We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Liz Morrison a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Liz, thanks for joining us today. 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?
When I first decided to open my own private practice, the immediate response I got from other professionals was that I was too young and did not have enough experience. I started getting in my own head about it questioning all of my decisions and even deciding to apply to other therapy practices as opposed to opening my own. In that process, I met with a therapist named Sean Grover who forever changed my life. He offered me office space and occasional referrals and empowered me to stick with my dreams. Over time, I taught myself how to market, advertise, and engage with other professionals who could help get my name out there. With a brand new website and office phone number I was ready to go! Over the last 10 years, I have grown my therapy practice from having no clients to having other therapists work for me. My advice to young professionals would be to never let anyone convince you that you are not good enough or ready to do something. It might take hard work, but if I was able to do it than you can to.
Liz, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always loved helping people. Throughout my younger years I would be the person that others came to ask questions and get advice. I would help my family navigate difficult times and I really enjoyed problem solving. When I was in college, I took a psychology course which inspired me to pursue the field. Fast forward many years later and I have found a real niche in using cognitive behavioral therapy in helping children, teens, young adults, and families navigate lifes hardest challenges. We as a practice utilize a team approach with our clients in which we don’t just explore their past but also help them in the moment to come up with concrete skills and tools that they can use in their every day lives. We provide individual therapy, family therapy, and parenting support all in the virtual capacity to help our clients when they need it the most. We primarily work with those who struggle with anxiety, depression, behavioral challenges, social skill problems, trauma, adhd and executive functioning issues, and life transitions. We are most proud of the progress our clients make and how we have been able to help them achieve their goals and live their lives to the fullest.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
A time we had to pivot in our business was when COVID hit. Our small team had been seeing clients in person regularly in the middle of manhattan. When COVID began I remember looking out my office to what typically was one of the busiest areas of New York City to seeing almost no one on the streets. Our clients were scared and wanted to speak regularly but did not want to come into the office. We as a team made a quick decision to pivot our practice into a virtual one to help our clients in a safe capacity that offered them the support they needed. After months of providing virtual therapy, we decided that our clients were really benefiting from the flexible scheduling that came with virtual therapy as well as being in the comfort of their own homes as opposed to in the space we provided to them. We have remained virtual since.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
In the early years of my practice I learned the value of marketing and networking. I attended various networking events with other clinicians, reached out to schools and gave presentations to parent associations. I was quoted in the media and spent a lot of time blogging on relevant topics that our clients needed more information on. All of these things combined allowed me to get the Liz Morrison Therapy name out into the world as a therapy practice in New York City. In addition, we have been part of training opportunities to learn about the latest therapy techniques as well as led workshops and conferences on a variety of topics.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.LizMorrisonTherapy.com
- Instagram: @LizMorrisonTherapy
- Facebook: Liz Morrison Therapy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizmorrisonlcsw/
Image Credits
Liz Morrison