Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariah.
Mariah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always knew I wanted to work with people in a helping profession. I started college at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. During that time, I realized how much I wanted to do mental health therapy. I went on to get my Master’s Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker which allowed me to start my career as a therapist.
I spent the first half of my career working with children and their families in Kentucky who were experiencing mental health crisis. I also spent time working with for a therapeutic foster care agency in Kentucky. My family and I moved to Texas in 2015, I was able to start my work here at Cook Children’s Medical Center as a Clinical Therapist, where I discovered working with individuals who have a chronic medical condition and helping them with the mental health needs while coping with a chronic illness. I then spent a couple years working in the school system as an intervention counselor but realized my true passion was providing mental health therapy to individuals with chronic medical conditions. That lead me to start my private practice Creative Solutions Counseling, PLLC. Creative Solutions Counseling, PLLC provides therapy for individuals ages 4 and up and we treat ADHD, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and those with chronic medical conditions.
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?
The decision to start a private practice was no easy choice. When I started graduate school in Kentucky I always knew my long term plan was to start a private practice. When we moved to Texas I needed to learn how Texas worked. I started working at Cook Children’s Medical Center to establish myself here in Texas, and because of expanding our family needed to leave to have more job flexibility. While in the school system, I started private practice part-time just to get my name out there. The mental health profession does not prepare you to be a business owner. Those things took more time and I still feel like sometimes I’m not 100% sure what I am doing. Then in 2020, I made the decision to go into private practice full time. I was amazed how fast my caseload grew and how quickly the demand for services left me without enough time to see everyone. So I made the decision to bring on a few therapists and have continued to grow from there. We recently moved into a larger space and have continued to see our services grow.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a mental health therapy group that provides individual and family therapy to those ages 4 and up. There are 5 therapists who currently work in the practice and all bring something different to the therapy room. We specialize in ADHD, anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, school refusal, and I specialize in working with those who have chronic medical conditions. We accept BCBS, United, Cigna, and TriWest insurances. We meet every client where they are, treatment matches what is best for each individual. Each therapist in the group offers a different perspective which allows us to find a great fit for different people. I am most proud of the fact that others in the medical and mental health community know and trust me when making referrals to us for therapy.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t know that luck has had much impact on my life. I have made very career oriented plans and followed them step by step. If luck has played a role at all I would say it is that fact that things have gone according to plan and I thankfully haven’t had a lot of bumps in the road.
Pricing:
- $110 intake
- $95 a session
- We accept BCBS, United, Cigna, and Triwest
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cscounseling.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063530620480
