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Back To Basics In Private Practice | TPOT 141

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Release Date: 08/17/2020

Maureen Clancy | Integrating Diverse Healing Modalities in Private Practice | TPOT 327

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Maureen Clancy has been a licensed therapist and trauma expert for the past 20 years, helping women go through enormous life changes who have experienced childhood trauma. In this episode, Maureen shares her journey of integrating alternative healing modalities into therapeutic practice. She discusses her exploration of various methods such as energy work, acupuncture, and Reiki alongside traditional therapy, emphasizing the holistic nature of healing. Maureen reflects on the limitations of the conventional therapeutic profession and advocates for the incorporation of alternative approaches to...

Kasey Compton | Journey to Self-Understanding: Insights for Private Practice Success | TPOT 326

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Kasey Compton is on a mission to help business owners find their entrepreneurial confidence. She went from bankrupt to Boss Babe when she took her first company from zero to three million in less than three years without ditching her life to do it. She owns three other businesses that have accumulated assets of over two million and are growing by the day. Her superpowers include cutting through the clutter to identify a strategic starting point, increasing efficiency through systems, and tapping into a person’s highest potential. She helps others by designing maps for their...

Dr. Jan Carney | Empowering Professionals: The Importance of Public Health Education | TPOT 325

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Dr. Carney is Associate Dean for Public Health and Health Policy, and Professor of Medicine, at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (UVM). She is Chief of the Division of Public Health at the Larner College of Medicine and directs graduate public health education. In this episode, we cover Dr. Carney’s multifaceted approach to addressing various aspects of healthcare and public health. From guiding individuals through the maze of health information to advocating for systemic changes and collaborative efforts, Dr. Carney's insights underscore the complexity of...

Dr. Connor McClenahan | Crafting Client-Centered Profiles: An Approach to Authentic Engagement | TPOT 324

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Dr. Connor McClenahan founded Here Counseling, which provides a membership model for private practice so therapists can run their own private practices independently while benefiting from group resources. Dr. McClenahan runs a private practice in Los Angeles and Pasadena and has taught, coached, and written on digital marketing for therapists. His new 100-page workbook helps therapists build a strategic marketing plan and grow their practices. In this episode, Dr. McClenahan dives into the delicate balance private practice owners face between self-doubt and sincere empathy. Advocating for a...

Cameron Schober | Therapeutic Frontiers: Healing Innovation in Private Practice | TPOT 323

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Cameron Schober is an LPC-S and LMFT-S in the State of Texas, primarily practicing at The Hope Place in Mansfield, TX. Cameron’s main areas of clinical focus is treating trauma using a combination of Accelerated Resolution Therapy, psychedelic-assisted integration, and postmodern therapy approaches in conjunction with psychoeducation related to trauma and it’s effects on our nervous systems as well as our lives. In this episode, we talk about Cameron's journey through the realm of therapeutic practices, navigating challenges, and embracing novel approaches to healing. From grappling with...

Carla Titus | Financial Foundations for Private Practice | TPOT 322

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Carla Titus is a finance expert with over 15 years of combined corporate financial planning, analysis, strategy, and online businesses experience. She provides fractional CFO services and financial consulting to business owners looking to grow their business profitably. Her priorities for her clients are to help them grow profits, have cash in the bank, and pay themselves well so they can build personal wealth. The journey to financial success in any business requires a solid foundation and forward-thinking strategies. Carla, a seasoned financial advisor, emphasizes the critical role of...

Dr. Liz Lasky | Adapting Private Practice for Modern Needs | TPOT 321

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

This episode covers Dr. Liz Lasky's transformative shift from traditional therapy to coaching, driven by her quest for personal fulfillment and financial success. Embracing skepticism, she champions that therapists can thrive financially while providing valuable services, inspiring others to pursue their dreams. We speak about diverse opportunities for therapists, stressing the need for innovation in the evolving landscape of mental health care. She advocates for balancing roles as a business owner and entrepreneur, believing it's safe to have it all. Dr. Lasky reframes success, encouraging...

Kristie Plantinga | A Guide to Effective Digital Marketing Tactics in Private Practice | TPOT 320

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Kristie Plantinga is a mental health nerd, writer, and marketer living in Colorado. She is the founder of TherapieSEO—a marketing agency serving therapists and coaches—and —a therapist directory that vets therapists so therapy-seekers can focus on fit, not quality. When she’s not writing about mental health and dreaming up creative content strategies, Kristie can be found snuggling her multiple terriers, sipping a homemade dirty chai, and half-helping her husband cook Lebanese food. This episode is all about navigating the evolving landscape of digital marketing. Kristie emphasizes the...

Malka Shaw | Combating Anti-Semitism: Strategies for Therapists in Private Practice | TPOT 319

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Malka is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey, New York, and Florida. She has been in the mental health field for over 25 years and has successfully run her private practice for the last 15 years. In response to the events of October 7th and the ongoing situation, Malka Shaw, LCSW and Stacey Shapiro, LCSW, have co-founded the Kesher Shalom Project. This initiative, led by seasoned trauma specialists, has trained over 2000 therapists globally. Their training equips therapists with vital tools to aid Jewish clients during the conflict, covering trauma assessments, practical...

Jason Frishman | Presence and Mindfulness: Balancing Work and Family | TPOT 318

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

has been working for over 20 years to support individuals, groups, families, organizations, and businesses. Jason is excited to bring over two decades of work in offices, institutions, kitchens, farmers’ markets, woodlots, and boardrooms to wild new environments. Whether as a psychotherapist, the creator and founder of JourneyMen, public speaker, thought leader, or narrative consultant, Jason believes that our lives are adventurous, and we can and should be active, engaged authors of our own adventure stories! In this episode, Jason critiques the societal norms that suppress male...

More Episodes

When I first started my practice, there was very little information explaining how to start a private practice. However, there are a lot of basics that are important for people to know. This episode is all about getting back to the basics and thinking about what is needed in order to have a successful practice. I share what I have learned through my own successes and failures (by the way, there have been a lot). Plus, I share what I've learned from other clinicians and conversations that we've had. Enjoy!

Start With Your Why

Always start with your why. Think about things in-depth and have clarity for yourself as to why you want to start a private practice versus just working for someone else. Private practice isn't for everyone. You have to have a bit of a mindset shift from being an employee to becoming a self-employed person. This is something you have to get your head around. Look at your reasons why you want to be in private practice. For most people, they wish to have the autonomy of creating their schedule. Listen to Why Knowing Your Why Is Important In Private Practice.

Business Models

Next, think about what sort of business model you want to use in your practice because, like it or not, being in private practice is like running a business. You have to have business savvy in running your practice. In the private practice startup guide, there are some links to one of the most popular blog posts that I did early on about setting up a private practice because there are lots of different ways to set it up. Read Business Models in Private Practice.

Find A Private Space

One thing that you need is a place or a method to meet with clients. You will need to have a private space to do that. During COVID, telehealth is now the predominant way of providing services. Essentially, you can have an online practice, and that's a massive game-changer in terms of saving costs and being able to cut down on overhead. That's something to consider, starting online without even having an office space. Now more than ever is a great time to go into private practice or be a mental health provider because there is a shortage of us folks.

Understand The Financial Side

A lot of people make a mistake when going into private practice if they jump into it too quickly. You've got to make sure that you've got a financial buffer for yourself. Also, you need to have a clear picture of what sort of income you need from your practice to support your lifestyle. One of the things that you need to do as a business owner is to have a financial buffer. If you didn't see any clients for a month, would you be able to pay yourself plus be able to cover your expenses? I recommend putting a lot of effort into creating that buffer for yourself. It may be beneficial for those folks that might be transitioning from agency work to start your practice part-time. Learn more in the Money Matters in Private Practice Course.

Marketing Your Private Practice

How are people going to know who you are? People should be to find you so that you can help them. Marketing is just merely a relationship-building exercise. It is making sure that you're putting yourself out there for people to find you because believe me, people are looking for us. People want help, and people want to be able to connect with the right person and find people who can help them with the things they're struggling with. The first part of marketing is merely networking; being able to build relationships within your community. The other part of that is with the niche that you defined for yourself. It's essential to establish a specialty area for yourself because it will make it easier for the right clients to find you. Listen to Niche Marketing in Private Practice.

Outsourcing Tasks

As you grow, one of the things that will happen is that you can get busy with a lot of stuff that doesn't bring you any income. That's when you want to begin to automate and outsource. The big mistake that people make is they create a mindset about money that doesn't work when it comes to business. One of the things about being able to run a business is you've got to be prepared at different times be able to invest in your business. You'll either be investing your time or your money and sometimes both. Think of it as a learning period, being able to set up things on your own, if you're comfortable with that, all of those things is an investment of your time. You should be able to, at least over time, get a return of the investment of your time in your practice. In other words, it will pay off in the long run.

Money Mindset

Think about your mindset, and mainly your money mindset is not to be afraid to spend money. One of the things that I hear from people is that they're scared to spend money on things that are going to give them a return on their investment. For example, a Psychology Today listing costs about $30 a month. That is absolutely a good investment because if you got just one client from that, it would pay for itself. The other part is being able to spend your money on things that will free up your time.

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