Kara Kazemba
We sat down with Women to Women Network member Kara Kazemba, of Ancora Counseling and Therapy Services, and here's what she had to say…
Who are your clients/customers?
My clients are people who want to take a proactive approach to their mental health. We don’t take insurance, so our counseling can be what you need it to be without the stigmatizing limits and labels insurance plans put in place. We believe an insurance provider shouldn’t tell you how many sessions it will take for you to achieve wellness.
We see people who are working toward specific goals or who want to make mental health a part of their regular wellness routine. It should be no different than getting a massage or going to see a chiropractor.
How do you help your clients/customers?
We work with people to achieve what wellness means to them. Some people have an acute issue that needs to be solved. They’ll work with us until they reach a resolution. Others need an objective ear to bounce things off of because they’re feeling stagnant in their lives. This type of client relationship tends to be more long-term. In general, we help people by “walking” alongside them toward whatever their vision of mental health is and we bring along years of clinical expertise as licensed mental health practitioners.
What brought you to this line of work?
For me in particular, it was an accident. I planned to be a child welfare social worker. When I moved to Oregon, I applied for a dual diagnosis therapist position on a whim, and my business partner, Lydia, hired me despite being new to the industry and the rest is history.
A couple of months after I was hired, Billy, our other business partner at Ancora, came on board as a counseling intern. We all met while working in community mental health and somewhere along the way, we said, “What if we could do mental health a little bit differently?”
So that’s what brought me here, but an important part of Ancora’s story is our vision for the future. One day we were driving past an alpaca farm and had a crazy thought, “how could we integrate alpacas into therapy?” We know from our time working in community mental health and from our own personal experience that everyone does better when they're outside and feeling productive. We all feel better when there's something cute and fuzzy around us too. We came up with a plan for a therapeutic farm that incorporates ancestral skills and teaches people about gardening, animal husbandry, and hope.
The goal is that our clients will learn to create things from what we grow and raise together on the farm, and then sell their goods at farmers’ markets. All of this will happen while getting therapy, reiki, or other services to make their wellness more complete. We plan to have one-on-one and group settings, all in a farm-based model.
What brings you joy in your business?
I’m surprised to say that I love the marketing aspect of my job. Networking and talking with groups of people that I don't normally talk about mental health with is a very cool experience. Hearing realtors, mortgage brokers and insurance salespeople having conversations about wellness and normalizing counseling brings me joy. When these professionals refer others to me, it tells me there is good dialog happening and maybe we can get society to a place where counseling is normalized rather than keeping all of our problems to ourselves.
What defines you and your business?
We are approachable. It may sound cliche, but the “friendly neighborhood counselor” is our brand. I'm doing the marketing for the entire company, but I'm doing it in a way that’s authentically me.
People have an idea that counseling is laying on a couch and receiving insightful ideas every so often, but as counselors, we’re more than that. We even crack jokes! We have our experience and our education to make us very good at what we do, but in the end, you are the author of your story. You are the expert on your situation. Getting to be a part of that journey is just beautiful.
What's the most important thing you want people to know about you and your business?
Making mental health approachable is who we are. You don't need to have anything “wrong” with you to talk to a mental health professional.
Pre-pandemic, people would choose their counselors based on the convenience of location, but nowadays we can serve anyone in Oregon. Telehealth is a great opportunity to find someone who's the best match for your personality. Ancora offers free consultations because you need to get to know your therapist in order to have good treatment outcomes. Consultations are important. If we’re not a good match, we don't take it personally. We’ll help you find someone who's a better fit for you.
Ancora means grounding. We're grounded, real people and we’re here to help.