Meet Katrina Austin | National Certified Counselor & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Katrina, what is the most important factor behind your success?
One thing I have found to be true with psychotherapy is the importance of authenticity. When I show up to each session truly myself, I can connect with clients in a way that covertly helps them to change. As Carl Rogers, the psychologist who founded Person Centered Therapy, said, “It becomes easier for me to accept myself as a decidedly imperfect person, who by no means functions at all times in the way in which I would like to function. This must seem to some like a very strange direction in which to move. It seems to me to have value because the curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I change.”

When I can model authenticity for my clients, they show up authentically and vulnerably. Which leads to change happening within them without either of us knowingly seeing the process happen. Being free to be genuinely human, flaws and all, is what helps my practice to thrive. My clients have space for their humanity and I offer the same to myself, as a person, a therapist, and an entrepreneur.

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?
As I become more established as a private practice therapist, I am focusing on my strengths with certain populations. I have always had a passion to work with military and law enforcement as I have a background in those communities. Over time, I found that I truly enjoy working with men in particular. Those who are veterans or first responders and those who are civilians. Therefore, my goal is to reach out to men in the Longmont community who have never been to therapy before. It is rare to find a therapist who is able to embrace the positives of masculine energy and incorporate those traits into therapy. Today’s day and age, masculinity has been coined as a negative word. However, I personally feel that “toxic masculinity” is that lack of true masculinity. True masculinity encourages integrity, protection, bravery, and strength. Many men avoid therapy because they feel it will downplay their masculinity, but I do not believe that is the case. My clients lean into their masculine and feminine traits to bring out the best parts of themselves. This is what I believe sets me apart amongst my peers.

As a therapist who has turned into an entrepreneur who offers psychotherapy, I have spent thousands of hours training and learning how to be good at what I do. When I was in my 20s, I worked for an insurance company as a recruiter. All the agents were self-employed and I would tell my boss, Cynthia Ryder, how I would never be self-employed. Crazy enough, life happened and I had to make the choice to go into practice for myself. I found out how much I love being my own boss. How I love spending time investing back into my clients and my business.

The most difficult part about all of this is getting comfortable with the accounting side of business. There’s a running joke amongst therapists that we all are in this profession because we weren’t good at math. It is incredibly true for me. Though I handle my personal finances well, understanding accounting is difficult. In college, I cried every day of my accounting class. So, facing this head on now is intimidating. But I hired an accountant immediately and reach out to her for guidance. I want to do this right.

The biggest lesson I have learned from this journey, and it may sound cliche, is how important it is to take failure as a lesson. I was taught by my former employer that whenever I lose a client or mess up in a session, give myself 30 seconds to think about what I did wrong and could have done better, then move on and not think about it again. I have embraced that so many times. After all, I am human and therapy is an artform. We don’t always get it right and some people leave thinking we are idiots. But I know myself well enough to know that I am doing my very best in every session, even when my best is putting my foot in my mouth.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Colorado is one of the most beautiful places on earth, so finding the perfect itinerary for one day is difficult. However, I would want to start off by having coffee at CaveGirl Coffee House in Longmont. Then head up into Estes Park to get some gorgeous mountain views and do some easy hikes. For lunch, we would head to my favorite restaurant, The Roost, for some fresh and yummy food. Then go into Boulder, walk around Pearl Street, see all the unique stores and street performers, go into the bookstores and touristy shops, and end with dinner at Bartaco.

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?
There are so many people who have helped me get to where I am today. All of my family and friends who supported me on my tearful and fearful days. My former trainer, Dr. Bruce Rumsey, for showing me that therapy is not locked in a box of “techniques”. My uncle Stan for showing me the ropes of being an entrepreneur and reminding me that I can achieve greatness. All of my former fellow colleagues who let me run to their offices before sessions to ask questions about how they would approach each particular client. My personal therapist, Jason Gruhl, who helps me walk the path of self-growth so that I can go to the dark places in myself that I ask my clients to go in themselves. I am so grateful for all the people who have crossed my path and encouraged me to be brave.

Website: www.firesidechatsllc.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chatswithkatt