Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Reeley.
Hi Cheryl, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In order to graduate from my Master’s program, I was required to complete a 9-month internship. My specialization was healthcare so I applied to be an intern at one of the two main hospitals in Champaign, Illinois, where I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The intern supervisor asked me what populations I’d like to work with and I said “any population except children. I do not want to work in Pediatrics.” As any good supervisor would do, she assigned me to the Pediatric Unit. I was also assigned to adult units throughout the hospital and much to my surprise I absolutely loved working on the Pediatric Unit.
After I graduated I was hired on at the hospital as a full-time medical social worker through the Case Management Department. After a couple of years the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Social Worker moved out of state and someone needed to be assigned to that unit. After all of my time on Pediatrics, I knew NICU would be a good fit for me and I was right, I loved it. My main assignment was the NICU, however I often covered Labor and Deliver, Postpartum, Maternal Fetal Medicine and the OB outpatient clinic. As much as I loved being a hospital social worker I wanted to gain experience providing individual therapy as well which was not part of my role. I was hired as a contract employee for an up-and-coming group therapy practice and was able to see a variety of clients with various different needs.
In 2013, we moved from central Illinois to Austin. I was able to stay home with our kids but kept feeling pulled back to social work.
In 2021 I decided I wanted to go back to providing individual therapy and bounced back and forth between working for another group or starting my own practice. I decided I wanted to have control over the clients that I see and work with to make sure that I am a good fit for their needs. I knew I needed to narrow down my niche and maternal mental health had been so impactful in my social work journey, I knew that would be my specialization. I had experienced several miscarriages during four journeys to grow a family as well as anxiety and I know how disenfranchised grief can impact women long after their pregnancy or pregnancy loss. In January 2022 I officially opened my private practice Cheryl Reeley LCSW PLLC specializing in maternal mental health.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There have definitely been some challenges along the way. For me, I felt confident in my education, experience, and skills but very unprepared to start a business, especially one that is in the mental health field. There are a lot of rules and regulations on top of basic starting business steps to take. I did a lot of research and that felt very overwhelming. That is when I questioned the decision to open my own practice versus working for a group again. My husband was really supportive and assured me that this is something that I could do. I also found a business coaching group specifically for therapists in private practice and that helped tremendously because I felt like I wasn’t floundering through the process. Another step I felt that I had to take before launching in this population and space was to work through my own journey to motherhood. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold space for women who are struggling if their experiences were triggering me. So I started seeing a therapist and working through the experiences of miscarriages, pregnancy after miscarriage, birth stories, and postpartum anxiety. Once I had processed my own story and experience, I knew I could be available for clients experiencing similar situations.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and I provide individual therapy specializing in maternal mental health. My clients are women of childbearing age who are on the journey to motherhood or are new moms. The journey to motherhood is an exciting time until problems arise and things don’t go quite as easily as we think they should. When women are not able to get pregnant as quickly as they were hoping there is a shame, guilt, embarrassment, frustration and possibly can cause trouble in the relationship as well. New moms are also in a hard spot because their symptoms of anxiety and/or depression are often brushed off as “the baby blues” and they are told to get some sleep it and enjoy the time with their baby. These women feel like failures are moms and feel as though something is wrong with them because they are feeling this way. No one tells them that postpartum anxiety and/or depression is very common affecting 1 out of 7 postpartum women. When I am working with these women I am providing psychoeducation about Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. I am validating their experiences and normalizing their thoughts. I teach relaxation techniques, grounding and breathing techniques and work with them to find what tools work best for them.
Something I am very proud of is being available and competent when working with women who are pregnant after a loss. This is a bittersweet time in their life. This woman might still be grieving the loss of her baby and pregnancy and is now pregnant again and grappling with how to manage conflicting emotions of sadness and excitement. My role is to allow both feelings to be present. Assist her to move between these feelings and understand that we can feel two conflicting feelings at the same time and help her navigate that.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My co-worker Mary Lou was the best mentor I could have asked for. I had just been moved into the NICU position which had previously been assigned to her. One of the first days I was on that unit there was a very tiny baby who we knew was not going to make it through the day. The mom was young and had no family with her. I called Mary Lou and I told her that I had just been sitting in silence with the mom at the baby’s incubator for an hour and I told her I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do. She was so comforting to me and supportive and told me to keep doing what I was doing. She reminded me that there was nothing I was going to be able to say or do in that moment for that mom that was going to make this situation better, but for me to be there and not let her be alone was what I could do. Throughout my time on the NICU and even once I left that position, Mary Lou has always said exactly what I needed to hear. I have a text saved from her that says, “I’m so proud of you in working towards opening a private practice! I have absolutely no doubt you will be successful! Perinatal mental health is a great fit for you and certainly an area that needs your expertise and experience.” I pull that text up all of the time when I am doubting myself. The other major supporter has been my husband. This is not the first business I have started, so he’s been through this with me before but this is the most professional in nature. He has a business background so I was constantly asking him business-related questions and I know I asked the same questions over and over. He is so patient and so consistent with his answers. He has always been supportive throughout my working career when I’ve wanted to work less and stay home more or if I wanted to start an Etsy shop with my mom. He adjusts his work schedule to accommodate my needs and our family’s needs. I told him several times that I thought it would be better to work for a hospital or another group because that would be safer and more stable and he continued to push back and encourage me to start my own practice. He had a lot of faith in me when I didn’t fully believe in myself.
Pricing:
- $125/50-minute session
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cherylreeleylcsw.com
- Instagram: @cherylreeleylcsw
- Facebook: @cherylreeleylcsw
Image Credits
The headshot is Linh Crozier The second two are mine – Cheryl Reeley
