Jasmine McEwen - Root Work Therapy

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Jasmine McEwen M.S., LCPC, NCC

Dec 18, 2022

Jasmine McEwen - Root Work Therapy

1. What's your practice focus and who are your typical patients?

My practice initially focused on helping adults who have survived physical or sexual trauma completely eliminate their trauma symptoms, but I have recently shifted to helping adults who are experiencing severe depression remove the limiting beliefs that are holding them back. The reason I want to help people become confident is so they can achieve their goals and share their gifts with the world.

So many of us are not operating at a high capacity. Most of us live in survival mode, and we are only sharing 25% of ourselves, at best, with the world, because we are depleted. Every single person on the planet has the ability to help someone whether it's through art, music, or simply just sharing their opinion on a topic which lets someone know they are not alone.

I see every patient that I work with as an opportunity to help the helpers and healers in this world.

2. Tell us about yourself.

Toxic work cultures is what motivated me to start my own private practice. I couldn't keep working in environments who valued income over patient's lives. How is someone supposed to heal from trauma if they had 4 therapists in 1 year and have to continue to tell their story to someone new? How can I even begin to do trauma work with patients who do not know where they are going to lay their head at night?

As a therapist I could always get another job, but it's the patients I served who ultimately suffered when they received services from a clinic who offered free or low fee services, but had a high turnover rate. I understand that businesses will cease to exist if they do not make money, but I completely burned out from working in environments where my higher ups did not understand the work I do, or care for the population I was serving. So many clinics and schools administer mental health care like it is a factory. A lot of services are grant funded and funders want a bang for their buck, meaning a lot of patients need to be served.

The problem is they don't need to be served well. I had to escape this system.

Although marketing and other business tasks are still challenging for me, I feel so much better now that I am in an environment where patients are valued as much as my mental health. We can create the work cultures we desire. I had to learn this.

One day after a particularly difficult work shift I sat down with myself and noticed that I spent all day telling people to take care of themselves, but here I was allowing myself to deteriorate. It was a painful realization but the next day I put in notice at my job, and decided that I was no longer going to remain a victim or listen to the people who were too afraid to bet on themselves tell me that I can't make it on my own.

3. Tell us the story of a patient who you are most proud of helping.

I once worked with a patient who had a job at an aquarium. They came into therapy because an animal that they were tasked with taking care of became unexpectedly sick and died in their arms. It was devastating for them, and the grief and self blame that they were holding onto was impairing their ability to be effective at work, and making it difficult for them to function in every day life. Getting out of bed was hard for them. Showering was hard for them. And being around animals was even harder. They stopped talking to their friends and family, and only left their room to eat once during the day. They told me that they wanted to reengage in the world, but had no idea how to start that process.

I noticed in our first session together that they were trembling and holding back tears, and I remember having to internally ground myself as their pain was palpable. If you ever want to know what the expression "sit with your feelings" means, talk to someone who is grieving.

During our first meeting I remember telling them that in order for them to begin to feel relief they need to give themselves permission to feel, and practice curiosity with their feelings, instead of criticism. After 3 sessions together this patient was feeling so much better.

This was my first time working with someone who was so open to the therapeutic process. They came to session, had a clear goal, did their work, and although my time with them was short, it was very impactful, and I'm glad they chose me to be a part of their healing journey.

4. What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a practitioner in private practice?

The hardest thing about being a practitioner in private practice was deciding what fee I wanted to charge my patients for therapeutic services. I do not accept health insurance so my rate is strictly out of pocket/to be paid for by the patient.

Every day I would ask myself "How do I remain accessible to people who don't make a lot of money while still charging my worth". And an even deeper question that plagued me was "How do I determine my worth"? I was haunted by these two questions for months. People will spend $400 on hair and nails, but don't want to drop a penny to eliminate their trauma symptoms. It's wild what gets prioritized in our society!

I talked to my family, other therapists, and even took these questions to social media to see if someone in the universe could provide me with an answer that helped to ease my immense guilt.

Ultimately I decided to see what other therapists in the community were charging, look at my skill set, complete the fair health consumer questionnaire (https://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/), and look at the transformation that I was offering people.

I still don't feel like I am charging my worth, but I plan to change this in the new year, and give back to those without a lot of money through a sliding scale fee or pro bono services.

5. What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a private practice today?\

1.) Identify the transformation you are selling. Initially I started off saying I wanted to help people eliminate their trauma symptoms, and my fiancé who works in marketing helped me narrow this down. Why would eliminating trauma symptoms be important to someone? What would someone gain if they were no longer experiencing flashbacks on a daily basis? Perhaps they would be able to improve their business if they aren't being traumatized on a daily basis which will help them make the money they need to buy a house and start a family. Go deep with your marketing!

2.) Create a support system. I am still struggling with this. Find therapists who share your values and join a consultation group. I currently cannot find a consultation group with people who share my values, so I will most likely create one. Private practice can be so isolating and you need to know that you are not on an island.

3.) Write down the reasons why being in private practice is helpful for you. This has been a difficult journey, but when I remind myself that I am no longer a slave to a toxic work machine that's hurting people, I feel grateful. I get to have my own business and that is such a blessing; even on the hard days.