Jeff Blair, LMHC, MS.
1. What's your practice focus and what kind of clients knock on your door ?
Over time I've come to conceptualize my focus in therapy as helping people overcome shame, improve their relationships and achieve psychological flexibility. Brene Brown defines shame as "an intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” The kind of clients that knock on my door are looking for a safe place to be able to process the inevitable trauma of every day living so they can accept themselves as they are.
2. Tell us about yourself.
I'd say I am an extroverted introvert. I enjoy connecting with others but not just any socializing will do. I enjoy meaningful conversations where we can take our masks off and talk about what we are really thinking and feeling. What first got me started in my practice was a desire to have those meaningful conversations every day. The fulfillment of connecting and meaning making with my fellow travelers is what keeps me going.
3. Tell us the story of a patient who you are most proud of helping.
I work with a lot of people who have been in car accidents. I had a client who was having nightmares about her accident every night and was not able to sleep. Many of the efforts I first tried with her didn't work but we kept working on it and eventually she was able to completely eliminate the nightmares and sleep soundly through the night. I credit EMDR as the mechanism that really made the difference.
4. What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a practitioner in private practice?
One of the hardest things about managing a private practice is balancing the desire to be accommodating to my client's needs and maintaining my own need for emotional, financial, and physical wellbeing. I make my personal and family life a priority and I believe this makes me a better therapist and practitioner.
5. What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a private practice today?\
The top three tips I would give someone are.
- You should dictate your schedule, not your clients. Decide what you want your week to look like and stick to it.
- Your time is valuable and you deserve to be compensated accordingly (this includes no-show and late cancellation fees)
- Personally, I almost never tell people that I am not accepting new clients. I say, "If you can find a spot that works for you, go ahead and book it. Those that want to make it a priority will, those that don't won't.
6. Where can people find you?
Website: