Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Sheena Horsford.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my practice in 2019 working part time. In 2023 I took the leap and started working my practice full time. The first year was probably the scariest because I had never worked full time for myself. So my initial goal was to reproduce my salary. After a successful first year, I started my second year wanting to increase my salary and trying to create systems that would help my business grow without causing me burnout. I was making more money and I was feeling extremely burned out which was concerning. I started reading books about women in business. It opened my eyes to new possibilities and it challenged my money stories. I knew something had to change in order to sustain my business long term. I started challenging messages I learned about money such as the scarcity mindset. I also challenged myself to network with other clinicians in private practices charging what I was charging and charging more. It was so encouraging to hear their stories and build community. Increasing my network was important because I was previously working in isolation and I did not have a network of other therapists I could lean on. As I met other therapist, it helped sharpen my business skills and also it encouraged me to recognize my value as a therapist.
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?
There were many struggles along the way. I started to feel burn out in year 2 of running my practice. That was also the year I made the most money in my practice. It was not sustainable and I was concerned I would not last as a business owner. I also recently came back from maternity leave and am rebuilding my practice. That has been a big unexpected shift. I now have a new identity as a mother. There are not many conversations I hear mothers talk about their initial experience returning to work. I feel grateful and challenged at the same time. I’m reminded of the blessing I have and our time together is great. I’m also reminded how much reduced attention I give to my business and how slow of a season this has been seeing clients. I’m learning how to navigate being a full time mom and a business owner. That’s an identity I have no prior knowledge. Some days I enjoy giving majority of my attention to my son and some days I miss giving majority of my attention to my business.
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?
I am a couple and family therapist. I have an in-person and virtual private practice. I specialize in working with couples who are living as roommates and want to rebuild intimacy and trust. I’m known for my Couple Reset Program. This is my 5 hour in-person workshop for couples who want to dive deeper into the blocks in their relationship without having to stop every 50 minutes. What sets me apart is how I help couples bring emotional vulnerability into the session. I’m good at helping couples open up about the hurt they have experienced in a non attacking and vulnerable manner. I make it safe for people to acknowledge their emotions, feel them, and ultimately release them without being judged by their significant other. Feelings come and go, they are not meant for us to hold on to them forever. Healing and rebuilding trust is difficult and takes time. When you work with me I do not push you to the finish line. Instead, I will stay right beside you and encourage you to face the experiences you have ignored and packed away. Check out my workbook Rebuilding Intimacy on my website and you can see my style and how I work in the therapy room.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite childhood memories was going to Maryland to visit family. We drove to Maryland and it felt like it took hours for us to get there from Richmond! Our family friend had a room of collectible barbie dolls. I remember walking in the room and was so amazed. I couldn’t believe how many barbie dolls there were! And it was so pristine. And what was even amazing was they were all my skin color. They were barbie dolls that looked like me and that was really cool to see.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mendingheartstogether.com
- Instagram: drsheena_h
- Other: https://a.co/d/02wwDMXl
