In this newsletter series, we are going to share a peek into what makes us tick as people and as a business. First, we will share Marjorie & Heidi’s story (we say we’re work married for a reason), followed by our new office reveal (you may have picked up on the hints we’ve been dropping about this), and finally a glimpse into the minds of the therapists on our team (role reversal!).
Today, we will start with our story. People often want to know why we started our practice together, and how in just 3 years we’ve grown KCC into the thriving business and respite for our clients that is it today.
Our “Meet Cute”
We were working together at another group practice and admired each other’s strengths, such as Heidi’s business savvy and Marjorie’s clinical abilities. We started to realize that we shared a vision for a different kind of therapy practice: One that was collaborative with clients and team members alike, grounded in the local community, and offering the kind of support to clinicians that would trickle down to supporting their clients.
Frankly, we weren’t specifically planning to work together on building something, but when the option presented, we took the risk that our differences in personality would complement each other in a way that would serve a business (so far it has been in our favor!). When the perfect office space became available, we took the leap; worked many, many late nights to flesh out our vision into reality, and opened Kennedy Counseling Collective in October 2017!
Kennedy Street Pride
We are often asked why we chose to open in this neighborhood, a question which in of itself shows the pride that is present here on Kennedy Street. We chose Kennedy Street because we were familiar with the neighborhood and knew that there were few private practice options. We hoped that this therapy desert would indicate a market of community members who would like to “talk local” to a therapist in their neighborhood rather than across town. We have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome by both the community who have honored us by becoming clients (and then sending their loved ones to us), and by the support of other small businesses on the corridor.
We also saw an opportunity to be invested in a meaningful way in the Kennedy Street community as it strives for balanced development to honor current and new residents. We have valued our meetings with The Kennedy Family Shelter residents just as much as attending UMS fundraisers. The continued support in the community during the pandemic has shown the strength of this community.
Our Working Relationship Works for the Practice
The most valuable thing we have learned is that our relationship as business partners is most important for KCC to thrive. In grad school, we learned about parallel processes, in which the dynamics from the top of an organization are often mimicked on the other levels, so with our clinicians and clients. This might sound familiar when you think about your work environment or even your family. This is why we meet for hours each week to review business items, but we also take time to socialize and support each other. Being “work wives” takes work like any meaningful, functioning relationship! And yes, we are considering specializing in “therapy for business partners” as a future venture 😉
What’s next?
We have been fortunate along the way to find an ongoing demand for services, and the general support for our mission to normalize therapy attendance. This has allowed us to continue with our plan (which started pre-COVID) to fill our new larger space with quality clinicians. More details and pictures to come next time on the space, which you’ll be seeing virtually and then in person when we are able to reopen!
Thanks for reading our story, and although it sounds like we have it all together—we face imposter syndrome too! We can relate to this as women (warning: explicit, but hilarious language) #ladyboss
Your support around the corner, or wherever there’s WiFi,
