Therapist Spotlight: Rebecca Wilson, LPC-MHSP - Nashville Therapist Makes Career Change For The Better
When a doctor goes into surgery, they take with them a scalpel. They take their knowledge, intuition, and training, but they also take tools. The same is true for a therapist, except the biggest tool for therapists is themselves.Therapists give their own internal resources day in and day out. More than half of successful therapy outcomes is based on the strength of the therapist and client relationship.
“Research over the past fifty years has demonstrated that one factor — more than any other — is associated with successful treatment: the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the patient.” - Family Institute
The therapy relationship depends on both the client and the therapist, but the therapist’s role is to help foster and cultivate the relationship from within their knowledge, intuition, training, and within themselves. The qualities a therapist works to build in a counseling relationship, according to the Family Institute are:
Mutual trust, respect, and caring
General agreement on the goals and tasks of the therapy
Shared decision-making
Mutual engagement in “the work” of the treatment
The ability to talk about the “here-and-now” aspects of the relationship with each other
The freedom to share any negative emotional responses with each other
The ability to correct any problems or difficulties that may arise in the relationship
Think about the relationships you have in your life, and if you have even some of the above qualities you know how much continued work that takes on both sides to cultivate.Over time, that relationship building skill can deplete therapists, leaving them with the need to restore and recharge their resources. Just as physical tools like scalpels, may need sharpening, updating, or even restocking, our therapists’ internal resources need to be replenished.Ever hear the old adage, “you can’t pour from an empty cup?” This is especially true for therapists.Replenishing and restocking internal resources requires rest, care, and support being poured back into therapists for them to be at their best and able to give their best.All too often, though, the necessary amount of replenishing is not an option for therapists. Many work tirelessly to make ends meet, working 80+ hours, picking up second jobs and weekend shifts, and working or “volunteering” their services for free when they can’t even fully provide for themselves. This isn’t every therapist, but it’s more therapists than the mental health field can sustain.A therapist in this environment is surviving, and a therapist surviving and running on cortisol and adrenaline all day, isn’t a therapist at their best. When a therapist can’t be at their best, they can’t offer their best care for clients, so we all stay stuck.However, when a therapist is supported and has space to recharge and replenish, they can give from that abundance to their clients, so we all get better.At The Becoming, we’ve lived these days. The daily grind of seeing back to back clients 8–12 hours a day, making pizzas on the weekends, cleaning homes during the week, bartending, waiting tables, and scraping for any funds we can find during any hour we can find in order to make ends meet.We do this because we believe that people are worthy of care, healing, growth. We believe the process of change, recovery, and healing is not only possible for all people, but is a gift all people should have access to. We know that when individuals are given a safe space to process and practice new ways of thinking and behaving, they do experience healing; they do experience life changes; and they do experience recovery. We know how depleted we were during these times, and how we needed more support than we were given. Even though we’ve seen it be possible, mental health agencies having enough capacity to pour back into its therapists is no small feat. This is a complex issue. There’s not a single “bad guy” here.The agencies we’ve worked for were often depleted themselves with lack of funding available and multi-tiered barriers reducing an agency’s bandwidth to support therapists and their clients. There are large-scale changes that need to be made all across the board for clients and therapists to be given more, to be provided with not just adequate mental health care, but exceptional mental health care.With this mission and vision in mind, we at The Becoming are taking radical steps to make changes in the system. “We are a community of practitioners dedicated to helping our clients [and therapists] live fully as their true selves.”We’re making changes by pouring directly into our therapists so they can be their best selves. When our therapists can give their best selves to clients, clients can heal and grow towards their best selves too. We’ve already seen the massive impact that being supported can have on a therapist, so we sat down with Rebecca Wilson, LPC-MHSP, one of The Becoming’s first therapists to hear her story of transformation. Rebecca went from working 80+ hours per week making $29,000 a year, to now making an income she can not only live on but thrive on.Rebecca works 30–35 hours per week and has a comfortably full caseload. So how did she do it? Here’s her journey in 5 steps. They weren’t 5 easy steps, but they were 5 intentional steps that occurred over time and through a process. Rebecca also wasn’t alone. She had the support of The Becoming backing her and cheering her on the whole time, so she could become her best self.
“Get Your Education, Don’t Forget From Whence You Came”
“… and the world is gonna know your name.” Rebecca has two master’s degrees. Count that, two. She first received her Master’s in School Counseling and worked in the school setting for 5 years. She found during this time that the school counseling role was centered around testing and paperwork, and she was missing the personal connections she wanted to develop as a counselor. From there, she pursued a Master’s in Counseling Psychology, and after completing her degree Rebecca had to obtain a license to fully practice counseling services.To complete her licensure process, Rebecca worked within several mental health agencies and addictions facilities locations, running 12 hour shifts, weekends, 7 days a week for several years.
One Day at a Time
During her journey, Rebecca experienced, as so many of us have as well, personal mental health set backs. Struggling through addiction and wrestling with her own sobriety, Rebecca found serenity through the help of 12- step programs, the recovery community, and she continues to practice the principles of recovery daily.Addiction and recovery isn’t a one time “accomplishment,” or a place you “arrive”. Recovery is a lifelong daily commitment to becoming our best selves, One Day at a Time.
Say YES and Start Reaching your Goals
Rebecca used her training to give back to others in recovery by working with clients through The Becoming’s partner programs at Nashville Recovery Center. Starting with 1 day a week, Rebecca led Intensive Outpatient (IOP) addictions groups and was connected with group members to provide individual counseling sessions as well. The Becoming’s Partner, Spero Group, allows therapists at the Becoming an opportunity to lead IOP groups, Partial Hospitalization groups, Outpatient Substance Abuse groups, and individual counseling for clients struggling with addiction and co-occurring mental health difficulties.While Rebecca enjoyed serving clients in this way as part of her career, her long-term goal was to start a private practice. She was able to make progress towards that goal by running 1 IOP group at Nashville Recovery Center and receiving referral clients from the group for individual sessions. During this time Rebecca decided to work 4 days of the week for her sister’s cleaning business and 1 day a week at The Becoming.At The Becoming, our therapists have the freedom and flexibility to use the “model” however it works best for them and their goals. Therapists can dip a toe into the water of private practice and try it out without assuming a huge risk or the need for substantial capital to start a business from scratch. The Becoming provides office space (rent free!), free access to Simple Practice, for billing, EMR, paperwork, etc. services, a built-in client referral system through our Provider Partner Network and more.Our therapists can start out slow like Rebecca with 1 day a week, one group a week, and more, or can jump in fully by running multiple groups per week and multiple days of seeing clients in private practice, all while being supported by The Becoming. The Becoming’s model uses a flexible, supportive approach to walk alongside therapists as they work to reach their goals. We walk alongside therapists as they walk alongside their clients.
Shift Away From Survival Mode
Making a change is never easy. When you’re used to being in survival mode 24/7, it can be difficult to let your guard down, relax, and settle into a new routine. This is often how therapists come to us at The Becoming. They’re used to scraping and hustling for every hour of the day and giving of themselves for clients with little or any support being given back to them.To then go into a world where the employer wants to align with you, your goals, and support you along the way, can be a huge paradigm shift to wrap your head around. This shift is necessary in the mental health field, it’s one The Becoming is trying to make, and it’s one that Rebecca had to make too- a mindset shift from scarcity to abundance.When Rebecca first started, she was afraid of taking that first step towards private practice. She was unsure about whether she could really do it and was afraid to give up consistent income in an overworked/underpaid job for a job that had a little more risk and uncertainty.However, as Rebecca continued working her practice, striving towards and reaching her goals, and being supported by The Becoming, her confidence grew to new heights. She was able to see that the group she was leading each week, on top of having a comfortably full client caseload, wasn’t as necessary anymore.Rebecca recalled holding onto the doorknob at the treatment center and pausing before the went in to lead her group. She was recognizing that she didn’t have to cling to this group just to scrape by anymore. Those clients did need a great therapist of course, but there was an abundance mindset now. Rebecca was able to pivot towards giving her all to the 30 clients she was seeing in private practice and transition out of the group to make room for another incoming therapist to get their start as well.Rebecca could have kept working the group if that was part of her goals, but as her confidence and beliefs in her abilities to succeed as a practice owner and independent therapist grew, she could let go of something she no longer needed just to survive.“I realized I was clinging to the group. I was afraid to let it go and afraid to let go of that extra couple hundred dollars a week when I was making a better salary than I’d ever had in life and was finally able to not just make ends meet, but I was thriving.”
Create the Life You Want to Live
Fast forward one year. This didn’t take 10 years. It didn’t even take 3 years. Rebecca radically changed her life, her circumstances, and her career within 1 year. She went from 80 hours a week, crippling credit card debt, and offering as much of herself as she could, to a full, thriving practice, all credit card debt paid off, a livable income where she can thrive, having the space to take care of herself, gain clarity, and having peace of mind to give her best self for clients.It wasn’t rocket science. It wasn’t magic. It was the beauty of growth, process, and support.
How Rebecca Grew Her Practice
During her year building a practice with The Becoming, Rebecca grew in her confidence, her serenity, her practice, and her career. She had been advocating for herself throughout her career and threatened to leave previous agency settings when she was not being given enough support. She did leave some of those agencies when her pleas were not met with assistance. “I advocated for myself the whole time, but [The Becoming] was the first time I was heard.”At The Becoming, she had the space to try something new, financial security for the first time to make ends more than meet, autonomy, flexibly, and creative space to learn more about her passions, interests, and skillsets. She discovered that she has a niche population she particularly enjoys working with and was able to curate a caseload around her passion!Rebecca gained so much from her time taking a leap at The Becoming that she’s been a frequent promoter and connection builder. Several therapists have now come on board with The Becoming due to the trust they have in Rebecca and seeing her story of success unfold. Those therapists are working the model in their own unique ways, fully set up in private practice and running groups as well if they have an interest and passion to do so.We are grateful Rebecca took that leap and partnered with us to grow and thrive together. Rebecca’s success is an ongoing daily process, but it is why we do the work we do here at The Becoming. Our goal is to set therapists up for success in meeting their own goals.Rebecca had much to say about what was different about The Becoming, and her advice to new therapists coming to The Becoming would be to, “communicate and advocate for yourself.”“We were able to come to a common ground about anything. I was prepared for battle when I wanted to transition into full-time private practice and shift from leading groups at The Becoming. Instead of a battle, I was met with understanding. I was so taken aback that when [The Becoming’s Founder] Wes Cain said [ that transitioning to private practice] was not only fine, but great! I kept thinking, ‘but my list!’ I had made a list of all the reasons why [he] should let me leave!”Rebecca didn’t need that list. Therapists at The Becoming are able to truly practice the freedom and flexibility to create a life and career for themselves with the support of The Becoming leadership and fellow therapists on the same journey. It’s imperfect as all things are, but here at The Becoming we strive for progress, not perfection, and we live life One Day at a Time.---If you are interested in learning more about how The Becoming partners with Therapists check us out here. If you would like to see a therapist at The Becoming you can reach us at info@thebecomingcounseling.com, 615–544–6600, or directly on our website at thebecomingcounseling.com