Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlyn Timp.
Carlyn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a small town just south of Lawrence, and even back in high school, I knew I wanted to become a therapist. I’d had an experience with a therapist who showed me how healing, empowering, and life-changing this work and being a therapist could be. From that experience I knew I wanted to offer that same sense of understanding and hope to others in my own work and life.
I went on to attend a small college in Iowa, Coe College, where I truly dove into the world of psychology and mental health. I ran track all 4 years, volunteered, served as a teaching assistant for a psychology class, worked as a research assistant, and had multiple internships that gave me a wide range of experience and diversity in the helping professions and mental health community. I was eager to learn everything I could about the field, what it meant to sit with people in their hardest moments and help them reconnect with themselves, and how I could fit into that world with my own education and career.
Then, mid way through my senior year of college, COVID turned the world upside down. Like so many others, I was faced with uncertainty of how to move forward when the plans looks completely different than how anyone imagined it to be—deciding whether to come back and use my extra season of eligibility to make up for the season I lost due to COVID, go to a different small school where I could run and start my masters, or apply to the dream graduate programs where I couldn’t run at. Ultimately, I followed my heart and enrolled in the Master’s program at the University of Kansas, returning to the Kansas City area that has always felt like home.
During my time at KU, I met lifelong friends and mentors who shaped me both personally and professionally. I worked with kids and teens exploring their creative gifts and career paths, guided clients through a positive psychology program focused on strengths and self-discovery, and completed my practicum at Baker University’s Counseling Center working with whatever came through the door—an experience that left a permanent mark on my heart. Under the mentorship and supervision of Dr. Tim Hodges, I learned that therapy is just as much about human connection as it is about clinical skill.
After graduating in 2022, I joined a group private practice that focused on women’s mental health and started working right away. I’m endlessly grateful for the mentorship and collaboration I found there—it was the foundation I needed as I stepped into my first year as a licensed therapist. That same year, I was honored to be voted Best Mental Health Therapist of KC, a recognition that felt less like an award and more like a reflection of the incredible clients and colleagues who have helped me grow into the therapist I am today.
It was during that season—alongside my own journey into motherhood—that my passion for women’s health and the perinatal population really began to bloom. Supporting women through the transitions of TTC, loss, infertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood quickly became the heart of my work.
This past July, I took a leap of faith and opened my own private practice, Sunflower State of Mind, in Overland Park. It’s been such a rewarding and fulfilling experience to build something that feels so aligned with who I am—both as a therapist and as a person. Every day, I’m reminded of the strength, vulnerability, and resilience of the women I get to work with.
I’m currently preparing to take my Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International and have started volunteering by hosting postpartum support groups and offering free therapy sessions to expecting and new moms seeking extra care. I have a few other things in the works but will wait until the right timing to share about those!
This new chapter feels like the start of something special. I’m excited to continue growing, creating, and building spaces where women can feel seen, supported, and empowered to care for themselves in the ways they deserve.
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?
Just like I often tell my clients in the room—two conflicting things can be true at the same time. So yes, it’s been a smooth ride with struggles along the entire way.
I think anyone who chooses the path of becoming a therapist knows they’re signing up for both growth and being challenged every week, every day, and almost every session. It starts in school and during your training. I always say grad school for counseling feels like doing ten years of your own therapy in just two years—except you’re doing it in front of your peers and professors. It’s vulnerable, stretching, terrible, humbling, exhausting, and deeply transformative.
There have been the struggles of imposter syndrome, seasons of self-doubt, and times I’ve had to learn how to find my voice and advocate for what I needed in order to show up fully for my clients. There’s also been navigating the emotional weight of sitting with people’s pain that makes you see the world in a different way—holding space for things you wish you could fix, but as much as you wish you could, you just can’t. All while learning to stay grounded while walking with client’s through the hardest parts of their lives.
But I wouldn’t trade those challenges or struggles and I would do them all again to end up where I am today. Each one has taught me something important about resilience, empathy, and balance. They’ve shaped me into the therapist, professional, and the person I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in women’s mental health, particularly supporting women through the trying-to-conceive journey, infertility, pregnancy loss, traumatic birth experiences, and all things perinatal, postpartum, and motherhood. These are some of the most tender, complex seasons a woman can go through, and it’s an honor to walk alongside them in the moments most people never get to see.
And while my heart is deeply rooted in perinatal work, I also love keeping a diverse caseload. I still consider myself a generalist because I genuinely enjoy working with a wide range of clients: athletes, high achievers, the women who “do it all” until they quietly burn out, clients untangling complicated relationships, people navigating identity loss (“I don’t even know who I am anymore”), perfectionists, anxious minds, exhausted over-functioners — and those who feel stuck and struggle with even the simplest daily tasks.
I’m proud of the way my room becomes a place where people can take off the armor they wear everywhere else. I’ve been able to create a space where women can just show up as they are — where they don’t have to hold everything together, prove their strength, or pretend they’re fine.
Something that sets me and my work apart from others is my ability and willingness to sit with clients for as long as it takes. Growth isn’t linear, and it certainly isn’t fast. Some seasons are full of breakthroughs; others feel like “talking about the same thing again.” I don’t lose patience, momentum, or hope. Whether a client is digging into something new or simply surviving the week, I show up with the same steady energy, curiosity, and care. Behind the scenes, I’m constantly thinking: Is there a theory, a technique, a book, or a tool that could support them here? I love tailoring therapy to each individual rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
My promise to every client is this:
You will have a therapist who sees the best in you, even on the days you can’t see it yourself. And you will have a therapist who does not give up on you — no matter how much resistance, fear, or stuckness shows up.
And I’m proud of that. I’m proud of the trust people place in me. And I’m proud of the way I show up for my clients with both clinical skill and genuine, heartfelt humanity.
What are your plans for the future?
My near future plans including preparing for maternity leave and soaking in this current season of life as we get ready to welcome home our second baby boy after the New Year. After I come back from leave I plan to dive into even more education and training when it comes to perinatal care and trauma work so I can offer a few different services at my practice.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thesunflowercounseling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflowerstateofmindcounseling?igsh=MTdzdzVqMjFhM2FvOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
