By FRED KRONER
Mahomet’s Kathleen El Koury didn’t enter the workforce with the job she saw herself having forever.
Instead, she used a stepping-stone approach to reach her dreams.
The owner and a therapist at Insight Therapy, El Koury’s business was recognized Thursday night (Feb. 4) as the Health and Wellness Business of the Year by the Mahomet Area Chamber of Commerce.
The announcement was made at a virtual ceremony.
Insight Therapy is located at 3362 Big Pine Trail, Suite A, in Champaign.
El Koury has worked her way up in the profession.
“Private practice was always in the plan for me, but it was important to me to gain experience in different settings and with different populations,” El Koury said.
“My first job in the mental health field was during my senior year of college (at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va.) as a psychiatric technician at a mental health hospital for adults in Falls Church, Va.”
From there, she worked for a time in therapeutic foster care in Newington, Va.
“When I finished my Master of Social Work (at Kean University, in Union, N.J.), I worked in residential treatment centers for children and adolescents in both Hackensack, N.J., and later, Champaign.”
Those opportunities provided her experience with a variety of age groups.
“In graduate school, I had an internship in Elizabeth, N.J., working with the elderly to help them to connect to resources that allowed them to live safely in their homes as long as possible,” El Koury said. “My second-year internship was at a child and adolescent outpatient therapy unit at a hospital in Elizabeth, N.J.”
A native of Hobart, Ind., El Koury spent a portion of her early childhood in Savoy. When she was 8 years old, her family relocated to Lynchburg, Va.
In 2010, El Koury and her husband, Evan, moved to Champaign County.
“Over time, I began to feel prepared for my own private practice and decided to open Insight Therapy,” she said. “I saw my first clients at Insight Therapy in January 2013.”
She couldn’t have picked a busier time for her personally.
“Our son, Brennan, was six weeks old,” Kathleen El Koury said. “It took time to adapt to being a new mom and also a new business owner.”
She figured it out.
“With Evan’s unwavering support and the help of my mom, who cared for Brennan while we went to work, I was able to determine an ideal work and personal life balance that worked for our family,” she said.
Her practice mushroomed at a rapid rate.
“Insight grew quickly and I soon found myself unable to accept new clients due to a full schedule and the desire to maintain a healthy work/personal life balance,” Kathleen El Koury said. “In 2015, Insight Therapy expanded to include three more therapists.”
The growth didn’t slow down.
“We grew very quickly and eventually added another therapist and an Office Manager,” Kathleen El Koury said. “We recently added an additional therapist to our practice, making six therapists, including myself.
“In addition to seeing clients, I work together with Keli (the office manager) to run the day-to-day operations.”
Expansion was intentional and a choice which El Koury looks back on as the right move at the right time.
“The decision to expand Insight Therapy in 2015 was exciting and a huge highlight in Insight’s history,” she said. “I put a lot of careful thought and energy into the plan to expand, and I was truly honored that three wonderful people were enthusiastic about coming along on the journey with me as therapists.
“The next highlights were growing to include our fabulous Office Manager and more new therapists, rounding out our dynamic team.”
El Koury has discovered that she enjoys all phases of the business.
“While I very much love my clinical work, I’ve come to find that I enjoy the behind-the-scenes, administrative duties as well,” Kathleen El Koury said.
The El Kourys became Mahomet residents in 2017.
“Evan and I lived in a variety of different settings and decided we liked the feel of small-town living,” Kathleen El Koury said.
Insight Therapy was able to transition seamlessly when the coronavirus pandemic shut down in-person operations for many companies in March, 2020.
“Changing how we do our jobs in response to COVID-19 has been, by far, the biggest challenge our practice has faced,” Kathleen El Koury said. “Leading up to the stay-at-home order, we prepared our practice to offer telehealth.
“It took a lot of research and coordination, but we were well-prepared for when the stay-at-home order was issued.”
They didn’t have to cancel appointments, just alter the manner in which the sessions took place.
“We were equipped to offer telehealth to our clients right away and our clients were able to continue with therapy without skipping a beat,” El Koury said. “We are so grateful that the technology exists to be able to continue to serve our clients safely.”
El Koury is looking to add to the staff, but within limits.
“We are currently looking to add one more therapist to our practice,” she said. “I enjoy having a smaller practice as it allows me to have strong relationships with each of my employees.”
Her original goal to increase staff went beyond the ability to serve more people.
“When I first expanded Insight Therapy, it was not only to reach more clients, but also to offer an environment in which therapists can thrive,” El Koury said. “I strongly believe that if the therapists feel taken care of and are happy where they work, that they will be able to provide the best possible care to their clients.”
Additionally, one of the therapists at Insight recently became a certified mediator.
“He is expanding this area of his practice to include divorce and custody mediations, as well as mediation for contract disputes,” El Koury said.
As the pandemic darkened moods and hopes in 2020, El Koury looked for ways to give back.
She implemented the company’s Spread Kindness Giveaway three months ago.
“We started this giveaway in October 2020, as a way to spread kindness and positivity to others,” she said. “Each week, we purchase items from local businesses to give away to lucky winners chosen at random.
“It is fun to spread joy to the winners and it is a great way to support local businesses during this tough time.”
She has enjoyed the process, and being creative.
“I’ve had a lot of fun thinking of new giveaways each week and have also enjoyed making connections with so many amazing local business owners,” El Koury said.
She makes it a priority to make an impact in the community and not just be a resident.
“We have contributed resources, helped plan events, and supported other local businesses throughout 2020,” El Koury said. “It is important to me to contribute in meaningful ways to the community.”
The El Kourys have two children, Brennan (8) and Stella (3). They also have a dog, Deuce.
Other finalists for Health and Wellness Business of the Year were Gibson Area Health and Kurtz Counseling.
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Mahomet Area
Chamber of Commerce
Annual Recognition Awards
Overall Business of the Year – Greg Collins, Mahomet Car Connection
Small Business of the Year – Bran Waibel, Waibel Farmland Services
Food Service of the Year – Satesha Patel and Paul Patel, Subway (two locations)
Startup Business of the Year – Craig Bliss, illini360
Health and Wellness Business of the Year – Kathleen El Koury, Insight Therapy
Volunteer of the Year – Mike McDermith
Community Servant of the Year – Jackie Butler, It Takes A Village
NOTE: Each business or individual will be profiled separately within the next week.
