Meet Bailee Doherty | Therapist and Owner of Blue Bird Counseling

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

Hi Bailee, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started my masters program to pursue becoming a therapist, I knew that the end goal was one day having my own private practice. As I went through my internship and and associateship at a group private practice, I learned a lot about the ins and outs of the private practice world. When I became fully licensed as an LPC (licensed professional counselor), I started my own practice called Blue Bird Counseling in Plano, TX. Through the years I’ve focused in on working with clients dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety, and chronic health conditions, I’ve found a majority of clients that I work with have one thing in common. That shared experience is the need to work on nervous system regulation and usually ends up being part of the work we do in therapy, along with focusing in on their other personal goals. I find it is so common this day and age that our bodies and nervous systems are overly stressed and need help learning how to regulate. One of the easiest ways to regulate our nervous system is by stepping outside and listening to bird song. When we hear bird song, it signals to our bodies that our environment is safe and helps our nervous system recalibrate. For me, Blue Bird Counseling calls back to one of my favorite forms of work I get to do with my clients and one of my favorite ways of regulating — the simple act of connecting with nature!

What should our readers know about your business?
As a private practice owner and therapist, what excites me most is the collaborative and creative process of therapy. I truly love getting to know the clients I work with and working together to create a completely personalized therapeutic plan to help them achieve their goals.

I’ve always considered myself a creative person and have always needed creative outlets for my own mental health. As a teenager, I coped with all the things I went through and feelings that I had by writing lyrics, playing guitar, and singing. And when I didn’t have the exact words to describe the feeling, I’d find a song that did and learn to play it. Now as a therapist, I see the therapeutic process as a collaboration on a personal album. Through our work together, you could say that my clients are writing their own album of healing where they tell their stories, expand upon their history, challenges, heartbreaks, traumas, and/or relationships. Everyone’s album is different, and I’m there as a collaborator to use my expertise and skill set to help them in creating something that leads to reaching their therapeutic goals. My methodologies and theories (such as EMDR to process trauma, nervous system regulation strategies, mindfulness, etc.) are something I offer in the process. Maybe on one track we’re working on finding the hook, building out the bridge, or getting the chorus just right. In therapy speak, at the beginning of therapy we may be unpacking some current experiences or working on mindfulness, and then we may branch into EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) or building regulation skills. Or a client’s album may need to start with a song all about building safety before getting to the songs about their history or upbringing.

I am so passionate about getting to do this work and combine all of the theories and methods I’ve studied and my creativity to help clients find healing in a way that makes sense for them. In owning my own practice, I get to use my creativity to market my business and have found success in niching into providing EMDR and other modalities to address trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress. Being passionate about this work is what helps me get through the parts of owning a business that aren’t as easy.

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?
This is such a fun question and touching on another one of my favorite things– travel and trip planning! Any itinerary I’m planning will focus a lot on nature, good food, and music!

My favorite Dallas recs:
Walking Katy Trail (gotta get your daily mental health walk in!)
A DFW Pug Rescue event (Pug yoga at Oak Cliff Brewing on 6/22/24)
The Arboretum (I recommend packing a picnic and relaxing to soak in all the nature)
Explore Dallas Farmers Market
HG Supply Co. in Dallas (grab dinner downstairs and then head to the rooftop at sunset to get an amazing view of Dallas)
See a concert at Toyota Music Factory! Start at a restaurant nearby (my favorite is Monaco for amazing Italian food)

Recs in Rowlett/Rockwall:
The Flying Saucer in Garland (right on Lake Ray Hubbard with an amazing patio right on the lake! I love watching the ducks and sailboats on the water)
Paddle Boarding or Kayaking in Rowlett at Paddle Point Park (on Lake Ray Hubbard)
Spend an evening at the Harbor in Rockwall where you have beautiful views of the lake, tons of restaurants (my favorite is Gloria’s!) a movie theatre, ice cream and coffee shops, and more.

Recs in Plano:
Walk in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano
Grab coffee at Mudleaf Coffee in Plano

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely! I know I wouldn’t be where I am with running my own private practice or as a therapist in general without the complete support and encouragement I received from my family and partner. Having a strong support system is what helps me sustain the kind of work that I do. I’ve also found community to be instrumental to success in this field. My core community has consisted of a group of therapists I worked with for a few years in group private practice before we all ventured out on our own and started our own businesses. I continue to lean on this group of strong professionals by regularly consulting with them on cases, all things business related, and work life balance. I feel like I “grew up” in a sense with these therapists and know I can trust their perspective, wisdom, and personal insight into this job that we do. Our regular communication and meet ups allows me to feel balanced, seen, and supported. I’ve learned to take my self care seriously over the years in order to show up best for my clients and connection with others is definitely part of my self care practice.

Website: www.bluebirdcounselors.com

Instagram: @blue_bird_counseling

Facebook: Facebook.com/bluebirdcounselors

Other: Psychology Today- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/bailee-doherty-plano-tx/902084