A Professional Evolution

The tribal masks adorning a wall in Dr. Steven Nakisher’s office serve as a reminder of —if not a metaphor for—the career he has carved for himself from the resources at hand: a clinical psychology degree from The Chicago School, a passion for mentoring, and a keen business savvy. A man who is repeatedly reinventing himself, he is at once psychotherapist, teacher, benefactor, and entrepreneur.

It wasn’t always that way. He completed his Psy.D. in 1996 with a plan: he would hang his shingle and wait for clients to arrive. When they didn’t, he began to ponder the power of connections—connections that increase impact and minimize the solitary existence of one-on-one therapy.

Dr. Steven Nakisher, Alumnus and Trustee

“It’s hard to do anything really great when you’re working alone,” Dr. Nakisher says. “If you can collect talented people, all with a shared sense of purpose, you can accomplish far greater things.”

Thus was born the Center for Personal Development, which he founded in 1998. Now with two offices in  Chicago and one in Skokie, the center serves hundreds of clients a year and has had as many as 25 psychologists working together at one time. The range of specialties represented allows psychologists to easily refer clients to other practitioners as needs evolve.

The center’s success led him to share his knowledge and experience with Chicago School students and newly minted Psy.D.s who seek him out for advice on starting a private practice. A past president of the Alumni Council, he was instrumental in the council’s decision to create the Alumni Mentorship Program several years ago and has mentored clinical psychology students every year since then. He supervises TCS practicum students, interns, and post-docs, another activity that gives him the opportunity to do what he loves most: help new therapists develop a profession built on passion.

“There are no trade secrets to being successful as a psychologist,” he says. “It’s all about following your dream. I was very fortunate to have been mentored myself by people like John Benitez— and it’s a relationship that I would like to see all Chicago School students have.”

Steve is a champion for The Chicago School model, says President Michael Horowitz. “He reflects our core values—especially service and community—and has been responsible for connecting us to many resources over the years.”

As if donning the masks on his wall one at a time, Dr. Nakisher moves easily among the professional personas he has created for himself over the years. He maintains a strong presence in two other business ventures: Cornerpiece Consulting, which he co-founded with I/O alumnus Jeremy Wicks (M.A.’07), and a gourmet tea company that designs beverages for Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump.

The Nakisher 5: Building a Business
“When starting your own practice, view it as a career,” Dr. Nakisher advises new psychologists. He offers the following tips—referred to here as The Nakisher 5—to help jumpstart the process.

1. Decide what you want and go after it. Ask yourself, “What kind of lifestyle do I want? What type of clients do I want to
   see?” The choices you make should be vital lifestyle choices, not afterthoughts.
2. Find a mentor. We all need help to get where we want to be. Go out and meet successful people in the field.
3. Stop hating the word ‘marketing.’ Like it or not, you are selling a service. Figure out what you are selling and how to sell it using your personality. You want people to say, “Wow! I need that!”
4. You are the product! Create an “elevator speech,” a quick summation of your professional self, and use it every chance you get to brand yourself. People stop listening after 45 seconds, so you have one chance to make a first impression.
5. Go after the exact clients you want. If a client comes your way whose concerns are out of your area of interest, refer that client to someone who specializes in that area. Do this enough times and these therapists will send you clients whose needs are in your area of specialty.

Wicks is one of many alumni who benefited as a student from Dr. Nakisher’s advice.

“The best tip Steve ever gave me came when I told him I was interested in starting a business of my own when I graduated and he advised me to tell everybody I met what I wanted to do and ask every one of them all for advice.”

Steve’s experience in building his own businesses has paralleled the evolution of The Chicago School, President Horowitz says. “He learned early in his career to apply a growth model to his practice, and he had the foresight to connect psychology and business. This is exactly the pattern that the school is following, and for the same reasons of ensuring our viability and broadening our impact.”