Today we’d like to introduce you to Saba Harouni Lurie.
Saba, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Take Root Therapy began with me and my good fortune in having found a career that I love, that allows me to support and connect with some really awesome people. I began my career as a therapist working in non-profit mental health agencies. While I really enjoyed the clinical work and was learning a lot, it became clear that to do the work that I wanted to do in the way that I wanted to do it, I would need to work for myself. I opened my practice in 2013 and it has been quite a journey. After a few years of being a solo practitioner I hired my first intern. I made the decision to do this in order to help develop other therapists, and to know that if I had to refer clients to someone else (due to my schedule or because I couldn’t accommodate a client’s financial situation), that I would have a quality person to refer them to and I would know that the folks calling would be in good hands. My practice has grown over the years and I now employ three wonderful therapists. We have offices in Santa Monica and Los Feliz, because I want to make sure folks can reach us and that we are accessible.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every day brings new challenges and new learning opportunities. I started the practice small and was so excited about scheduling my first clients, that I did not consider the costs involved, and initially my expenses were higher than what I was charging clients. It has taken me some time to really value my work and to create a sustainable practice. I am also learning what it means to be a successful and supportive supervisor, and that is not necessarily the same thing as being a successful and supportive therapist. Just as I learn from each and every one of my clients, I learn from my employees. There are growing pains in building and developing a business, and I hope we continue to rise to the occasion.
Please tell us about Take Root Therapy.
Take Root Therapy is a Psychotherapy Practice with offices in Los Feliz and Santa Monica. We work primarily with adults and adolescents, and are known for providing caring and supportive therapy. We are down-to-earth and human, and we do our best to help our clients when they are struggling. Adult clients going through difficult transitions report that they have really benefitted from working with our therapists, and now have an increase in insight and are able to approach their lives with greater clarity intention. A number of the therapists in the practice are also trained in art therapy, and this really helps when working with adolescents, which is one of our specialties. I think that one of the things that sets us apart is that we want to make sure that folks that are reaching out to us are able to connect with a therapist that will be a good fit for them.
That means that if we cannot accommodate them financially, or if they are calling and have an issue that is not one of our areas of expertise, that we will take the time to try to find them the best referrals we can.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
One of the things I do now is consult with other business owners. I am not afraid to ask questions and to try different things. When I began my practice I did have some help, but I spent a lot of time fumbling in the dark. I have since hired business coaches and I also know other successful therapist in private practice that are supportive, and that I can call upon when I need help identifying a resource or when I am trying to figure out next steps. If I had to start over I would ask for help right from the start. I don’t think that there’s an easy recipe to success or that there’s a one size fits all solution, but I also don’t think that I needed to reinvent the wheel.
Contact Info:
- Address: Los Feliz Office: 4620 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Santa Monica Office: 1639 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 - Website: takeroottherapy.com
- Phone: 323.388.5578
- Email: [email protected]
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/saba-harouni-lmft-los-angeles-3
Image Credit:
Jillian Sorkin Photographer Extraordinaire
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