Today we’d like to introduce you to MacKenzie Bradke
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m originally from a small farming community in Iowa. I moved to St. Louis in August 2000 to attend SLU for my MSW and never left. I loved the “big city.” When I was in grad school I worked for a year at Central Institute for the Deaf in the residential program. That was an amazing experience. I then started my internships for grad school and had so many different opportunities. Over the last 20+ years, I’ve worked in many social service settings, from residential treatment for adolescents at ECH (now Every Child’s Hope), community based mental health with BJC, a nursing home, insurance company and Hospice.
After our daughter was born in 2016, I wanted so badly to be the “perfect” mom. I was working long hours and not taking care of myself as so many moms do. It was time to make some changes so I could be more in charge of my schedule and the work that I was doing. I’d previously done private practice therapy part-time for a little while so I decided to go back to that full-time. I was tired of working for other people who weren’t social workers and expecting me to work miracles. Spoiler alert, social workers do not have magic wands.
So, I went to work for a group practice. It was close to home and I could work as little or as much as I wanted to. I fell in love. I loved the flexibility and connecting on such a different level with my clients. A year later I went out completely on my own and created Follow Your Arrow Counseling, LLC. Over the next few years I grew my business, my niche and did some coaching that helped me take my business where it is today. When Covid hit in 2020, I was able to easily transition home. Over the course of the pandemic, I got super lonely. I was considered high risk as was a member of my extended family during the pandemic so I didn’t go back to seeing people in person for quite awhile. If I was going to have to wear a mask and not see people’s facial expressions (that’s pretty important in a therapy session) then I’d continue at home. Finally, when I was able to safely return to in-person therapy sessions, I had my very own office and my clients slowly started trickling back in.
In 2022 I decided it was time for more clinicians to join me. I love working with my clients, but I wanted coworkers I could consult with, other professionals I could complain to about the insurance companies and maybe even eat lunch with. So I started Middle Path Wellness Collective, which is a group of female therapists who sublease space from me, but run their own business. We moved into our space in October 2022 and we’re still having fun!
In 2022 I also decided to start a therapist support group. I was in the throes of parenting a spicy daughter and trying to grow my business. More and more I was seeing how taking care of myself was always put last and I wasn’t the only Therapist Mom doing it. I wanted to further support my fellow Mom Therapists who were in the thick of things alongside me. I wanted to offer them support as much as receive it, honestly. I started marketing more and it was SO great to meet up with other therapists. There were times I’d meet up with someone and soon three hours would have passed and we’d barely notice. We were all so hungry for connection with like-minded people. It was a few months later that TheraMama Haven was born.
TheraMama Haven is the coaching side to my business. Under TheraMama Haven, I have a swag shop on Etsy (TheraMamaSwag), I host networking events for members of the group who want to get coffee, do some co-working or have game night. I have also hosted two retreats (so far) and have a conference planned for early October 2024. The point of TheraMama Haven is to get Therapist Moms involved in supporting each other, getting support for themselves and creating connections. Private practice can be incredibly isolating, even if you have other Therapists in the same space as you.
TheraMama events are always so much fun and it is a good reminder of how much we need to take these moments away so we can be humans. We take care of so many other people at the office and at home, we are usually last on our list.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s difficult to be a therapist in private practice for many reasons. Leaving a job where I had a steady paycheck, insurance and a 401K was pretty scary. And I didn’t have a choice. Adopting our daughter, something we wanted for so long, taught me even more that I wanted to be able to be more independent and do things the way I thought they should be done. I also wanted to teach our daughter that she can do anything she wants to.
There are always struggles when it comes to owning your own business. When I first started out working for the group practice, I was given some guidance, but a lot of it I had to figure out on my own. Working with insurance companies is incredibly frustrating and limiting. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Over the years, I’ve realized that my graduate program didn’t prepare me for a lot of things private practice related. Not many of them do, sadly. So all of the business-related parts I’ve had to learn through investing in coaching and talking with my colleagues. And not every single therapist is going to be the same. We all have our niche and we all bring something different to our clients even though we might have the same niche. That’s something that I think therapists often forget. Just because you’re doing the same kind of work I am doesn’t mean we’re competing against each other. This has been something that I have to remind myself and others often.
Dealing with Imposter Syndrome sounds weird, but it’s a struggle for Therapists, especially as women. We have moments where we don’t think we measure up and wonder what we’re even doing in this profession. What if my colleagues find out I have no idea what I’m doing? Things like this run through our heads at least once a day. I have to be creative in reminding myself that I’m pretty awesome. I have a journal in my desk where on one end I write out nice things clients have said about how I’ve helped them over the years and one the other side I write out what things I’m doing to improve my space and practice for my clients. Sometimes that’s adding new snacks to the snack basket, having a blanket in my office, creating a calming space for myself and my clients.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Follow Your Arrow Counseling is located in St. Charles, conveniently right off 94/364. That makes it easy for people to get to my office from all of the major highways. I am a “Self-Care Mompanion” for Moms and Therapist moms, supporting them through what I call “The Mother Load.” This is my loving reference to all of the changes and transitions that women go through when they are mothers. For example, the loss of autonomy, loss of a sense of self, perinatal anxiety and depression, self-confidence and so many more things. While we welcome our little angels, the changes can be more than we bargained for. We need support for these transitions and I’m here to offer it. It truly takes a village these days to raise our kids and maintain our sanity.
I offer EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy Intensives for those seeking relief from past traumas, anxiety, or day-to-day challenges. An Intensive EMDR Therapy session is a 3-hour extended session designed to get to the deeper issues, faster so the client can get back to living their daily life with a lower level of distress. We can’t erase memories, but we can lessen their impact.
TheraMama Haven, LLC, (my coaching business) supports Therapist Moms as working mothers, mental health clinicians and entrepreneurs. These roles take a great deal of emotional energy. TheraMamas tend to put themselves last on their priority list. My role is to encourage them with innovative ways to take care of their own mental health as well as find connection, relaxation and validation. I offer local TheraMamas in-person meetups, a FB group where we can support each other, self-care retreats and a continuing education Symposium in October 2024 in St. Louis.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Coming from a small town, when I first came to St. Louis, I quickly learned to love the many different cultures existing in the area. I quickly became a Cardinals fan (despite growing up with my Dad as a Cubs fan). I love Forest Park and the Zoo is one of my favorites. There’s always something to do in St. Louis.
I get sad seeing all of the beautiful buildings and homes along 70/North City sitting empty or vandalized. I wish that those buildings could be used for safer housing for our homeless population.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.followyourarrow.info
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_mom_therapist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/6181723558526473/
- Other: https://www.theramamahaven.com
