Meet Simone Koger | Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, Certified Grief Professional, Owner of Whimsigoth Wellness & Koger Counseling

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

Hi Simone, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
For my field as a therapist, in Washington state we are lucky enough to be able to start a private practice as an Associate Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Not all states allow associates to run their own business. So having this opportunity of even being able to take that chance was great.

After doing my own research about my other options for employment, I gravitated to the benefits of running my own practice. I have made a lot of calculated leaps in my life to get to various goals, and this was one of them. I heavily researched the cost breakdown of starting a private practice, the regulations I would need to follow, and the processes of owning a business (eg. bookkeeping, insurance, licensing, taxes etc).

At first, a lot of people judged me for wanting to go out on my own. There was a lot of stigma about being a new therapist, and running a practice- but I didn’t want other people’s opinion to get in the way of my dream.

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?
Currently I own two businesses- Koger Counseling which is a private therapy practice in Washington state; and Whimsigoth Wellness which is a small Etsy shop for elder emo, goth, witchy apparel that donates to mental health organizations.

Starting Koger Counseling was easy to take on because it was my lifelong dream to become a therapist, and provide therapy support to others. There were a lot of hoops to jump through, and rightfully so- because it is a license regulated profession. But I knew that every step I was taking, every check box I was ticking off to get to my launch date was leading my closer to my dream. I did learn a lot about the steps to launching a practice, and questions I wish I had asked myself early on in the process which is why I launched an ebook for other professionals called Launching Your Private Practice: A Step by Step guide for Washington clinicians to start the practice you’re proud of.

I would hope that people know that Koger Counseling is a therapy practice whose main goal is to get more people the mental health support they deserve. Whether that is with me as their therapist, or referrals to other local options. I want as many people to get support as possible- and that means the right support for their unique needs. Since Koger Counseling is a tele-therapy practice, all sessions are done remotely which tends to help a lot of folks get access to services since we are in a traffic heavy state.

Whimsigoth Wellness took some time and care to launch because I come up with most of the designs that we print on our apparel. It took a while to decide on the fabrics, printing partner, and several other factors of an Etsy business. But overall, this has been a great artistic outlet for me, and seeing other people wear shirts that represent mental health awareness (or some of our sillier shirts) is a huge treat for me.

When it comes to Whimsigoth Wellness, I hope people would know that every item they purchase has an impact on a mental health organization getting more funding. For example, this year I selected the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to receive part of our profits to support more education, awareness, and support for those of us affected by suicide.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If someone was coming to visit, I would definitely take them to the mountain. Mt. Rainier is an oasis of nature. I’d tell them we are packing a picnic, and going to chase some waterfalls- because there is never enough to see in the National Parks here. Going to see Taylor Swift at Lumen Field would also be a life changing option, but let’s face it- trying to get tickets to that felt like a lottery pool! There are great shows and events at the stadiums too- my husband and I love going to watch the Mariners play whenever we get a chance.

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 would love to thank my partner, Will Koger for supporting me through my graduate program and launch of both Koger Counseling and my Etsy Whimsigoth Wellness. Having his support has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I also would want to thank the professors and colleagues I have met over the years who are also dedicated to the same ideas of de-stigmatizing mental health & providing support to people across our nation.

Website: https://www.kogercounseling.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/whimsigoth_wellness?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==

Other: https://instagram.com/kogercounseling?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==

Image Credits
I took all photos that were added. (One of me at AFSP event was taken by my husband).