, I was better able to identify what worked for me, what interested me, and how I could be most supportive to others. The areas of focus I have in work are often areas in life that I have struggled with or continue to struggle with. I find that this experience allows me to quickly connect with others experiencing something similar. I also find that I carry a lot of hope for others when I have experienced the benefits and change that counseling and therapeutic tools can offer. I provide counseling for women struggling with anxiety, peripartum disorders, and disordered eating. I love helping women build compassion for themselves and becoming their own best friend. I work with women to break down the inner dialogue of criticism and change that to a dialogue of support. I believe that when we can learn to love and accept ourselves unconditionally, the challenges in life become much easier to navigate.
I work for a unique practice that values the well-being of clients above everything else. How we show up for clients at Eastern Shore Counseling is a top priority. We value the humanness in all of us and find it important to show that. We don’t get a free pass because we’re therapists. We make mistakes and we make them often. Everyone does. I think this level of vulnerability that we share sets us apart and my hope is that it allows clients to feel comfortable enough to show up as they are. Therapy is a challenging and extremely vulnerable process. This space that we hold is precious and I am constantly humbled by it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up, I learned that making mistakes was shameful. I learned that I couldn’t just exceed in one area, but that I had to exceed in all. When I began my counseling career, I had the same thought process, and while I was told that I would say the wrong things, I couldn’t accept that this was true. I thought I had to say everything right, know what everyone needed, and support each person towards their goal, no matter the issue. I stood firm in this for a while and consistently felt like I wasn’t good enough. The reality was that this goal was unattainable. No one can be a good match for everyone. If I was, I wouldn’t be being true to myself. I realized that if I showed up genuinely, I would have better connections with the clients I could help and greater awareness of the clients who would greatly benefit from a referral to someone else. I eventually learned to rewrite this messaging for myself and it not only took a great deal of pressure off, but also allowed me to provide better services to the people who would benefit from it most.

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

Specializing in working with a certain population and disorders has greatly grown my clientele. I had a fear in specializing for so long because I thought it would limit the amount of people I saw, but it actually did the opposite. It gave me greater focus and allowed me to provide better services, while also allowing me to enjoy my work. Clients also had more trust that I could support them after seeing what I specialized in.

Contact Info:

• Website: easternshorecounseling.co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/easternshorecounseling
• Instagram: @easternshorecounseling

Image Credits
Fabio & Juliette Photography (only for headshot-personal photo)