Pauline Yeghnazar Peck, MA, MMFT, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in CA and NY with a private practice in Santa Barbara, CA. Pauline works with adult individuals and couples who spend a tremendous amount of energy becoming “successful” only to find that their lives feel empty or unfulfilling. By helping them uncover, adjust, and be free from their childhood templates, she helps them create the adult lives they actually feel great about living and the type of solid relationships that help them feel the support, connection, and joy that love has to offer. Pauline is also an adjunct faculty member at local universities, a supervisor to three Master’s level Associates, and an organizational consultant and speaker.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States as a young child. My parents were the pastors of a church and sponsored refugees seeking religious asylum. Sometimes families would stay with us during their transitions. We had a large church community and my dad had a non-profit organization that provided international relief to Armenia. From an early age, I saw my parents counsel, support, and serve people. I also remember knowing that the world was much, much bigger than what I saw in my daily life. It instilled in me a deep curiosity in the individual and collective experience, as well as a deep respect for the resilience of and transformation possible in the human spirit.

I studied Sociology in college and went on to get a Master’s in Sociology, Race and Ethnic Relations, and Education. After my mother died in the first year of graduate school, I had an awakening and realized I wanted to work with people rather than study them. I switched gears and got a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. I knew that this was my calling and continued on to get a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. I started my private practice three years ago to better serve the kind of clients with whom I work best as well as to be able to start a family. 

What inspired you to start your business?

I had done a lot of community agency and university counseling center work, especially during my training. In these settings, you are wearing multiple hats. I was doing individual therapy, designing group programs, running workshops, participating in outreach, handling crises, and sitting on various strategy and planning committees. I realized that each and every one of these was using a different skill set and yet, I was paid the same whether I did these at all or did them well. I wanted to be able to hone the skill sets I really cared about as well as to evaluate the efficacy of my work. Additionally, as things changed in my personal life, I craved flexibility, autonomy, and decision-making power/responsibility. Starting my own private practice seemed like a natural step.

Where is your business based?

My physical office is in Santa Barbara, CA but I am also licensed in New York so I see clients all over California and New York. I was using telehealth (video sessions) before the pandemic so my practice was already equipped to handle the transition.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

My first step was to ask people who already had private practices. I got so much useful information about people I already worked with who had small, part-time private practices. They gave me invaluable information about the various steps involved in setting yourself as a healthcare provider. Other than that, I figured out a bunch of stuff on my own – from liability insurance to get a business license. I truly believe that once you make the internal decision, everything else is “figure-outable.”

I looked for local office spaces. This was critical because I didn’t want to rent out someone else’s office for 1-to 2 days and start small. I wanted to go ALL in. Looking for a space helped encourage me – I could do this!

Behind the scenes, I worked on a website and set up a Psychology Today profile. At the time I was taking insurance and so there was the paneling process for that as well.

Once I was paneled and open for business, I let lots of my colleagues know and that was that. Between local referrals and people finding me through insurance, things took off.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

ME! I am my business so representing myself well is first and foremost. As I was building a full caseload, I taught at the undergraduate and Master’s level. Teaching the next generation of therapists was useful. I still keep in touch with many of my students. Putting myself out there in the community was key. I am also involved in a number of local and national professional organizations. All of that keeps me connected to other professionals.

Beyond that, I have recently been using Google ads to really connect with my ideal clients.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Being alone in the process. This work is so intimate and can be so lonely. The relationships we build with clients are not reciprocal; they are one-way. I have struggled to find the connection and support I need to keep being my best. I have overcome this challenge but making sure I am plugged in to others. I have joined consultation groups so I am getting support from other clinicians. I get my own therapy to keep myself sharp and grounded. I work with a career coach who specializes in helping therapists grow their businesses and branch into new areas. I also have a few close friends who are psychologists. Talking to them isn’t just good for me personally but also, it’s essential for me as a professional to feel like there are others doing what I am doing. I also brought on three Associates this last year. They work under my license and receive supervision from me. With covid, the need was increasing and I was getting so much more interest than I could handle. Bringing on Associates helps me serve more people while also feeding the part of me that loves to mentor, teach, and share experiences (mistakes and all) with burgeoning therapists.

How do you stay focused?

Coffee! Ha! Honestly, I try and take good care of myself. When I don’t get enough sleep or pack my schedule too tight, I can tell by how I feel. My mind is more scattered, and my energy more restless. When I am balancing my work life with time with loved ones, being outdoors, and engaging in activities that are sensory in nature, creative pursuits, cooking, etc., I feel the difference. I don’t have to work on being focused. For me, focus comes as a natural byproduct of living in a balanced way. I don’t always achieve this but having the awareness of the link between balance and focus helps me adjust when things are out of alignment. 

I have a young child so it’s not perfect. Balancing is a verb. I am self-compassionate and realistic. If I can’t get in a full workout, a 5-minute walk is better than nothing. If my day is clinically packed, I make sure to move my body in the transitions between. If I am feeling distracted, quick mindfulness meditation or a grounding exercise helps me readjust.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

There are big picture and small detail things that separate me from other clinicians. Big picture, I am my business and I am like no one else! Even if someone has had the same training as I have had or practices from a similar perspective, I truly believe that no one will be exactly me. Thus, I try and put as much of myself out there in my marketing – my voice, my perspective.

Even if I am focused on what they are coming in for, my tone, my style of writing, and my delivery give clients the best information about whether I might be a good fit for them. In the clinical world, I think less of competition and more about fit. I truly feel that clients are looking for a clinician to jive with – whom they feel can understand and support them. I am not the right fit for some clients and that’s completely ok! The more I can give clients a sense of who I am, the better the chances that those who do resonate with me will want to work with me.

Detail-wise, I try and conduct business as “with it” as possible. This means being prompt being organized, having good follow-through, and remembering details about clients. So many clinicians are great with the person-to-person and not-so-great with the business side. I have heard horror stories about therapists not keeping up with billing, not calling clinical inquiries back, or just dropping the ball when it comes to attending to some logistical item. I think that all of it is part of our role – from the notes to the billing to remembering to email a client the resource you mentioned during our session. For me, I see all the things I do in my business as to how I am showing up for my clients. Additionally, I use systems that make it easy for clients to work with me – from paperwork to billing. Getting frustrated at your therapist’s archaic methods can impact the relationship and the work. I am definitely a modern therapist.

Additionally, I am incredibly curious. I am always reading, learning, picking up something new, and getting trained in additional methodologies. Some therapists are purists in their work and they apply a “one-size-fits-all” model. My continuous learning from a number of different areas and sometimes fields helps me see beyond the silos of each subject to a more holistic view of people and psychology. That way, I adjust and adapt how I work to suit the person in front of me. Therapy with me is bespoke to each client.

I have been psychodynamically trained but have a wealth of experience in third-wave behavioral approaches like DBT and ACT. I just finished advanced training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a modality for treating traumas of all kinds. I am also in a yearlong course on Hypnosis through the Milton Erickson Institute. Plus, I am always reading – from parenting books (“No Bad Child” by Janet Lansbury) to books on meditation (“Real Love” by Sharon Salzberg). I bring my whole self into therapy.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Google ads have been amazing and have been doing great work. The ads will get people in the door but what will encourage them to stay (for the appropriate amount of time) and refer their close friend/neighbor/coworker is you doing great work.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Do not do it alone. Find ways to get the support you need because You. Will. Need. It.

Another one is a tip I got from one of my earliest and most favorite supervisors: “You always have time to pee.” This is both practical and metaphorical. You shouldn’t compromise on the essential basics.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I am loving Mealime right now – an app designed to help you with meal prep. Talk about finding systems that work! I have a young child and own my own business. Having the meals for the week planned and grocery lists generated for me makes me giddy!

Along that vein, I love the book Fairplay by Eve Rodsky. She talks about the invisible labor that women do in their relationships and brings business principles into the home to create equity. My husband and I bought her cards and reorganized our home set-up accordingly. It was encouraging to see how some things were working and to adjust what wasn’t. It’s been really amazing for our relationship. I also lead workshops to help couples use the cards to bring peace and fairness to their relationships when it comes to the division of labor.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My coach, Keriann Long, has been a godsend for me. I love the podcast “Flourishing Therapreneur” by my friend and fellow therapist, Claire Blakey as well as “The Practice of the Practice” podcast with Joe Sanok. I love hearing therapists talking about business, money, marketing, and more. Our field espouses a martyr mentality and what I think is a very unhealthy relationship with the business side of therapy. I love that many therapists are fighting these ideas and claiming their identity as business owners rather than hiding this part of themselves in the shadows – seemingly for clients’ benefits. I think it’s helpful for us to practice what we preach about owning our power, speaking our truth, and meeting our needs and wants. We will serve more people when we are not small and inadequate. I think there is a way to be a great therapist and business owner with integrity and I love that others are speaking about this.

I would also be lost with my EHR simple practice. It does it all from notes to billing to secure video sessions. Best investment!

Who is your business role model? Why?

Esther Perel!! She is someone I really respect and want to be like. She knows who she is and puts her voice out there. She also plays around with bringing therapy outside of the therapy room. From her podcasts (“Where Should We Begin” and “How’s Work”) to her books (“The State of Affairs,” “Mating in Captivity”) she makes therapy accessible to far more people than just those she is seeing. Pre-covid, I saw her speak in Santa Barbara at a local theater. Seeing her speak to a full theater of students, therapists, and community members gave me chills. The scalability of what she is putting out there is inspiring. She gives me something to work toward.

How do you balance work and life?

I try but don’t always succeed here so I really practice self-compassion. Trying is doing and I really am doing the best I can do. I try and sleep well. I cook and eat healthy food. I move my body often. I get outside and enjoy the beauty of Santa Barbara. I spend time with loved ones. I also let go of work mentally speaking. If I catch myself thinking about a client or something work-wise “after hours,” I put it on a sticky note and then go back to whatever I was doing. I try and have clear mental boundaries about being “off.”

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Spending time with my son. He’s a year and a half. Playing with him is the biggest stress relief. His childlike curiosity, endless energy, and sweet nature give me so much life. It also helps ground me in the meaning of why I am doing what I am doing – to provide him with a stable, loving home, enrich his life with a variety of experiences, and model for him what it’s like to chase after your dreams.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I have had a complicated personal relationship with social media but I am venturing into this space in the near future. I am also working on some meditations for purchase as well as a group program for millennials and another workshop for couples. I am doing some local training on sex and emotional intelligence. have some exciting things coming up.

How can our readers connect with you?

My website. I have a blog where I share my musings. I will also be on Instagram soon!