Meet Anne Rice | Licensed Professional Counselor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anne Rice and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anne, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Carl Rogers, a famous psychotherapist, made this statement in his book “On Becoming A Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy.” As a therapist, I am an advocate for self-acceptance, flaws and all. Clients often come to me wanting to change or get rid of anxious or depressing thoughts. I encourage clients to look at those thoughts and see what function they are serving. Maybe those anxious thoughts have kept you out of dangerous situations or helped you prepare for challenges. When we can reframe how we see our anxiety, we can use it as a strength to help us grow. As a business owner, I think it is also so important to look at and focus on your strengths and what you already do well. It is so easy to get caught up in the next fad or to compare yourself to everyone else out there. When I was starting my practice, I felt the need to constantly post on social media because that is what all the marketing gurus told me to do. I hated it and therefore my posts always struggled. When I let that go and instead focused on the things I was actually good at, one-on-one relationships, my practice began to grow. I also provide business coaching to other therapists and always encourage them to be as authentic in their practice as possible and not just follow latest trends.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor who runs my own private practice, Firefly Wellness Counseling. Being a therapist and owning my own practice has been a dream of mine since college. I love supporting my clients and helping them become more comfortable with who they are. Starting my practice was hard. I didn’t learn anything about starting a business in graduate school and had to figure everything out on my own. There were a lot of late nights googling and listening to podcasts about practice building. I quickly realized that meeting and talking with other local therapists and business owners was the best way to get questions answered and the support I needed. I’ve now turned what I’ve learned into my second business, Blue House Wellness, a coworking space for mental health professionals. I help local therapists get their practices started and also provide hourly office space rental to make starting a practice a lot more affordable. I love helping my counseling clients and my coworking members go after what fulfills them. I strongly believe that we have the ability to create the lives we want by really looking at how we spend our time and energy and adjusting as necessary. As a mom to a toddler, my time is so important to me and I’ve realized focusing on what I really value and ignoring all the noise has helped me be successful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely start my day at Revolution Doughnuts. I love walking and often take visitors on the BeltLine or on the Path trails around Avondale Estates. For a late lunch I might head to Arepa Mia. For a causal evening, I’d head to The Lost Druid Brewery and enjoy their amazing wings. For something a little fancier, Wahoo! Grill is my favorite, especially their mocktails and cocktails. For an afternoon pick-me-up, I’d head to Waller’s Coffee shop which sits near an amazing creek where it’s fun to explore and get some fresh air.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shoutout to the members of my coworking space, Blue House Wellness, which is a coworking space for mental health professionals. I am so lucky to have such an amazing group of therapists that push me to do my best work. The community spirit and abundance mindset has definitely helped me not only survive this pandemic but thrive. I would not be where I am without this wonderful community of therapists and our weekly virtual meetups.

Website: fireflywellnesscounseling.com
Instagram: @firefly.wellness.counseling
Facebook: @fireflywellnesscounseling
Other: Coworking Space: www.bluehousewellness.com

Image Credits
Zoë Miller