This article originally appeared on the Shoutout Atlanta website.
We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jill, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor in success of my brand has been passion and genuineness. I feel you can only be successful when you care deeply about what you are doing and come at it with sincerity and realness. I love sitting and talking with people, hearing their struggles, conceptualized their lives and helping them find more fulfillment and happiness. Being “in the room” with a client you must focus completely on them, while being a human. Many times therapists keep themselves stoic and without emotions. I show up as my whole self, to allow my clients to feel a true meaningful connection. I, of course, have boundaries, but within those, they can connect to someone who has real genuine emotions and cares deeply about them.
What should our readers know about your business?
We are a warm and welcoming therapy practice that works with you to navigate all of life’s challenges. We are anti-racist, queer friendly, anti-diet and body positive. We passionately believe in looking at the past to understand our current patterns. We believe in long term rich therapy. I believe this makes us different from many Atlanta therapists, who focus on more behavioral and short-term work. Our clients develop meaningful and rich relationships, due to the work and the way we practice. We are supportive, yet challenging, compassionate, yet direct. We offer this incredible mix of nurturing our clients, while helping them to step out of the negative patterns they have been repeating. People have always asked, what is my business plan and how did I get here? I honestly, never had one. I have always had a business mind, and I wanted to find a way to increase my profits, while also helping more people. For the most part it has felt relatively easy, and if there were parts I did not like, I outsourced. Managing people, doing therapy, understanding money has always been a passion of mine, and therefore most of the time it does not even feel like work. A few times along the way, obviously things weren’t smooth sailing, so I always take a pause, looked at what feels different about this moment and reevaluate. Am I working too hard? Is my client load to intense? Is this associate the right fit? If I get answers that do not suit my needs and the practice’s needs, I adjust accordingly. I am good at seeing the big picture and then breaking things down bit my bit to help me understand what my goals are. Ultimately, I always go back to the basics. Am I increasing my profits, while training incredible clinicians and helping as many clients as possible? If the answer is yes, then I am doing something right.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to
I would take them to ponce city market, have some lunch and do a stroll on the beltline. I would probably have them join me at a workout, at F45 or Row House, then do brunch either in VA Highlands or Tupelo Honey. We would likely go to the botanical gardens and then hop on some scooters and scoot around piedmont park. In the evening we would go to Gun Show and order delicious cocktails and eat all the yummy food. Maybe after we pop over to Ormsby’s to play some games. Depending on the season, we might hit up the Battery and enjoy some wings, while watching the Braves, or go find all the tiny doors in Atlanta. At some point, I would have them just try Chick Fa let, and eat some real southern food.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I unfortunately never had a mentor or anyone guiding me through this process, which is why I feel so strongly about supporting and uplifting new clinicians. I would say that my parents have shown me incredible love and support, and always valued my pursuit of the next thing. I have unbelievable friends, who have always shown me unwavering support and unconditional love. So, my shoutout is to them.
Website: https://jlewistherapy.com/
Instagram: jlewistherapy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-lewis-ma-lcsw-ceds-s-cgp-a1390347/
Facebook: J Lewis therapy
Yelp: J Lewis Therapy
Jill Lewis, MA, LCSW, CEDS-S, CGP is a Health At Every Size (HAES)-focused psychotherapist who believes that everyone can have a healthy relationship with their body. She prioritizes an anti-diet approach and practices weight inclusivity in every individual and group therapy session, challenging the status quo that many women and men grow up believing.
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