I never intended to work as a therapist. I entered Jane Addams College of Social Work to help people navigate complex systems. I didn’t have a fully formed idea of what my work would be like. The chaos of AIDS during the 1980s and 1990s scrambled my life and the idea of a future. I discovered I could move through hostile and complex systems, and it became clear that my work was meant to support others in thriving through their own challenges, too. 

My friend, Laura Grimes, started a private practice after many years in community mental health. She began encouraging me to start a private practice of my own. I was working in community health at the time. Her encouragement grew persistent. She had rented an office suite with three rooms and offered me a space and referred my first client. 

Psychotherapy is creative work involving curiosity, imagination, intention, and action. It is also reflective work that asks us to be present. The work is moving, resonating, and surprising. I discovered my enthusiasm for the work growing, and I wanted to share my experience with others considering the field.

Years ago, Laura and I had the chance to lease an adjacent office suite. We believed we could create an environment to encourage other people to consider private practice psychotherapy without the risks of renting a space, furnishing it, and worrying about all of the other infrastructure. So we signed the lease for the adjacent space, brought in a designer, broke through the wall of our existing office, built out 3 private offices, furnished them, and encouraged people to rent the space by the hour at a really nominal fee. Laura and I worked with them every step of the way, providing space for people to experiment with themselves, assisting clinicians with business practices, discussing marketing, and providing referrals. A lot of clinicians came through our doors, each one of them unsure of the prospects of becoming a psychotherapist in private practice. For some folks, it wasn't a fit. For others, they found that it suited them and went on to own their own private practices and build larger group practices. I think of this experience as a kind of incubator for our Inclusive Insight.