Rob Reinhardt | Your Private Practice Contingency Plan | TPOT 127
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Release Date: 05/04/2020
Kristin Meador | Building a Profitable Private Practice | TPOT 399
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Running a private practice is rewarding, but the financial side can feel overwhelming. That is why I am excited to have Kristin Meador, CPA on the show today. Kristin is not only a Certified Public Accountant but also a Profit First Professional who works closely with therapy practice owners across the country. She is here to take the stress out of your numbers and show you how to build a more profitable and sustainable practice. In this episode, you will learn: How to simplify your bookkeeping and actually use your numbers to make decisions Why Profit First works so well for private practice...
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Caitlin Rose | New Understandings in Neuroscience For Treating Trauma In Your Practice | TPOT 398
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Have you ever tried to calm yourself down during a panic attack - only to find that the very tools you’ve been taught suddenly don’t work? That was the turning point for Caitlin Rose, a performance neuroscience coach and founder of Build Resilience. Her own struggle with trauma and anxiety led her to uncover a hidden truth: it’s not just about regulation, it’s about capacity. In this episode of The Practice of Therapy Podcast, Caitlin shares how understanding the difference between nervous system regulation and capacity can transform the way therapists support clients - and the way we...
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Aaron Price | Getting The Most From Your Psychology Today Profile | TPOT 397
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
What if the key to filling your private practice isn’t more credentials, certifications, or complicated marketing strategies— but a few simple tweaks to your Psychology Today profile? In this episode of the Practice of Therapy Podcast, Gordon sits down with Aaron Price, founder of , to uncover the hidden power of Psychology Today. With nearly 60% of therapy seekers finding their clinician through this platform, your profile could be the single biggest factor in whether your phone rings—or stays silent. Aaron shares exactly what makes a profile stand out, the common mistakes most...
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Dr. Stephanie Thrower | Why Every Private Practice Needs an AI Strategy (Yes, Even Yours) | TPOT 396
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Have you been wondering how AI fits into the world of therapy and private practice? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Stephanie Thrower—a psychologist, career coach, and AI educator—who’s using tech to help therapists expand their impact, streamline their work, and step into new possibilities beyond one-on-one sessions. We’re talking practical tools, smart marketing strategies, and how to use AI without losing your voice (or your sanity). Whether you’re just getting curious or already experimenting with AI, you’re going to walk away inspired and equipped. In this episode,...
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Linzy Bonham | Private Practice Shame Around Money | TPOT 395
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Most of us didn’t get into therapy because we dreamed of being business owners. We wanted to help people. We wanted to do meaningful work. But somewhere along the way, we realized that to have the freedom and flexibility we crave, we’d need to go into private practice —and that meant running a business. Which meant dealing with money. Enter: panic. Linzy Bonham, a former trauma therapist turned financial coach and educator, knows this all too well. When she started her own practice, she quickly noticed that no one was talking about how to manage the financial side of things. There was no...
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Rachel Bentley | Why Your Inner Critic Might Be Running Your Private Practice | TPOT 394
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
When it comes to leading a private practice, most people focus on strategy, logistics, and profitability. But what if the secret to becoming a better therapist, leader, and human being isn’t outside of you, but inside? In this episode, Gordon Brewer sat down with Rachel Bentley of Next Level Private Practice to explore how Internal Family Systems (IFS)—or "parts work"—has completely transformed the way she leads, supervises, and shows up in the therapy room. Spoiler: it’s not just about helping your clients—it starts with understanding yourself. Resources Mentioned In This...
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Dr. Tiana Kelly | Compliance Anxiety: Systems That Strengthen Your Private Practice | TPOT 393
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Think compliance is just about HIPAA? Think again. In this episode, Gordon sits down with Dr. Tiana Kelly—licensed professional counselor, compliance expert, and co-founder of Private Practice by Design—to unpack what compliance really looks like in a modern private practice. From late notes and misgendering mistakes to the growing use of AI and how to document for maintenance clients, Tiana breaks it all down in a refreshingly honest and approachable way. Whether you're a new therapist still figuring out documentation or a seasoned practice owner ready to level up your systems, this...
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Tara Vossenkemper | The Culture Code for Group Practice | TPOT 392
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Ready to Build a Private Practice People Actually Want to Work In? If you've ever wondered what it really takes to build a group practice with heart, soul, and systems that don’t make your team want to scream into a pillow, this episode is for you. Gordon sits down with the brilliant (and refreshingly honest) Tara Vossenkemper, founder, leadership nerd, and culture whisperer, to talk about the magic behind creating a practice culture where therapists actually feel seen, supported, and inspired. They’re diving into everything from core values that aren’t just fluff, to EOS (aka the...
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Marissa Wells | Private Practice Meets Caregiving | TPOT 391
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Ever feel like you're stuck between a full caseload and a full calendar of doctor’s appointments - for your parents? You're not alone. In this episode of The Practice of Therapy Podcast, Marissa Wells joins Gordon to talk about what it really looks like to juggle private practice while caring for aging family members. She’s not here to preach “perfect balance”—because let’s face it, that doesn’t exist. Instead, Marissa shares her wisdom on finding harmony, navigating proactive grief, setting real boundaries, and reconnecting with joy in the midst of it all. Whether...
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Andrea Rotondo | Private Practice Finances Don’t Have to Suck | TPOT 390
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Ever feel like you're crushing it in session but completely lost when it comes to your practice’s finances? You’re not alone—and you're definitely not broken. In this episode of The Practice of Therapy, Andrea Rotondo is here to pull back the curtain on the real reason so many therapists avoid their numbers (spoiler: it’s not laziness), and how to stop letting fear and overwhelm run the show. If QuickBooks makes you want to cry, if you’ve ever Googled “what is a P&L?” at midnight, or if you just want to feel a little more confident talking to your accountant, this...
info_outlineIn this episode, Rob Reinhardt from Tame Your Practice joins Gordon to talk about the importance of having a contingency plan in private practice. First, Rob explains the difference between a contingency plan and a professional will. Plus, he reveals the first things you will need to do when thinking about your contingency plan, including considering who will be on your emergency response team. Rob highly recommends having another mental health professional on your team, rather than a family member. Later, Rob speaks about all the things you will need to inform your emergency response team about. If you need more assistance with your plan, get Rob’s book Private Practice Preparedness: The Health Care Professional’s Guide to Closing a Practice Due to Retirement, Death, or Disability (use code WF44M for 15% off the ebook).
Meet Rob Reinhardt
Rob Reinhardt, LPCS, M.Ed., NCC has his own successful counseling practice and is CEO of Tame Your Practice. Known for his expertise in reviewing and recommending EHRs for therapists, Rob previously worked in Information Technology for over ten years and has lived around technology his entire life.
Contingency Plans for Private Practice
Mental health professionals usually don’t have a contingency plan. If something happens to a private practice owner, what is the spouse going to do? The owner is in charge of helping all of these people get informed about the situation. Plus, there are all of the records to deal with. There’s all of this business to take care of. If there were no plans, an attorney would have to help them through it.
It’s not just what happens when you die; there could be lots of reasons that you need a contingency plan. For instance, you need a plan in case you decide to retire or in case you find some fantastic job opportunities that you can’t turn down. What if your family decides to move across state lines? That would change everything. You might have to take an extended leave of absence to care for an ill family member. There’s any number of reasons that draw you away from your practice and require you to have this plan in place.
Well, there are not many resources out there for private practice owners to create the plan. And that’s when Rob decided to sit down and write Private Practice Preparedness: The Health Care Professional’s Guide to Closing a Practice Due to Retirement, Death, or Disability with Nancy Wheeler. They talk about how to make the plan and provide some templates that you can fill in your information and have that plan.
Professional Wills
Many people talk about a professional will in this context. The reason Rob doesn’t say professional will a lot, and instead, he talks about a contingency plan is because the professional will tends to be focused on if you die. Plus, it also tends to be focused on the business aspects of private practice. Some people do incorporate other things into the professional will, but not everything will be covered. For instance, what if somebody needs to get into your G Suite? What if somebody needs to get into your EHR? These are the kinds of details that often aren’t included in something like a professional will. So, make sure you’re covering all these things that someone would need to address if someone else has to care of business. There are so many things that you do that are connected to your practice that are in your head. However, you never really bothered to write down or explain it to anybody else.
Starting Your Contingency Plan
Get Rob’s book, Private Practice Preparedness: The Health Care Professional’s Guide to Closing a Practice Due to Retirement, Death, or Disability, and go through it. Rob would step back and make a list of all these things that he does. Including all of the things that he doesn’t even really think about. They’re second nature to him. Think about what are all the things that you do, and if you weren’t there, who would do them? As you are making a list, think about doing these things, how are you doing them, and what are you doing them with?
In other words, what tools are you using? Are you using G suite a lot? Some people have electronic health records, and they have bank accounts for their business. So, make a list of what are all the tools that you use, and how do you access those tools? Then, it can get even more detailed. So one example is electronic health records. We’re talking about protected health information here. It may not just be enough that somebody has your login and password information. You may want to have them set up in that EHR as a confirmed user. And in fact, some of the electronic health record systems have that as part of their programs.
Rob advocates firmly using two-factor authentication. So that means you’re not just entering a username and password, but you’re often entering a code that you either receive via text or through an authentication app. It’s an extra layer of security to be sure that if someone gets your username and password, they can’t impersonate you and get into this sensitive data.
Plus, who is your emergency response team? That’s the terminology Rob uses in his book. How is your emergency response team going to get that authentication data? The key is that you identify these workflows, how do you access the information, what information do you use, and how do you make sure that your emergency response team knows all of this? When Rob says an emergency response team, that could be a team of one, it could be a team of 10. It depends on your practice and what your needs are and so forth. So a solo practitioner may only have a team of one or two people to back them up.
Emergency Response Team
You want to identify your emergency response team, whether that’s an individual or a group of people, and you want to make sure you talk to them, and you set an agreement and give them everything they need to know. So, at a moment’s notice, they can jump in and take over. Many people do mutual agreements. They will be your backup, and you will be their backup. Get that established so that they know that they’re the backup; it should never be a surprise. Plus, they should know where to find the information if they need to jump in and take care of business.
Also, make sure they are a mental health professional. Some people want it to be their family members. Especially when you’re talking about a professional will, it may be fine and well, but it’s essential to consider having a knowledgeable mental health professional take care of business. They have the clinical knowledge; they have the experience of things like HIPAA and ethics that a family member is not likely to have. They’re going to step in and know what’s essential and how to take care of the records. That’s a crucial facet of deciding who’s going to be on your response team.
Another reason why it’s crucial to have a mental health clinician involved in this emergency response team because they may be providing some counseling as they help transition people to a new care provider. What does this emergency response team need to do? Apart from your day to day routine activities, how are they going to communicate this to clients? It’s essential to have already identified some clinicians that would be a good fit for the particular clients that you work with. Make sure those clinicians are aware that they are a part of your transition plan. Those clinicians need to know how to contact your clients, what to tell them, and the list of providers to make them aware of.
Being transparent… Some of the resources below use affiliate links which simply means we receive a commission if you purchase using the links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links!
Rob’s Resources
Creating Income From Products in Private Practice
Electronic Health Records in Private Practice
“Tame Your Practice”
Therapy Tech with Rob & Roy
Describe Cards
Other Resources
LastPass
Join the G-Suite for Therapists Users Group
Money Matters in Private Practice | The Course
G Suite for Therapists | The E-Course
Session Note Helper
Cool Resources
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Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT
Gordon is the person behind The Practice of Therapy Podcast & Blog. He is also President and Founder of Kingsport Counseling Associates, PLLC. He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. PLEASE Subscribe to The Practice of Therapy Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play. Follow us on Twitter @therapistlearn and Pinterest “Like” us on Facebook