SCORE Mentor Helps Retired Counselor Launch Private Practice

It’s always been a dream for Sharon Reilly-Marosy to open her own counseling practice. After retiring in 2019 from her 26-year career at a municipal aging agency, she was committed to doing just that.

“When I retired, I knew I wasn’t finished working,” she said. “I loved counseling, but I had no knowledge of running a business.”

Unsure of where to begin, Reilly-Marosy, a counselor of more than 40 years, turned to SCORE Central Jersey. She began attending workshops tailored to small business owners and women entrepreneurs. Soon after, she met chapter mentor Jane Meyer, who guided her in creating a business plan, determining who her clients would be, and introduced her to an accountant who assisted with financial-related aspects of her East Brunswick-based business, Counseling for the Ages LLC.

“She has been invaluable. She had the vision,” Reilly-Marosy said of her SCORE mentor. “She didn’t give up on me.”

Reilly-Marosy established the business in the state of New Jersey in the fall of 2021 and began seeing clients in 2022. Her practice focuses on therapy for older adults dealing with grief, caregiving, retirement, older women’s issues, and late life transitions. Since her practice is primarily virtual, she can meet with clients from anywhere in New Jersey.

“I was born just loving people and caring about people,” she said. “I’m the person that people come to talk to a friend, a sister and it’s just so natural for me. You could put me in the room with 10 crying people and I will take care of them all day long.”

Meyer recognized her client’s passion for helping others, viewing it as the driving force behind her successful solo practice launch.

“She really started from scratch,” Meyer said. “She went step by step like you should do. I just loved how she was so dedicated to the process, to doing it right.”

In her practice, Reilly-Marosy strives to do right for her clients as well. She relishes the opportunity to assist them in coping with difficult situations.

“I have seen people grow despite this challenging grief they’re dealing with,” she said. “That is so rewarding. To meet with people at this most vulnerable time in their lives it’s a privilege really. It’s an honor.”

Reilly-Marosy intends to continue her practice in a part-time capacity as a solo practitioner.

“Since I’m seeing clients, I have achieved my goal,” she said of her SCORE mentor, adding, “You can work with someone the entire time that you’re running your business. I certainly feel comfortable reaching out to her should something come up that we hadn’t discussed.”

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped 17 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops, and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide. With more than 30 members throughout Somerset, Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, SCORE Central Jersey provides thousands of mentoring services annually to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and small business workshops. For more information about starting or operating a small business, or finding a mentor, visit SCORE Central Jersey at https://www.score.org/centraljersey.