Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Russell-Siemer.
Hi Lori, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been a dreamer. I knew while I was in graduate school, that ultimately, I’d want to open my own private practice. It was a windy, twisted road to get there! I started my career at Child Protective Services in 2001, in the legal department, which means I did case management for the children already removed from their parents’ care. Like a Tale of Two Cities, I describe these early years as “The best of times, and the worst of times”. In addition to case management, I did some investigations on the nights I was on call. I consistently felt like I was immersed inside of a thick dark cloud, always trying to clear the air around me. Having to go to Court and testify, whilst grilled by some of the fiercest most aggressive attorneys was difficult, as were the long hours, conflict with bio parents, troubles with the children in care, and just the overall heartbreak of consistently seeing people suffer for one reason or another. Those were some of the worst. Some of the best included seeing families transform and reunite stronger together. Five years in, I was a Worker V and was responsible for some of the most extreme cases, which involved either the media, a child death, or an assault on an investigator. (Once a client broke an investigator’s clavicle when he slammed her against a wall!) Ultimately, the intensity became too much and I left to start a family myself. During the time I was raising my children, I continued my pursuit of helping children in foster care. I worked for a child placing agency (from home), writing home studies for prospective foster/adoptive placements and/or for families wanting custody of children in foster care. That work felt like a vacation, comparatively. I was promoted to supervisor, which I loved, because I didn’t have to leave the house and simply edited other people’s work. While my children were young, I also led a La Leche League group, which was a support for breast feeding mothers. In 2007, I experienced a major personal trauma when my cousin, who was my best friend, died by suicide. That and the fallout from that had a deep impact on my mind and spirit. As a direct result, I lost myself, spiritually, and began the process of deconstructing religious programming and hence began my spiritual awakening. I found my way to A Course in Miracles and spent a year devoted to its teachings. That was pivotal for me; I felt like my mind had been cleansed and I understood more about my self and my purpose than ever before. From there, I discovered Reiki and became a Master over the course of the next few years. I devoted myself to learning everything I could. I studied Tantra, tarot, Human Design, Dreamwork, Astral Travel, remote viewing, psychedelics, Munay Ki, and whatever my heart was leading me to. In 2018, my husband quit a full-time corporate job that had become toxic and I was invited into starting my own practice. (At that point, I felt very strongly that I wasn’t meant to work for anyone else, because I’m called to do work that might be considered “out of the box”) Although it was terrifying and I didn’t feel fully “ready”, I knew it was time. I started my own practice in December that year and have been running a successful eclectic business since! I enjoy having a private practice, because it enables me to be creative in the way I approach offering clients support. Some are seeking only spiritual guidance, so we primarily do Reiki. Some are doing a deep dive in the Gene Keys and want to work on understanding their Human Design. Some are ready for adventure and want to explore psychedelics. Others want deep and meaningful resolution to traumatic events, so we create change with EMDR, ART, or EFT. I absolutely love what I do and wouldn’t have as much freedom as I would if not for private practice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The path for me has been wrought with twists and turns, bumps, bruises, and triumphs and synchronicities. I feel like it’s always clear when I’m on the “right path”. When this happens, it’s like what Elizabeth Gilbert describes in her book “Big Magic”. Things just fall into place, like door after door is swinging wide open and all I need to do is walk through. Other times, when I am met with conflict, obstacles, and what feels like a closing in, I know I need to pivot in some way.
CPS was difficult because there were lots of weeks when I worked 60 hours. I often felt overworked and under paid for the amount of stress I experienced. I literally had IBS when I worked there, and once I quit, the symptoms went away. I felt like I was living on caffeine and adrenaline those 5 years.
The biggest challenge working with the child placing agency was the pressure to approve families who didn’t feel like a good fit. For example, there were times when people were saying the “right” things in interviews, but things felt “off” and those intuitive or instinctive hunches were completely dismissed. I got to a point where I felt an inner conflict, because my intuition said no, there is something here that needs to be looked at and the agency was applying pressure to approve. Ultimately, I chose my own integrity and parted ways.
With La Leche League, I didn’t really experience any challenges, other than pressure to problem-solve issues moms were having with things like latch, or failure to thrive with their babies. I made some of the best friendships being a part of that group. We became like family and were truly women supporting women.
Currently, the biggest challenge I face in private practice is dealing with insurance companies. I am currently embroiled in a dispute with one of the major insurance companies because they sent a series of checks for work I completed to an old address. I have spent countless hours on the phone with them, explaining I no longer receive mail there. They consistently tell me they are stopping payment on the check and reissuing to the correct address and the new checks never come, or they get reissued to the incorrect address. Every time I call, I get a different story and cannot get the issue resolved. I’ve even spoken with supervisors twice and still don’t have payment It’s literally maddening. I also feel frustrated when clients refuse to pay for no show appointments. It’s explicitly spelled out in the Practice Policies, which they sign and agree to.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lori Russell-Siemer LLC?
I am a Reiki master, Munay Ki initiate, and LCSW, who has a private practice in Mansfield, TX. I enjoy working with highly motivated people who are ready to face their challenges, learn, and grow. I feel my purpose in life is to empower others, to help them step into the most authentic, powerful version of themselves. Services offered are designed to address mind, body, and spirit. Because my purpose is empowerment, most of my clients are short-term. They come in, develop their skills, find answers and understanding, apply, integrate, or synthesize what comes up and they move on with their lives.
I specialize in trauma. Using skills like EMDR, ART, and EFT, I am able to help people process trauma and transform the way their mind perceives the memory. They are then able to release the energy from their body; emotions they have been carrying, holding for a lifetime, they then feel free from and lighter.
What sets me apart from other therapists is all of my training. Reiki is something that can help a person tap into the subconscious realm through the energy being transmitted. Munay Ki can help people develop a completely different outlook on spiritually and what it means to connect with Spirit. Munay Ki initiates look for the Beauty in everything. We can create energetic shifts and transmute simply by being in our own power, which can help clients when they feel stuck. We also learn the art of journey, or going within to find our own inner Truth. I also offer Cacao Ceremonies. Cacao is a beautiful medicine that has a chemical called theobromine, which opens the tiny blood vessels in the vascular system. When combined with breathwork and meditation, profound shifts in awareness can occur. I offer in office ketamine treatments as well. Ketamine is a powerful psychedelic, which is capable of causing major shifts in the brain, which lead to awareness, insight, and changes in a person’s life. I host retreats from time to time, out in nature, helping people disconnect from the “ordinary” and step into the “extraordinary”. I also help people with their Human Design charts, which can shift the way people operate in their relationships, when the Venus Sequence is explored.
Brandwise, I am most proud of the Cacao Ceremonies, Munay Ki classes, and Reiki shares, because creating each of these has allowed for a community to emerge, exploring these areas together, which brings a natural support and coherence. Small groups doing big work equals small changes, generating a ripple effect.
If what I’m saying resonates with readers, reach out, we likely have a purpose together. If it’s out of resonance, we aren’t meant for business together and that’s perfectly okay!
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m not really sure, honestly. I’m already hearing stories about clients double checking things their therapist says in sessions with AI. I think more clients are also becoming reliant on AI for simple tasks like how to reply to a text message to convey something like the tone they want to convey. Things they used to ask a therapist for advice on or problem-solve in a session, they are asking AI. I know therapists are being offered the opportunity to use AI to summarize their treatment notes and if we do, we have to have signed consent from clients, affirming they are okay with this. Legally, I am not sure what will happen if a problem arises and a therapist has used AI verbiage, in the event it is misaligned with what the client communicated and it’s now negatively impacting them in some way.
Pricing:
- $150/50 min therapy
- $225/90 min ART session
- $125/60 min Reiki
- $40/Cacao Ceremony
- $100/class (8 classes Munay Ki)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lorirussellsiemer.com
- Instagram: themagicallifeoftheconstructlori
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-russell-siemer-lcsw-785216177/
Image Credits
The professional headshot was taken by Valerie Cannon Photography. All others were taken by me or with my own phone.
