Today we’d like to introduce you to Elyse Snipes.
Elyse, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have been working in the field of mental health and wellness since 2008, but my first real introduction to therapy was in 1996 as the patient.
My own experience in therapy changed the trajectory of my life. I finished college, went to grad school, and started working as a therapist in 2008. Since then, it has been my mission to normalize therapy, to get it off the couch and into the world. I started a podcast (Trailercast) to give a glimpse into the world that is usually stuck behind HIPPA compliant doors. I believe that when we know better, we do better and the more access we have to stories and examples of people doing it better the more likely we are to join in.
After working in private practice for the last ten years, I craved community, collaboration and change. I recognized that there were a lot of ways the field of mental health could shift to help meet people more efficiently and in new ways. I started hosting intensive weekend retreats, creating online workshops, speaking at live events, and most recently created an entirely remote group practice – Radical Wellness Collaborative.
Radical Wellness Collaborative is a group of highly trained professional therapists, health coaches, yoga instructors, spiritual directors, and enneagram coaches committed to providing excellent care in a radical way. All of our wellness providers use a modern approach to serving people, which means that our work is available online via remote technology. We use a holistic, integrative approach to wellness, providing services that consider the mind, body and spirit of each person. We specialize in women’s issues and offer individual sessions, small groups, online and in person events.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest struggles I faced in private practice were isolation, feeling confined to somewhat archaic model of helping people and the general burn out that happens in the behavioral health industry. Struggle fuels me to want to create solution. When I am faced with something that isn’t working or that doesn’t seem to fit anymore, I love the innovative opportunity to re-think the way we are doing our work and all the ways we can do it differently.
For example, I now work out of a restored vintage trailer on the beach because I didn’t like the medical model of people having to show up to a sick place to get well. I was walking on the beach with my husband and thought, what if I could work here? This spark of an idea sent us on a 12 hour road trip with our three children to pick up a 1953 Boles Aero, which we then completely gutted and restored and I now use as my mobile office and podcast studio.
Challenges ask us, “What needs to change? How can this be different? How can I think outside the box on this? Is there a need for a creative shift? What’s next?” Radical Wellness Collaborative was the answer to a lot of these questions as well. Instead of being limited to the people in our direct zip code, if we took our work online we opened up the possibility of working with people wherever they are. We can meet professionals who have a difficult time getting away from the office during business hours, mom’s who are at home who don’t have access to childcare or women who live across the country and want to work remotely with people that are safely outside their direct circle. Our remote practice is accessible, simple and immediate.
Please tell us about Radical Wellness Collaborative.
“Radical Wellness Collaborative is a collection of professionals committed to providing excellent care in a radical way, wherever you are on your wellness journey and wherever you are geographically. All of our wellness providers use a modern approach to serving you, which means that all our work is available online via remote technology. We use a holistic, integrative approach to wellness, providing services that consider the mind, body and spirit of each person. Bottom line, we believe holistic wellness is attainable and when we work collaboratively towards this effort, we get there more beautifully. We are committed to providing you the best care possible in the most efficient and holistic way.”
We provide individual, small group, and large group experiences for women to encounter themselves in a new way. We believe this experience is the catalyst for the genuine curiosity and confidence needed to seek a new way forward. With a trusted guide (wellness provider), we then work collaboratively to co-create a clear and effective way for people to do their work. Depending on each person’s specific experience, we combine our services into a wellness package, where we blend individual sessions of therapy, coaching or spiritual consultation in order to care for the entire person. For example, someone might benefit from an Enneagram typing session, plus therapy to work on limiting core beliefs and a private yoga session; so we would create that package for them and then work together collaboratively and holistically.
We are known for our modern, unique approach to whole-person wellness and our live Mind + Body events we host. At our Mind + Body events we use a combination of conversation and movement to lead people through a re-patterning of their thoughts, emotional identification in the body, and yoga to give people an experience of whole-person wellness.
I am most proud of the way we work together as a team. Our Tuesday meetings are quickly becoming the highlight of my week. Who we are for each other, how we are when show up when it’s just us, all of this informs and transforms the way we serve the people we work with. We are building a healthy place for authentic connection within our collaborative and we know that if we start there, it will extend beyond as well.
What sets us apart is our mobile accessibility, our focus on women’s issues, and our collaborative wellness approach.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have done this sooner! I spent so many years trying to do this work on my own and it is so much more enjoyable with a team. I love seeing how our very different life experiences, gifting, personalities, interests and specialties allow us to work better together and for a more diverse population. I like to think of what we are doing as a people potluck and when we all show up with our best dish, there is more variety and more to enjoy.
Pricing:
- Individual Sessions – ranging from $100-$200
- Small Groups – $50/session for a 6 week group (core beliefs, women’s empowerment, experiential embodiment, postpartum, introduction to yoga, introduction to spiritual wellness, etc.)
- Events – under $50 for two hour event using conversation and movement to create experiential, integrative healing.
- Podcast – FREE! Trailercast is a weekly podcast you can find anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.radicalwellness.co www.elysesnipes.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @radicalwellness_co. @elysesnipes_collective
- Facebook: Elyse Snipes Therapy
Image Credit:
Emily McAllister Photography, Lobo Deisgns, TC Franklin
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