Kate Yeutter, LPC, NCC, CCTP II.
1. What's your practice focus and what kind of clients knock on your door ?
Our practice focuses on trauma and trauma-related disorders. This includes single-event trauma, acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, attachment trauma, and dissociative disorders. Most of our population are first responders, domestic violence survivors, and survivors of developmental trauma, such as child abuse. We work primarily with adults, but occasionally, a teenager comes into the practice as well.
2. Tell us about yourself.
I started in this field after volunteering with my dog, Kyla, as a therapy dog. I found it inspiring how easily she could connect with people and the positive feedback I received from their interactions. I decided to learn more and eventually earned my Master’s in clinical mental health counseling. I have found my calling in working with a trauma population but maintaining pet therapy remains integral to our practice. . Kyla has since passed, but the practice has a new therapy pup, Ripley.
3. Tell us the story of a patient who you are most proud of helping.
This is an impossible question as my relationship with each client is different, and I am proud of the work that all of my clients do. This is a critical point to make – my clients are the ones doing the work. They provide me with the honor and opportunity to walk by their side while they do it. That said, I am incredibly proud of everyone who comes in. I absolutely love learning who each person is as an individual, and I am always moved by the incredible relationships that develop.
4. What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a practitioner in private practice?
The isolation. In a private practice, we work alone and cannot share our stories with other people. When we have a “bad day” at the office and go home, all we can say to our loved ones is that it was a bad day. We protect the other stories of others so ferociously that it becomes easy to feel like you are an island of one. That is why I have been motivated to get my Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision, so I can expand my practice with multiple clinicians in a supportive environment
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 anyone looking to start, run, and grow their private practice is to:
- Make sure you have a network of colleagues to lean on and receive advice from throughout the process.
- Second, take insurance! It is the only way to make your services affordable to the populations that need them the most.
- The third tip is to keep at it! If you are a clinician in this field, you are likely passionate about what you do, and the community needs you! Create an environment that is authentically you, and you will be able to make the most of helping your clients heal and thrive.