Meet Lisa Driscoll | Mental health counselor (therapist)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Driscoll and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Growing up in an immigrant household, I was raised to be risk averse. It was always implied in my family and immigrant community that my parents took the ultimate risk of immigrating to the United States; therefore, my sister and I had the privilege of living a life avoidant of risk. However, in my early 20’s, I began to learn that avoiding risk comes at the expense of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and giving yourself opportunities to discover and learn new things. So, after college, I enrolled in an outdoor leader school, where I learned how to manage risk rather than avoid risk. Learning technical skills in the outdoors (e.g. backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, & canyoneering) for 90 days in the backcountry taught me that with preparation, guidance, and support risk can be managed. And the outcome of those risks can lead to new insights, understanding, and opportunities. I was able to transfer this knowledge when I decided to start my own business – a private therapy practice. As someone with no business background, I felt anxious and feared that I would fail as a business owner. However, I had the motivation and desire to start a practice that specialized in mental health counseling for BIPOC women and adult children of immigrants. I wanted to create a therapy practice that was dedicated to supporting this specific population in Colorado. So, even though I wasn’t sure that I would succeed, I felt that I had to at least try before giving up on this dream. Today, I am ten months into running my private practice full-time and I’ve had the privilege of working with a diverse community of clients.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started Perennial Therapy out of the belief that BIPOC women and adult children of immigrants deserve a specialized approach to mental health care. I have been a fierce advocate of gender equality since my days in undergrad and my passion for equity continues to drive my career and therapeutic approach. When I first decided to start my practice, I wasn’t sure if it would be a viable idea to focus my therapeutic work on a niche population. However, over the course of the past year, I’ve learned that there is a high need in diverse communities for mental health services. Initially, it wasn’t easy to spread the word about my practice and therapy services, because I had just graduated from my master’s program and my network of mental health counselors was small. However, when I began investing my time and energy into reaching potential clients via social media and networking with other therapists, I began building traction. I was able to cast a wider net to connect with the mental health community in Colorado. Since opening my private practice, I have had the privilege of working with a diverse community of women and genderqueer people who identify as BIPOC or adult children of immigrants.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had friends who were visiting Colorado from out-of-state, I would introduce them to a number of outdoor activities! Depending on the season, we would hike (or snowshoes), ski, check out hot springs, visit breweries, camp, stand-up paddle board in reservoirs, and go rock climbing! Colorado offers so many recreational activities that are easily accessible with or without technical skills, so I’d love to be able to share these activities with my friends.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve had the privilege of receiving the support of loved ones and those in my community. My husband and family have provided unconditional support from the beginning when my private practice was just an idea. And as I began building my business, my friends and network of mental health counselors were there to provide consultation, guidance, resources and so much more. I feel incredibly grateful to be surrounded by these amazing people.

Website: https://www.perennial-therapy.com/

Instagram: @perennial_therapy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-park-driscoll/

Image Credits
Headshots: Ashlee Langholz Office Photos: Alexis Ryan