Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Landry.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was a late bloomer. At the ripe age of 29, I decided that I wanted to go to college to be a marriage counselor. My parent’s marriage was a difficult one, and hard on the whole family. I wanted to help others try to overcome their marital issues and be able to live a happy healthy life. However, when I graduated college my first job was working in the juvenile justice system, a far cry from marriage counseling. I then went on to working in a high school providing crisis/therapeutic intervention for at-risk teenagers.
I worked in the school system for ten years and conceded that this was where I was going to stay until I retired. After 10 years in the public school system, I decided to try my hand at private practice. I started my solo practice on a part-time basis while working full-time at the high school. After two years of working both jobs, I was ready to take the leap to full-time. I resigned from the high school and “hung my shingle out.”
After a couple of years of solo private practice my wife and I had the opportunity to expand. Neither one of us knew what we were doing, but that day Landry Therapy Group was born. In the beginning, we Googled a lot, we talked to many friends who owned their own businesses, talked to CPAs, lawyers, and anyone who could help. Six months later we hired our first part-time independent contractor, Russell, a few months later Tina, and now our third, Melissa.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When you build a business, the road seems hard to climb when you are in the middle of it. Once you reach your first goal, though, it really doesn’t feel as difficult as it really was. Our greatest struggles were making sure that all the boring stuff, like legal entities, taxes, insurance, etc., was (and continues to be) in place and all ethics with regard to all the different licensures are strictly followed. When you supply mental health services, there are many governing entities that have policies, procedures, and requirements to follow. We want to always be reliable and trusted and ahead of each curve.
Our goal is to build a company that provides a safe and warm place for both our clients and our therapists, to build their relationships that lead the way to healing. This is our family.
We’d love to hear more about your practice.
Our goal with our therapists is to show them the ropes in getting started in private practice. Of course, we want them to feel like Landry Therapy Group is the perfect fit, and will want to stay forever. However, if it is just a stepping stone on their way to greater things, we let them spread their wings to fly.
Our future goals for Landry Therapy Group is to expand our office space to accommodate more therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and group facilitators, and maybe one day, a therapeutic ranch for children and adolescents and their families. Some goals may be many years away, but I know with my drive and my wife, Tiffany’s tenacity, we can make it happen. I joke that Tiffany is the brain and I’m the “brawn” of the operation; I do believe this is true. Tiffany takes care of the operations and administrative work that I have no clue about, and I do therapy and come up with ideas for the future. We both have our individual strengths and it’s working well for us, so far.
What were you like growing up?
I was the middle child of a middle-income family. I describe myself as average, but many people don’t like that description, so let’s just say I’m balanced. I see this as a very good thing!
I grew up near Lafayette, LA and am a member of a very large extended family. Most of whom still live just a few miles from each other in my hometown. A very close and supportive family, which was the perfect springboard for me in my life. I was very much a tomboy, riding motor cross motorcycles, playing outside with my friends until late in the evenings, spending as much time outside as I could.
I grew up with undiagnosed ADHD, so I did struggle a bit in school. I knew I was smart, but my grades didn’t necessarily reflect that. Perhaps that is why it took me so long to go to college and get my degrees. I never envisioned myself as a college graduate, let alone with a Master’s Degree, and then a Clinical License…and now an entrepreneur!
I am the perfect example of how a child’s dreams can grow and blossom beyond their expectations. I encourage all my clients, young and old, to become the person they want to be. I did it, so can they!
Contact Info:
- Address: 750 N. Fielder
Arlington, TX 76012 - Website: landrytherapygroup.com
- Phone: 214-306-4898
- Email: info@landrytherapygroup.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisaglandrylcsw/
Image Credit:
Tiffany Landry
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