Diane Kelley, LCSW.
1. What's your practice focus and what kind of clients knock on your door ?
I find most of the people who come to me for help have suffered trauma and or abuse, are recovering from substance abuse and/ or are battling depression and suicidal thoughts. They are in pain and don't really even know why. Some have tried to end the pain with substances or suicide attempts. I love working with these populations because it is inspiring to watch them heal and live healthier more fulfilling lives.
2. Tell us about yourself.
For the first time in my life, I do not dread Mondays. I truly love working with my clients. Most of them are incredible , resilient adaptable people who have been hurt and convinced that they are so much less than they are. I started working on my practice because I believe that I deserve to be treated well and I believe that my clients deserve to be treated well and often I did not find that those values worked well in some of the places that I have worked.
3. Tell us the story of a patient who you are most proud of helping.
I worked with this woman who was in her 60s. She had been raped at 12 y/o on the day of her father's funeral. She was never able to let go of the anger. She was overweight, taking medication for High Blood pressure , pre-diabetes and was on several psychotropic medications. She took to meditation and we worked on it both individually and in a group I ran. She was finally able to let go of the trauma, lost 40 pounds and was able to get off most of her medications.
4. What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a practitioner in private practice?
Worrying that your referrals are going to dry up and dealing with insurance companies. I want to just focus on my clients and give them the best care,but unfortunately I also need to make a living and it is not as easy as it should be.
5. What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a private practice today?\
The top 3 things I would suggest to someone would be:
- Talk to colleagues. I was lucky to find a group of therapist where we met monthly when I first moved here. They have been an amazing resource.
- I joined Headway, which made it easy to initially take insurances.
- Always choose caring for your client the way that you believe they should be treated, first and foremost. The rest will fall into place.