Meet John Tsilimparis | Mental Health Consultant, Psychotherapist (MFT), Author, Teacher and Podcast Host

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

Hi John, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a psychotherapist opening up a private practice in 1997, I knew that I wanted to create a safe and comfortable place for people to come and seek help. As a client myself many years ago in New York city, my therapist gave me excellent one-on-one attention and I benefited from it greatly. I knew that if I did the same for my clients I could help them to grow and flourish as I did. I also felt positive about my calling because I love to help people. I always have. My motto for keeping a healthy business going and to never lose interest has always been to look for ways to inspire others and at the same time, to inspire yourself.

I always wanted to have my own business. I’m an independent thinker and know that I work better alone as opposed to collaboratively. Even though I have worked in many different mental health clinics…and there are definitely benefits to that…like being connected to a therapeutic community, etc., in the end I still prefer working for myself.

For anybody starting out with a private practice, it’s definitely scary in the beginning as any new endeavor is. But if you are dedicated to your work you’re good at what you do and you are willing to be more “processed oriented” than “results oriented” with all of your clients, you will accelerate your success.

I also suggest that if you’re starting out, try not to be a “purist” when it comes to individual therapeutic modalities that you will use with your clients. Try to be more of a “pluralist” by using many different types of techniques because in the end the one that’s going to be the most effective is going to be your personal relationship with them. How warm you are, how kind you are, how patient you are, how understanding you are, how good a listener you are is going to go a long way. So don’t get too caught up in how to DO therapy right, focus more who you’re going to BE as a therapist.

And, always stay hungry for new knowledge and new therapeutic methods. Don’t be afraid to learn from your clients too. “To grow wise one must always remain a student.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Besides my work as a psychotherapist and mental health consultant, I’m also a writer and author of two books. I’m in the process of writing a third book. My most popular book, Retrain Your Anxious Brain (Hanover Square Press, 2022) was recently reissued. My books are reflections of all my fears, my heartaches and my triumphs. They are also examples of my failures and my successes all wrapped into an easy-to-read narrative that most people find relatable. The more I seem to self-disclose in my books, the more feedback I get from my readers.

I also love music and consider myself a part-time composer. I play the piano and guitar but writing music is my favorite hobby. My composed music comes from my own sorrows and my joy. It’s my way of cultivating the dignity in my suffering and to flip the script on my misgivings. Music also helps me to recognize the splendor in the melancholy of life.

Listening to music is my own therapy. It’s my antidepressant, it’s my anti-anxiety medication it’s my go-to remedy for centering and balancing myself. If I had talent in teaching music, I would probably do the same. I think that everyone needs some kind of creative outlet.

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?
If a friend was visiting Los Angeles for the first time, I would take them to my favorite Italian restaurant on Melrose and Highland called Osteria Mozza. You can never go wrong with the service, the atmosphere and most of all the amazing menu.

I enjoy going to museums, so the Huntington library, the Norton Simon, of course the Getty on the hill. I would also turn them on to little pockets of LA that I really enjoy that are not too crowded. Downtown Culver City is a very diverse and eclectic place to have dinner, drinks, etc. I also enjoy Larchmont Village, and on the other side of town near the ocean, Pacific palisades.

And of course there’s excellent hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains and many Coastal Beach spots that I enjoy. My favorite is El Matador Beach up in Malibu.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s so many people for me to recognize regarding my success. As mentioned I was helped by some excellent clinicians in New York City and as I worked through my internships before getting licensed here in Los Angeles, there were many supervisors that got me through a lot of difficult times. Many of these supervisors became mentors and friends and they are people that I still refer to often.

There are many organizations that I worked for over the years, where I also gained a lot of knowledge and experience from. The Southern California Counseling Center (SCCC) in Los Angeles, the Thalian’s Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and my first clinic job as a bi-lingual staff therapist in the department of addiction medicine at Kaiser Permanente.

I also want to give a shout out to my parents who supported the direction that I chose to take. They are unfortunately not with us anymore but I’m sure they would be very proud if they were here. I also give a shoutout to all the clients that allowed me into their lives and who trusted me to be privy to their personal issues. Thank you for helping to help you

Website: www.johntsilimparis.com

Instagram: @jtsilimparis

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-tsilimparis-mft-mental-health-consultant/

Twitter: @johntsilimparis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.tsilimparis

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johntsilimparis85

Other: Podcast: Mindfulness For The Soul https://anchor.fm/john-tsilimparis

Image Credits
In September 2022, I co-produced a live theater show for a non-profit charity called This Is My Brave. Our mission is to end mental illness stigma. We do it one show at a time. Our show was at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA. It was a big hit! The photo at the podium is of myself and my co-producer Karen Pickett, MFT. (photo by Vince Bucci)