Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Stricklin.
Alice, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I spent nine years working in nonprofit community mental health agencies—an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. I gained invaluable knowledge, built lasting friendships, and developed professionally.
However, I eventually needed to be closer to home and my children. The lack of local job opportunities led me to start my own private practice in 2016, operating out of my church. My initial goal was simply to serve my community while maintaining a good work-life balance.
By 2019, demand had exceeded what I could manage alone, and my children were older, so I reached out to Trevecca’s counseling department to take on a practicum student. This wasn’t new to me, as I had previously helped grow the internship program at a non-profit counseling center when I was the clinical director there.
Through COVID, the demand for mental health services increased dramatically. To meet the needs of the community, I began recruiting contract counselors and additional practicum students to help support the needs in Lebanon and surrounding counties.
Three core principles guided my practice’s development:
Affordability and Accessibility – I wanted to provide quality mental health services to those who might otherwise struggle to access care.
Filling Gaps in Care – Our office specializes in treating children, teens, families, couples, and trauma survivors—populations that were underserved in our area.
Community Collaboration – We actively partner with churches, nonprofits, small businesses, and grassroots organizations to provide mental health education and referral services.
We are based in Lebanon, TN, one of the fastest-growing cities in the state and nation. The population has surged since 2020, but the demand for mental health services still exceeds availability.
Our office specializes in trauma and systemic therapy. We work with children, teens, families, couples, and individuals, always through a trauma-informed lens. We also have four post-master’s and licensed counselors trained in EMDR therapy, specializing in complex trauma and anxiety disorders. Additionally, we currently have two interns and one incoming practicum student trained in EMDR therapy.
Our specialization in trauma-informed, systemic therapy sets us apart. We focus on children, teens, families, and couples while integrating EMDR therapy for trauma recovery. We also have strong community partnerships, allowing us to provide services in nontraditional settings.
I am passionate about helping individuals and families grow together through healing relationships, healing trauma wounds, and learning how to connect to self, others, and God.
One way we try to foster connection is by developing community partnerships. We have a few partnerships with community organizations by bringing trauma-informed care to underserved populations, such as unhoused individuals in Lebanon, TN through Compassionate Hands Ministry. We also provide support to local churches and nonprofits by bringing trauma informed care models, mental health education, and self care practices to their organizations. I am fortunate to be able to do so many things that I love and am passionate about, including teaching EMDR, trauma-informed care, and systemic therapy models to clinicians all over the world.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey has not always been a smooth one. I did not have any background in business. In fact, I did not even take one business class in either my undergraduate or graduate program. I had to learn a lot through trial and error, mentors who also owned and ran businesses, and seeking out information on my own. Much of what I have learned has come through hard lessons and a determination not to repeat those experiences.
Some specific struggles of owning a small business include organizing your income and expenses. Learning how to track these things weekly, monthly, and annually, and then using what you are tracking to make projections has been a very steep learning curve. Learning to balance what your business needs versus what you would like to have is also part of that process, especially in the beginning.
I remember one unique challenge was that some opportunities came along that seemed like they would be great options for expanding my business. However, through further inspection and reflection, I realized those opportunities would take me away from the core mission and values of my business. Letting go of opportunities that seem really good can be scary and difficult. In the end, my decision to stay connected to my values and my mission has benefited both me and 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?
My business really developed out of three major goals.
First, I had a deep desire to bring affordable and accessible mental health services to my community.
Second, I wanted the services we offered to address needs that were not already being met. I wanted to ensure we weren’t duplicating services that were readily available elsewhere, but instead filling gaps by serving underserved populations. As a result, our practice has focused on providing counseling for teens, children and their families, couples, and individuals seeking trauma-informed care. These were all populations and specialty services that were less emphasized in our area.
Third, we wanted to build strong community partnerships. We have intentionally developed relationships with churches, small businesses, nonprofits, and other grassroots community organizations so we can come alongside them by offering support, encouragement, mental health education, and a trusted referral resource.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Help us get the word out about what we provide in the rural areas of Wilson county and Trousdale county that is also accessible to the greater Nashville area.
Pricing:
- Counseling Services that range from $35-$130/session
- Consultations for other clinicians that range from $75-$150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alicestricklin.com
