Today we’d like to introduce you to Osly Galobardi.
Hi Osly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in May 2020 with my master’s in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, I was ready to work as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and change people’s lives. I didn’t know I was eventually going to become an entrepreneur. My master’s program did not include a billing course, marketing course, accounting course, or a business management course. Why would it? Those things aren’t related to being a mental health counselor, right?
I was thrown into a supervisory role as an Intensive In-Home Team Lead right after graduating. There weren’t many places hiring since it was at the beginning of COVID. I served as the lead counselor across multiple community mental health teams, supporting families with children experiencing serious emotional and behavioral issues. It was a tough job to say the least, but that was when I started to learn how to be my own boss. I learned to be leader, set expectations with my team, and be confident in my abilities as a therapist. The imposter syndrome was real, but it didn’t stop me from leveling up in my career.
I later shifted from community mental health to outpatient therapy in a group practice setting. I finally started working with the population I trained so hard to serve —neurodivergent individuals. I worked as a contracted therapist for almost two years, learning the ropes of networking, managing my own schedule, running therapy groups, credentialing with insurance companies, and setting my own rates.
Finally, after much encouragement from multiple friends and colleagues, I built up the courage to start my own private practice, Neurodiverse Mental Health, in February 2023.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There were definitely a few bumps along the road, mostly mental. I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, which caused quite a lot of anxiety initially. I was learning as I went. But my mother always taught me to face my fears. She would tell me, “If it feels scary, you should probably do it.” With that in mind, I trucked along, one step at a time, to establish my business. Even though I was scared, I filled out forms, made phone calls, and put myself out there. I used the network I built up over the years for guidance and support. One of the most meaningful parts of being a therapist is belonging to a “helping profession”—a community of colleagues who genuinely support one another and are always ready to help. I wasn’t alone, and I knew I was going to be OK.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Neurodiverse Mental Health is a fully virtual private practice that provides mental health services for individuals ages 16 and above across North Carolina. As the name implies, I specialize in neurodivergence (autism and ADHD); however, I do not exclusively work with neurodivergent individuals. I particularly enjoy working with young adults getting ready to transition into college or adulthood. I help individuals work through life struggles such as anxiety, depression, executive dysfunction, and low self-esteem. My goal as a therapist is to empower my clients to confidently navigate the world they live in while still being true to themselves. I take pride in helping my clients understand how their brain works and discover strengths they never knew they had.
What’s next?
Now that I’ve been with my practice for almost three years, I feel ready to share my knowledge and expand my practice. In the next year or two, I hope to hire more neuro-affirming clinicians as well as add other forms of expertise to be able to serve more people in my community. I also want to elevate my counseling license to a supervisory level and inspire up and coming therapists. I love teaching and collaborating with others. In the future, I also aspire to offer both in-person and telehealth therapy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neurodiversementalhealth.com/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/844486
