Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Frits.
Hi Katie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Sure! I started Prairie Trails Counseling in 2018, based on a lifelong dream. Prairie Trails first flickered to life sometime around when I was a sophomore in high school. Having moved across the country in middle school, I had really struggled with a lot of generalized and social anxiety. That’s when I first knew I wanted to be a therapist. I didn’t want to sit at a desk all day, every day, or attend what my teenage brain told me would be “boring business meetings.” I wanted to help people who were struggling similarly to how I had been feeling, because life had to be more than feeling like constant chaos/anxiety; life has its ups and downs; transitions are hard, and people sometimes need a non-biased person to collect and organize their thoughts.
When I entered college, the idea of Prairie Trails briefly shimmered to life again. My therapist’s office became a safe haven for me while I came to the realization that I myself was struggling with long-term depression and anxiety. With my eyes on the prize – becoming a therapist – my own therapist continued to be an amazing support for me, encouraging me through the ups and downs of both my undergraduate and graduate programs. I still remember the day she jokingly, yet very seriously, said to me, “Maybe one day you’ll take over my business.” I thought to myself: Was she being serious? I couldn’t believe she thought enough of me to encourage owning not just anyone’s business, but the practice she spent a her career building. Maybe I would be able to own and run a successful practice, like hers, one day.
Finishing up graduate school was nothing short of a logistical nightmare; I ended up living in Iowa (where I’m originally from) for the last two semesters of school, while my husband lived and worked in Kansas City (we relocated down here for his job after he finished colloege).
Having been in Iowa since 2010, I quickly realized I needed to find an internship site down here; that’s how I found Renew in Olathe. I had absolutely no idea what I was signing up for when I started out as an intern, but I knew counseling was the path I had been called to take. Working with successful therapist entrepreneurs at Renew Counseling Center in Olathe, ignited my desire to understand and build my own business. Over the course of my internship, the idea of Prairie Trails began to shine brighter and brighter, becoming something that might actually come to fruition sooner than later.
This dream of mine morphed into being able to open not just any business, but a business where children, adolescents, and adults could come to seek supportive, therapeutic services for anxiety and depression. So, with the encouragement of my husband and my parents, I went out on a limb and started my business seven years ago with almost no money and with absolutely no guarantee that it would be successful. Each week, I would cautiously divide out my earned income to cover all the expenses (rent, marketing materials, continuing education, etc.), paying myself a measly wage to barely cover our personal bills, as Prairie Trails grew.
Over the last few years, I have worked diligently not only to be the best therapist I can be for myself and my clients, but also to connect with other providers in the area. Over time, my caseload has grown to a full-time therapist caseload, and I now clinically supervise young clinicians who are working towards their clinical license. I went from only renting office space three days per week to needing a full-time space to call my own. This last year has been a significant year of growth. I transitioned to having my own office space, the beginnings of a collective if you will, where I want other therapists to be able to join and build their own small practices out of.
.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This is such a tough question, and one that I’ll muddle through. It’s never a smooth road getting a successful business up and running, at least in my opinion. At first, I was so financially-minded, trying to make it all work out each week, month, year, all while trying to find the balance of making sure I’m truly helping others. I needed to make sure I didn’t burn out or lose sight of my goal. I also really doubted myself (am I doing it right? Am I doing enough? What else should I be doing?) and had to challenge those thoughts to realize that Prairie Trails could become the business that I had always wanted it to me.
There was a lot of pushing past the financial-worrier part of me, of focusing on the marketing piece, of focusing on helping people coming into my office, that eventually the that part of myself quieted down. But then something else pops up; be it a new idea, a new business plan, a new type of therapy I want to get trainined in. For example, the month I jumped into renting out my own suite in an office building (instead of subletting from other small business owners) was the month my business had been most financially successful in all eight years of business. That was truly a high for me and Prairie Trails. But then came the growing pains of learning how to sublet to other clinicians.
Another big struggle over the past few years has been growing my family while also maintaining Prairie Trails. When I started Prairie Trails, it was just me and my husband. What I’ve learned while owning my own business is that life keeps happening along the way. We’ve grown our family by three beautiful children and two dogs over the last 7 years, and pregnancy was no easy feat for my body, ending with me being sick for most of each pregnancy. I am so thankful to the clients that stood by me while I worked through those challenging moments, especially their patience, as I took my three maternity leaves and have continued to take time off to be ‘mom’ to my three littles when they need me.
In addition, it could be the ADHD part of me or just being an entrepreneur with a new idea. Some of the biggest struggles have been building my own confidence, recognizing my worth, and not putting myself in a box. I tend to be my own worst critic, and sometimes I let the anxiety overcome me, leading me to believe I can’t do something, when in reality, I can, especially with all the supports I have surrounded myself with (my family, my friends, my network, etc.). Something that has been the biggest catalyst for growing my business and overcoming the struggles has been growing my network of other therapists, people whom I can truly call friends, to lean on in times of doubt. They know the private practice business, too, so it’s great to bounce ideas/worries off of them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Prairie Trails Counseling?
I’m a mental health therapist providing individual counseling for those who are seeking therapy services to assist in their struggles, like anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Sometimes we need someone to talk with about our current life stressors, like a stressful job, familial strain, financial constraints, peer stressors, school struggles, etc. Being able to process specific thoughts, emotions, feelings, and more helps us to be able to take those next steps, to find the path we are meant to be on.
Counseling sessions are focused on individualized treatment goals to help each individual achieve their own. In addition, it allows for us to process our current life stressors in a safe environment. I believe therapy is special in that it allows us to learn strategies to implement outside of the therapeutic environment. You will leave each session with one (or multiple) nuggets of information, insight, or a special skill to use in
the coming weeks.
I specialize in working with adolescents and adults, but I love working with all ages, especially those in college and young adulthood. I am trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, and play therapy.
My goal is for therapy to be as accessible as possible. Being licensed in both Kansas and Missouri has allowed me to make receiving counseling services even easier, as I am able to provide in person sessions from my office in Leawood or online sessions to clients living in Kansas or Missouri. I am in-network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Optum/United, and more. I also offer self-pay rates, as needed.
While I love providing individual counseling to my clients, I also offer clinical supervision for young therapists just starting out in their careers; this is what I’m most proud of – being able to give back by sharing my knowledge with these young therapists in a way that helps them grow in their confidence in their work with others. My goal as a clinical supervisor is to support young clinicians as they become more confident in themselves and their clinical practice/businesses. For the last two years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside multiple supervisees as they work towards their own professional goals.
The most rewarding part of my work is being able to help others through the difficult parts of life, either through counseling or supervision.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I love to connect with new individuals frequently to see if my therapeutic style is what they are looking for in a therapist. I offer free 15-minute consultations for anyone interested. Anyone wanting to connect can reach out to me via email at [email protected] or via my website at prairietrailskc.com.
Pricing:
- Pricing varies by insurance and length of session.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://prairietrailskc.com/
- Instagram: @katiefritslcpc
