Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Arellano.
Hi Ana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In graduate school, I wrote a paper for a cultural competency class on exotic dancers. I interviewed a few dancers over a few weeks. Their stories were similar in that they each experienced some form of trauma and were working toward a bigger goal beyond dancing. Their stories stayed with me. During the pandemic, I quit my job as a therapist at a rehab to start a group practice, Red Apple Therapy, PLLC. I began hiring other therapists. I covered the marketing, billing, credentialing and provided a compliant online platform. My practice was recognized by Onlinetherapy.com as “Best in Austin for Treating Substance Abuse.” I realized that I could use my business model to fund a nonprofit, but I didn’t know where to begin.
I wanted to serve the community in a way that I could make a tangible, measurable difference. Around this time, I met a personal trainer and aerial artist who inspired me to become a better version of myself. The answer landed in my lap when I learned that she was struggling to find affordable therapy. This beautiful creative soul provides a service to the world by sharing her art, and here she is struggling to find affordable healthcare. Everyday, we escape the world by indulging in creative arts provided by those who often sacrifice financial stability to do what they love. I started TEN 501(c)(3), a nonprofit to provides free therapy, career consultation, and life coaching to Texas nightlife entertainers. I consulted with my colleagues, and we agreed to make our organization inclusive; we serve exploited nightlife acts/entertainers with our focus on women and LQBTQ entertainers (comedians, drag, exotic, burlesque). There is nothing like our organization outside of Austin, so we applied for regional nonprofit status.
What separates us from other organizations is that we are not religiously or politically funded; we are not here to “save” people. We do not condone or condemn. We are here to say “thank you” to artists who hustle to make ends meet because the world needs you.
Less than a year later, I am still running Red Apple Therapy, PLLC. Our nonprofit, TEN, received tax-exempt status. We have three therapists on staff, and we will begin accepting applications for free services in two weeks. One of our board members has a residency at Cedar Creek Pub, where we will setup fundraising. We have a regular spot at Austin’s NightOwl Market.
TEN years ago, I interviewed a few exotic dancers for school. I still remember their stories. I hope they are happy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. We are a nonprofit. Most of the expenses come from our own pocket. It costs $350 for each person we initially hire. Recently, a therapist we hired quit when they were informed of a “No Compete” clause which states that they cannot take our clients to start their own business. Just last week I discovered there was a technological glitch on the online hiring platform we use; applicants all the way back to December did not receive communications from us or their invitation to interview! We are learning how to steadily market ourselves. Our new board members are alleviating some of the accounting and secretarial tasks, and we are so grateful for them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Red Apple Therapy, PLLC?
I worked with a little girl with autism in the beginning of my career. She couldn’t form words when we met. Every day, I read the same book to her with a red apple on the cover. Over the summer, she learned how to clearly annunciate “red apple”. Everyday, when she saw me she said, whether she was happy, sad, angry: “Red Apple!” It became my therapy. My group practice is named in her memory. I specialize in treating my clients’ mental health trauma using EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing). This modality effectively treats trauma using bilateral stimulation. When we engage both the right and left hemispheres of the brain, we can reprocess trauma and neutralize its disturbance. What really sets my clinicians apart from others is the holistic approach of taking inventory of all three facets of health (physical, emotional, and mental) before settling on a treatment modality. I hire therapists that are either getting ready to retire or are transitioning into their own private practice. As a business owner, I am most proud when therapists leave my group practice to start their own. As a therapist, I am honored to be a part of each client’s journey.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You don’t have to be the smartest, the richest, the best, or the most educated. You just have to try. Today’s culture promotes this idea of “positive vibes only”, but trauma actually shrinks the hippocampus, the part of the brain that regulates emotion. Depression is a depletion of serotonin levels in some people, so activities that used to bring feelings of joy bring feelings of nothing. It is hard to believe in anything when you have experienced trauma.
I learned you don’t have to believe in anything. Not even yourself. You just have to wake up and try.
Pricing:
- $100/1 hour session
Contact Info:
- Email: Ana@nightlifetherapy.com
- Website: http://www.nightlifetherapy.com
- Instagram: @downtowntherapist
