Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with JamieLynn Gonzales, LCSW, Owner of BeMeBetter, located in Albuquerque, NM, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I own a growing private mental health group practice in New Mexico. BeMeBetter is a team of experienced, credentialed, and licensed mental health practitioners dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families reach personal, life, and professional goals. No matter what age, career, or presenting problem, with the help of BeMeBetter, our clients can reach the next level in a nurturing and caring environment.
Tell us about yourself
Throughout my years of providing mental health therapy within various agencies, I often met barriers to optimal success by being forced to treat within the constraints of the standard medical model. The mind, spirit, and body connection is lacking in traditional mental health treatment by many agencies and practitioners. I knew that mental health treatment could be and needed to be different and client-centered. As a business owner, I have the opportunity to introduce innovative programs and therapy that foster one's creativity and strengths. My philosophy and BeMeBetter's mission go beyond the typical medical treatment model. BeMeBetter's collaborative partnerships offer a whole-person approach that makes an immediate, lasting impact on people. Providing a safe, non-judgmental place for clients, practitioners, and interns to play to their strengths allows me to give back to the community and my field of expertise. Taking a servant leadership role within my community and practicing for the better good is what motivates and excites me each and every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I am proud to say that as a first-generation college graduate and a woman of color, my biggest accomplishment is being a business owner. BeMeBetter and our providers have an upstanding reputation in New Mexico. Recruiting a phenomenal team with a wide range of expertise has allowed a large number to receive much-needed mental health services and the enrichment of life.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
In the realm of owning a mental health practice, where the priority should always be clinical (the client), the business role (supervision and administration) often clash. As a business owner and clinician, I serve two roles within BeMeBetter. When these roles clash, making tough business decisions that are not client-centered is difficult when our job as therapists is to help.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
The three tips I'd give are, first, do your research. This includes a needs assessment and learning healthy business practices. Second, create a multi-disciplinary team of partners that will collaborate and will be honest. Finally, GO FOR IT! You can do this. There is nothing more fulfilling and satisfying than owning and growing a business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.bemebetter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bemebetter.2011
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bemebetter.2011/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayGee51538816
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamielynn-gonzales-lcsw-8b30511b/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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