Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Northrup.
Hi Christine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The story of my business is a deeply personal one. By the age of 18 I’d endured years of struggle and suffering with a pretty consuming eating disorder. Having been through a stint of treatment I headed off to undergrad with my eyes on a psychology major and my intentions set on one day working in a treatment center to treat folks with eating disorders. That lasted about half a semester. After which I promptly relapsed and began the process of flunking out of all of my classes. After my second trip to the ER for medical complications associated with my eating disorder, I called it. I confessed to my parents, dropped out of college and moved home. Mortified at what I then perceived to be a dramatic failure, I decided that obviously eating disorders and mental health hit too close to home for me to be an area of study. Eventually I made my way back to school and decided to become a Theatre Arts teacher and I taught in the public school system for 7 years. Along the way, I had plenty of fumbles and ultimately found my way to lasting recovery. In my last year of teaching, I realized my students were exploring their own mental health through their creative assignments and I noticed my interests growing in that area. I decided to go to graduate school and finally become a therapist. I did not know initially that I would return all the way back to eating disorders but a frontline job at an eating disorder treatment center fell into my lap upon entering my graduate program and, in my very first days working there, I knew that I was truly recovered and I knew that I was ready for this work. I worked hard. I learned everything I could and I followed my curiosity, eventually developing a specialty in the intersection of attachment trauma and eating disorders. Above all, I discovered that people heal in a variety of different ways when they can orient to safety. I opened Take Root Counseling and Coaching in April of 2021 with the goal of hiring therapists who work in a variety of different ways because they are empowered to do so but they all have one thing in common, and that’s the capacity for present attunement. We meet those we treat, not only as therapists but, as humans with deep reverence for the journey of recovery.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Opening a group practice has had it’s challenges and finding myself in the position of being an entrepreneur. This business has made it possible for me to create an environment and team with which to make more and better impact. My expert and collaborative team often make challenges feel more like games or puzzles to be solved particularly on shifting and fine-tuning infrastructure to best support long-term sustainability and growth. Having said that, I will also mention that we have a consistent challenge of continuing to make services accessible through taking insurance and hosting interns who can provide low cost services. Our therapists are highly trained, life long learners who receive dozens of hours of training and hundreds of hours of supervision every year. Many insurances continue to offer very low rates to highly educated, skilled therapists like us but we remain committed to taking insurance and remaining in network when we can. We persist with the belief that all people deserve treatment regardless of how resourced they may or may not be. We are only one part of the equation but we will continue to do what we can.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Take Root Counseling and Coaching PLLC?
Take Root Counseling & Coaching is an outpatient therapy practice featuring highly skilled and creative therapists who offer specialized treatment to clients of all ages struggling with eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression. Our clinicians can help with a wide variety of mental health concerns and life stressors but all of our clinicians specialize in the treatment of individuals struggling with eating disorders and other food and body challenges. We serve clients in-person in our beautiful office in Cary, NC and offer virtual services throughout North and South Carolina and Virginia.
We are known for excellence in providing outpatient therapy services to individuals and families of all ages, especially those struggling with eating disorders or anyone who has struggled with the messaging that their body is not okay. We work through a liberatory and weight inclusive lens. Our clinicians are empowered to choose the particular modalities they practice based on their passion, education and curiosity. This means that we offer a variety of modalities to best fit the needs of our clients and we help to guide one another on the clients that we treat. Our clients may only see one of our clinicians but they have our whole team available for their care. We are stronger and better together and we are committed to the healing journey of recovery, in all of it’s beautiful and challenging iterations, for all of our clients. New clients can expect to feel seen, listened to, respected in their autonomy and supported with pathways for change from their first meeting with their therapist.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If you or someone you love are struggling with eating challenges or just difficulty with living in a body, we are here for you. If you have have been through a difficulty experience and you’d like help healing, we are here. If you are curious about recovery, don’t wait another day. We are here to walk with you, not force you into any particular version of recovery. Take the first step, reach out today!
Pricing:
- It is available on our website but we charge 160 per session though we take a variety of insurances and also have an amazing intern offering low or no cost services.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.takerootcounselingandcoaching.com/
- Instagram: take_root_counseling
- Facebook: Take Root Counseling & Coaching
