We were lucky to catch up with Marian Cooper recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marian, appreciate you 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?

I worked in community mental health for 8 years in New York City. I enjoyed the people I got to meet and work with but the nature of the job was putting me on a fast track to burning out. Several of my coworkers were leaving the job and starting their own practices and this pushed me into researching this as an opportunity for myself. Once I made the decision that I wanted to start my own practice, the main steps were figuring out what I needed to do legally to set my business up with professional best practices. As a therapist, key challenges to setting up my practice involved getting paperwork and policies together and figuring out how to run a business as this was an important topic not discussed in graduate school. I would give any professional the advice to go for it no matter how difficult or overwhelming it seems. I am so happy that I made the leap into being a business owner and wish I would have done it much sooner.

Marian, 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?

My name is Marian Cooper and I am the owner of Own the Moment Coaching and Therapy which is a mental health private counseling practice that provides therapy to high achieving professionals in Houston and New York City who are struggling with anxiety, self doubt, and the transitions life throws our way. I am a licensed clinical social worker with a specialty in creative arts therapy counseling. This basically means I use an integrated approach to help my clients reach their end goals. Maybe in session, we are just talking, maybe we are acting out unfinished business with a loved one, or using creative methods to tap into a specific feeling or emotion.

Therapy with me helps clients uncover unhelpful patterns and learn ways to manage their anxiety in a less frightening way. I currently offer in-person appointments at my office located in the Champions Forest area and virtual appointments for clients located outside of Houston. As a therapist, I have been trained to work with all types of issues and concerns, but I am excited to focus my practice on busy professionals in all industries struggling with turning off their inner critic.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

By nature I am a person that researches and does my homework when it comes to making big decisions. I consulted with friends both therapists and non therapists who are business owners and really took their advice and feedback to heart. I also signed up for a few coaching programs which helped me to get my business systems together. One book that really shaped my financial outlook of my business was “Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine” by Mike-Michalowicz. This book in a sense helped me to take control and really start to treat my business and my finances like a business. I can honestly say my stress is a little less since implementing the financial systems taught in the book.

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

As a therapist, the most effective strategy for growing my clientele originally was accepting several health insurance plans. This allowed me to get on insurance directories and as a result have access to members searching for care. As my practice began to fill up, I was able to do a honest assessment of the insurances that worked best for me and was able to terminate with the plans that created the most disruption. Once I narrowed down insurance, I began to connect to various therapy directories such as Alma, Psychology Today, Headway, Zencare, Therapy for Black Girls, Being Seen and the list goes on. Although I no longer use all of these directories I still subscribe to a few.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariancooper.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marian_cooperlcsw/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cooperlcsw/

Image Credits
Jenny Levine Photography