Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Waitt.
Stephanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I always knew I wanted to help people and so I naturally found the study of human behavior pretty interesting. I studied psychology at Baylor University and attended The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. After graduate school I was hired to help develop the eating disorder program at Timberline Knolls. As much as I loved Chicago and Timberline Knolls the winters were really tough on this Texas gal, so after a few years I moved back to Texas. I worked in Houston and finally settled back where I grew up, Sherman Texas. After working at various mental health agencies, I started my private practice, Texoma Specialty Counseling in 2016. As I was starting my practice a colleague asked me if I knew anything about treating eating disorders because Texoma did not have anyone available to treat this issue. I knew I had to do something about that so I dove in head first. I personally dealt with healing from over exercise and restrictive eating but didn’t feel quite qualified to say I “specialized” in eating disorders. So, I studied and earned a certification as an eating disorder specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals.
I was scared that having such a specific niche would prevent growth in my business, however my business only grew. I now treat anorexia, orthorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder full time. I also teach on eating disorders and really enjoy helping the community understand the complexities of this disease but also how to be more mindful to help with the prevention of eating disorders.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Owning a business is an adventure and a wild ride. The counseling part of my job is something I’ve been practicing for over 15 years but owning a business is a new challenge for me. I’ve had to go out of my comfort zone and be a bit more extraverted. At first networking was really hard for me, but I now find that meeting new people and connecting with other business owners in my community is a lot of fun. There is a different type of pressure on you when you start your own business. I have learned to get better about protecting my time and my energy.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Texoma Specialty Counseling – what should we know?
I own Texoma Specialty Counseling in Sherman Texas. We are an outpatient counseling practice where we specialize in treating eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and trauma in teens and young adults. I have two wonderful associate therapists that work with me, Katy Alaniz and Candice Poole. Katy is an experienced eating disorder therapist and sees people virtually all over the state of Texas and Candice loves working with teens. We treat a lot of mental health issues at my practice, but we are known for treating eating disorders. I am so proud of my team and the beautiful work they do. Running a business became a lot easier when I expanded my team.
Our specialization is what sets us apart. We are specifically trained to treat eating disorders and sadly there are not enough of us eating disorder specialist. When I first opened my practice, I struggled with finding other local eating disorder therapists to refer people to, and now that I have Candice and Katy, we are able to help people in North Texas get eating disorder treatment.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
100% I would not be where I am at my business today without coaching and mentorship. Not long after starting my practice I found Allison Puryear and she not only mentored me to my Eating Disorder Specialist Certification but she coached me how to build a successful private practice.
Contact Info:
- Address: Texoma Specialty Counseling
227 S Travis St. Sherman, TX 75090 - Website: www.texomaspecialtycounseling.com
- Phone: 888-659-7618
- Email: hello@texomaspecialtycounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hey_drsteph/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texomaspecialtycounseling/?eid=ARBlmskmmtYBjKYWoFxYn50GLuRD85q2kCqsCksVKhVGz-05GOzisXVtR9nnwMK2SfeeSZzz87WcVobE
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGeb4iGNRuXCA6qfqdzPvjw?view_as=subscriber
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
