Today we’d like to introduce you to Marci Stiles.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always enjoyed and was told I had a gift for helping, understanding and motivating. So it only made sense to go into this profession. I LOVE being a therapist/life coach. I know it sounds cliche but I feel blessed to be able to do something I love for a living. And as an added bonus, I get to work side by side a wonderful group of amazing therapists!
I started out working for others and then branched out as a “one (wo)man band” so to speak. That was great but it got lonely on my downtime. So I hired an intern and worked with her for a few years and then we branched out. I know have 6 therapists that work alongside of me. It’s such a wonderful group and we all bring unique skills and experiences to our practice.
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?
The biggest obstacle has been cash flow and dealing (battling) with insurance carriers. So we finally have stopped working with the insurance carriers and are on a “cash fee” basis from here on out.
Also finding GREAT therapists to work with was a bit of a challenge. I wanted like-minded, skilled, passionate therapists. Those type of therapists are hard to find. But I did it- I found (some found me) a GREAT team!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Positive Outlook Counseling story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a group of EXCELLENT counselors. We do tweens through elderly adults. Some of us work with couples and some only individuals. Our specialties range from depression, PTSD, infidelity, sex addiction, gender issues, personality disorders, trauma, veterans, etc. Between the 7 of us, there isn’t much we don’t deal with.
What sets us apart from the others-we are passionate, we are always learning and trying new approaches. We staff weekly and bounce ideas and thoughts off of each other. We all do this as our primary profession-not a part-time gig. We are professional and a true business-by this I mean when you call our office-we have a receptionist who answers your calls, books appointments and is there from 9-6 every weekday to help you as the client.
After trying to find a counselor (years ago) for a neighbor of mine-I realized what a mess our profession was. I called over a dozen therapists-some had no answering service/voice mail, some did but never returned my call. Some didn’t even have a website. I realized that when someone needs a therapist-they may need one right away and having to call over a dozen to get 1-2 calls back was just horrible. We are NOT like that. We answer and call back same business day or email back same business day. I will now stop my rant : )
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t know if I believe in luck as much as blessings. And I do believe that I have had many of those. First off I was blessed to be such a positive person. I also was blessed with being able to see the good in most anything. But with those blessings also came a lot of hard work, perseverance, and leaps of faith!
Pricing:
- Each therapist has their own rates, ranging from $90-$175 per session.
Contact Info:
- Address: 16610 North Dallas Parkway Suite 2100, Dallas TX 75248
- Website: www.Positiveoutlookcounseling.com
- Phone: 972-733-3988
- Email: marci@positiveoutlookcounseling.com
- Instagram: positiveoutlookcounseling
- Facebook: positiveoutlookcounseling
- Twitter: positiveoutlookcounseling
- Yelp: positiveoutlookcounseling
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