Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Myers.
Hi Abby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I ended up in Nashville for my undergraduate education, thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I have always had a passion for working with teenagers and wanted to continue working with them in nonprofit, formational settings. After doing this work for four years, and having some emerging mental health struggles of my own, I realized that the way I wanted to help people (teens, young adults, their families) was confined by the role I was playing. Very long story short, I ended up getting my master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and started my career as a therapist! After seeing a need that aligned with my passions, I opened up my private practice specializing in working with teenagers and neurodivergent individuals.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t know if anything is ever a “smooth road”, per say. I have been met with quite a few challenges along the way. Whether it was not getting the job, not feeling good enough/smart enough, or simply just not knowing where to start, I can confidently say I have exerted a lot of energy trying to make the road as smooth as possible (often, making it harder for myself). I have had to learn almost everything about starting and operating a practice on my own, and deal with the constant pressure of running a business, all while actually providing people with therapy.
When considering starting a practice, I was fresh out of grad school with quite a few people advising me against starting my own thing. Let me be so clear: I do not think starting your own practice is for everyone. It has come with quite the host of challenges, and it has been hard more times that it has been easy. I think it was wise for people to advise me against it, as they did with my other classmates and colleagues. But, despite those challenges, I have loved running my own practice. I feel that I get to serve the populations I actually wanted to work with while filling a need that the Nashville community needed.
At times, my work-life balance has been anything but “balanced”. At times, I have had imposter syndrome so loud that it has made me wonder why I’m doing this at all. But the knowledge and experience I have gained, while doing what I love, has been an incredible gift.
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’m a therapist who is known around the Nashville community for working with teenagers and neurodivergent individuals (folks with ADHD and ASD, primarily, ranging from teens-adults). In addition to these populations, I also frequently work with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidality, disordered eating, perfectionism, and more. In my practice, I prioritize evidence based, quality care, without imposing a rigid setting. You walk into my office and it’s a calm, welcoming environment.
Every person on earth has spent every second they’ve been alive with themselves. This means they know their brain enough to know that the need help working through a specific problem. This is typically when they call me. I take so much pride in curating treatment to each client. I always tell people that I want to get to know them first so that we can create a plan that actually works for them, rather than a plan that’s “supposed to work”. I often work with their care team outside of my office (doctors, dietitians, school counselors, etc.) to make sure they’re getting the support they need outside of the hour they meet with me. My work is about showing people new tools and tendencies that are attainable for them, then going the extra mile to ensure they have the support they need to keep up this new lifestyle.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memories (yes, plural. I can’t just generalize to one!) involve people who showed up and showed out for me. Whether it was people going along with how outrageous and silly I could be, adults who were in my life showing up to my musicals (exposing myself as a theatre kid), or friends just showing up at my house asking to hang out. My life has always been so much more joyful when I have a community around me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abbymyersmft.com
- Instagram: @abbymyersmft
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbymyersmft
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-myers-lmft-571738165/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/abby-myers-brentwood-tn/1010006
