We recently connected with Lindsey Jonin and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I started my mental health private practice, Lily Counseling and Art Therapy, LLC in the summer of 2023. It seems like it’s been so much longer than 2023 due to how much I’ve grown since then. Owning my practice was definitely not on my mind when I was a newbie therapist. I thought I was going to be a W2 employee my whole life; especially since that was how it was for my parents. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit, that I was leaning more into this idea. I’m now a two-time business owner!

Throughout my career, I realized that I was burnt out working in community mental health, and wanted a change. I started to work for private practices prior to taking my leap in 2023 for my own private practice. Working for other practices helped me gain experience within this business realm, and also connecting with others in this field. Connection with folks that I align with has been key for me, and this is an action I would encourage others who are hoping to get into this business. It’s important to have supportive connections that you can gain feedback from.

Along with my clinical practice, I started developing creative art workshops for adults and presentations to support teams and companies. That is when Abstract and Aligned, LLC was born, as my second business. I was seeing that many adults were not engaging in healthy social events for multiple reasons: not many wellness adult events out there, limited adult events without alcohol, and limited encouragement in creativity for adults. Throughout my career and personal life, I’ve witnessed and experienced the benefits in creating in community. I also wanted to bring these services of workshops and creative presentations to organizations and companies. I work with teams to assist in building sustainable wellness, burnout prevention, and leadership and team development, to cultivate a thriving workplace community.

For newer professionals in this field, I encourage gaining experience in multiple settings to build resources and skills and discover what direction feels best. Due to working in multiple settings, I had the experience of working with clients in various ways (groups, family sessions, parent sessions, and individual sessions). These experiences helped me determine what direction I wanted to go with my own businesses.

Lindsey, 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?

I am a lady of many hats: creative speaker, counselor, art therapist, supervisor, entrepreneur, and artist. The main theme I want folks to know about me is how passionate I am about all things art and creativity; creativity is so important in our overall wellbeing. I was always interested in art, and fortunately learned about Art Therapy in my high school art class. This led me to my path on becoming a mental health professional. With my passions of art and creativity, I developed two businesses that encapsulate these.

Lily Counseling and Art Therapy, LLC: Clinical Art Therapy and Talk Therapy for individual clients experiencing anxiety, life transitions, low self-esteem, and more. Art experience is not required to engage in Art Therapy, and it is not only for kids! I work with clients that are located in NJ and FL. I also supervise individuals who are working towards their Art Therapy and Counseling credentials. LilyCounselingAndArtTherapy.com

Abstract and Aligned, LLC: Supportive presentations for organizations and companies, experiential art workshops, continuing education for mental health providers, and more. I work with teams in various fields, to assist in burn out, strengthen resilience, and reconnect with sustainable wellness through creativity, connection, and compassion. My presentations are interactive and especially impactful for people navigating stress, performance pressure, and decision fatigue.

My community art workshops are primarily for adults, covering a range of themes and art materials. Check out my website to see when my next one is! Sometimes I facilitate these virtually too.

I have spoken on panels, podcasts, and facilitated workshops and presentations for organizations and companies, conferences, academia, museums, local communities, and more. Interested in having me come speak to your team and/or community (in-person and virtual options available)? Reach out at www.abstractandaligned.com

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn are my old views of success and perfectionism. For years, I tied my worth to success and perfectionism, constantly searching for the next win. I “needed” to be “perfect” in order to be “successful.” If I was not (which I wasn’t because perfection is not real), it would impact me greatly. I’m sure you all can agree that is not sustainable. I believe, and often say that, “perfection does not exist, it destroys creativity, and comparison is the theft of joy.” I realized that this old view of perfection and success was doing what the previous comment says: I was destroying my creativity and ruining my joy. Rest was usually not included in my old view because I believed that it did not provide an outcome that led to success. Rest is productive as well, and another important factor in sustainable wellness. Now, I teach clients, communities, and teams that rest is productive, creativity requires openness without restriction, and success cannot exist without well-being.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Yes! This profession has guided me to create two businesses, meet wonderful people, create more
art, share my passion with the world, and gain such a supportive cohort. When I graduated, the thought of owning a business never crossed my mind, and I was not even hearing about this as an option. As I progressed in my career, I was (and still am) fortunate to have met wonderful business owners, and this also encouraged me to take the leap. Now, I have and continue to see many opportunities and I am not sure that I would be where I am today if I did not start with this degree. I am consistently expanding my skills and knowledge to build more sustainability within my own life, and be a healthy support to encourage individuals to implement healthy change in their own lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lilycounselingandarttherapy.com and www.abstractandaligned.com
• Instagram: LilyCounselingAndArtTherapy and AbstractandAligned
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AbstractandAligned and (LilyCounselingandArtTherapy) www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094762251629
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-jonin
• Other: Substack: https://abstractandaligned.substack.com/