Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Norton Prasalowicz.
Hi Allison, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I must say it has been quite the journey getting to where I am today, but I have enjoyed every step and phase along the way. My story starts with my growing up as a competitive cheerleader, as well as a school cheerleader. I also cheered in college – shoutout OSU! GO POKES! Competitive cheerleading is one of the toughest sports out there, and no one truly understands the work that goes into the sport until they have been a part of that world. The physical, mental, and emotional strength has to be high and stable. I remember that is where I was introduced to some of the best things and some of the worst things. Comparison is a major enemy in this sport and it is not just comparisons with other teams, but comparisons between individuals – individual skills and individual bodies. I witnessed many athletes and friends around me struggling with eating disorders/disordered eating and body image concerns, and it was very scary seeing how small some people would get. This was my first experience with the eating disorder world. Once I entered college, I initially thought I wanted to be a dietitian and personal trainer, but then ended up switching my major to psychology because of a phenomenal professor and my desire to have a different type of relationship with clients. I did not start out thinking I wanted to work with individuals struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, or body image concerns. In fact, I wanted to stay far away from these concerns because of my past experience with them. All I knew was that I wanted to work with athletes and sports performance. Right before graduating from college, my mother (who was working at Children’s Health at the time) asked if I wanted to apply for a position at Children’s Health on their eating disorder unit. At first, I was hesitant about the position, but if you know anything about becoming an LPC, then you know that you have to go to graduate school and then collect thousands of clinical hours in addition to supervision hours before getting into your career. Because I knew I was going to be completing school and then an LPC-Intern phase (this title switched right before I became fully licensed and is now called LPC-Associate), the position at Children’s Health seemed like a smart option to help me get my foot in the door with mental health and make some income while I was going to graduate school. This is where things changed for me. I fell in love with the types of patients I was working with, and I found that my passion is helping individuals who are struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns. My past experience with these concerns actually helped me have a more personal, unique, and patient perspective. I ended up working at Children’s Health on their eating disorder unit, Eating Recovery Center, Center for Discovery, and private practice on the side throughout my time with the various eating disorder treatment centers (I did not work at all of the different treatment centers all at the same time). I gained a lot of amazing experience and education from each center, but I found that private practice was where I wanted to be. After finishing graduate school and gathering all of my clinical and supervision hours during my LPC-Associate phase, all while working in these various positions, I finally became fully licensed and founded my own private practice, Allison Norton Counseling. You can find my specialties on my website – https://www.allisonnortoncounseling.com/
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, yes, which I feel very lucky I had such a smooth journey as I know this is not always the case. One of the major obstacles that happened for everyone was COVID-19. Unfortunately, this pushed back many of my fellow classmates’ graduation dates as they were not able to collect their clinical hours during their internship due to many in-person places shutting down or only permitting necessary personnel. Luckily, I had collected extra clinical hours, and I was able to use those to finish my internship to graduate on time. Also, it was just a difficult time for everyone’s mental health, and working with patients/clients at this time had an extra layer to navigate through. This also meant that clinical positions were few and far between, so thankfully, I received and maintained all of the various positions I applied for. The demand for mental health treatment really skyrocketed during this time, which was awesome that people were becoming more aware of their mental health and decreasing the stigma of mental health in general, but the expectations and pressures of mental health treatment escalated as well. Human interaction decreased, communication skills declined, and different emotions appeared for individuals, so these also became things to process as feelings of isolation, loneliness, and social anxiety creeped in. Clinicians had to get creative with telehealth to provide effective and efficient therapy, which was difficult for some clients and therapists.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
I am the founder and owner of my private practice, Allison Norton Counseling. This practice has been a labor of love and I have learned so many new things being a business owner and LPC. I absolutely love what I do, and I feel so grateful that I get to do this every day as my career. My specialities include: Adolescents (11+), Teens and Young Adults, Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating and ARFID, Body Image, Perfectionism, Self-esteem and Personal Growth, Athletes/Sports Counseling, Identity Concerns, Relationship Issues, Anxiety/Depression, Trauma, Self-harm and Suicidal Ideation, Hospitalized Individuals (Individuals who have been in Inpatient, Partial Hospitalization, and/or IOP care), and LGBTQIA+. I think what sets me apart from others is my personality and perspective that I bring in the room to my clients. I love being able to help, support, and encourage others while also being a safe place for individuals to explore and process themselves, their lives, and their struggles. I prioritize building a strong therapeutic relationship with all of my clients as I have found this to be the foundation for everything. I also prioritize a holistic approach as I believe there are many facets and aspects that can impact an individual and their healing journey. I really enjoy bringing my humor into my sessions with clients when it is appropriate as this helps the clients feel more at ease, but also, they get to know my personality a little bit more. Authenticity from not only the clients but also from me is important. I love collaborating with other treatment team members whenever someone has or needs one, depending on their concerns. I have worked really hard to market and network my brand with fellow clinicians, dietitians, doctors, treatment centers, schools, etc., in my journey to reach anyone and everyone. I want to do my absolute best to assist others with receiving the help that they need, whether that is with me or someone I can refer to them to. I want to help bring awareness of mental health and the importance of it, as well as assist in continuing to decrease the stigma of mental health. I can offer individual counseling, family counseling, and consultation. I am also willing to provide psychoeducation to not only parents but also schools, gyms, companies, etc.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I know it sounds cliche, but I truly mean it when I say what matters most to me is the clients. My relationship with each and every client is special in their own way, and each takes me on a unique journey. I enjoy seeing their faces light up when something “clicks” or they achieve a counseling goal. I also appreciate the vulnerability that each client brings to the room as I get to see the humanness in them, and knowing that they feel safe to be their true selves with me is incredible, as I know this takes time. Getting the opportunity to walk side by side with clients throughout their journey and helping them feel seen and heard is something I love. It is a joy for me to learn from my clients, and being able to support clients in any way that I can is so important to me. I always want to build my clients up and help them to see that they matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allisonnortoncounseling.com/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/allison-norton-dallas-tx/773785
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Allison Norton Counseling
