We recently connected with Lisa Tetreault and have shared our conversation below.
Lisa, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
After nine years, I began contemplating leaving the large group practice I was with. Many of my colleagues and I had dreamed of this but all had the limiting belief that we couldn’t possibly make it on our own. As all of the benefits of going out on my own kept presenting themselves, the doubts were still present. When I shared my dream with others, help was offered and I began to feel supported. I was gifted a website and some credentialing assistance. I felt that if these people had faith in me then why don’t I have the same faith in myself? In the end, I had to hold my breath and jump with the affirmation, “I am replacing my fears with miracles.” I’m not saying that it was smooth sailing from the beginning but once I was recredentialed with my insurance panels, I was able to teach myself to use a billing program and make it work. This turned out to be a very good decision as I now have the freedom to run my business as I please, make my own schedule and keep 100% of my earnings instead of having to split it with a group practice. My advice to others hoping to do the same is don’t listen to the “naysayers” and keep looking until you find the right office and/or support team for you. It’s a great feeling to be able to say, “I do what I love and I love what I do!”
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?
For those that have not read about me before, I came to my counseling profession later in life. I decided to return to college as a single mother in my 40’s. After receiving my Bachelor’s Degree, I accompanied a friend to a presentation about a graduate program in counseling. She didn’t register but I did! I loved all of my classes and was proud that I earned my Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Some common issues that my clients bring up are their poor relationships with uncertainty and their fear of judgment. What sets me apart from some other therapists is my willingness to explore their spiritual beliefs if they choose to do so. I am proud to be able to provide a safe, non-judgmental space where my clients can figure out what spiritual beliefs resonate with them as well as provide them with a toolbox full of coping strategies to use for the uncertainties of life. My ideal clients are open to learning about mindfulness and positive psychology as well as cognitive behavioral therapy.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson that I had to unlearn was trying to be what you think others want you to be. Before I went out on my own, I was afraid to incorporate non-traditional modalities into my practice. Now I market myself as a holistic practitioner and attract clients that specifically search for this type of therapy and that choose me for this reason.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
A story from my journey that illustrates my resilience is the story about finding my office space. I had been searching for a while but I was only finding small, cramped, windowless offices with high rental fees. As I became discouraged, I decided to concentrate on the office I wanted and did not settle. Miraculously, I found a beautiful, spacious office space with huge windows and a private waiting room for much less than the others I’d seen. I’m glad I didn’t settle for less.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.themindfultherapysolution.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themindfultherapysolution
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaTetreaultLMHC/
- Twitter: @lisataytro