Meet Amy Di Francia | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist 105646

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Di Francia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Authenticity is really important as a therapist or any mental health professional. People are trusting me with the most vulnerable parts of themselves, and so one of the best gifts I can give my clients is bringing my authentic self to the therapy room, or bringing my authentic self to the courses and resources I offer. I find that when you are showing up authentically in the room, respecting your clients, remaining constantly willing to learn and grow both personally and professionally, and genuinely doing good work, that speaks for itself and naturally attracts more business!

What should our readers know about your business?
I currently work as a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice and a mental health educator, but when I first started my career as a therapist I didn’t plan on starting my own business! I was perfectly happy working for other organizations as a therapist…until I wasn’t. I had worked in group private practices and community mental health centers for almost a decade before I got the courage to go out on my own into solo private practice, and from there to expand the resources I offer beyond therapy to mental health courses as well.

It was a really difficult decision to leave my group practice and go out on my own! Not only because it was scary taking that leap of faith to start my own business, but also because I genuinely loved the team of people I got to work with and was sad to leave them. But sometimes you have to decide between a situation that’s comfortable for you, and a situation that will force you to grow. I knew I was at a time in my life and career where I was ready to challenge myself to grow, and to be able to intentionally focus on using my unique gifts and talents to help people in a way that I was passionate about. Ultimately, the two main reasons that pushed me towards taking the risk to start my own business were the desire for more flexibility in my schedule (to allow me more time to spend with my family while I am raising young children), and the desire to utilize more of my creativity in my work.

One of the things that has helped my business grow was intentionally deciding who I can best serve as a therapist and mental health educator (another way of saying this is being intentional about choosing my “niche.”) I learned early on in my work as a therapist that I have a natural affinity for helping people work through really tough anxiety. My naturally calm presence and introverted manner might not make me successful in other creative careers, but they are really well suited for being a therapist and holding space for others. So specializing as an anxiety therapist has helped me be clear about who I can best serve in my private practice.

Then, when I expanded into the world of course creation I combined my knowledge of healing anxiety with another community that I am intricately familiar with and passionate about helping, which is anxious Christians. Having grown up in a faith community, I have seen first-hand how Christianity and mental health can sometimes be at odds with one another. I am passionate about bridging the gap between the two and helping Christians learn that it’s ok to seek therapy, and that there are many valuable mental health tools that can be used for healing. That’s why I decided to put my creative efforts toward creating an online course specifically for helping Christians work through anxiety. This is one of the things that sets my business apart – my passion for helping Christians not be afraid to integrate faith with science and psychology. It’s also the part of my work that I am currently the most excited about! I love creating mental health resources that help people develop into the healthiest version of themselves, so I’m excited to put more of my creative energy toward creating even more resources.

Creating mental health resources like courses and workbooks is also another way that I can make mental health resources more accessible, which is also something I’m passionate about. Therapy is a wonderful resource, but is also not always accessible or affordable to everyone. Creating high-quality, psychologically sound resources that are also affordable is one way that I feel I can give back to the community and help people find a little peace in the midst of the difficulty of life. That’s ultimately what I want my legacy to be with my business – I want to leave a legacy of peace. I want to point my clients toward peace, and help as many people as I can find their peace. I hope that others remember me as someone who was kind and who genuinely cared about helping others.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a seventh-generation native Southern-Californian, I take pride in showing off my city! If I were showing someone around for the day, I would start with taking them to breakfast at Bea Beas because I am definitely a breakfast fan and their pancakes are amazing! Then I’d take them to explore Descanso Gardens for some peaceful reflection, and to the Americana for some upscale shopping. We’d eat lunch and some pastries at the iconic Porto’s bakery, and dinner at Dave’s Hot Chicken. Of course, we’d have to make a visit to Crumbl cookies for a late night dessert and visit Perch LA for drinks and views of the city!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my husband, Andrea, who has been my number one supporter through all the seasons of my career, and always encourages me to take that leap of faith and explore my creativity!

Website: https://www.amydifrancia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydifranciamentalhealth/

Image Credits
Love Bethany Photography