Coping With Life Difficulties - Walters Counseling

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jennifer Walters, Owner of Walters Counseling, LLC., located in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I have a mental health counseling practice serving adults with a variety of mental health and substance abuse concerns who live in or near Philadelphia, PA.

Tell us about yourself

I worked for many years in other offices, including a community outpatient treatment center located in a low-income Philadelphia neighborhood, a rural private high school, a private group practice, and a sheltered employment center for adults with developmental disabilities.

When I was laid off from my position as the mental health counselor at the high school, a friend pushed me to start my own practice rather than looking for another more traditional form of employment. While it was a slow start, it has been very rewarding to grow my practice.

I find so much enjoyment in working with both my clients and my employees. They all motivate me daily to continue in this field, even when I'm feeling tired and worn down. Seeing how hard they all work in their personal, professional, and counseling lives reminds me that the hard days are all worth it.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Growing the practice from just myself, working one day a week, to this now being a full-time job with multiple employees has been tremendous! There is so much that goes into that, including both client retention and replenishment (when individuals are ready to terminate sessions) and finding and keeping truly wonderful and caring employees.

There can be an impulse to hire anyone who applies or to take any client, even those that do not feel like a good match or who I know would be served better by someone with a different specialty but waiting for the right people who I can serve well--whether that is as a clinician or a supervisor--has led to so much more growth than making the decisions that would initially have been easy but would have resulted in much more difficulty down the road.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

In a field like this one, it can be difficult to turn off at the end of the day or to maintain a separation between professional and personal lives. We always need to be able to be reached in case of emergency, and now that means for both clients and staff.

It can be helpful to set limits on how often I will check emails on weekends, and using the delayed send function for non-emergency emails allows for a built-in delay in what could otherwise be very quick back-and-forth responses.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Ask for help, hire people who balance your weaknesses, and do your homework before starting up. Too often, people think there is a need for a business when there isn't. People also think they have to do everything themselves, or it somehow doesn't count.

To have a business that truly thrives, in whatever way that means to you, you need to surround yourself with people who support you and your mission and make it more likely that you will actually succeed.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://walterscounseling.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaltersCounseling/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-walters-74391617/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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