The Awareness Centre in Clapham SW4 opened its doors to clients 10 years ago in March 2005. We asked Managing Director Michaela McCarthy to look back on her highlights of the last decade and how she combined her business and therapy skills to build a thriving centre.
How did you start The Awareness Centre?
With a mobile phone, a Filofax and a vision. I knew WHAT would happen but wasn’t sure HOW. Yet I trusted my intuition that it would all come together.
I was working as a therapist and a manager running placements, supervision and training. I had experienced clinical placements that were often quite chaotic, in grubby venues, and I ended up having to do several placements to accumulate my hours while I was training to be a therapist.
My plan for The Awareness Centre was to provide private therapy and low-cost therapy, and to offer opportunities for private and trainee therapists. I wanted to rent rooms to private therapists to support them as they set up their practice, and to offer a clinical placement for trainee therapists that was well supported, with top-notch supervision and a lovely environment to work in.
Why Clapham?
I was born in Clapham and left when I was two. I trusted my instincts that Clapham was where I wanted to set up the centre, so I moved back and it felt like a coming home. I’d missed out on two premises, but I still trusted I’d find the right thing. I sat in my car near Clapham Common looking out to the universe to show me the way. Interestingly, it was by changing hairdresser that I found the building on Abbeville Road. Even after I’d found the venue I had no business plan, but I had a vision and it just felt right.
How did you turn your vision into the thriving centre it is today?
With a lot of hard work and determination, and trusting that it would work out.
The name was incredibly important. We came up with it in supervision with Chris Williams, and I knew we had hit the spot. I then had the logo designed, which is the same as it is today, and forged ahead with the domain name and website. I networked, found therapists and sold the idea: on the first day 35 therapists signed up, and The Awareness Centre was up and running.
My goal was always to win contracts, as we’re a private organisation and good at management. We were approached by Clapham Manor surgery within the first four months to run their counselling service, and we’ve been running it ever since. We then picked up other surgeries, and Lambeth Talking Therapies began to hear about The Awareness Centre, and we were awarded the South London and Maudsley contract to run the counselling service working with IAPT in Lambeth.
It was hard work winning the contract but I had the right people on board: the input from Ruth Nightingale and Christian Murphy was pivotal, as was Kelly Garrett’s when she came on board once we took over the contract. That was two years ago in November. What have been the high points of the last decade?
Winning the Lambeth Talking Therapies contract was definitely a peak, as was Kelly joining us. I value her support, and she’s a real sounding board for me. All our team members joined at the right time, and they’ve all made a difference.
I’m proud that we’ve developed our private practice and low cost services, and having created one of the largest placements for therapists in London.
What’s next for The Awareness Centre?
We’ve got big ambitions to expand. We’re looking to win more contracts and expand The Awareness Centre brand. We’re initially looking at premises across London, and eventually we will open in other venues across the UK.
What’s been the most satisfying thing for you over the last 10 years?
To see people grow and achieve. To see the expressions on the faces of people who come into and go out of The Awareness Centre – whether it’s clients working on their personal growth, or staff members growing and achieving professionally.
It’s important that The Awareness Centre has its own life force: it’s not just about me being the MD, but about getting the right people to support me in the team. The centre took a while to grow developmentally. Now we have the right people in place and a shared vision. It’s not just my vision. There seems to be a purpose for everybody, and that gives me a purpose to create more. I look forward to what the next decade has in store.
