Meet Therapist Sarahlin Smith of City Cove Counseling Services

Meet Sarahlin Smith of City Cove Counseling

Today’s client interview features therapist, Sarahlin Smith, of City Cove Counseling Services, based in Troy, Michigan. After getting to know her during our session, I knew I had to stop in her office for a few followup photos. The canvas on her office wall is actually a drop cloth she used in her play and art therapy sessions. To me, it’s a striking piece of art. But once I understood the context — it was created by many individuals as they worked through their healing process, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. 

Scott Lawrence: Tell us about your business.

Sarahlin Smith: City Cove Counseling Services provides psychotherapy to individuals, families and couples in Troy, Michigan. We provide care to children, adolescents and adults using developmentally appropriate modalities of care to increase mental health functioning, improve management of psychological symptoms and improve relationship functioning.

“Basically, we help people through their feelings, difficult experiences and life story to help them thrive in life.”

What’s unique about how you do what you do?

I have experience working with individuals in almost all stages of life. This strengthens my scope of practice and understanding of human experience. My office uses traditional talk therapy techniques and amplifies them with expressive arts techniques, mindfulness, and Play Therapy techniques in order to make the best use of the many ways our minds can work through challenges. I’m also working toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist in an effort to further strengthen my work with children. 

What’s the one thing most people don’t know about your industry, but should?

Many successful and psychologically well people seek therapy, and it helps them to thrive in life. Seeking therapy before a crisis can provide strength and resiliency to weather any crises that may come. If you are thinking about finding a therapist, finding the right fit now ensures you have the support you need in the future. 

---

Learn more about Sarahlin’s counseling practice at citycovecounseling.com.

If you’re due for a new headshot on your website, professional directory, or LinkedIn, drop me a note! 

Meet Mary of Troy Web Services

Meet Mary of Troy Web Services

Based in Troy, MI, Mary was in need of a new headshot as she expands her marketing efforts. We connected at first through Instagram, but happened to meet at a networking event soon after.

Scott Lawrence: Tell us about your business.

Mary Alore: I help business owners grow their business by utilizing the power of the internet. My focus is on helping companies with website design, social media marketing, email marketing and blogging to reach, connect and engage with new and existing customers.  

My services range from helping business owners DIY to entirely managing their entire online presence.  

What’s unique about how you do what you do?

I have a passion for the hard-working business owner. I grew up in my family’s food service business and understand the sacrifices that business owners need to make to grow and maintain a successful business.  

I work hard to deliver the most effective and efficient solutions to make the business owner successful without adding an additional task on their already full plates.    

What’s the one thing most people don’t know about your business or industry, but should?

There is a misconception that once a business builds a website, posts to social media or writes a blog post that they are done. There is a “set it and forget it” mindset. Unfortunately, in today’s dynamic online marketplace new content is pushed out to the internet at an astounding rate.  In fact, there are approximately 3.8 million blog posts published every day (data as of March, 2018.)   

Websites, social media and content, in general, must be updated regularly. Consumers are keenly aware of the difference between new and old material. When an online visitor views old content they think the business just doesn’t care about new customers.  A business website has seven seconds to make an impression. Within seven seconds the customer has decided to stay or leave based on that quick first impression.    

My goal is to help business owners capture the attention of online visitors and retain them with engaging content and images.    

---

To learn more about Troy Web Services, visit www.troywebservices.com or email Mary directly at mary@troywebservices.com.

If you're part of Troy based business and could use a new headshot for your next brochure, website or LinkedIn refresh, drop me a note.

Award Winning Headshot Clients

Congratulations!

I wanted to give a quick shout out to some recent award winning clients for their work in and around Rochester. These women do some amazing stuff and help make Rochester a great place to live and work!

Congrats to Cheryl Boodram of Chief Financial Credit Union and Maria Willett of the City of Rochester Hills. They were both included in Oakland County's Elite 40 under 40.

And, congrats to Kara Sears of Rochester Schools for winning Oakland University Educator of the Year.

Kara Sears

Maria Willett

Cheryl Boodram

These type of award nominations have a tendency to sneak up. So if you don’t have a headshot ready to go for the press release, give me a call! 

Meet the Troy Chamber of Commerce

Meet the Troy Chamber of Commerce

Recently, I had the pleasure of working with the Troy Chamber of Commerce as they updated their staff headshots. 

As a small business owner, the local Chambers of Commerce have been vital. So I asked Sheila Denstaedt, the Director of Member Services, to tell you more.

Scott Lawrence: Tell us about your organization.

Sheila Denstaedt: Established in 1959, the Troy Chamber has been serving the business community for more than 55 years. One of the things that has not changed over those years is the diversity of our membership, which ranges from sole proprietors and entrepreneurs to large corporations. Because of the layout of Troy, no downtown area, we are more of a business-to-business Chamber. However, we are very fortunate to have many fantastic restaurants and retail outlets within the Chamber and the City of Troy!

SL: What’s unique about how you do what you do?

Sheila: I think what makes us unique is that we recognize that we can’t be all things to everyone. Over the years we have listened to our members and tailored our events to meet overall needs like: networking, economic development and education. We constantly review and monitor our committees to ensure they make sense for our members. We don’t want anyone to feel they have wasted their time participating in these groups. 

We have also looked at ways to better incorporate our members into our events and presentations. We always look to our database first for event locations and speakers. We are very fortunate to have large scope of talent in Troy.

SL: What’s the one thing most people don’t know about your industry, but should?

Sheila: Chambers of Commerce aren’t a fit for every business. I say that in the most sincere way. To receive ROI on your Chamber investment you have to get involved. I think that goes for any Chamber, Association or membership organization. Take some time to research the group, attend a meeting, schedule a one-on-one with a member and then evaluate if it’s the right fit for you!

SL: Let's say I just made a move to Troy from a neighboring town. I have friends in Troy to help me find my bearings, but is it still worth calling the Chamber for recommendations and community tips?

Sheila: When moving a business to Troy I think starting with the Chamber is a must. Friends and family can give you suggestions (sometimes based on hearsay) on restaurants, potential office locations and potentially your competition, but the Chamber can give you boots on the ground insight. We have connections to City and County employees that can help you not only with your relocation but with making sure you have the best possible start at that new location.  The Chamber can also help you connect with vendors who can make the move so much simpler!

SL: What can you help with that social media recommendations might not cover?

Sheila: We can make the introductions - we can connect you with people who have actually used the recommendations and will be honest with their results. We have been fortunate over the years to have seen what works and doesn’t work for businesses of all sizes and we want to see our members succeed! So we are here to share that information. 

If you're a business owner in Troy, or you're thinking about starting one, don't hesitate to contact the Troy Chamber.

Thanks for Joining My Adventure

Thanks for Joining My Adventure

As we kick off the new year, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all my amazing clients from 2017. You recognized that your selfies aren't getting any better for professional use (even with the latest iPhone). So you took a leap and tried a new photography experience here in Rochester, Michigan, that's not yet not as common as it was in my old town, just outside Chicago. 

With your help, we're making progress.

I see it in my own LinkedIn feed. I see it on Instagram and your Facebook pages. And I see it in print too — on your business cards and local advertising.

In whatever you do, you are your biggest differentiator.

Authentic, confident and polished headshots are still not the norm. There is much work to be done to keep spreading the message.

I can't wait to see where your new headshot takes you in 2018!

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a little highlight video. Enjoy!