We were lucky to catch up with Vassilia Binensztok recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vassilia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

In undergrad, I majored in English with a concentration in creative writing. My favorite books were always character driven, as I took an interest in personalities, but being a therapist was not my goal at the time. I was living out my childhood dream of being a writer. I dreamt of publishing poetry collections and personal essays that would inspire people to reflect on their own lives. Looking back now, the purpose I found in writing was akin to the purpose I find in psychotherapy.

As I was pursuing this passion, however, I was also struggling with clinical depression and posttraumatic stress. This experience led me to feeling disconnected with that creative part of myself and my plans changed. I took on a minor in sociology, mostly interested in the experiences of people on the fringe. I felt connected to this side of society, coming out of a dysfunctional family with an abusive father. I often felt like the “other;” like I was on the outside looking in. This is when I decided I would pursue a career in human services. By the time I graduated from college, my mental health improved, and I felt the call that many people feel after receiving life-changing professional help – I wanted to help others.

I walked across the graduation stage at Dartmouth College with no experience, no plan, and no clue, so I started volunteering to gain some exposure to my chosen field. I volunteered at a nonprofit mentoring program for youth living in foster care. I visited young people in their homes and helped try to add some normalcy to their lives through conversation. It was then that the mentor center director told me that the county’s state-contracted agency was looking for case managers for families in the child welfare system. I immediately applied and was hired to go through the training program.

This was the most demanding and one of the most rewarding jobs I ever had. I advocated for children, referred children and families to counseling, testified in court, visited with children to check in on them at their homes and schools, placed children in homes, reunified children with families, got moms into domestic violence shelters, helped children get adopted, and so much more. Some of my favorite parts of that job were being out in the field, seeing different places and people, and doing a variety of things. But it’s an overly demanding job with a high turnover rate, and after about three years there, it was time to move on, but I still miss that job sometimes. I think about 23-year-old me in my mid 2000’s maxi dress and flats, badge, clipboard, two flip phones, walking up to visit a kid who still managed to smile and play despite the toughest circumstances. There was sadness and joy and desperation and hope all at once.

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 am a licensed mental health counselor with a PhD in Counseling/Counselor Education, which has allowed me to do a lot of cool things in my career. I provide psychotherapy, specializing in adults with childhood trauma and anxiety disorders, but I scaled back on how many clients I see because I also run a group psychotherapy practice. Right now, we have eight therapists besides myself, a testing psychologist, and an administrative assistant. We see clients ages two and up for a wide range of mental health and behavioral concerns. Though I still see clients three days per week, running the practice is a full-time job in itself!

Besides my practice, I spent ten years teaching in higher education, having taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in psychology and counseling. I also had the pleasure of entirely creating two bachelor’s level human services courses and one master’s level counseling course. In addition, I have authored and co-authored several books, chapters, and peer-reviewed articles on counseling-related topics.

One thing I am most proud of is the range of services we offer at my practice, that include cutting edge treatments. Having been a client of mental health services, I understand how frustrating it can be to find the right care, especially when dealing with complex issues like trauma and anxiety. This is why I have worked hard to not only assemble the best team of therapists, but also offer services like the Safe and Sound Protocol to improve the effectiveness of therapy. The Safe and Sound Protocol is an innovative listening intervention that uses special music to reset people from a chronic fight/flight state. Our clients find tremendous relief using this relaxing intervention to improve their ability to engage and self-regulate.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

One of the most important qualities you can have in your career, and in life in general, is genuineness. In psychotherapy, genuineness is considered a foundational skill. We know through research that the ability to be authentic and to genuinely connect to your clients is a key factor in whether clients improve. As it turns out, however, genuineness is important in many realms even beyond psychotherapy, including business.

To me, genuineness in business means making your brand true to you and being guided by your core values. When we try to make our businesses and brands into something we think other people will want, rather than something authentic to us, our message gets lost. When we try to be something that we aren’t, other people simply do not respond to our brands as we would hope. Clients might be unclear about who we are or what we represent. They can struggle to connect to our services and products. Like psychotherapy, good business requires the skill of human connection, and to connect to others we have to be connected to ourselves first.

Similarly, the core values we have as individuals, and in our companies, communicate what people can expect from us and what we expect from ourselves. Core values help us make decisions and stay on a path true to our missions. It can be scary putting yourself out there, whether in career or business. It can be tempting to try to mold yourself into something you think will appeal to the masses. Knowing ourselves and defining our core values helps us show up authentically because this is what truly makes us shine.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

High team morale is founded on the leader’s ability to listen, reflect, pivot, and show up consistently. I work to actively listen to my staff and demonstrate that I take their input seriously. Whether it’s buying a highly requested espresso machine for the break room, planning team outings, or changing something about our internal practices, I let my staff know that not only can they talk to me about anything, but also that I will act on their suggestions. I don’t claim to know everything about running a business, and I always welcome feedback from the people doing the work. Sometimes, this requires me to change how I operate in my business, and I’ve had to learn that listening will get you much further than controlling.

Morale also starts within the leader. A company is a living organism, and we all respond to one another, even on an unconscious level. Whenever one of my staff is not feeling confident in themselves, I try to look at where I’m not feeling confident and if anything is preventing me from lifting them up. When they are resistant to an idea, I try to examine where I have resistance. I find that we can communicate these negative states to others unconsciously and others are often only responding to what we are putting out. The more I self-reflect and work on my own morale, the more I improve my team morale. Business requires to you to get real with yourself if you want to succeed and, for some, this is the hardest lesson.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.junocounseling.com
• Instagram: dr.vassilia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilia-binensztok-phd-lmhc-ncc-qs-26727a90

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