Meet Lily Thrope | Licensed Clinical Social Worker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lily Thrope and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lily, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I started my own business in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. I had been working as a therapist for 3 years under the supervision of other amazing therapists before starting my own private practice. The main reason I wanted to start my own business was to make my own mark in the therapist space in a way that I did not see others doing. I wanted to be a mentor to other aspiring therapists. I wanted to bring authenticity to my role as a therapist and business owner. I found my passion for working with women while working at a family homeless shelter in NYC.

As I started my own business I knew that I wanted to create a space for women to heal. Due to my own experience with an eating disorder in my teenage years, I found passion for working with this community. I work mostly with women navigating their relationship with food and their bodies. Finding this niche allowed me to start connecting with other providers in my area that work within these communities and build my own community of trusted providers.

As a therapist and business owner, I blend my passion for mindfulness, yoga and spirituality into my work. I have found all of these things to be healing in my own mental health journey, so I knew they would fit well in my business space.

Sharing tools and resources with clients is really special when you know first hand how they can help. I am also fully recovered from an Eating Disorder and use my experience to work closely with clients struggling with eating challenges.

I believe full recovery is possible and I hope to help anyone struggling to see that there is a pathway towards healing. I am a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and find this modality especially helpful in navigating a healthy relationship with food and body image.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Thrope Therapy LCSW PLLC is a boutique private practice located in NYC. I am most proud of having a woman run small business. I never saw myself as a business owner and I am happy that I gave myself an opportunity to try it out. I was able to put myself out there, take a risk and the reward has been incredible.

Being able to run my own business doing something I am truly passionate about, I feel lucky to work in this field and help others heal. I am most excited about how therapy is being spoken about publicly. There is a huge push right now for awareness about mental health, for de-stigmatizing therapy and for making it more accessible. I personally believe everyone deserves space to process and work toward their goals. Therapy creates a unique time in the busy week where people are able to pay attention to their own life with no distractions. With social media, there is so rarely a time that we put away our phones and focus on ourselves. I am excited to see more people allowing themselves to find therapists and create space for themselves to grow and heal with support.

It was not easy to get where I am today with my business. The most important shift that I made was from a scarcity mindset to an abundance perspective. Once I started to believe in my business and brand, I started to see it thrive. Throughout the first year of my business, I made a huge networking push. I made it my business to connect with everyone in NYC in a similar healing space as me. I also thought outside the box about who I could connect with and who could help drum up business. Every industry intersects with therapy and I started speaking with everyone in my circle and reaching out to others outside my immediate circle. I did not allow the fear of rejection to stop me from connecting with others.

All of my interactions felt meaningful because I really believe in the work I am doing in my therapy practice. When I connected with other clinicians, doctors, dietitians, dentists, gynecologists, etc., I always learned something new. I value continued learning and another helpful step was pursuing my Certification in Intuitive Eating.

I want the world to know that therapy is a safe, nonjudgmental place for everyone. I want the world to know that I run my business from my heart and soul, and I take great pride in being able to support humans in their time on this Earth. No one has to face everything on their own, Support is here!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in New York City and there is so much to do. My all time favorite thing to do is see Broadway shows. Right now, my go to is Six The Musical, it tells the “her-story” of the wives of Henry the VIII, It has a fully female cast, band and creative team. I love that this show features six women who start out competing for who has the most compelling life story, but then realizing their power through connecting with each other rather than competing with each other. Women are so much more powerful when they work together! My other favorite activity is a walk in Central Park. Central Park is one of the most beautiful places in NYC and there is so much to explore. Check out the Ramble and views from the Belvedere Castle, keep an eye out for turtles in the water who are sunbathing. My favorite bagel spot is Brooklyn Bagel, I love a bacon egg and cheese on a sesame bagel.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So much of my success comes from the support I have received. I am so lucky to have had amazing mentors in the therapy space. My main business mentor is Jennifer Silvershein-Teplin. She has a thriving practice in NYC and has encouraged me to follow this path. She has helped me see my true potential and shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. I believe this is one of the most important shifts I have had professionally and personally. Jennifer leads with integrity and authenticity, two things that I truly value in business and life.

Intuitive Eating also deserves a shoutout in my story. Working with dietitians and therapists, using intuitive eating as a guideline, I was able to move through my own recovery process and feel more in alignment with my happiest self. Serving others from this place of healing guides so much of my work. I have worked incredibly hard on my own mental health and I believe that is what makes me a great therapist and mentor. Becoming a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor was a major factor in starting my own business.

Website: https://thropetherapy.com

Instagram: @thropetherapylcsw

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-thrope-lcsw-12931715b/

Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/lily-thrope-new-york-ny/834778

Image Credits
Hannah Jan Photo