How Great Clinicians Fail; Reverse Interview with Julie Herres | TPOT 152
The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Release Date: 11/02/2020
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...
info_outline Carla Titus | Financial Foundations for Private Practice | TPOT 322The 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...
info_outline Dr. Liz Lasky | Adapting Private Practice for Modern Needs | TPOT 321The 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...
info_outline Kristie Plantinga | A Guide to Effective Digital Marketing Tactics in Private Practice | TPOT 320The 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...
info_outline Malka Shaw | Combating Anti-Semitism: Strategies for Therapists in Private Practice | TPOT 319The 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...
info_outline Jason Frishman | Presence and Mindfulness: Balancing Work and Family | TPOT 318The 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...
info_outline Ashley Darnall | Digital Marketing Success in Private Practice | TPOT 317The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Ashley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and mental health copywriter for therapists. In her professional work as a clinician, Ashley has experience with in-patient counseling and case management, outpatient counseling, and medical and insurance practice. In the realm of SEO and private practice, the importance of user experience is often overlooked, leading therapists to rush into website setup without addressing essential business aspects. This mistake stems from a lack of business education during clinical training. To enhance online visibility, therapists must define their ideal client,...
info_outline Jennifer McGurk | Pursuing Private Practice: Insights From a Dietician | TPOT 316The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
Jennifer McGurk RDN, CDN, CEDS-S is the founder and CEO of Pursuing Private Practice. She began her career in business as a dietitian in private practice. She grew her private practice into a group practice and eventually expanded into speaking, offering workshops, and supervising other professionals. In this episode, Jennifer guides us in overcoming imposter syndrome and navigating the complexities of private practice, promoting diversified offerings beyond one-on-one sessions for a broader impact in the field. Her career in dietetics has undergone a significant transformation from a...
info_outline Jamal Jones | Shifting Mindsets: Value-Based Pricing in Private Practice | TPOT 315The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
In this episode, chats about navigating the hurdles of partnering with a tech company and transitioning to a sustainable private pay model. We explore his growth, financial transformation, and improved relationship with his work. Beyond his personal journey, Jamal dives into profound topics like faith, abundance, and financial wellness, providing insights into mental health entrepreneurship and the adoption of value-based pricing. Join Jamal in recognizing the worth of mental health professionals, navigating industry challenges, and embracing a mindset that transforms setbacks into success....
info_outline Stefani Cohen | Getting Really Niche Specific: A Tale of Overcoming Fears | TPOT 314The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
EmBARK on a transformative journey with Stefani Cohen as we chat about Stefani shares the heartfelt story of her daughter Becky's unexpected fear of dogs, navigating a landscape void of resources. Through the prism of exposure therapy, Stefani witnessed Becky's remarkable transformation, sparking a commitment to extend her expertise to a wider audience. Stefani authored a comprehensive guide aimed at parents, therapists, dog trainers, grandparents, and dog enthusiasts. We dive into the book's core components, emphasizing education about dog behavior and the empowering journey of...
info_outlineIn this episode, Julie Herres interviews Gordon about how great clinicians can fail. First, clinicians can fail when they don’t know their numbers. It’s critical to understand the profit and loss of your business. Another significant mistake clinicians make is not charging enough for their sessions. A therapist must understand how their money mindset is holding them back from making enough money to run a private practice. Plus, we talk about the importance of having six months of income saved for emergencies, how to avoid debt, and why you need to stop bootstrapping.
Meet Julie Herres
Julie Herres is the owner of GreenOak Accounting. The firm provides bookkeeping, accounting, CFO, and tax services to mental health private practice owners throughout the United States. When Julie founded GreenOak Accounting she started working with a few therapists. Over time, more and more therapist referrals came in and she started noticing trends across the practices that were thriving. Based on those trends she developed success ratios as a way to quickly determine the health of a practice.
Know Your Numbers & Charge Enough To Understand Profit And Loss
Understand how the money is coming in. How are your patients paying you? Then, what do you do with the money after that? How are you paying yourself and your expenses? Most people don’t have a clear picture of what those numbers are. A big mistake people make is paying their clinicians too much when you start a group practice. Gordon made this mistake! He was paying his clinicians way too high, and he wasn’t covering overhead. It’s possible to pay clinicians a fair and competitive wage without having to overdo it. If Gordon knew his numbers better at the start, he wouldn’t have made this error.
Money Mindset: Therapists Should Not Feel Ashamed or Guilty About Making Money
Many clinicians grow up with money shame. We think that money is evil or making money is bad. As therapists, we have a caring heart. Sometimes we feel like when we charge people money, then we are doing something wrong. Therapists will think that if someone is paying you for something, you are putting a burden on them. It’s a myth! Most people that go to therapy expect to pay. It’s one of the mistakes that a lot of people make. Then, therapists won’t charge enough for their services.
Reserves: Prepare & Plan By Having 2-6 Months of Income Saved For Expenses
Set aside a reserve so you can pay for expenses or substantial tax bills. The minimum is at least two months. This money shouldn’t be touched unless you get into an emergency. However, six months of a money reserve is more ideal. This reserve should be created for both personal expenses and business expenses. When COVID hit, the people with reserves were better off than those who did not have a reserve. When thinking about switching to private practice, make sure to have your reserve first! Gordon spent a year accumulating his reserve before he made the dive into private practice.
Startup Expenses: Avoid Debt And Make The Practice Pay For Itself From The Beginning
There’s a way to avoid debt when going into private practice. For mental health, there isn’t as much equipment that needs to be purchased. It can be relatively inexpensive to start your practice – you only need a few basic things, and then you are ready to go. Make your practice pay for itself instead of getting a loan to get started.
Bootstrapping: Spend Money To Make Money Because Doing It All Is Not A Good ROI
Doing it all is not a good return on your investment. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. People will hold off on spending money because they are trying to save. However, you are hurting yourself in the long run. For instance, you can hire a virtual assistant to help answer phone calls. If you can hire someone to answer the phone, then you can spend more time seeing clients. The less you are seeing clients, the less money you are going to make. Answering phone calls will not bring you income. Your time is better spent in the room with clients. Even if you pay someone $30 an hour, you can make $150 in a session.
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!
Julie's Resources
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Mistakes To Avoid For A Stress-Free Tax Season
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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 wherever you listen to it. Follow us on Twitter @therapistlearn, and Pinterest, “Like” us on Facebook.