Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Burke
Hi Stefanie, 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?
Being a Native Austinite, I have always loved and appreciated good food and the ability to connect with others and listen to their unique life stories. Years after completing my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin, I found myself working in group private practice, gaining knowledge and experience, and helping a wide array of clientele. I loved what I did, but something felt like it was missing from the invisible equation. One night, disenchanted by just doing traditional talk therapy every day, I was talking to my husband, Anthony, about ways I can combine my passion with my calling: cooking + therapy. My husband pulled out Google, did a deep dive while we chatted, and found this fabulous evidence-based therapeutic modality called Culinary Art Therapy. I was immediately hooked and very much interested. I thought, “maybe I could do this.” I found some therapists across the country who were already doing Culinary Art Therapy in their own states. I picked their brains, interviewed them, and researched how to start my own private practice. Months later, I had established Texas Culinary Art Therapy and quit my group private practice job. My aim is to bring awareness to this fun, effective, multi-sensory approach to therapy here in Texas. While I still provide EMDR and traditional talk therapy, I now offer the ability to also cook while we do therapy!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been challenging to be the sole owner and operator of a business, while not having gone to school for any sort of business degree. Luckily, any challenges with insurance, billing, and advertising have been made smoother by the advice of colleagues and friends who have gone down the private practice ownership road. It’s unbelievably rewarding!
As you know, we’re big fans of Texas Culinary Art Therapy, PLLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Texas Culinary Art Therapy (TCAT) is a true passion of mine, it isn’t just work. Here we believe in a multi-sensory therapeutic approach to therapy. Texas Culinary Art Therapy focuses on mindfulness and the therapeutic relationship to help create lasting changes in life. And it’s also so much more than cooking! Traditional talk therapy and EMDR are offered and available. For those interested in cooking while doing therapy, we decide on a recipe together during a session and plan the steps for buying ingredients and prepping the meal. During the virtual culinary session, we focus on how it felt to shop for the ingredients in that crowded grocery store, what made you land on the current recipe (was it a childhood favorite or maybe an intimidating recipe you’ve been dying to try?), the magic that can happen in the kitchen when you learn to let go of perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking, and so much more! We all have a relationship with food – and it can be complicated, to say the least. As such, all the lessons we learn through therapy and cooking can be translated to our every day lives. We accept United Healthcare and Aetna insurances, and virtually see clients all throughout Texas. Here at Texas Culinary Art Therapy, we work with and address issues related to neurodivergence, trauma, self-esteem, relationships, LGBTQIA+, perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, life transitions, anxiety, depression, and boundaries. Clients say they enjoy the creativity of cooking while engaging in therapy, noting it often feels easier to talk during rather than while they stare at their therapist in traditional talk therapy. Let’s get cooking!
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Lucky is exactly how I felt when I first found out that Culinary Art Therapy was a therapeutic modality! In many other ways, I feel very lucky to have family, friends, and colleagues who have been supportive in this journey. Like they say, no one achieves anything alone.
Pricing:
- If you are not using insurance through United Healthcare and Aetna, a private pay session is $170*.
- *For private pay and out-of-network clients, Texas Culinary Art Therapy provides a Superbill to help get clients a percentage of reimbursement for each therapy session out of pocket.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.texasculinaryarttherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texasculinaryarttherapy/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/stefanie-burke-texas-culinary-art-therapy-austin-tx/810219
Image Credits
All photos courtesy of Stefanie Burke, LCSW.
