Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Grinshpun.
Anna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Not sure where to start. I have an MA in Family Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. I never in my life imagined that one day I’d be self-employed. The turning point came when my daughter was in kindergarten. That was a difficult year for me.
I was working for a local social services organization — the name of which I can’t reveal — and it hit me that I was constantly working, round the clock. No one ever saw me without my laptop. Of course, I was getting paid for “37.5” hours a week, but I was working closer to 60, I think.
I can explain how this happens if need be. At that point, I had thought about what it might be like to be in private practice. Every therapist employed by an agency knows at least one therapist who is or was in private practice, so it slowly, over time, grew to be a possibility.
Looking back, it’s amazing how far I’ve come. I went from renting office space by the hour to having my own office out of necessity. Robin, who was my intern at one point now works for me as an independent contractor. And my business is not limited to counseling.
I also provide supervised visitation services and mental health evaluations for immigration clients, mostly asylum applicants. This is not something I planned on doing, but I love doing it, and love that I am able to provide this service.
Has it been a smooth road?
Some of my “growing pains”:
1. Learning the ins and outs of insurance billing the hard way
2. Learning the hard way how to make sure I get compensated. And the art of collecting money from someone who has just poured their heart out to you. It’s a strange but necessary evil.
3. Learning how to be alone a lot of the time. Even though I’m with clients, it’s not the same as having actual co-workers.
4. Figuring out the most effective way to advertise my services.
5. Time management: It’s easy to let your work overtake your life. When it’s your own business, there’s the pressure of being solely responsible for your success or failure. It’s scary when business is slow. But work/life balance is something I’m constantly working on.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with E-Town Wellness – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am an LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) and Robin Shannon, who is an independent contractor is an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). It just means that she’s working towards her license and I supervise her when it comes to my practice.
Robin sees individuals, couples, and families and so do I but in addition, I provide supervised visitation services and psychological evaluations for people applying for immigration waivers. Both Robin and I specialize in working with couples and families. I also do pre-marital counseling. Couples who are not religious or who want a more secular pre-marital counseling experience find it helpful that I provide this service.
I think what sets us apart from other mental health practices of all sizes is the ease of setting up an appointment. Between me and Robin, it’s rare that we are unable to schedule someone, and the rare time it happens, I am fortunate to have a network of mental health professionals I can refer the client to. It helps that we are in-network with most insurance plans.
From the beginning, my goal has been to increase access to mental health services. For many of my clients, it’s their first time being in therapy or they don’t know anyone who has been in therapy. Sometimes it’s due to cultural background. Seeking mental health services is still gaining acceptance within some ethnic/religious/cultural groups.
This is what I’m most proud of — the fact that we make mental health or wellness accessible and attainable for people of all socio-economic backgrounds. Mental health services should be available to everyone. People who are new to the idea of mental health often tell me that I make them feel comfortable, that the process is not as “weird” as they thought it would be.
Clients also tell me they appreciate my flexibility with scheduling. It doesn’t mean that I will cater to whatever day/time they want, but it does mean that I can make it easy for people when they need to reschedule due to unforeseen circumstances. I understand — I’m a parent myself.
Parents, kids, babysitters get sick, there are work and family emergencies that can occur. Some things are just out of our control. I try to meet clients where they are. I work with them to make therapy happen.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1569 Sherman Ave., Suite 202-B Evanston, IL 60201
- Website: etownwellness.com
- Phone: 773/732-6179
- Email: https://etownwellness.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/etowncounselor/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/anna-grinshpun-evanston-il/162847
Image Credit:
Christopher Bradley, Nick Anastasiades, Alex Grinshpun
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