We recently connected with Madilyne Harmston and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Madilyne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Never in a million years did I think I would be a business owner and running my own business. The thought of starting my own practice was really scary but I wanted the freedom I could have with it. Being able to support people on my own time, in my own way, without having upper management or someone else overseeing me sounded really nice. When the thought came to my mind, I went to God first and prayed about it. When I felt like God was saying it is a go, I did my research. I think it’s important to talk to others who may have launched a business similar to yours to get some guidance around mistakes they have made and what worked well for them. I ended up talking to a few people on the appropriate steps to make sure I was ethically and legally opening my therapy practice right. I knew that I had the licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and was able to open my own practice, but the business steps I was clueless about. For anyone that is looking to open their own private therapy practice I would encourage you to get a mentor who can support you in walking through the steps. Having someone to ask questions to who has been through the process is so helpful! Also, give yourself GRACE. No one is perfect and mistakes are meant to be learned from and to help you grow as a business and as an individual person.

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.

I knew I wanted to be a social worker from the 3rd grade. I was in the foster care system when I was a child and had a social worker who supported me and my siblings through that process. Eventually we were adopted, but from having the experiences that I did, I knew that I wanted to help people who have been through some really hard stuff, like I have.

Out of high school I declared my social work major for undergrad and then went on to get my Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. When I was in school, I was working jobs that were related to the field. Whether it was a crisis counselor at a school or a mental health associate supporting those with mental health challenges, I always tried to get as much experience as I can to beef up my resume but also because I knew that it was something that I wanted to do. I really liked my jobs, which is an absolute blessing to have a job that you like.

When I received my full licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in the state of Minnesota, I had the opportunity to start being more versatile in my work. I knew that I wanted to support people through challenges such as anxiety, depression, or childhood trauma they have experienced. After some consideration, I decided to open my own private practice which I named “Lyght.”

Lyght focuses on individual therapy. We serve clients that may experience challenges with anxiety, depression, Trauma, PTSD, abandonment, stress, life transitions, and more. Lyght focuses on approaches such as strengths based, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, Trauma Focused, and others. Lyght was founded to empower individuals to overcome their mental health challenges by providing compassionate, evidence-based care in a safe and confidential environment. Therapy provided from Lyght is all telehealth. This means that clients are able to receive therapy from the comfort of their home. Our ultimate goal is to help our clients achieve their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.

Another component of Lyght is public speaking and empowerment. Lyght is dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and creating a more understanding and accepting society. As the founder of Lyght I will use speaking opportunities to not only educate others on mental health but also to encourage others that there is power in their story. No matter what you have faced or what you have gone through, your story can be used to help others. Have you ever heard the saying, “hurt people hurt people?” Well…. it’s also true that “healed people heal people!”

The focus for Lyght is healing, Healing can come from therapy and healing can also come from education and empowerment.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?

This is a great question! I know that the unknown costs upfront can be scary if you have not done it before. For me, I eliminated a lot of the costs because I am completely telehealth. This means that I do not have a building I rent or own and I am able to provide therapy through a HIPPA compliant platform like Zoom. For some people telehealth therapy may not be the best choice for them, but for a lot of people it is. For the clients, it eliminates the travel time to and from appointments and people are able to have therapy from the comfort of their home. As the therapist this is also beneficial and cuts travel time and reduces the number of no-shows from clients.

The costs I had to consider when starting my private practice was the filing of an LLC, upkeep of my licensure. and the monthly fees for using a secure platform that saves and stores my documentation. Fortunately, I am not the first one to only do therapy through telehealth. There are many platforms such as Simple Practice and Alma that support private practice owners by providing a platform that is secure for your documentation, billing, and other necessities. They make it so much easier for those who are running their own practice.

The initial capital I needed to start my practice was minimal to the amount that I would be making. For any Psychotherapists looking to start their practice, telehealth can help in reducing the costs upfront. You also get.
a tax write-off for running your business from your home. I know every practice is different, but this was the best route for me! I decided to start at a smaller scale and work my way up. I haven’t considered it yet, but if God will’s it, maybe I will have my own location and building one day.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Going into opening my practice, I wasn’t sure what was the best way to market my practice. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to get enough clients. I started with creating a business Facebook and Instagram and asked people to share it on their profile (shameless plug; go follow me @lyghtllc). I also made it known to other colleagues in the same field that I started my own practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lyghtllc.com
• Instagram: @lyghtllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lyght-LLC/100089802785187/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madilyne-harmston-258a77b4/
• Other: Email to book a speaking event or other inquiries: [email protected]

Image Credit
Ellie Dove Photo @elliedovephoto