Today we’d like to introduce you to Asta Klimaite.
Asta, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
A career in Clinical Psychology was the natural choice for me since I always felt like psychology is my calling. I was born in Lithuania, yet spent most of my adult life in the United States. From an early age, I hoped to spend my life helping others. I started volunteering at a Suicide Crisis Line when I was sixteen. I later worked on creating a drug prevention program in Lithuania titled “Youth to Youth.”
Following my education, I was offered opportunities to work in a variety of facilities, including several hospitals, mental health centers, and an emergency room. I have extensive training in working with eating disorders, as I was part of an inpatient treatment team at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital eating disorders and self-injury unit. The ability to work with such a diverse group of facilities has allowed me to develop a wide range of professional expertise.
Throughout my professional journey, I sought out the most cutting-edge techniques and I have trained extensively with the leading experts in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as well as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the world-famous Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference in Anaheim, CA (2013; 2017) and learn from the most recognized psychologists in the field. Using all that I had learned, I decided to open my private practice.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I had my first psychotherapy client in 7 months after starting my private practice! Now, I have a thriving private practice with 5 part-time therapists! I often talk to new therapists who want to start their own business and say, “Never give up.” If I had given up in 6 months, I would not have the successful business I have now!
I started from scratch and used my own savings to open my private practice. I never believed in doing something half-way. I took my time to strategize and build my brand before I even had an office. I focused on what my ideal clientele would look like, as well as how I could reach them. I started building my presence on line.
Initially, it was very difficult to find an office space to rent since I did not need more than one little room. I could not find much on-line, so I got into my little Civic and started driving around the neighborhood in which I was interested. I talked to various business to see if they would rent me some office space. It seemed no one had anything I could use! I finally found a small space; however, they wanted to sign a 3-year lease. It was a big gamble for me but my mind was set on this and it seemed the time to take a chance. I took a calculated risk, actually. I calculated that – in a worst-case scenario – I could pay for the office for 3 years from my savings and I would be okay, financially. This risk paid off, and it has been wonderful to rent there. It’s close to the highway which gives our clients easy access to us.
I am a strong believer in doing it right from the beginning. I surrounded myself with people who are very passionate about their craft and who want to be beyond average. I found a designer in Europe who created my logo. I reached out to him and we created something amazing. I also went to a couple of accountants to get their opinion on how to set up my business and correctly pay taxes. I cannot forget the other private practice owners that I reached out to in order to meet-up and discuss the road to success. You have to surround yourself with people who want you to be successful.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Beautiful Mind Therapy story. Tell us more about the business.
I am so proud of my team! I have great professionals who are very passionate about helping our clients. We provide the best care possible for our clients and we take pride in what we do! One of our therapists is a nurse. Our staff also speaks a number of different languages including Spanish, Russian and Lithuanian.
Our therapists are trained to help children, adolescents, adults and mature adult patients. Our clientele include those that experience stress at work and school, relationship issues, fear of change and struggles with food and weight. We help clients manage their anxiety, depression and mood swings. We focus on helping clients improve their sleep. Often, our clinicians will help clients learn new coping and stress management skills and help them have a better work-life balance. We help children and adolescents through their age-related concerns such as social anxiety, school refusal, body image, bullying and self-esteem concerns. Someone who is going through a change in their life, such as children leaving their home or retirement, would also benefit from seeing us. We help new mothers manage postpartum depression and offer parenting support. We help couples to communicate better and improve their marital satisfaction. We have a therapist who specializes in anger management and impulse control concerns. One of our therapists is a nurse and she helps our clients who struggle with their medical concerns such as chronic pain, cancer, insomnia, migraines and other medical conditions.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think I have always been a very hard worker. In fact, many of my friends and colleagues call me a workaholic. I also got lucky because I met awesome people in my life and was able to have strong personal and professional relationships with them. I think it has to be both, you can’t build a successful business just on luck alone.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1270 Bamberg Court
Hanover Park, IL 60133 - Website: www.beautifulmindtherapy.com
- Phone: 708-695-4808
- Email: beautifulmindtherapy@gmail.com
- Twitter: www.yelp.com/biz/beautiful-mind-therapy-bartlett
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/beautiful-mind-therapy-hanover-park
- Other: www.healthgrades.com/group-directory/il-illinois/hanover-park/beautiful-mind-therapy-oovcm6c
Image Credit:
JustGaba Photography and Design
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