Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Kennedy.
Anna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey to having a private therapy practice started in college. I attended UGA (Go Dawgs! ) , and took a psych class as one of my core electives and I ended up falling in love with psychology. Not so much the research part, but the learning about human behavior and emotions. Yes, I love feelings. I went straight from undergraduate to my Master’s program in professional counseling. For once, I aced school because I was so engaged and loved the content that I was learning. I went on to work at The Walker School, an independent school in Marietta. I worked at Walker for about eight years as their Director of Upper School Counseling. On that campus is where I believe I found my calling and fell in love with working with adolescents.
Teens are awesome to work with. These days, they are facing so much pressure and they are completely overbooked with their schedules. I found a passion for helping these teens get through their day, and it was so invigorating to help them realize their own strength, power, and resiliency. On the side, I opened up Empower Yoga, a fabulous hot yoga studio, in East Cobb. I then began to dive into more wellness, mindfulness, and personal growth. After the birth of my amazing daughter, I needed to let go of something and it was Walker just because I had more flexibility with the yoga studio. We opened a second location of our studio in 2017. I was absolutely loving what I was doing, but I still had this nagging feeling that I needed to get back into counseling because I missed those connections. So, while I was pregnant with my second child, I decided to open a private practice, so I could still work with people one-on-one. I had my baby on June 18th, and Anna Kennedy Counseling was born on August 1st. It is still so new, but it feels so familiar. I love that I am able to have my own private practice and yoga studio. With my family, private practice, and yoga studio…I am so happy that my journey has led to me to this exact place! I feel complete.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh man, wouldn’t that be nice if it was a smooth road??? Actually, I change my mind — I am happy that this road has had its bumps. I have definitely had my ups and downs, but every single down was a place that I was able to learn from. The lessons that I have been taught along the way are priceless. It has not been a smooth road, but it has all been worth it. The main struggle for Anna Kennedy Counseling was to get the word out that I had started my own practice. It took a whole lot of networking, meetings, emailing, and hustling but I am proud to say that I almost have a full caseload, so I consider that a huge success!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Anna Kennedy Counseling story. Tell us more about the business.
My business consists of one person, me : ) I am a therapist. When I tell people that I am a therapist, they often say “like a physical therapist?”. No, I am not. (although that was my initial major in college). I work in mental health. My job is to inspire hope and empower change in your life. What is working and what is not? We will work on practical tools to try to alleviate some of the issues that weight you down. I love to weave my counseling techniques in with the mindfulness techniques that I learned from yoga to create a balance between your mind and body. In therapy, my approach is generally cognitive behavioral therapy mixed in with solution-focused techniques. My goal is to challenge you, but for you to leave feeling empowered and capable of controlling your own life. I work well with all ages, but I specialize in adolescents and young adults. In my over ten years of experience, I have worked with a myriad of conditions. The most common issues that I see are anxiety, depression, trauma, disordered eating, women’s issues, substance abuse, stress, self-esteem, ADHD, LGBT issues, and relationship problems.
Yes, I have many of the same skills as other practitioners in my field, but I believe what sets me apart is my extensive work with mindfulness, my non-judgemental stance, and my commitment to personal growth each and every single day.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Great question! I have no idea. : ) However, I do believe there is a shift happening as we speak. Unfortunately, there have been a few deaths recently that have aided in bringing mental health to the forefront of social issues. Recently, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain both passed away directly from the result of dealing with mental illness. Michael Phelps is a spokesperson for an online therapy forum and has radio ads and commercials encouraging people to speak up, and to talk about what they are experiencing. I believe that mental illness is being less stigmatized and therefore we are able to have real conversations about issues that we are all dealing with, so I feel like those things are incredibly encouraging for my field.
Pricing:
- $125 for 55 minute individual therapy session
Contact Info:
- Address: 1503 Johnson Ferry Rd Suite 100
Marietta, GA 30062 - Website: www.annakennedycounseling.com
- Phone: 678-216-2674
- Email: anna@annakennedycounseling.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annakennedycounseling/?modal=admin_todo_tour
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