Welcome to the first episode of the Mastering Counseling podcast! Our host, Megan Hawksworth, was joined by Jessica Miro, founder of Pinnacle Counseling LLC, a private group psychotherapy practice with locations in downtown Chicago and Edgewater. Jessica had a tremendous amount of insight to share on how to start your own practice, including the challenges (and benefits) that go along with it.
Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester with a thesis focus on close relationships and her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Family Institute at Northwestern University before starting her own private practice downtown Chicago in 2011. Drawing from her experience growing up in a family of business entrepreneurs, Jessica has grown her practice over the years to now include seven full-time therapists at two different locations in Chicago. In addition to owning her own private practice, she is also an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and a member of the group supervising faculty for the MSMFT program at Northwestern University.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How to determine if owning your own practice is right for you.
- The benefits of forming an LLC and how to go about it.
- The licenses, credentials, and insurance you need to run your own practice.
- The best and worst parts of running your own practice.
Featured on the Show:
- Connect with Jessica Miro and Pinnacle Counseling: Yelp | Facebook | Twitter
- Connect with the Show: Facebook | Twitter
Counseling Spotlight: Pinnacle Counseling, LLC
Pinnacle Counseling, LLC was founded in Chicago back in 2011 by Jessica Miro, LMFT. Since then, it has grown to become a group practice with 7 total therapists on staff and multiple locations (most recently adding an Edgewater location in addition to their location in the Loop). Pinnacle Counseling offers a variety of services to meet the diverse needs of their clients. These services include individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, specialized programs, clinical supervision, groups and family business consulting.
While more common services like family and couples therapy are well known, Pinnacle’s specialized services allow them to reach many different clients in need. Family Business Consulting involves helping small family businesses or startups navigate challenges around expansion issues, boundaries, succession, and more. The relationship between owners of a business can make or break that business, so Pinnacle’s Services can be a tremendous help in ensuring that success.
Some of the specialized services offered by Pinnacle Counseling include Pre-Marital programs, family growth programs, and relationship ambivalence programs. Having frameworks to help clients navigate challenges helps Pinnacle Counseling better serve their clients and help them to achieve positive results.
Best of the Counseling and Mental Health Web: Erika’s Lighthouse
Each episode we award a site or organization as the “Best of the Counseling and Mental Health Web”… as selected by Mastering Counseling Podcast listeners! Whether you’re a current mental health professional, or a student studying to become one, there are so many great resources out there discussing counseling and mental health. Some of these resources could even help your clients and be worth recommending to them.
This episode, we’re pleased to award Erika’s Lighthouse, which is an incredible resource on adolescent depression.
Depression is something that many adolescents struggle with, and Erika’s Lighthouse offers resources and information for parents, teens, and schools to help combat it. One of the most wonderful things they have on site is an online teen depression test, which while it doesn’t replace proper diagnosis from a professional, can help teens start noticing changes in their feelings and life… and guide their next steps.
Erika’s Lighthouse also has a blog where many professionals in mental health fields weigh in on various topics such as recognizing signs of depression, advice for parents to help teens through challenges, and more.
Needless to say, this is a fantastic resource all around and well deserving of “Best of the Web” recognition.
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