Meet Cheryl Reeley | Maternal Mental Health Therapist, LCSW58

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

Hi Cheryl, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my own business was based on my need to control my schedule. We have three kids ranging in ages from 5-15, so there is a lot happening in our household. I knew a “typical” 8-5 job wasn’t going to work for me because I wanted to be able to attend school functions and be there to experience their lives. I had a lot of conversations with my family about how to use my skills and education in a way that was meaningful to me but also fit in with our family life. Starting my own business made the most sense but was by far the scariest option. During the first year, I would tell my husband that I was sure I had made a mistake and if I had just tried for a “regular job” it would have been better. But, he was so supportive and encouraging and now that I’m almost 2 years into this journey, I’m so glad this is the route I took.
I love being in charge of my schedule. I have had to learn how to set my own boundaries with my schedule which is funny because I’m constantly preaching to clients about the importance of protecting their time and not overextending themselves.
The business aspect of owning my own therapy practice started out overwhelming, but I was determined to do everything myself so I could learn how it all works. Now, that I know what I know, I’m more willing to delegate things that can be delegated.
Starting my own business, I feel like should have come more naturally because I come from a family of entrepreneurs and maybe that’s why I was willing to even consider it as an option.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is a mental health private practice that specializes in maternal mental health. I love this population so much and am so passionate about it! When I worked in the medical field I was assigned to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and I essentially job shared with another social worker for the other areas of the hospital and clinic that provided care for women. So when I was deciding what population I wanted to work with in my private practice it had to be maternal mental health. This population is often brushed off and told “this is just how it is, you’ll get through it.” What a disservice we are doing to new moms or women who have experienced infertility or pregnancy loss. I knew I wanted to advocate for others who had gone through losses, like I had.
My business has changed a lot in the past 20 months that I have been open. I originally started as private pay only and wasn’t in network with any insurance companies. After a few months, I knew that I needed to be more accessible which meant contracting with insurance. I knew that was going to make my job a little more difficult, but being accessible to the people who need my services and my specialty was really important to me so I did it.
One lesson that I have taken away during this process is to be open to change. Learning new information and implementing that is only going to help me grow and not stay stuck.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout has to go to my husband. He is so supportive and encouraging. I doubted myself a lot at the beginning and he continued to tell me that I can do this and it will be a success. On top of that, he was willing to go on the journey with me. I have education and experience in psychology and the medical field but that in no way prepared me to open a private practice. He has a business degree and was willing to entertain my ideas and explain everything I asked. Between the two of us we were able to work through all of the details.

Website: www.cherylreeleylcsw.com

Instagram: @cherylreeleylcsw

Facebook: CherylReeleyLCSW

Image Credits
Photos by Linh Crozier