Meet Allison Tomlinson, PhD, LCSW-S: Psychotherapist/ Wellness Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Tomlinson, PhD, LCSW-S and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
What was your thought process behind starting your own business? My passion is helping people develop wellness across life domains. I don’t think of mental health as stagnant; it’s not just talking to people or telling them how to live. Its about helping people find the tool and resources they need internally and externally to be successful. People are multidimensional and so I built a business based on that complexity. This means I must reach people in a variety of methods and spaces. I started my business to fulfill a need in the market that I felt was not being addressed. I own a private psychotherapy practice that provides consultation, training, and therapeutic services to niche populations in mental health. Currently, I am collaborating with a privately owned gym to provide wellness workshops and boutique mental health services to gym members. I believe that you can be creative and artful even as a mental health professional. People from many different backgrounds need help and the kind of services my practice provides but sometimes they need you to meet them in non-traditional contexts. I wanted my business to be multidimensional and able to pivot and respond to needs of a diverse clientele. This means I must reach people in a variety of methods and spaces to achieve a complete wellness experience. What are you inspired by? I am inspired by innovators and creators in a variety of industries. Often life imitates art and art mirrors life. I think it is wonderful that social media, reality, and scripted TV have helped bring visibility to mental health services. I think that these images shape how you engage with clients, use of technology and media are essential to keep people engaged due to the pace of society. Many of my conversations with people in my everyday life at places like the hair salon, grocery store, or with family inspire new ideas of how I want to introduce new services under my business umbrella. I am constantly thinking about news stories I’ve read or seen on TV and how those relate to my market audience and services How do you think about risk, what role has risk taking played in your life/ career? I think risk is essential to entrepreneurship, every venture and decision has a certain measure of risk. I believe that the decision to take risks in small business ownership is based on your knowledge and skill in the industry as well as your personality. My journey as a business owner has meant being fluid in my decision to take risks. I like coming up with ideas that are novel and a different way of approaching mental health. I love my role as a consultant, I get to go in and design programs for non-profits and grant write to get them funded. I love developing new programs with partners as a consultant or joint venture. I think that this keeps the work fresh for me, but I measure that risk against my more steady and predictable work. I think it’s all about building on a strong foundation, when you have a strong foundation you can take risks but always return to the secure base if necessary.

What should our readers know about your business?
Seven years ago I walked into my company that was hard hit by the economic climate and told the CEO I would accept a lay off so that staff in my department wouldn’t be laid off. I was the director of a social services department of a private health care company and I knew the moment had come for me to make the leap into owing my own business. I started my business, a private psychotherapy practice that serves children, adults, couples, and families. As a clinician I specialize in working with individuals with trauma and working with couples/ families. I am a licensed clinical social worker and a PhD marriage and family therapist. I believe that by combining these experiences I am able to work with a wider demographic of people and adapt my work to many settings. I started the practice with the intention to train and employ other clinicians and provide services in some specialized areas of therapy. Trauma was my first preference because I think this is an issue that effects so many people, and many people don’t realize that at the root of their struggle is trauma. I like helping people who are in really hard places in their life and need someone to come along and help them pinpoint where to start the healing process. I believe that this passion has led me to seek out some very non-traditional partnerships and create targeted and unique programs to help people with their mental health. I currently partner with a youth sports organization to hold a wholistic wellness program for youth, I also partner with a gym to help adults who are focusing on fitness goals to develop their emotional and psychological health. I’m excited about how partnering preventative health and wellness will create total wellness and health for our clients. It has been a journey to develop my practice to its current form. I believe that trying different partnerships and creating different programs has helped me get to my current success. It hasn’t been easy and not every venture has been successful but I am happy for the journey. The failures and pitfalls have helped me learn and have allowed me to prune away the distractions. I have more security in knowing what I do and do not want when it comes to my business. I have learned that there is so much work to be done to help people and that not everything has to be done by me. I can make choices to serve particular populations or create particular programs and it’s also okay to turn down opportunities that don’t align with my mission. I want other people to look at my story and my brand and know that it’s about quality service. I want people to see the POCCETS logo or hear the name Allison Tomlinson and know there is a heart and a passion behind my work. The goal of my work is to help people feel encouraged and to spur them towards positive changes in their life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the Dallas Fort-Worth area, it’s home for me. When people visit I always encourage them to see the Dallas skyline at night. I think it is unique and gorgeous. I feel Reunion Tower is one of the best places to take it in. My favorite seasonal sites are the Dallas Arboretum and the Old Red Museum for an annual New Year’s Eve party. As a native Fort Worth resident I enjoy taking my kids to the nationally ranked Ft. Worth Zoo. I always enjoy taking my friends from out of town to the great little gems of the restaurant business like Chocolate Secrets in Dallas or a lounge like Scats in Fort Worth. I think the beauty of DFW is the variety of places to experience.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dream Performance has been wonderful partner in the development of the wellness masterclass. Point of Change Counseling Education & Training Services is my practice and it’s team of dedicated mental health professionals have kept my business rolling.

Website: https://poccets.com