Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Monica O’Neal.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Military girl from the Philippines and become a psychologist in Boston and lecturer at Harvard Medical School? This question baffles me…I was just fascinated from the moment that I was introduced to it… class on child development in high school and I never had regrets about it. That is where my love affair with psychology started and it has never died. Chose a school that I thought would have a really solid psychology program – UNC Chapel Hill highly ranked Made a detour in Corporate retail with two major retailers; after suffering one too many design meetings where all I heard was “cute, cute, super cute”, it became clear that I wanted to be directed on my path to pursue psychology While doing my senior paper, faculty member gave me great advice which was that I shouldn’t pursue my masters unless I 100 percent wanted to go into psychology, which is why I went into Corporate America. At that point in time I was in Columbus OH and working at a major retailer. I wasn’t doing well since this wasn’t my passion. Over the holidays, I took a risk and applied to “one school”…the school that really fit my curiosities and interests vs. getting caught up in rankings and GW PsyD program was it. It was in a city that I loved and in a field that I love what I was meant to do…healing the heart and mind is my passion and I am so happy to live my passion each and every day.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
a) Managing a business when the field of psychology does not develop – learn how to manage a business b) Dealing with insurance companies – provide good, affordable healthcare while understanding the obstacles that healthcare can provide – can be disruptive c) Grandmother died in 2015; as a therapist you realize what it is like to be a patient; insidious at a time when I needed to be on my toes; less than a year later, my father was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer; within a matter of 3 months, my identity was stolen to the point where I couldn’t be my best self (fell behind on administrative stuff); disrupted my ability to be on point at times, but it gave me a more well-rounded perspective and enabled me to be more present…made patients feel more compassionate. Reality of staying afloat in the face of adversity. Not allowing it to take over my life.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Back Bay – what should we know?
Clinical psychologist – psychotherapy Intimate relationships – romantic, familial, and even work relationships Known for and most proud of ability to be authentic and humorous blended with a strong academic and clinical acumen. As a clinician, I am committed to people changing and have a track record of have a significant, positive impact on people’s lives. Specialize in intimacy and love and help my patients to develop internal mechanisms for self-exploration to really make an impact on their lives. Most importantly, I’m known for my off the cuff, brazen, and insightful wit. Also, I have a keen curiosity in technology. Academic and clinical interest in how technology impacts relationships. Specifically, I have a keen interest to contribute to the field to use technology to maintain secure intimate relationships. This is a completely new field for me, but I definitely think that all mental health professionals have to be taking and considering the impact of technology as a potential positive force on people’s well-being…right now, it is primarily being perceived as damaging, and I am not sure that it is damaging.
Do you feel like our city is a good place for businesses like yours? If someone was just starting out, would you recommend them starting out here? If not, what can our city do to improve?
Yes. Boston is a great place to be a psychotherapy provider. Boston is filled with bright, curious people at various stages of their personal/professional lives. Also, Bostonians generally tend to be overachievers in most that they do. For both those reasons, Bostonians make excellent candidates for psychotherapy. Generally speaking, Bostonians are perfect patients. At the same time, and I have written about before, Bostonians tend to suck at creating and maintaining intimate relationships. Tech/Financial Companies Top Universities / Hospitals Transient Individuals Busy, Driven People. Makes sense why forming intimate relationships take a back seat to other professional and even physical endeavors; more easily quantifiable endeavors specifically intimate relationships, personal contentment and healthy, emotional awareness are key factors for people having the most stable success in life but road to there much trickier to navigate and often the destination seems unclear and often not concrete/tangible. Despite the fact that Boston is still a great place for mental health entrepreneurs, Boston can improve to make peoples practices better – parking, better rental opportunities, basic facilities – and create opportunities for mental health professionals to still be offer the best mental health care at an affordable price.
Image Credit:
IVY Connect
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