

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robie Sullivan, JD, MA, LPC.
Hi Robie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
If I could share one piece of wisdom and inspiration, it would be that it is never too late to pursue new adventures in life! Indeed, the older I get, the more I am convinced that taking the risk and pursuing that wild dream in your heart is key to fulfillment. I am a 53-year-old professional counselor with a private practice just outside of Liberty, Mo. This is my second career after spending 14 years in the practice of law. But going back to how it all started–I grew up in Gladstone and then attended Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University), where I obtained a degree in Political Science with a minor in History. I returned to Kansas City to go to law school right after graduation, and shortly thereafter started a family with my husband. We were practically kids when we started out and we now have been married 32 years. I was pregnant with my first child as a 2nd-year law student. I remember the days of reading to my baby from law books while he was in the infant swing! We now have a 29 year-old son, a 22-year-old daughter, and a wonderful son-in-law. Our nest has now emptied, but balancing family life and professional life remains important to us. We are very close to our adult children and we love being married after all these years! Although some seasons were quite challenging, we have always valued partnership in our marriage. We did our best to make sure that each person in our family could pursue their individual dreams and interests. My husband works in life insurance operations and is often on business travel to Canada, but we have found a way to make it work! One of the ways that we stay connected is to spend time in our refuge away from the city at Table Rock Lake. We bought a little lake condo and a used boat during COVID and we love to spend time immersed in nature. You will often find us on our boat watching birds, reading, or paddle boarding in a quiet cove. Our place at the lake is a wonderful gathering spot for family and friends as well. When you have work and travel demands, it is so important to have shared recreational interests and time away from the grind. We have also started to introduce walking tour/hiking trips to our interests, most recently to the Amalfi Coast in Italy!
Alongside family and career, a big part of my growth and well-being in adulthood has been pursuing health and fitness. I dabbled in running when I was younger, but started running consistently at age 37. I also joined the local YMCA and learned how to lift weights properly to support my running practice. Through my thirties, I took on many half-marathons and moderate distances, as well as two full marathons. I have run two events as fundraisers for Team World Vision. When I turned 50, I became more interested in trail running, and I began training for ultra-marathons. An ultra-marathon is anything over 26. 2 miles. I turned 50 at the same time that my mother was placed in hospice care for dementia. My husband was traveling and my children were living outside of Kansas City pursuing work and academic goals. I needed something that would be personally life-giving as we went through so many changes in our family. I am so glad that I took on the “hobby” of ultra-running! Since turning 50, I have completed 4 ultra-marathons (3 50ks and a 12-hour/45.6 mile race) plus a 20-mile mountain race. I am continually setting new goals for myself and I am absolutely in love with trails as a place to recharge and clear my mind. Old railroad trails are my favorite place to find solitude and peace! For camaraderie and coaching, I also joined a women’s running group called She Runs Ultras. It has been a joy to connect with women of all ages and backgrounds who are also pursuing this incredible sport. Last year, I was invited to be on the podcast to talk about my return to ultra marathon running after a knee surgery. We also explored strategies for maintaining a healthy mindset toward fitness and personal goal setting. You can listen to the episode at She Runs Ultras podcast, Episode 222.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest challenges in in recent years was during the COVID lockdown. As a professional counselor, I was deeply concerned for my clients, but we were limited in our ability to meet face to face. For a while, I transitioned my practice entirely to virtual therapy. Virtual therapy can be very effective, but I found the adjustment to screens all day to be difficult. Not only that, it was an unusual season in that therapists and clients were going through chaos and uncertainty at the same time. The demand for services also increased, and it was hard to turn new clients away who really needed help. For all of us, it was an exhausting, emotional time. I remember finishing my sessions for the day and then crying while I watched the evening news reports of increasing death tolls. I would often sit on my deck and watch the sunset to give my eyes and my heart some respite.
Another challenge that I faced during my practice was going through two separate knee surgeries that required six weeks of non-weight bearing recovery on crutches. During this time, my clients had to come to my home office for sessions because I could not drive. But I learned that the obstacle truly is sometimes the way (thank you Marcus Aureilus and Ryan Holiday!) My clients loved my home office space as it backs to trees, has a private entrance, and more easily allows for walk and talk therapy on nearby trails. Ultimately, I made my home office my permanent business location. The change has been marvelous. I have never felt more grounded in my work as I invite clients into a space that feels more intimate. Through my surgeries, I also developed a special interest in working with clients who are recovering from injury, surgery, or life-changing illness. My personal experiences and professional training in health anxiety and medical trauma have opened another line of counseling support for many of my clients.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Building a professional mental health counseling practice has been the result of many story lines in my life converging. At 53, I have lived a lot of life by now, and I see my professional journey as a divine unfolding and evolving purpose. Prior to becoming a therapist, I spent 14 years practicing law with Shook, Hardy, and Bacon, LLC. In my law practice, I developed a niche in helping companies understand their historical company stories in the context of litigation. My firm was an amazing place to develop as a young lawyer. There were women in leadership positions who mentored me and supported me in eventually practicing part-time. Part-time practice allowed me to balance motherhood and professional life in a way that felt right for me. I was able to be home when the school bus arrived in the afternoon, and I reduced my work days to 3 or 4 a week. In the practice of law, I learned how to think critically and solve complex problems. I learned what it meant to embrace a professional identity and hold to the highest ethics in service of my clients and the public trust. I also made lifelong relationships that are dear to me. But after seeing the impact of some counseling myself, I felt called to leave my law practice and pursue professional counseling. This move was another step in my growth as I explored the depths of human emotions. After taking a few introductory courses, I left my law practice and became a full-time graduate student in the Masters of Arts in Counseling program at Mid-America Nazarene University. The school was a perfect fit as I was deepening my faith and I wanted a place where I could integrate theology and psychology. Through my degree program and through training with Dr. Les Greenberg at York University in Toronto, Canada, I developed a clinical emphasis in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT is a deeply relationship-based way of helping people understand their emotions and heal into more adaptive ways of feeling and relating in the world. The therapeutic method has been described as “oceans of empathy, with islands of work.”
From the beginning of my practice, I also have integrated wellness principles into my work with clients. I believe that our deepest healing comes when care for our bodies, emotions, minds, and souls. I adapted a “Wellness Wheel” from clinical research to help my clients evaluate the various domains of wellness in their lives. As a graduate student, I worked as a Healthy Living Coach with the local YMCA and I studied the research on exercise psychology. I was deeply curious about the pathways and the barriers to exercise adherence, as well as the psychological impact of movement. Today, I encourage all of my clients to integrate joyful movement into their healing journey. This can be anything from dancing to gardening to running. I also love to blend nature therapy or walk and talk into our work together. Over the years, I have led wellness workshops for clients and for other therapists as a way of promoting the wellness ideals of the counseling profession.
Understanding how to work with trauma has been another evolving part of my practice. I have found that many people who come to counseling have had some experience of trauma in their background, whether it is a single-event trauma, adverse childhood experience, or relational trauma. I offer EMDR therapy as an additional tool for trauma processing. EMDR is an evidence-based modality of therapy that integrates bi-lateral stimulation with in-session exposure to un-processed traumatic memories or stuck emotional states. The reduction in distressing symptoms that I have seen in my clients has, at times, been astounding. I am engaged with on-going training in EMDR, and I am particularly interested in how to integrate nature therapy. Nature therapy is a beautiful way to share common metaphors and experiences across a variety of cultures. Being multi-culturally informed is an ethical requirement in professional counseling, and it is a great joy of the work! I am so honored when clients of all backgrounds and belief systems trust me with their stories. Research tells us that no matter what method a therapist is using, the non-judgmental, warm safety of the therapeutic relationship has the biggest impact on clinical outcomes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I tend to think of my story in terms of a divine unfolding more than luck. I am a person of faith, and I believe that God has orchestrated the people and experiences that have shaped my family life, my professional practices, and my counselor identity. As I get older, I am learning to trust in this unfolding and let go of the need to control what I can’t. The peace that comes with surrender also comes with an increased capacity for joy, awe, and an ability to see the adventure and growth embedded in every setback. These days, when I face disappointment or loss, I am more inclined than I used to be to trust that an unexpected delight will emerge from the ashes. I am excited about life in my 50s even as my body and my roles change. Indeed, I do not think that there are enough years on earth to explore all the wonderful places and people. I want to embrace the gift of my life each and every day!
Pricing:
- $150 per session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://robiesullivancounseling.com
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-runs-ultras/id1542793569?i=1000656591067