Meet Kelsey Schwartz | Therapist

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

Hi Kelsey, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to be able to have the freedom of flexibility for not only myself but my clients as well. As a clinician at mental health agencies, you typically are required to get a certain number of clients and billable hours in the week, and that never jived with me. I hated having to pester clients and families to meet, even when it didn’t fit into their lives. With my own business, I can be more flexible and don’t have to meet a certain number of hours a week which fits better with my own values. I also enjoy being able to focus on things I want to focus on, such as getting trained in areas I love, like trauma and EMDR. Being my own business, I get to do that!

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?
I am a therapist in private practice. My business and practice really is all about growth mindset, and meeting clients where they are at, but then propelling them forward towards their goals. My goal is to partner with my clients to help them understand more about themselves, their experiences, and goals in life. I love diving deeper into clients’ childhood experiences, though often painful, in order to help them to uncover more about why they are the way they are, and how they can adjust and move forward in life.

Being a therapist in and of itself is not easy, but being in private practice can be tough. It feels sometimes as if you have to “sell yourself” and convince others that your skills and time is worth their money. This doesn’t always sit well with my values, as I just want to help people, and it often feels weird to be getting paid when you are forming such a deep connection with them. If I didn’t have bills to pay, I probably would do this for free! But, the longer I do this, I realize that it is such an important service and the world would be such a better place if everyone went to therapy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend visiting, I would first take them to Estes Park. The downtown area is beautiful and there are tons of restaurants and cute little shops to visit. If it was the summer, we would then take a day or two and go camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are lots of places to go fishing, hiking, and other fun outdoor activities. After Estes Park, we would probably go hang out in Glenwood Springs for a few nights to enjoy the hot springs!

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?
My husband, Luke, has been a big supporter of me starting my own business from start to finish. Even when he knew it was a risk, he still encouraged me to take it. My son, Daniel, though a baby at the time, was also a big motivator as I wanted to flexibility to spend more time with him and be more present.

Website: https://www.schwartzcounselingllc.com

Instagram: schwartz_counseling_llc