Today we’d like to introduce you to Allie Hewett.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in East Dallas. All through my life, I have been the person people would come to if they were having problems. From an early age, I realized people felt comfortable opening up to me about the deep inner workings of their lives. At the time, I didn’t know this was a gift or that other people were not as good at getting folks to open up. I certainly didn’t know there were career paths for this sort of thing.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma and getting married, I began working in the corporate world. Through years of marketing and punching the clock, I began to realize I was not using my gifts to the best of my ability. This led to me going back to school to become a counselor.
We had no idea, at the time, where counseling would lead. All we knew was that I needed to get my degree and start helping people. Soon after becoming a counselor, it became clear we needed to open a private practice.
When New Heights Counseling was born, I had never owned a “real” business. I have always considered myself very entrepreneurial and have had side gigs. Like one time, I started a spray tanning business where I would go to people’s houses and spray tan them. It was awesome and actually pretty lucrative! But, I had never owned anything substantial like a counseling practice. So, Google became our best friend and we went for it.
I truly believe if you take care of people, they will trust you and that is just what we have done at NHC. What started out as one or two clients here and there in the first months, very quickly turned into clients referring their friends and family members. Now, we have had hundreds of people come through our doors. We are so honored by the fact that people trust us enough to share the deepest, darkest parts of their lives with us. We have seen so many people come into our offices feeling broken, but it has been encouraging to see the number of people who have been restored. It gets me so excited when I think about it! We want people to have hope. We want people to experience change, we want people to be healthy. This is why we do what we do.
Over the past two years, we have grown to two locations (Plano and Coppell) and have four therapists on staff. In the last few months alone, we have seen exponential growth and are needing to open more locations and hire more therapists.
I think a big reason for all this growth is because once people find something they like, they will tell everyone about it. We certainly feel blessed for all that has happened over the past two years and are expectant for what’s to come.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It absolutely has not been a smooth road. Like starting any business, you have to figure out what works and what doesn’t work by trial and error. For us, figuring out how to get clients in the beginning was a huge challenge. However, we didn’t quit even when we wanted to. I think it’s important to keep waking up each day and taking the next baby step. If you keep taking baby steps over time, they will add up. Even when we wondered if the phone would ever ring again, we just kept chucking away. We would take business cards to people, sign up for speaking gigs, all the things. Eventually we got some clients and those clients told their friends who told their friends and here we are today. Do I think we’ve made it? No way! With new growth comes new challenges. We are constantly learning and trying to figure it out along the way. The most important thing is to never quit.
Please tell us about New Heights Counseling.
We are a counseling agency. All of our counselors are licensed by the state and are able to diagnose mental disorders. We, as a whole, specialize in anxiety and depression. However, each therapist has specific specialties they also focus on. Some of the specialties include:
-ADHD
-Adolescents
-Anxiety
-Children
-Christian Counseling
-Couples
-Depression
-Grief
-Postpartum Depression & Anxiety
-PTSD
-Self-harm
-Special Needs
-Stress
What sets us apart from other counseling agencies is that we have the best counselors (from an academic and relational aspect) and are still convenient and affordable. We offer sessions starting at $75 and evening and weekend availability. You can’t beat that.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I think it’s important to find someone who is a step ahead of you and then learn from that person. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to be your mentor. The worst they can say is no and then you can move on.
Pricing:
- Sessions start at $75
- 50 minute sessions
- Evening & Weekend Sessions Available
- Locations in Plano & Coppell
Contact Info:
- Address: Offices in Plano & Coppell
- Website: https://newheightscounseling.co/
- Phone: 469-607-0076
- Email: hello@newheightscounseling.co
- Instagram: @newheightscounseling.co
- Facebook: @newheightscounselingLLC
Image Credit:
Rachel Verdugo & Rebecca Elkins
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.
