Entrepreneurial therapist establishes practice with support from North East BIC

A therapist who set out to make counselling and hypnotherapy more accessible to everyday people is celebrating two milestones, after less than a year in business.

A qualified provider of counselling, hypnotherapy, art therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and more, Annie Taylor found herself unable to utilise most of her skill sets, as her day job meant she solely had to focus on one kind of support, despite often being asked by patients to provide further care.

This inspired Annie to set up her own practice from West Rainton’s Jubilee Hall, and within nine months, the entrepreneurial therapist has already achieved two major milestones.

Initially setting out to provide support in the North East, she has now helped over 100 people across the UK access support and has struck a partnership to provide counselling and support to students relocating to the region.

The support will help students embed into their communities better and provide advice and support to help maintain their mental health.

Speaking about her journey so far, Annie remarked: “As a therapist, no matter where you go, or whatever area of the field you’re in, you’re often told ‘this is what you’re funded to do’ and it left me feeling as though I just wasn’t fulfilling my potential.

“I knew I could bring other things to the table in my work but the funding prevented me from doing it. That’s why I decided to set up on my own to provide holistic therapy, bringing all of my experience together to provide support to as many people as possible.”

“I’ve always been a believer that private therapy shouldn’t be a privilege and just for those who are well off, and our Friday clinics at Byker are an example of how we’re helping break down those barriers.”

Prior to launching the business, Annie received support from the North East BIC, which provides support to people across the region seeking to set up their own business. She added: “The BIC were amazing. I was very anxious at first, and when you’re setting up a professional clinic like this, a private practice, it’s terrifying.

“When you’re employed and working in the field of helping mental health, there’s always someone above you, but now it’s up to me to deal with regulations and everything else that comes with running a business. It helped that I could work with the BIC and bounce everything off them and they had all the answers. It was a literal safety net.”

Janice Marsh, business adviser at the BIC, commented: “Annie is an absolute superstar. Not only is she breaking down barriers in her industry by setting up on her own, but she is also breaking down the barriers to everyday people receiving vital health support.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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