Mikayla Williams, MA, LPC, NCC.

Get in touch

Alex Shink

June 26, 2023

1. What's your practice focus and what kind of clients knock on your door ?

Being a group practice with all of our unique styles and focuses, we really have someone for everyone, and that diversity is reflected in who walks through our door. We may have someone grieving after loss, a veteran with somatic symptoms, a survivor of sexual assault with PTSD, an athlete that forfeited a career due to injury, a Christian seeking faith based counseling, someone of the LGBTQ community, a teen with OCD and an eating disorder all sitting in our lobby at the same time.

2. Tell us about yourself.

My main focus is grief and trauma, and that happened naturally after personal experiences. I had chosen an entirely different population when I started and somehow after some years and personal healing, grief and trauma fell into my lap and I haven’t looked back. I find passion in helping people heal in a way that I relate to. It can often feel very heavy, and I love that I can step into another counselor’s office and talk for a few minutes before our next sessions to help ease that heaviness.

3. Tell us the story of a patient who you are most proud of helping.

Three clients come to mind really for the same reasons, and the common theme is that I watched them go from hurt to empowered. I have seen someone positive that they wouldn’t make it to their 18th birthday now thriving in adulthood. I have worked with someone to set boundaries for the first time in their life, and I’ve helped process negative beliefs about self developed in childhood. To witness and walk alongside someone as they develop the sense of self-worth is such a humbling experience.

4. What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a practitioner in private practice?

When starting my practice, my main goal was to create a place where I could have good counselors show up, see their clients, and go home, leaving time and energy for case notes, research, and self care. I’m sure we’ve all felt burnt out many times in life, and we aren’t our best when overextended. I quickly realized that I can’t possibly do everything by myself, and we had to grow before I could hire help to be able to provide that support, which is something I’m still working on as we grow.

5. What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a private practice today?\

Here are my three tips:

Just go for it, and allow yourself to learn along the way. I made a lot of mistakes in all realms, and that’s okay.
Have boundaries, and state them clearly. Avoid showcasing your own insecurities when people step on boundaries you didn’t clearly communicate.
Listen to the counselors on your team and work with them - not against them. Their life goal probably isn’t to work at your practice forever, and we can be a resource for each other after they’ve moved on.