The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer
This podcast is here for therapists, counselors, social workers, psychotherapists, and mental health clinicians in their practice journeys. I'm Gordon Brewer and the person behind The Practice of Therapy Blog and Website that provides tools, resources and advice for people starting, growing or expanding their private practices. The podcast will help you learn from other experts in the field to move your private practice forward to success.
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Rachel Barbanel-Fried | Pivoting And Changing Priorities In Private Practice | TPOT 139
08/03/2020
Rachel Barbanel-Fried | Pivoting And Changing Priorities In Private Practice | TPOT 139
What opportunities have you found during COVID-19? Rachel Barbanel-Fried joins the show and reveals the opportunities she is taking advantage of during this time. If you haven’t thought about it yet, consider how your priorities are changing for the next year. Plus, Rachel explains why therapists need to be comfortable talking about money. Stay tuned as we speak about the importance of finding your niche and considering lifestyle when styling your perfect practice. Meet Dr. Rachel Barbanel-Fried Dr. Rachel Barbanel-Fried, aka Dr. RBF, is a clinical psychologist, writer, and optimal performance consultant based in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. She consults with executives and organizations looking to elevate performance and reach new levels of success in the workplace and beyond. She also sees individuals, couples, and families in a therapeutic setting who are looking to move forward towards growth, change, and healing. Dr. RBF utilizes an evidence-based, collaborative approach. She’s direct, down-to-earth, and non-judgmental, specializing in working with people from diverse backgrounds. Talking About Money When you have a private practice, you are a small business owner, and you are creating something of your vision. Rachel assists other clinicians to build their practices, and she helps them figure out a work-life balance. Most clinicians do not want to run a business. So, they need to work on getting comfortable with money and talking about money. We need to be comfortable talking about uncomfortable things. For many of us, it’s awkward to tell clients what our fees are. Rachel got stiffed from a client because she was uncomfortable talking about money. Now, Rachel is really good at talking about money. For instance, she collects fees at the time of service. Know What You Do Well Know what you do well in, and know when you need to refer out. If you’re not the right person for your client, your job should be to assist them in getting the help they need. That’s why it’s essential to define your niche. When you work with clients who are a good fit for you, it makes for better clinical work. You never want to look at your schedule and not be excited to see your clients. At the very least, you want to feel like you’re enjoying what you’re doing. That doesn’t mean you need to be psyched every day, but you need to feel good at what you’re doing. Start With Your Lifestyle There is a number that is associated with your lifestyle. What do you need to bring home for you and your family every year? Then, work backward from that. So, how much do you need to make on a daily basis? It’s a great approach to private practice. If you don’t know where you are going, then how are you going to get there? Take stock of what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Therapy During COVID Rachel walks while on the phone with her clients during therapy. It enables her clients to get out and get back into the world during COVID. It has been so useful for Rachel; she actually doesn’t want to give it up. What opportunities can you think of during COVID? Hopefully, you have had time to think of your priorities during our current situation. What do you want your life to look like for the next year? 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! Rachel’s Resources Resources Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Bewindi Bobb | From Agency Work To Full Time Private Practice | TPOT 138
07/27/2020
Bewindi Bobb | From Agency Work To Full Time Private Practice | TPOT 138
In this episode, joins the show to speak about her recent move to full-time private practice. Bewindi explains the mindset shift that is necessary actually to make a move to private practice. First, the thing you need to know before making a move is your purpose. Are you driven to private practice, or are you just jumping on the bandwagon? Plus, Bewindi gives her thoughts on Black Lives Matter and the importance of mental health in the Black community. Meet Bewindi Bobb Bewindi was born and raised in the beautiful, gorgeous Island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Her journey towards accepting the calling to be a counselor is interesting, but let’s just say, she eventually stopped running (insert laughter) and realized that being a counselor is not just a profession but a God-given and ordained calling and ministry. Bewindi is super passionate about seeing people become free to live happily and free from emotional baggage, free from whatever is blocking, delaying, or hindering their healing. She loves the opportunity to create a safe space where clients receive permission to express themselves, their feelings, and find themselves while gaining a new and changed perspective. She helps professionals who are dealing with unresolved emotional conflicts such as depression, anxiety, grief, stress, etc live freely by equipping them with tools to renew their mindsets. She loves to encourage and empower clients and when they apply the tools, they are able to show up for themselves and be their best selves in all areas of their lives. Additionally, she provides Christ-Centered Counseling to whom it applies and for those who request. With over 14 years of clinical experience, she is driven and fueled by her professional and personal values including but not limited to Faith, Empower, Purpose, Service, Encourage, and Teach. She is so honored to be in this space and knows that whether she is providing therapy, coaching, supervision or speaking to an audience or on her podcast, ‘Empowered to Empower You’, which can be found on Spotify, Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Google, etc, she is convinced that people are definitely encouraged and ignited. Focus on Abundance Bewindi wanted to make the jump to full-time private practice for a long time. However, Bewindi would always focus on why she couldn’t make a move to full-time private practice. When in reality, we should be focusing on the reasons why we can make a move to private practice. Once Bewindi made the jump, her schedule filled up! She made the jump into abundance – even amid a pandemic. Full-Time Telehealth Bewindi is doing 100% telehealth. She has been authentic and honest with her clients. Most likely, Bewindi will not go to the office for the rest of the year. Most of her clients have adapted and adjusted. However, there are a few clients who miss going to the office. Tennessee has been hit hard with COVID, and many people are switching back to 100% telehealth as well. Private Practice Isn’t For Everyone When starting a private practice, you have to know your purpose. You shouldn’t be doing something just because everyone else is doing it. It’s essential to think about and reflect on the why behind your decisions. What is your purpose? Or are you trying to mimic someone else’s path? Just because Bewindi has a license, doesn’t mean she needs a private practice. Some people actually love working for a group practice. That doesn’t mean they need to start a private practice. Overall, think about your purpose before making a jump. Black Lives Matter Bewindi has a set of values that anchor her practice and a set of values that anchor her personal life. Faith is a tremendous value for Bewindi. If she combines all of her values, Bewindi believes that Black Lives Matter. Bewindi is honored that 99% of her practice is Black people. One of the messages that Bewindi takes from these times is that we need to invest in our mental health. Mental Health in the Black Community Mental health is a stigma in the Black community and the Asian community. It’s awful that it took things like this to happen for people to seek mental health. However, Black people have been reaching out for mental health help now more than ever. People are experiencing so many losses, and they are so angry. The Black Lives Matter movement gives an outlet for our feelings. Bewindi is thankful that people recognize the need for mental health care. It’s time to permit yourself to feel without being judged. 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! Bewindi’s Resources 901.319.9677 bewindi.bobb@outlook.com Resources Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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BEST OF Telehealth Episodes | TPOT137
07/13/2020
BEST OF Telehealth Episodes | TPOT137
In this Best Of Telehealth episode, we feature four previous guests who know about running a successful virtual private practice. You will hear from Clay Cockrell, Jonathan Van Viegen, Jeremy Zug, and Danielle Blessing Taylor. The four speak about various topics like the importance of having a website and how to work with clients internationally. Plus, they give tips and tricks on making your virtual private practice run smoothly. As COVID is still among us, now is the time to think about how we will continue to serve clients virtually. Meet Clay Cockrell Clay Cockrell, LCSW is a therapist based in New York City and is the founder of several counseling oriented endeavors. Most recently he is the founder of – a listing directory with the mission of helping clients all over the world to find the therapist or life coach that will best meet their needs. The site also works through their educational resources and podcasts to help counselors work online in an ethical, responsible, and legal manner. A majority of proceeds from the site are donated to non-profit arts. Clay started his career as the creator of Walk and Talk Therapy (). Where Are You Licensed? The first question therapists will have licensure. Who can you work with? Back in the day, there weren’t a lot of regulations. People will think if you’re sitting in New York, then the therapy is happening in New York. However, that’s not how it works. The only thing that matters is where your client is sitting. Is your client sitting in Nebraska? Then that’s where you need to be licensed. Can You Work With Clients Internationally? There is a caveat. What about people outside of the United States? There is a massive mental health need all over the world. It would be best if you did some investigation on this. Think about your ethics and the different regulations around the globe. With the exception of Canada, no countries regulate virtual therapy. Clay says that he has clients all over the world. It’s a personal choice. Clay has the ability to work with people who need his services; therefore, he works internationally. You Need a Website and Advertising Your private practice needs a website. On that website, you will need to explain that you provide this service. Make sure it’s on your homepage. Plus, make sure you have another page about online therapy. On this page, make sure you describe the benefits of online therapy. Advertising is also essential. You can have your ad only show in a specific area. That way, people who are looking for you will find you. Find out where your target audience is and advertise to them. This is where the importance of having a niche comes in. Make sure you know who your ideal client is! Meet Jonathan Van Viegen Husband, Father of 2, Marriage and Family Therapist, Entrepreneur, and Coach, Jonathan Van Viegen, MA, MFT, CCC is the Founder and CEO of the Jonathan helps therapists all over the world attract new clients and build thriving online practices so they can do more of what they love to do while serving their clients with passion, integrity, and authenticity. Jonathan built a successful therapy practice in Canada before selling it all to travel full-time with my family. After transforming his struggling online practice into a 6-figure business, he decided to help other therapists do the same. His therapy website is: The Do’s of Online Therapy DO your research. Make sure you have the proper licenses to practice. DO have a goal in mind. You can be both a coach and a therapist if that’s your plan! DO protect your license. Make sure you operate under the necessary authority. DO take action. Put one foot in front of the other. You can pay for mentorship – it will be a journey. DO be consistent. Regardless of how you build your practice, get your momentum. “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” -Winston Churchill Getting Momentum Online It took about twelve months for Jonathan to get momentum. Jonathan learned everything himself using webinars and training. Today, Jonathan has three sales calls. People show up to book calls with Jonathan; he doesn’t have to go out and find people. It took a lot of work and effort. If it were too easy, then everyone would do it. Online Coaching vs. Online Therapy With therapy, your client will come to you with the content. With coaching, we go to our clients with the content. We are teaching them skills that will help with their daily lives. We aren’t supposed to label our clients – why are we labeling how we assist them? Psychotherapy isn’t the be-all and end-all intervention for our clients. We can offer people coaching or therapy – you do not need to mix the two. There is no reason that we can’t provide both. Meet Jeremy Zug Jeremy grew up in the Pacific Northwest where he discovered his passion for people. He decided to go to college in Chicago to further develop his skills working with people and pursue a degree in counseling. While in Chicago he worked for a group practice as a practice biller and marketing manager. This initiated his desire to pursue learning about the business of private practice, particularly medical billing. He now lives in Michigan with his wife of 3 years. They both are pursuing their passion for helping helpers maintain sustainable and compliant billing practices. In his free time, Jeremy loves reading, fishing, biking, hiking, and camping. Telehealth Claims How can you determine whether your patient’s copay will be waived? There are some excellent resources, but the best way to do that right now is to call the insurance companies. You’re going to want to say: is telemental health covered on an outpatient basis for this patient? Then, give them the insurance information and the date of birth because that will lead the provider representative to tell you what they have. What we’re seeing as a trend is if the patient had telehealth benefits into their benefits before COVID-19, they are covered at one-hundred percent. If they didn’t have those benefits, the patients still have copays and deductibles applying through this time. It’s confusing for many people, but as providers, we can do the best job we can by being as clear as possible. We want to be as transparent as possible with that. Telehealth is the New Normal Providers can do a good job as far as lobbying with their government officials on telehealth being the new normal. Telemedicine is effective, and you can reach more people. Jeremy knows that insurance companies often get a bad rep, but this has been an enormous agenda item for them for a long time. Please send a letter to your governor, your senator, and congress members to push for it. Telehealth can also make the lives of the private practice owner easier too. Telehealth will make it more convenient to choose your hours, and therapists can even be available for clients who are overseas. Meet Danielle Blessing Taylor is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist in DC, MD, VA, and PA who has been providing therapy since 2010 and has built her ever-growing private practice which was created in 2015. In addition to specializing in Telehealth, she also specializes in helping individuals, families, and couples to cultivate healthy relationships. She helps people to make sense of their past and create healthy changes for a happier life within themselves and in relationships with others. Telehealth Tips Danielle shows private practice owners how to position the camera at the top of the screen and put their head at the top of the screen. That way, it looks like you’re making more eye contact. If the internet goes out, Danielle encourages therapists to restart their computers and update their browsers. Also, clearing the cache in the browser and updating the actual computer system will help with any audio issues. Danielle gives a tips and tricks sheet to her clients for the initial set up, which also explains how to troubleshoot if they have issues. Also, think about where you will be practicing therapy virtually. You need to be comfortable at home in a private space, where nobody can hear you. Do not be in a moving car. Danielle says it’s important to know where your clients are. If the client is in a different place, you need to be licensed in that state. Especially in the summer, clients will be on vacation all over the place, and not even realize that it will affect their therapy. Telehealth Is The New Normal Gordon was surprised how smooth the transition was for telehealth. However, some clients did not want to do it. Gordon is seeing 1/3rd of his clients online. At first, telehealth can be uncomfortable. Therapists are used to seeing people in person. It’s a little weird not being able to see people from the waist down. So, Danielle has started asking specific questions on her questionnaire. For instance, now, Danielle asks: do you have any physical limitations? Sometimes, you can’t even tell if someone is in a wheelchair when you’re talking online. Telehealth has become second nature for Danielle. Plus, her clients are so open when they are in the comfort of their own home. 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! Clay’s Resources Jonathan’s Resources Jeremy’s Resources Danielle’s Resources Call Danielle: Email Danielle: Resources - Use the coupon code "GORDON" and get 2 months free. 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Jennifer Sneeden | Your Marketing Mindset In Uncertain Times | TPOT 136
07/06/2020
Jennifer Sneeden | Your Marketing Mindset In Uncertain Times | TPOT 136
In this episode, Jennifer Sneeden shares her journey in private practice. Unfortunately, it took Jennifer months after opening her private practice to realize the importance of marketing. After becoming a marketing guru, Jennifer recognized that she could help other private practice owners with marketing their private practice. You’ll hear Jennifer give marketing tips. First, stop saying you need to “get clients.” Instead, think about how you can “attract clients.” Plus, Jennifer and Gordon dive deep into changing your marketing mindsets. Meet Jennifer Sneeden Business coach and author, has written three books and helped thousands of therapists and coaches all over the world create thriving 6-figure businesses that they love. Jennifer understands that success in business starts from within, but that mindset must be combined with effective marketing techniques in order to get results. To learn more about Jennifer, visit JenniferSneeden.com. Masters and Disasters of Private Practice When it comes to masters and disasters, Jennifer started in the disaster category of private practice. She opened her practice in 2007, and she agonized over finding the right leather couch. Plus, she spent weeks perfecting her business cards. After improving everything, Jennifer was in her office all by herself with ZERO clients. So, Jennifer realized that she needed to market – people don’t just show up! It took a few months for Jennifer to realize that she needed to get on any panel that would take her. Jennifer started making $43 an hour. However, she wasn’t going to get where she wanted to go with $43 an hour. Learn To Market Jennifer made herself a student of marketing for eighteen months. She realized that she wasn’t the only therapist that sucks at this stuff. So, Jennifer launched her coaching business on how to market yourself. Now, Jennifer is a total marketing junkie. It took her a long time to get there because she never realized how important it was going to be for her success. Give, Give, Get Marketing Jennifer’s philosophy is to come from a place of service. What do your clients need, and how can you help them? Provide value before you ever ask for something in return. When you provide value, people will want to work with you. Serve first, then ask later. Jennifer teaches how to serve clients through marketing. When you can come from an adding real value perspective, then clients will naturally show up. If you come at people from desperation, not only will it feel icky, but it will also repel the clients you’re seeking. Attracting Clients in Uncertain Times Some people are questioning if they should even be marketing during COVID. Jennifer says that there has never been a greater need for therapy services than there is right now. There is so much global psychic trauma. Who is going to make this better? Mental health professionals are going to allow us to get through this difficultly. Step up and tell others that you are here to help. It’s the most exceptional service you can offer to clients. When you hide, you can’t do any service. Make A Marketing Mindset Shift Empower yourself to make your private practice stronger through COVID. First, don’t try and do anything until you have decided that you will be successful. It is all about mindset. Permit yourself to change your mind about things, especially when it comes to marketing your private practice. Use marketing to generate clients and eventually make money. Sometimes, there can be a scarcity mindset when it comes to marketing. Often, the mindset you have about money will be the mindset you have about marketing. If you think there’s not enough money to go around, you most likely believe there are not enough clients to go around. Remember, that mindset will give you the results that you want. The actions you take are not going to get the results that you want if you don’t come with the mindset of having great value. You do not need to “find clients,” and you do not need to “get clients.” Instead, it’s about attracting clients. Put your best work out there and know that people will want to work with you. When you have a scarcity mindset, clients will not be attracted to your practice. Rather than finding clients, your clients should be able to find you. A client will need to WANT your services. Make yourself be seen and available to your ideal client. 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! Jennifer’s Resources Books Resources The System Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Danielle Blessing Taylor | Telehealth Creativity In Private Practice | TPOT 135
06/29/2020
Danielle Blessing Taylor | Telehealth Creativity In Private Practice | TPOT 135
In this episode, reveals her creative avenue for telehealth. Before COVID-19, Danielle was already utilizing telehealth services for her clients. So, COVID-19 wasn’t as much of a shock to her therapy business – essentially nothing changed! Danielle describes how subleasing an office can save you loads of money, and she also gives her telehealth tips and tricks. Tune in later as Danielle and I speak about working with couples and high-risk patients virtually. Meet Danielle Blessing Taylor is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist in DC, MD, VA, and PA who has been providing therapy since 2010 and has built her ever-growing private practice which was created in 2015. In addition to specializing in Telehealth, she also specializes in helping individuals, families, and couples to cultivate healthy relationships. She helps people to make sense of their past and create healthy changes for a happier life within themselves and in relationships with others. Starting Your Private Practice Danielle uses her EHR as the base for her practice; it is straightforward. It has everything you need like scheduling, billing, and all of that. At first, Danielle started off having an Excel spreadsheet, and her husband would track how much she was making. It just became a headache. Danielle says to set up your LLC or sole proprietorship to keep it separate from your personal stuff. When tax season comes, it’s easier to look at your business credit card and bank statement. Then, write it off from there. Telehealth Tips Danielle shows private practice owners how to position the camera at the top of the screen and put their head at the top of the screen. That way, it looks like you’re making more eye contact. If the internet goes out, Danielle encourages therapists to restart their computers and update their browsers. Also, clearing the cache in the browser and updating the actual computer system will help with any audio issues. Danielle gives a tips and tricks sheet to her clients for the initial set up, which also explains how to troubleshoot if they have issues. Also, think about where you will be practicing therapy virtually. You need to be comfortable at home in a private space, where nobody can hear you. Do not be in a moving car. Danielle says it’s important to know where your clients are. If the client is in a different place, you need to be licensed in that state. Especially in the summer, clients will be on vacation all over the place, and not even realize that it will affect their therapy. Telehealth Is The New Normal Gordon was surprised how smooth the transition was for telehealth. However, some clients did not want to do it. Gordon is seeing 1/3rd of his clients online. At first, telehealth can be uncomfortable. Therapists are used to seeing people in person. It’s a little weird not being able to see people from the waist down. So, Danielle has started asking specific questions on her questionnaire. For instance, now, Danielle asks: do you have any physical limitations? Sometimes, you can’t even tell if someone is in a wheelchair when you’re talking online. Telehealth has become second nature for Danielle. Plus, her clients are so open when they are in the comfort of their own home. Couples’ Work in Telehealth Knowing your client’s names is essential. You have to keep addressing each person by name because they won’t be able to tell who you are looking at. Couples’ work in telehealth can be challenging. Not being able to move around puts you in an interesting position. A therapist can only get so loud. So, Danielle uses telehealth to her advantage. For instance, she will ask one of the partners to go in the other room and calm down. Having another place to cool down in isn’t something you can usually do in the office. Higher Risk Clients in Telehealth Danielle says that higher risk clients need someone in person that they can also see. Someone needs to be monitoring this person, especially if they have severe depression. A few of Danielle’s clients have been suicidal. She cannot call 911 when she is in a different room than them. So, you have to find the right emergency number to call. Plus, it’s essential to have current emergency contact numbers up to date. Seeing an actively suicidal person on telehealth is a liability. Consent Forms Danielle built in her telehealth consent form into her other paperwork. There is a separate section on technology and everything else the client needs to know. There is a clause where Danielle encourages them to be sober during therapy sessions. Also, there are crisis numbers in the forms too. Basically, Danielle adds anything a client should know about telehealth into the paperwork she already needs to give out. Subleasing An Office Danielle blocks off a week every couple of months and rents the office by the hour. It is the same office every time, as long as they have the same rent situation, Danielle will keep renting out that space. Having the same space every time she speaks with clients helps them feel more comfortable and familiar with telehealth. Plus, it helps have a balance between in-person practice and telehealth. Essentially, Danielle has created a hybrid practice. 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! Danielle’s Resources Call Danielle: Email Danielle: Resources The System Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Systems, Processes, G-Suite & HIPAA In Private Practice | TPOT 134
06/22/2020
Systems, Processes, G-Suite & HIPAA In Private Practice | TPOT 134
In this episode, Gordon dives deep into the systems and processes it takes to run a private practice. No matter what size your practice is, you will want things to run as smoothly as possible. A few ways to ensure your practice is running smoothly is by automating specific administrative tasks. Plus, you’ll need to consider where and how you are storing all your documents and information. Later, Gordon dives deep into the benefits of using G-Suite and how to ensure your practice stays HIPAA compliant. Systems and Processes Systems and processes are what happens when you receive a client’s call until the time you discharge them. Particularly on the back-end in terms of the clinical documentation and the administrative functions. For example, when you get a new client, you’ll probably give them some paperwork or forms. We need to do that, just legally and ethically have them sign forms, understand their HIPAA privacy policy, understand their fees, and the risk involved in doing therapy. Especially with teletherapy, our clients need to understand the risk of doing virtual therapy. In addition, we have that whole moving piece for those of us with insurance-based practices. We are checking benefits for their insurance and then filing the claims. So, when I say systems and processes, it means all of those things that occur outside the therapy room in terms of documentation and administrative functions. When starting in private practice, all of those things can be overwhelming, particularly in the beginning. A lot of people are not sure how to pull all that together. Regardless of the size of your practice, you want those things to run smoothly. Divide Your Tasks So the first thing that I think is helpful is to divide things into what I think of as clinical functions versus administrative functions. So, you’ve got your progress notes and session notes, your treatment plans, your discharge plans, all of that kind of documentation that we keep for our patients. Those are the clinical functions, and that’s the stuff that we really have to focus on keeping protected and confidential. These things are commonly referred to as personal health information. The administrative side includes tracking things like where your money is coming in and coming out from. Plus, it would help if you had a marketing plan and a business plan. Those things are all administrative functions. HIPAA HIPAA comes in around our clinical functions. A lot of times, we can make HIPAA much more complicated than it is. If you want to keep paper records, which there’s nothing wrong with that, then HIPAA doesn’t apply other than keeping it under a double lock. With analog paper records, you can quickly run out of space. I have moved to pretty much paperless office now and any documents we get, we either scan them and convert them, or we put them into an electronic health record system. Also, we use our Google Drive, which is HIPAA secure. I make it a policy within my practice that the only thing that I’m going to communicate with a client by email is just something around appointment times and changing appointments and sending out initial paperwork. I’m not going to use email to address clinical issues as I would in a session. So in that sense, you’re keeping things a little more private. Using G-Suite You cannot make your regular Gmail account HIPAA complaint. Instead, you need a G-Suite account. G-Suite allows you to change the email name from @gmail.com to @yourcounselingpractice.com. Plus, when someone emails you, it is handled through the Gmail app, it’s just like using the free Gmail app. Also, you get the benefit of having HIPAA secure emails. G-Suite allows you to create all sorts of cool things with it. Google Drive is one of my favorites because it comes with cloud storage. Cloud storage is much better and more secure than storing stuff on your computer. If you’re storing things on your computer, there is always the potential for someone to hack into it. Also, you could lose your computer, or it could crash. However, if stored in the cloud, you will always have access to it, and you will always have a backup. Plus, Google’s security will be better than anything you can put on your computer; they depend on it. Most people are familiar with Google Docs and Google Sheets. The biggest nugget for private practice owners is Google Forms. It allows you to track how many sessions you have per week and the average session rate. This dashboard can be done on a Google Form – it will automatically put the information from the form to the sheet. This way, the data can be manipulated. If you get creative, there are lots of different ways you can set up systems and processes using Google G-Suite. Electronic Health Records System An EHR is a way to go! That way, you can file all your claims electronically. Plus, it makes things a lot more automated. Most EHR systems will track the money you make from clients. However, it doesn’t necessarily have a function to track business expenses. Instead, you’ll want an accounting and bookkeeping system. Keep in mind that QuickBooks is not HIPAA secure. Therefore, do not put any health information or client information in the accounting system. When you have a client, do not write their name in the accounting system, write that you received payment from a client. You can use your client’s name in an EHR or on Google G-Suite. 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! Resources - Use the coupon code "GORDON" to get 2 months free. The System Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Ed Darrah | Using G-Suite As A Platform In Private Practice | TPOT 133
06/15/2020
Ed Darrah | Using G-Suite As A Platform In Private Practice | TPOT 133
In this episode, joins the show and describes how to streamline your private practice using G-Suite. Ed reveals which G-Suite tools are HIPAA and BAA compliant. After loads of trial and error, Ed is here to describe what he now knows about using G-Suite to streamline and make your practice as efficient as possible! Meet Edward Darrah is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Edward holds board certifications in Counseling, School Counseling, and TeleMental Health. Edward founded & in 2015, providing mental health and sport performance services within the greater Philadelphia area. Edward is currently a full-time staff member at Temple University, where he serves as a mental health and performance counselor. Streamlining Your Practice Ed started to look at potential ways to streamline his practice. G-Suite is a HIPAA compliant platform, and it was very familiar to Ed because he uses it for personal work. Ed learned how to interconnect all the tools to use within his healthcare facility and transmit healthcare data. It was a lot of trial and error to connect the pieces. But once Ed became familiar with what he wanted to do, it became his primary EMR. Ed was looking at his return on investment, and he was pouring money into an electronic medical record that is well known, but his patients were not using a lot of the features that Ed was paying for. They didn’t sign into the portal, and they didn’t manually schedule appointments. Plus, his patients didn’t use the messaging system. Instead, they often chose text message or email as primary communication, all things that didn’t fit into this software. The most significant difference between an EMR that you pay for monthly is that once you create that account, everything’s there for you – forms are there for the scheduling and billing. The optimization is undoubtedly there, especially if you take insurance, which will be the most significant piece. EMR will undoubtedly give you an advantage if you’re doing insurance claiming. In contrast, an out of pocket provider might find that of the features and customization, the product might not technically meet all your needs, or you might not need everything. So, you might be overpaying on your subscription. Ed realized that maybe there’s a better way. With G-Suite and some of the third party add-ons, he found you’re able to build a robust system, and he doesn’t call it an EMR because it doesn’t do everything, but it does allow you to run your practice pretty efficiently at a low cost. Providers that are working part-time or even providers working full-time need to maximize their profits. Cloud Search Not many EMRs are going to have such a robust cloud search, like Google, that’s what they specialize in. So, if you were putting your documents into your drive, you can go into a patient’s folder and narrow it down. You can type in medication and then bring up the notes on that medication in seconds. So, in terms of paper and being able to access data, it makes sense to use both to allow more consistency and streamline that care. G-Suite Marketplace Within G-Suite, they have what they call the marketplace. The marketplace offers what we’re calling add-ons from companies that have other tools that G-Suite might not provide. They can add different applications like Google Forms or Google Docs to allow for different types of customization and accessibility. You have to make sure that the companies that you’re integrating with your G-Suite account are compliant. You need to go on their sites and look at their privacy policies if they offer a BAA. Then, make an informed decision. JotForm JotForm is just an alternate solution to Google Forms, but there are advantages to JotForm. You can take a natural electronic signature right on the form, which makes a document legalized. You could also capture your IP addresses, create form IDs, and submission IDs. You can take payments through JotForm so you can create a receipt or even an invoice and send it out. There’s a little more customization; there’s a bit more opportunity to make it more branded. They do have very streamlined integration to Google Drive into Google Sheets – it generates a PDF. It cuts down on error and time. About Ed’s Workflow Ed uses Google Meet for his telehealth work. There are things to keep in mind with telehealth. For instance, you should have a backup telehealth service in case a client is not able to access Google Meet. In addition, Ed uses Google Tasks in his calendar. It helps him stay organized and prioritize. Also, Ed uses Google Sheets as a chart, for case management, contact information, and taking notes. Google Voice falls into a BAA agreement. Many therapists are confused if they can or cannot use Google Contacts. Ed says not to use Google Contacts for client information – it is not covered under BAA. Instead, Ed will keep a separate Google Sheet with all of the information. Now, Google has something called Google Chat. Google Chat is under the BAA. 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! Edward’s Resources Resources (use the coupon code "GORDON" and 2 months free) The System Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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SPECIAL EPISODE: Racism, Fear And Caring In Private Practice | TPOT 132
06/08/2020
SPECIAL EPISODE: Racism, Fear And Caring In Private Practice | TPOT 132
In this episode, Gordon dives deep and speaks out about racism, white privilege, and fear and how we can do a better job about speaking truth, reaching out, and genuinely helping one another through this time. Gordon explains how we can speak loudest at the ballot box. Plus, he talks about how we can use free speech responsibly and the importance of emotional intelligence. It’s time that Gordon no longer keeps silent about racism, bigotry, and white privilege. Let’s end racism together. We Need To Speak Truth We need to speak truth to what is going on around us – this has been happening for centuries. Our country needs to do what we need to do to change things. Gordon is still learning about how his prejudices have affected himself and others. As white people, we do not know what it’s like to go into a place and be automatically self-conscious. Gordon hasn’t done enough to reach out to people in this situation and help them feel comfortable. We need to let people know that we are safe people. Have the power to speak out against other people’s injustices, prejudices, and racism. It’s time for us to speak out. We Need To Speak Out We can speak out loudest at the ballot box. The rhetoric and talk that we have heard from our political leaders over the last four years need to stop. This speech is doing nothing but creating more division within our country. The rhetoric has got to end. We need to use free speech responsibly – words do count. We have an opportunity to use our knowledge with psychology and emotions to teach people emotional intelligence. Racism is rooted in fear – it’s fear of someone that looks and speaks differently than us. There is no “they” or “them.” It’s all of US. We need to get away from separating ourselves based on economic status, what we look like, and how we speak. We Need To Stand Together We need to go above and beyond and reach out to our clients of color. We need to let them know that we are aware of what’s going on and how it may be affecting them. Gordon is feeling a lot of grief and guilt around this as a white person. It is time to be very aware and be there for others. Be present with people and stand with them. Reach out to each other and understand how racism is affecting those around us. 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! Resources The System Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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LaRonda Starling | Self-Care During Times Of Crisis | TPOT 131
06/01/2020
LaRonda Starling | Self-Care During Times Of Crisis | TPOT 131
Dr. LaRonda Starling joins the show and speaks about self-care. Private practice owners need to practice self-care because it’s too easy for business owners to work 24/7. We need to allow ourselves to be real people and take care of ourselves in the ways that we take care of others. LaRonda says we need to learn how to say no, practice prayer throughout the day, and be still. Tune in for more of LaRonda’s self-care advice! Meet LaRonda Starling Dr. LaRonda Starling is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, a National Certified Counselor, an adjunct professor at a Christian university, and the author of . She has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Master of Science degree in Counseling, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Psychology. As a clinician, Dr. Starling provides therapeutic services (psychological assessment and counseling) in a private practice setting. Along with her clinical experience as a mental health professional, Dr. Starling has over fifteen years of experience working in academic environments; first as a staff member and then as adjunct faculty in both classroom and online settings. In all that she does (working or volunteering), she hopes that God receives the glory as she uses the gifts He has so graciously given her. Why Private Practice Owners Need to Practice Self-Care Private practice owners need to take time for themselves. When you work for yourself, you have so many roles to take on. There is always a time where you could be doing some work. One of the things that LaRonda suggests is to be still. Sometimes that means to physically be still – stop being so busy during the day. Also, you need to spiritually be still. Find the Good in Your Day Who is God as a person? If you know that God is everywhere, then we can lean on God. Also, be intentional about prayer. Sometimes we only pray when something terrible happens. We need to take the time throughout the day to pray. Throughout the day, think about what is good. What’s the silver-lining of quarantine? Maybe you learned how to use teletherapy, that’s a fantastic silver-lining during this time. Saying No and Other Self-Care Techniques One way to practice self-care is by being able to say no in a loving way to other people. Also, make sure you can say no to yourself. You have time to do loads of extra work during the day, but you need to say no. Staying at home with the family, you may not have time to get up early and be still. Parents can set boundaries with their children, this is a great way to practice saying no. We still have to sleep, eat, and exercise. Plus, we need to surround ourselves with good people and good friends. There’s so much to do during the day, make sure you are taking care of your body and spirit. Plus, LaRonda says to take an hour by yourself and reflect on what’s going on with you. Being outside is a refreshing difference. When COVID-19 is over, we should be able to go out and get some fresh air and exercise. Lastly, don’t forget that every therapist needs a therapist. 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! LaRonda’s Resources Other Resources The System If you want to be kept in the loop about things as they develop,and I’ll add you to list. Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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James & Lorinda Marland | Knowing When To Outsource In Private Practice | TPOT 130
05/25/2020
James & Lorinda Marland | Knowing When To Outsource In Private Practice | TPOT 130
In this episode, James and Lorinda Marland join in speaking about outsourcing work in private practice. A virtual assistant can be used to do loads of things in your private practice. For one, a VA will help you stay connected with clients. When a potential client speaks to someone on the phone the first time they call – that’s going to be a massive win for your practice. James and Lorinda talk about other things a VA can do for your practice, such as marketing, social media, and perfecting your website. Plus, they explain how a VA can help you build relationships and sell more content. Meet James & Lorinda Marland James Marland is Chief Operations Officer at with over 18 years of experience in social service and non-profit organizations. James loves the power of learning and holds a Master’s degree in Ministry and Business Administration. Lorinda has been doing secretarial and scheduling work for over 15 years. Her experience ranges from working in small businesses to large scheduling offices. Some of those years were spent working in the medical field with Philhaven, now Philhaven Wellspan. Lorinda enjoys working with the public and using her administrative gifts to help the business grow and thrive. She brings a unique perspective to the table having not only worked doing scheduling but also managing an office. on what makes it easy to onboard with a new virtual assistant and what might make it hard to start with a new practice. Using a Virtual Assistant to Stay Connected with Clients A virtual assistant will connect with the clients by passing along messages or just getting them in contact one-on-one with their therapist. A virtual assistant can generally do that a little quicker or maybe much quicker than the therapist. Many new clients like to get a live person on the phone – they appreciate that fact. When Lorinda first started taking calls for a therapist, she got like sixteen calls. Out of the sixteen, there were probably about four or five that she scheduled as new clients to her practice. Whereas if Lorinda hadn’t been there, the therapist wouldn’t have gotten all of those calls. How to Utilize a Virtual Assistant Despite COVID-19, we still have clients to see. We still have phone calls to make. We still have insurance issues to figure out. We still need marketing, podcasts, social media, webpages. It’s good to remember that even though a lot has changed, a lot hasn’t changed. You’re still a therapist, you’re running a business. How you do it now that the world has changed? We need to figure out that puzzle. One thing a virtual assistant can do is connect with current clients. A lot of work needs to be done to ensure that the existing clients keep coming to their sessions. The VA can spend a lot of time connecting with current clients, sending letters, checking emails, calling them, making sure they know about virtual therapy. A VA can even call the client and let them know about the missed session. Lorinda has been sending out emails, making phone calls to different referral places, and reminding clients of their appointments. She has also calls to reschedule with clients and touch base with them. Some of the clients aren’t as technology savvy. Lorinda has had clients call before their session, trying to figure out how to get into the link. Lorinda will send a message to the therapist and let the client know they are trying to enter the session while coaching the client on how to use the technology. Building Relationships Using a Virtual Assistant We still need to continue to build relationships with referral sources. A VA can let referrals know that you are doing teletherapy. Plus, they can find new referrals by contacting hospitals, schools, churches, and colleges. Now with everything kind of shut down, a VA can develop relationships with these referral sources because it does take time. Virtual assistants always pay off for people. The sooner you can get back with somebody, the more likely that person will go with you. Selling Your Content with a VA Many people have been trying to repackage their workshops, classes, paperwork packets, or some sort of online course or tool. Typically, that’s a lot of investment of time to get that going, but once it’s out there, you have it forever for marketing. So a virtual assistant can assist with social media and helping create teachable courses. They can also create blog posts for your website. You might have an HR policy that’s out of date, or you have to review your paperwork, and it’s not really clear. A VA can help you do those types of things. It’s essential to have systems and processes in place to where things are more automated. A virtual assistant can help you bridge that gap. When we’re starting out in private practice, we’ve got a lot of time on our hands. Once you get busy and your practice starts getting full, that’s really the time to begin outsourcing and getting those things off your plate. Keep Your Practice Running You do have to cut hours, don’t stop because you don’t want to stop completely. Maybe you can cut back a little bit, but keep doing your process, keep the routine, try to keep your current clients. Keep running those insurance reports and verifying benefits. Keep doing those things that have kept your business successful. Because if you have to start over again, there will be a month’s worth of work piled up. It will take hours to dig out from starting over again. It’s much harder to restart. So keep some of the momentum going. 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! James & Lorinda’s Resources Other Resources The System If you want to be kept in the loop about things as they develop,and I’ll add you to list. Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Jeremy Zug | Telehealth And Insurance Best Practices | TPOT 129
05/18/2020
Jeremy Zug | Telehealth And Insurance Best Practices | TPOT 129
In this episode, Jeremy Zug from joins the show to explain what’s going on with telehealth during these uncertain times. Jeremy advises on submitting telehealth claims and explains how telehealth is rapidly becoming our new normal. Then, Jeremy gives tips on collecting from patients. As a business, we need to make money. Your patients may be in financial distress, so Jeremy describes what to do in this situation. Stay tuned as Jeremy gives the pros and cons of accepting insurance as a private practice owner. Meet Jeremy Zug Jeremy grew up in the Pacific Northwest where he discovered his passion for people. He decided to go to college in Chicago to further develop his skills working with people and pursue a degree in counseling. While in Chicago he worked for a group practice as a practice biller and marketing manager. This initiated his desire to pursue learning about the business of private practice, particularly medical billing. He now lives in Michigan with his wife of 3 years. They both are pursuing their passion for helping helpers maintain sustainable and compliant billing practices. In his free time, Jeremy loves reading, fishing, biking, hiking, and camping. Telehealth Claims How can you determine whether your patient’s copay will be waived? There are some excellent resources, but the best way to do that right now is to call the insurance companies. You’re going to want to say is telemental health is covered on an outpatient basis for this patient. Then, give them the insurance information and the date of birth because that will lead the provider representative to tell you what they have. What we’re seeing as a trend is if the patient had telehealth benefits into their benefits before COVID-19, they are covered at one-hundred percent. If they didn’t have those benefits, the patients still have copays and deductibles applying through this time. It’s confusing for many people, but as providers, we can do the best job we can by being as clear as possible. We want to be as transparent as possible with that. Telehealth is the New Normal Providers can do a good job as far as lobbying with their government officials on telehealth being the new normal. Telemedicine is effective, and you can reach more people. Jeremy knows that insurance companies often get a bad rep, but this has been an enormous agenda item for them for a long time. Send a letter to your governor, your senator, and congressmen to push for it. Telehealth can also make the lives of the private practice owner easier too. Telehealth will make it more convenient to choose your hours, and therapists can even be available for clients who are overseas. Collecting From Patients People need to start collecting from patients – you are contractually obligated to receive it. If the person is out of work, you still have to collect the copay and deductible. As a business owner, you need to treat people the way you want to be treated. If a patient is short on cash, the provider should tell the patient they owe for the service. However, you can offer an extension on their debt. Another thing you can do is set up a weekly payment plan. That way, the private practice owner knows that that patient will pay. Plus, the patient can budget it into their weekly expenses. We should not feel bad for getting paid for what we do. Think about all the time and effort that you went through to get licensed. People know when they go to a doctor’s office that they are going to owe something. So, when a patient goes to a therapist, they should expect to pay. Jeremy suggests reading the book . Accepting Insurance It’s much easier logistically to not take insurance. However, there is a case to accept insurance. Clinically, you can work with populations that you are passionate about. If you work with military patients, that’s a huge client base, and they need it. If that’s your expertise, then do that. At the same time, you will sacrifice profitability. If you take insurance, then you will receive a hit on the money side. Do you want to work with those clinical populations? You will have to weigh that with the profitability side. There is something to be said about access to care and that growing market. Perhaps you can grow your practice faster when accepting insurance – plus, they can be easy to work with. There is a sense of speed and deployment with insurance, and that matters. However, you’ll have to manage paperwork and fuzzy bureaucracy. Jeremy’s Resources Other Resources The System Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Chris Swenson | The Inner Game Of Private Practice | TPOT 128
05/11/2020
Chris Swenson | The Inner Game Of Private Practice | TPOT 128
joins Gordon on the podcast to explain why we shouldn’t forget about our inner game in private practice. Our inner game is always happening, and it’s continuously turning – it shouldn’t be ignored. Chris describes how he found his passions, purpose, and principles by diving deep into mindset and the importance of mental clarity. Then, Chris tells us all about what it means to be a and why a bigger practice isn’t necessarily better. Meet Chris Swenson is the author of the recently published book, “Private Practice Warrior.” He is the Owner/Founder/solo-operator of Rhino Wellness Center which is Chris’ successful full-time solo practice in rural Colorado. Chris is a true Private Practice Warrior who is currently developing a program called, “Private Practice Warrior – A Powerful Mindset for Ambitious Practice Owners – The “Way” to True Fulfillment in Life and Business. To receive a free pdf copy of “Private Practice Warrior” and a special bonus, click The Inner Game The biggest thing for Chris is that he has learned to never forget about the inner game. It’s always going on. Early on in Chris’s private practice, he felt like he was like a slave to the practice. It didn’t feel like it was his. There was almost this illusion, and he had no sense of fulfillment. But once Chris stepped back identified his purpose, he found his passion and lives by his principles. Plus, he realized the big things he could do each and every day to move the dial, things began to fall more into place, and he began to feel a lot more fulfilled. Even though there are still struggles and challenges, we all have to fly through that turbulence to build a practice. Finding Mental Clarity Chris probably took a different journey than most. He got ingrained within the warrior community and learned about mental toughness and mindset. Chris found his purpose, passion, and identified the principles which he operates by each and every day. Plus, he has daily practices to make sure that he is making the right decision instead of making decisions out of fear. Chris felt an internal struggle. However, once he began daily work and ingraining a new mentality, he feels great. Chris has a lot more confidence and is a lot calmer. Plus, Chris says he has more mental clarity for what he needs for decisions to be made. Boosting Our Mindset People will say to build your practice, scale your practice, expand your stuff, do all of these things, and then you’re going to reach that promised land and feel that sense of fulfillment. Chris found that it’s an illusion. If you have a bigger practice, you might end up more stressed, more mentally fatigued, and more tired. So, Chris looked at what really makes a successful practice for the long haul. He looked at numbers of failure rates over the years, and he noticed that the failure rate has remained the same even though we’ve got better technology and we’ve got a lot more programs. What is the missing variable? It’s our inner game. We have to get ourselves to do XYZ every day, and how do we get ourselves to do that? Get yourself, your mindset, mentality, purpose, passion, all these things in line. From there, you can accomplish great things. However, the point of it is not just to create this great business; this great practice, it’s about being a better person through doing all of it. Chris is just tired of seeing people struggle and have a hard time not getting that joy and fulfillment from what they’re doing. It’s not just building the practice. It’s becoming a better person through the challenges of building a better practice – which, of course, requires some mental skills, but also just a different mentality on how you look at your practice. Private Practice Warriors Chris initially had the idea for when he started seeing the struggles of private practice owners, he knew he needed to do something. Chris wanted to make a difference and what made a difference was being able to share stories with others. Chris thought about writing his book. He wrote it like a story. You get to follow the main character through their journey. There’s a lot of twists and some turns in the book as well. You begin to learn about the identity of being a warrior and identifying your purpose, your passion, never forgetting about the inner game, things like that. So you can take out a lot of those ideas as you learn from the story. Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better What’s most important to you? What is the lifestyle that you want to have? What’s going to bring you fulfillment? Being a warrior is about wanting to be a better person. It’s about the personal growth that develops. It’s not only about becoming that way for a better practice but as a better person. There are challenges to grow or to put stuff out into the external world, those difficulties can lift and we can overcome them. As we begin to expand who we are now, we become that better person. Bigger could be better if it fits for you. There’s so much potential that a lot of us have as therapists to make a difference. There are times where a lot of great therapists could get a better reach if they were in private practice. 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! Chris’ Resources Get your free copy of Other Resources If you want to be kept in the loop about new G-Suite courses and tools as they develop,and I’ll add you to list. Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . 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Rob Reinhardt | Your Private Practice Contingency Plan | TPOT 127
05/04/2020
Rob Reinhardt | Your Private Practice Contingency Plan | TPOT 127
In 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 Meet Rob Reinhardt Rob Reinhardt, LPCS, M.Ed., NCC has his own successful counseling practice and is CEO of . 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 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, , 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 Other Resources Join the Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Annie Schuessler | Private Practice Beyond The Therapy Room | TPOT 126
04/27/2020
Annie Schuessler | Private Practice Beyond The Therapy Room | TPOT 126
In this episode, Annie Schuessler joins the show and talks about serving others outside of the therapy room. Annie explains what type of people are most likely to start a business outside of therapy, including the person who is on the verge of burnout or the person who is looking to be more creative. There are many ways we can serve others outside of therapy, including coaching, courses, and groups. Stay tuned as Annie dives deep into how we can best be successful when getting outside of the therapy room. Meet Annie Schuessler Annie Schuessler is a business coach and the host of the podcast. She’s been a therapist in private practice for 20 years, and a business coach for over 10 years. With her Rebel Therapist® Programs, she helps therapist entrepreneurs make an impact beyond the therapy room. You can find her resources at . Why We Go Outside of the Therapy Room Annie has noticed a couple of different kinds of types of folks who are drawn to creating a business outside of the therapy room. Someone who is headed to burnout will find other ways to generate income. Most likely, this person is hitting the ceiling in terms of the number of hours they can work. They have built a successful private practice. However, they want to use their time differently, and they want to be able to leverage their time, learning, and experience into something else. The other kind of person may not even have a full practice yet, and they may just be growing their private practice. However, they already see that there’s another part of themselves that they want to bring out into the world. Or there’s another message they want to bring out into the world. Plus, creativity is a massive value for them. So, from the very beginning, they want to create some programs beyond the therapy room so that they can express their full selves and work with people in these different ways. How To Get Out of the Therapy Room It works when a therapist can create some program that they can get started with quickly. We tend to have these big dreams and these visions of what it could look like, what our empires could look like. People have amazing ideas; the first step is creating something that is done more quickly so that before you have grown an enormous audience, you can start testing a pilot program. When people can start promptly and check something early in the process, Annie sees them getting early wins and being able to move forward as opposed to folks who have this tremendous vision and maybe don’t ever figure out how to accomplish it. Starting a Coaching Program Annie says that people are starting with perhaps either a small group coaching program or even a one on one coaching program. Make sure you are creating a separate website. This is going to be an independent business, so that you’re not taking any chances with your private practice. Start with one program. It could be one on one coaching where you’re walking through people through a process, within a very particular niche and a specific outcome. Or it could be a small group coaching program where you’ve got three people who you’re walking through a process that brings about a profound change in one particular area. Creating a Course Annie sees people growing their businesses into membership communities. It is a beautiful way to bring people together who share a particular problem and who share a specific identity. Plus, it’s a way to add value! Also, Annie sees people creating courses. That can be such a rewarding way to bring together a lot of the stuff that you’ve learned and that you love. However, some people believe that they can create a course, never touch it again, and make a load of money. Annie doesn’t see that working except for when it’s Oprah. Annie advises people to at least start with a lot of interaction where you’re just adding tons of value by actually being with the people who you’re serving and then pulling back from there. Being Transparent… Some of the resources listed below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you make purchase using the link, we receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! Annie’s Resources Other Resources Join the (use code SPRING2020) Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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John Clarke | Why Knowing Your "Why" Is Important In Your Practice | TPOT 125
04/20/2020
John Clarke | Why Knowing Your "Why" Is Important In Your Practice | TPOT 125
John Clarke joins the show; he helps private practice owners build a practice that they love. In this episode, John gives tips on how to do private practice made human. First, start with your “why”. Why are you considering private practice, or why did you get into private practice in the first place? Later, John gives more tips on establishing your endpoint, creating company values, and knowing your ideal income. Meet John Clarke John Clarke is a licensed psychotherapist and a private practice expert at . After learning a lot of things the hard way while building his first practice in San Francisco, he started a blog to share with others the lessons he had learned. Private Practice Workshop was born, and this blog eventually evolved into so much more: a thriving Facebook community, a successful podcast, online courses, and coaching/consulting. Some therapists want to learn how to use digital marketing to grow their audience and get more clients, but the majority just want to leave it to the pros. John founded Unconditional Media, the digital marketing team for therapists, to meet the biggest need of private practitioners: getting more clients! When he’s not nerding out over all things private practice, he’s playing jazz drums, practicing Muay Thai martial arts, and talking to his pets like they’re humans. Having Fuel in the Tank Start with your why. You are crafting your purpose statement. Why do any of this in the first place? Why does this matter? Knowing your why will be your fuel source. So especially on days where it’s tough to get out of bed in the morning like in a crisis, you need enough fuel in the tank to make this worth it. There are more risks associated with being a business owner than being an employee. There are more risks; there’s more stress. You are going to take work home more often; you’re liable to different things that you’re not as responsible for if you’re the employee of a company. So for John, it has to be worth that. The bumps in the road have to be worth it. Why Private Practice? Many therapists feel like they were born to do this. They were born to help people. Take that one step further and write down why private practice? If your purpose in life is to help people, then why private practice? It’s not the most effective place for you to help people. Do you have other ideas behind your purpose? Whether it’s owning your schedule or increasing income. Try to get honest with yourself. Establish Your Endpoint The endpoint is a mission statement. You should think big! You should think of the ripple effects of your work. Your mission statement is this high-level impact that your business could have on the world. Start to sketch out how are you going to get there? If you don’t know where you’re going, than any place will do—reverse engineer your big tasks. So if you want to get 50 fully booked students in this launch, you can start to work backward and go, then what do you need to do in these next one to three months to build your email list for that? What do you need to do this week to create more lead magnets to make your email list? So it helps if you trace back what actions you are taking today and what they should lead to. Establish Company Values Establishing your company values will help you make decisions. Even if you’re a solo practitioner, John highly recommends doing this. Create the kind of practice that you want to have for yourself. Put some thought into that and get out a piece of paper to write stuff down. When we write, we get clarity and can see the big picture. Set Your Ideal Income and Ideal Schedule Get in there, create that income target and make it sure it’s based on something. What are you going to need to get that money, and how are you going to use it? Then, you can reverse engineer that around your schedule. If you want to make a certain amount, how many hours will you have to work to get there? What kind of schedule do you need? Start sketching out your days, weeks, months, and years and make sure when you look at your calendar that it seems right to you. It looks good. It looks like, yes, this is worth it. John’s Resources Other Resources (use code SPRING2020) Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Jane Carter | Creating Meaningful Work During Times Of Crisis | TPOT 124
04/13/2020
Jane Carter | Creating Meaningful Work During Times Of Crisis | TPOT 124
In this episode, Jane Carter joins the show. We speak about why your mindset in private practice will change everything, especially during COVID-19. Jane’s motto is imperfect action. Instead of experiencing constant panic, we can use this moment to relax and reframe. Jane explains the various ways we can use our time during the coronavirus and why we need to focus on the things that we can control. Meet Jane Carter Jane Carter, LPC is a counselor and business coach from Asheville, NC. Jane has spent the last several years in private practice as a counselor and has recently begun focusing more on business coaching, not only for therapists but other businesses as well. Her website is: Jane says, “As a therapist, business coach, and life coach, I love helping people navigate the path to achieving their goals for a meaningful life. I apply these principles in my own life in the mountains of Asheville, NC, where I’m an outdoorswoman, world-traveler, dog-mama, food-and-wine lover, reader, and coffee-shop connoisseur. (I’m also known for making up great puns on the fly).” The Mindset in Private Practice We’ve all got crap. Our job is to help people turn it into fertilizer, which is the work of what all therapists are doing. The way you grow your business can be very healing of some of that deeper stuff without you even realizing it. It just feeds Jane’s soul to do this work. It’s fun to be with people on this journey. Imperfect Action Jane’s motto is imperfect action. Right now, we’re recording this podcast during the current virus crisis where we’re in lockdown; we are at home. I think a lot of people experienced this kind of sudden panic. Jane put together a mindset checklist of short-term strategies and long-term strategies. A lot of people are feeling overwhelmed at this moment. So Jane hopes that people mostly focus on their mindset right now. To be in business is just to be dealing with the problems that come up regularly. We should relax, reframe, and use this moment. Have a Moment Anxiety and fear make us want to contract and get small and hide under the covers. It’s hard to see beyond what we are going to do today, what are we going to do tomorrow? Sometimes we can get into that very reactive place. There are three things we need to do: Look at the big picture. Be intentional. See the expansion at this time. Fear and anxiety want us to contract, and this time may seek to expand us, some amazing things could come out of this time. How can we see an expansion at this moment? Private Practice as a Tool For Spiritual Growth We need to look at the big picture. The big picture is this will pass. Every challenge throughout history has given. The coronavirus will pass, we are going to get through this. Keeping that long view helps us to look at it kind of from a distance and go, okay, so what is our sense of purpose? When we look back at this moment in a couple of years, how do we want to say that we handled it? That’s a spiritual thing. Do we want to make decisions from a place of love or a place of fear? When we’re looking at the small picture and fear, it’s easy to get into those thoughts of, well, how are we going to get the money? When we look at the big picture, it gives us space to think about how we are serving people. We are here to fulfill our most profound purpose. So, when we go through a crisis, it’s an excellent opportunity to think about your “why.” It’s a gift to recommit and realign with why we are doing this. Figure Out What You Can Control We need to figure out the things that we can control. And then, the flip side is learning to just be with those feelings, to learn to be with the lack of control, to learn to be present with our grief and our fear, and just kind of allow it and wear it like a backpack. Jane wants to encourage people to be intentional at this time. We need to figure out how we want to use this time and who we want to be at this time? Look at the checklist and start checking things off. We can also be intentional about our goal for this time. What if it’s possible that this is the greatest thing for our private practice? Thinking about that question then allows you to start seeing that. Being transparent… Some of the links below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! Jane’s Resources Email Jane For Her Free Checklist: jane@janecartercoaching.com Other Resources (use code SPRING2020) Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Derek Collins | Providing Court-Mandated Services In Private Practice | TPOT 123
04/06/2020
Derek Collins | Providing Court-Mandated Services In Private Practice | TPOT 123
In this episode, Derek Collins, MEd, CADC explains how he started his drug & alcohol counseling private practice and how he navigated imposture syndrome. Also, Derek describes how he reaches the maximum amount of people using Google rankings and SEO. Stay tuned as Derek dives deep into his marketing strategy and why it’s necessary to have multiple streams of income. Meet Derek Collins Derek Collins is the founder and CEO of the Diversion Center where he provides court-mandated classes and counseling services to offenders who are trying to get their lives back on track. He owns and operates 5 outpatient treatment facilities surrounding the Atlanta Metro area and provides court-mandated classes that include: anger management, shoplifting and theft prevention, values clarification, ASAM Level I, family violence intervention program and more. Currently, he is transitioning into the consulting field, helping others around the country start their own court-mandated practice. You can find out more information about Derek Collins and the Diversion Center at How Derek Started His Practice Derek had to step out of faith. He started just teaching classes at first, and then he proceeded to add on anger management. Then, he moved to get registered with the state of Georgia for their DUI intervention program. Derek kept on adding services and taking his time. He started his practice with a laptop, a broken down printer, and co-op coworking space. Derek’s space was only $99 a month, and he ran classes. Eventually, he had so many clients in there, so he had to get a second and third office. Private Practice Competition Georgia is highly competitive, and a lot of people want to do it out there. There are roadblocks and hoops you have to jump through. They make it hard for you to get into this industry in Georgia. However, if you jump through all those hoops, you should do what you need to do to be profitable. But at the same time, what a lot of therapists struggle with is marketing. It’s not something that’s taught in the schools and graduate schools, how to market your services. If your clients cannot find you on their phone, then you can forget about it. Marketing Strategy Derek’s marketing strategy is to get number one on Google. You have to be number one or at the very least on the first page. So when someone types up alcohol and drug evaluation, his name pops up first. Derek has multiple websites. On the first page of Google, you will see three different websites that Derek has. So no matter what, you have to come to him. Derek tries to dominate the market. Derek’s main website is a WordPress site because it’s a more substantial website for SEO. You will also want to have a Google business page and several of those that can help. Derek says that about 90% of his business is through his website SEO, and the other part is just word of mouth. Being transparent… Some of the links below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! Derek’s Resources CALL: 404-781-7468 Other Resources (use code SPRING2020) Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Julie Herres | Financial Tips For Surviving The COVID-19 Crisis | TPOT 122
03/30/2020
Julie Herres | Financial Tips For Surviving The COVID-19 Crisis | TPOT 122
Julie Herres from joins the podcast again to speak about financial tips for surviving the COVID-19 crisis. We are going to be talking about thoughts that we’re having about this whole crisis and what’s going on for people financially. We speak about how we can get through the next couple of weeks and next few months if you don’t have a considerable amount saved for a sudden downturn like this. We discuss how to budget for a crisis, creative ways to pay for expenses, and calling big-name companies and asking for assistance. Later, we speak about paying your team, applying for loans, and diversifying your income streams. Stay tuned as we take questions from Zoom! Meet Julie Herres Julie Herres is the owner of . 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. Today, GreenOak Accounting’s focus on mental health private practice is intentional and geared towards helping business owners understand the story that their numbers are telling. Julie understands what’s involved in managing and growing your practice and is uniquely positioned to be a trusted advisor to clients. How to Budget for a Crisis What does it look like if you don’t have a big buffer, can you make it through? Make decisions based on data and not from fear. So it’s always a great idea to know where you stand, right? Run the numbers and see how much is coming in. Also, know what it takes for you to keep your doors open. What’s the minimum number of dollars that you need to bring in to pay for the rent and to pay for the minimal software expenses that you have? How much does it cost for your payroll and how many clients do you need to cover that? You’ll find it’s not as much as you think it is. So you may not be paying yourself as much as usual, and there may not be a lot left over. Figure out where you are. You want to make sure that you have enough money in your personal life to pay for your food, shelter, and necessary expenses. Paying Your Expenses Call your mortgage company, call your landlord, call your credit card company and ask them what they can do to help. There are a lot of different programs and it really depends on the company and the state. Some utility companies are not disconnecting anyone for lack of payment. Many companies are suspending all the payment fees. So if you reach out, you might be able to get a break. Always be proactive versus reactive. You can also reach out to your credit card company. Ask if they will waive your payment and not apply any fees. You can also reach out to your bank and say that you are going through a time of financial distress. A lot of banks are being very amicable because they know what a difficult time it is for someone. Start with the big companies that are going to be understanding. Cutting Subscriptions Look at how you can really streamline things. A lot of times we have subscriptions we pay for, that we don’t need. Suspend the subscription for the months that we are in financial distress. Most people are going to be open to that; they realize money is tight for people. For instance, if you have been thinking about cutting cable, now would be a good time to suspend those payments. Now is the time, especially if we’re having more downtime, is to look at your numbers and understand what it takes to stay open and what it takes to pay your people. It’s a good time also to pull out your credit card bill and go down the list. What are the things that you’re using, and what are you not using? It’s an excellent opportunity to do that. If you are thinking about cutting your VA, be really careful. Your VA is a really small business, they’re struggling too. If you really can’t afford it, then you have to. But if there’s a way for you to reduce maybe even your hours versus cutting them altogether, it’s an excellent way to keep things moving along. Using Your Time Productively If you have a client that cancels on you, then there is an excellent opportunity to use that hour very productively. You can build on your email list, start making videos for Instagram, and reach out to clients who you haven’t seen in a while. Lots of people are switching to telemental health space. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time. Most insurance companies have dropped their restrictions on having online sessions. Check with your state and your insurance company to make sure they are embracing this change. Paying Your Team Profit first and are both essential resources for running your practice. In the middle of a crisis, it’s not time to implement profit first. But once the dust settles, you should definitely be following profit first. Ask if anyone on the team takes fewer hours. Maybe they have a spouse that is still getting paid full salary, so they’re able to defer their salary for a little while. You can also defer that tax payment later so you can catch things up. Another thing you can do is to adjust your salary for a later date. There might be tax credits for people keeping on their employees. There might also be your credits for self-employed folks as well. So your relief is on the way. Applying For Loans You can apply for a small business loan. The government has approved up to 7 billion in SBA loans. Most businesses are getting a minimum of 25,000 at very favorable rates – it’s just under 4%. Plus, there are no payments for at least four months. That is an option for small businesses. You are going to need personal financial statements. Make sure you know what liabilities you personally have. Plus, you will need to understand what cash and what assets you have. Get your applications in quickly and accurately. It’s challenging to get ahold of customer service agents. Diversify Your Income Streams Now is the time to diversify your income streams. Have you been wanting to start an e-course or make a downloadable? This is a great time to put pen to paper and start working on that. Even though you won’t make money right away, it will be great to have for another time. There are a lot of different ways for you to create digital products for people. Adding people to your practice is another way to diversify your income. Affiliate marketing is also a way to make money, suggesting books or products to your clients. You can set up an Amazon Affiliate account. You will get a commission, not a lot of money but some. Being transparent… Some of the links below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! Julie’s Resources Call GreenOak Accounting: (571) 208-2065 Other Resources (use code SPRING2020) Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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SPECIAL EPISODE COVID-19 | Private Practice Consultants Roundtable Discussion | TPOT 121
03/22/2020
SPECIAL EPISODE COVID-19 | Private Practice Consultants Roundtable Discussion | TPOT 121
Gordon and a panel of private practice leaders and consultants discuss what we can do to navigate the uncertainties of the current COVID-19 crisis as private practice owners and clinicians. They discuss switching to online therapy and counseling. They also talk about the economic impact of people canceling sessions and the unknowns this places on practices. Plus, we learn creative ways to serve our clients like doing mini sessions, teaching meditation, and relationship-building. Also, start thinking about ways you can diversify your income and how to plan for future emergencies. Meet Alison Pidgeon Alison Pidgeon, MA, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor and the owner of in Lancaster, PA. Her private practice, which focuses on women’s issues, currently consists of six other therapists and two assistants. Alison has recently purchased an office building to house her private practice and will be expanding to a total of 12 therapists in the fall of 2018. In addition, for the past two years, Alison has been working as a business consultant along with Joe Sanok, from Practice of the Practice, for other private practice owners. She loves being an entrepreneur and helping others achieve their dream of being their own boss. Alison’s specialty as a consultant is how to have an insurance-based practice, helping those who are just starting out and how to grow from a solo to a group practice. Meet Amanda Patterson Amanda Patterson is a private practice consultant who helps therapists create business and marketing plans. She’s the owner of a group practice, Caring Therapists of Broward in South Florida. She’s the founder of My Private Practice Tribe, an online community for therapists in private practice. Find out more about Amanda here: Meet David Hall Dr. Stephen “David” Hall heads up content and creative direction as the “Chief Maven” of PsychMaven. He began his work as a psychotherapist in 2005, and he currently holds clinical licenses in Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. He has built up multiple counseling practices in his years as a clinician, first in Georgia and then in his home state of Tennessee. In 2015, he led the start-up of an independent psychiatry clinic, , in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Hall maintains a psychotherapy caseload and supervises postgraduate therapists in the practice he leads in the clinic, Haven Counseling Center at Haven Family Psychiatry. Meet Jane Carter Jane Carter, LPC is a counselor and business coach from Asheville, NC. Jane has spent the last several years in private practice as a counselor and has recently begun focusing more on business coaching, not only for therapists but other businesses as well. Her website is: Jane says, “As a therapist, business coach, and life coach, I love helping people navigate the path to achieving their goals for a meaningful life. I apply these principles in my own life in the mountains of Asheville, NC, where I’m an outdoorswoman, world-traveler, dog-mama, food-and-wine lover, reader, and coffee-shop connoisseur. Meet Jessica Tappana Jessica Tappana started her private practice on her maternity leave about 20 months ago. After filling up in only a matter of months, she decided to bring on other therapists as 1099s and transitioned Aspire Counseling into a group practice. Worried about how she would fill the caseloads of these new therapists, Jessica tried several different marketing strategies. Ultimately, she decided to focus on getting her website to the first page of Google and began teaching herself SEO at nights after her kids were in bed. Slowly after gathering a couple of tips here and there, she got her website to the first page for nearly every keyword she targets. Aspire Counseling has grown to now include five therapists and a virtual assistant! In fact, all of the therapists are nearly full, and Jessica hopes to find a few more quality team members in the months to come. Meet Joe Sanok Joe Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC is the person behind the #1podcast for therapists, Joe has helped hundreds of private practice owners in growing and scaling their private practices. Joe has also been a mentor and coach for Gordon in his journey and inspired him to start The Practice of Therapy. Joe says, “In 2012 I launched Practice of the Practice to blog about what I was learning about business, marketing, and private practice. Since then, my income has gone up over 2,000%. In the beginning, I was making around $1000 per month. In 2015, I grossed over $200k! In fact, every month and how I made it. It’s important to me, because we don’t usually talk about money and how to make it in an ethical way. I want to increase your influence and your income!” Meet John Clarke John Clarke is a licensed psychotherapist and a private practice expert at . After learning a lot of things the hard way while building his first practice in San Francisco, he started a blog to share with others the lessons he had learned. Private Practice Workshop was born, and this blog eventually evolved into so much more: a thriving Facebook community, a successful podcast, online courses, and coaching/consulting. Some therapists want to learn how to use digital marketing to grow their audience and get more clients, but the majority just want to leave it to the pros. John founded Unconditional Media, the digital marketing team for therapists, to meet the biggest need of private practitioners: getting more clients! Meet Kasey Compton Kasey built a million-dollar practice with over seventy-five staff members in less than two years from the ground up. She is the President/CEO of with multiple offices located in Kentucky. Kasey says, “it definitely wasn’t easy but I learned a lot scaling a practice”. She is now in year three and her business with basically running itself; largely due to the systems and processes we put into place. Now, Kasey is a behavioral group consultant and that helps practices avoid mistakes by cleaning up their systems, implementing better processes, and understanding what to do with their money. Kasey says, “ I take so much pride in my own practice and now I feel honored to help others grow too.” Meet Katie Englert Katie Englert, LPCC, NCC, BC-TMH is an experienced entrepreneur who works with therapists to help them pioneer new ways to practice. She believes that helping therapists find their purpose as a therapist is how the mental health field will prosper. Katie has started and grown six-figure group private practices and co-created Practikat, the first online marketplace exclusive for therapists. She loves helping therapists discover products they have already created! Outside of work, she enjoys spending time on the soccer field with her kids, travel, hanging out with her family and learning about her family history. About Katie Lemieux I attended graduate school at Nova Southeastern University and graduated with my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in Medical Family Therapy in 2004. I fell in love with couple’s work which is my main specialty. I am trained in the and . I am the proud Co-Owner of . My business partner is the amazing We inspire ambitious mental health professionals to brand themselves and grow their dream private practice. Meet Marissa Lawton “I’m passionate about bringing my two loves together: strategy and therapy, to help my therapeutic community thrive in the online space. It is seriously one of the most important aspects of my life to help other therapists create on-brand messages that target their ideal clients and build the private practices they’ve always longed for.” Marissa’s mission is to help clinicians in various stages of private practice to create online marketing plans that attract clients with integrity and authenticity. Marissa says, “there is seriously no point in portraying yourself online in a way that contradicts who you are in session, no matter how many calls it brings you. When you invite me to help you with your online marketing, you’re partnering with someone who takes your practice, your goals, and your dreams into consideration. You’re getting a guide who promises to walk alongside you every step of the way.” Meet Whitney Owens I enjoy working with both adults and adolescents on an individual basis. I have experience working with those suffering from depression, anxiety, self-harming behaviors, identity formation, relational issues, and other mood disorders. I use a variety of therapeutic models such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy. I have been seeing clients since 2009 in a variety of settings. While earning my Master in Professional Counseling from Richmont Graduate University, I saw young adults at a residential treatment facility. In 2010 I moved to Colorado where I spent four years working at an inpatient and day treatment facility. Also while in Colorado, I joined a group practice and saw teenagers and adults. In 2014 I moved back to Savannah and started . I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia and a member of the American Counseling Association and the Licensed Professional Counseling Association of Georgia. In addition to counseling, I also offer a number of other services including training and speaking engagements. Making the Switch to Telemental Health It’s time to be creative and flexible. Put a pop-up on the website stating that you are offering telemental health services. Do not put your client’s health at risk – do not see clients in person. Now is the time to get ahead of everything and start seeing clients virtually. Remember HIPAA. Creative Ways to Serve Clients Discount your fees. Do mini sessions. Charge a small fee for a mindfulness meet-up. Teach meditation techniques. Work on relationship-building during this time. Write blog posts to provide useful information for your community. Emergency Planning Practice both short-term and long-term thinking. Make sure you keep your long-term vision in mind. Have a three to six-month fund ready for emergencies like this. This is either an opportunity or a challenge. Take lessons during this recovery. Be realistic with your staff. Make sure all your staff is working toward the same thing. Call your liability insurance. Email your boards to get clarification on things. Therapists need to think about what really matters: your health, your clinician’s health, your client’s health, and your business. What To Do Now Use this time to position your brand, grow your email list, create multiple streams of revenue. Deepen your relationships. Bring joy to your life every single day and to other people. Work on the products that you are developing. Look long-term and start preparing for the future. Think about offering a discounted rate. Self-care! Being transparent… Some of the links below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! Alison’s Resources Amanda’s Resources David’s Resources Jane’s Resources Jessica’s Resources Joe’s Resources John’s Resources Kasey’s Resources Katie E’s Resources Katie L’s Resources Marissa’s Resources Whitney’s Resources Other Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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LaTonya Shelton | What I Learned My First Year Of Private Practice | TPOT 120
03/16/2020
LaTonya Shelton | What I Learned My First Year Of Private Practice | TPOT 120
LaTonya Shelton joins the show to discuss the highs and lows of her first year in private practice. It’s possible to do things your own way. LaTonya speaks about her self-care techniques and what has helped her get through the lows of running your own business. Plus, LaTonya explains the ways to ease the pain points of private practice and how mastermind groups can play a crucial role. Meet LaTonya Shelton LaTonya N. Shelton, LCSW, RYT, the owner of , located in Nashville, TN. Her practice specializes in providing treatment for trauma, anxiety, and depression. She is a licensed clinical social worker and yoga instructor who integrates somatic (body-centered) psychotherapy practices and mindfulness in her work with clients. LaTonya embodies a deep passion for helping individuals learn, heal and grow. She believes that by helping others understand and navigate difficult emotions, clients can experience relief, improved health, and regain control of their lives. Doing Things Your Own Way LaTonya is a self-starter. It is so easy to get overwhelmed and inundated with all of the information that’s out there. There are a lot of opportunities for mastermind groups and business coaching. With all the information, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. You need to start somewhere. Plus, you’re not going to get it right and perfect in the beginning. However, that’s the beauty of starting and moving forward on a journey. Make it your own! Self-Care For Private Practice Owners Self-care is such a buzzword these days. Some of the self-care that LaTonya engages in is very simple. She enjoys a cup of coffee most mornings with her dog walking in the park, and that works well for LaTonya. Do the things that get you out in nature. Reading, talking, and being around people that support you will also be essential. These things have been the crux of LaTonya’s self-care. Take the Leap of Faith Throw your limiting beliefs out the window. Show up and do the work that you want to do. LaTonya is a dreamer, but also a planner. Being organized, balanced, and flexible will assist in your private practice journey. Are you wondering if you should take the leap into private practice? It’s going to be scary, and there’s going to be peaks and valleys, but start, and you’ll find your way. You’ll meet great people like Gordon. Plus, LaTonya met people in a mastermind and focus groups. Pain Points in Private Practice The most significant pain point for LaTonya is not knowing. A lot is riding on your business, so it can be scary, not knowing how it’s going to turn out. The journey is unpredictable, and that cannot be very easy. Also, learning how to market has been a journey for LaTonya. We all want to scale and grow our practices. So that’s been a pain point, not knowing and then deciding what marketing avenues to go down. Imposture syndrome is also a pain point. Sometimes you’ll ask yourself if you really know what you’re doing or if you know what you’re talking about. Take a step back and breathe deeply. You can ease some of the anxiety of jumping into private practice by keeping your full-time job until you have enough finances saved up to feel comfortable. Mastermind Groups It’s great to know other people are going through the same struggles. Plus, you’ll see how well other private practice owners are doing, and yet they still have questions and need help. There is always room to grow. It’s inspiring to see other people who are willing to learn continuously. Once you hit a peak, there is still an opportunity to find another peak. Having the support and the opportunity to problem solve is invaluable. Being transparent… Some of the links below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! LaTonya’s Resources Email: Phone: Other Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Alyssa Adams | How To Diversify Your Practice To Leverage Your Knowledge | TPOT 119
03/09/2020
Alyssa Adams | How To Diversify Your Practice To Leverage Your Knowledge | TPOT 119
Alyssa Adams opens the show talking about adding coaching to her private practice. Therapists have a rich skillset, and we can utilize our knowledge in various ways. Alyssa dives deep into how she navigates the stigma of becoming a coach and what the difference between coaching and therapy are. Plus, Gordon and Alyssa talk about the reasons why you would even want to diversify your private practice. Meet Alyssa Adams Dr. Alyssa Adams is a clinical psychologist and certified coach who helps therapists and coaches to grow their practices and make even more money working for themselves so they can focus on serving clients they love. She specializes in helping therapists navigate the field of coaching by leveraging their incredible skills and ethically adding this service to their practice. She has been featured in media outlets, such as Brit + Co, Popsugar, Bustle, and has authored numerous scientific publications. She created a successful coaching practice and subsequently left her leadership position with the federal government, and she is passionate about supporting other therapists and coaches to find autonomy and financial freedom working for themselves. Adding Coaching to Your Private Practice Why coaching? As therapists, we have a rich skillset around creating transformation in people. We can support people differently than in a therapeutic relationship. Alyssa went back and got more training to learn how to coach. There are ways to help and support people as a coach vs. as a therapist. You can use your skillset differently. Therapists may feel a stigma when they become a coach. Navigating the Stigma of Becoming a Coach Coaching is a less regulated field. People can be a coach who may not have a lot of training or background. There are room and space for coaches to be well trained. Learn the areas of overlap between coaching and therapy. Always be open and curious about what you can bring to your coaching practice. However, always remember to keep the integrity of your therapy practice. How is Coaching Different From Therapy? Alyssa will have her diagnosis hat on when working as a therapist; she will be thinking of mental health concerns. Coaches will not be thinking of a diagnosis or mental health. A coach will be thinking about moving toward a specific goal. The topics on the lists are usually different from therapy to coaching. Alyssa’s niche areas are pretty different, so it feels clean and clear in her head. The way she communicates will be changed, and her clients will be different. Coaching is helping people work on a specific problem, whereas therapy is assisting clients in working on a particular condition. Diversify Your Private Practice How do we think about building a business? Diversify your business to help increase your profit. Step into the entrepreneurial mindset and look at what will help you have more freedom and financial stability. Give yourself permission to think about private practice as a business. For the most part, people who can give themselves this permission, they will find their work more fulfilling and more rewarding. Being transparent… Some of the links below are affiliate links. This simply means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for using the links! Alyssa’s Resources Email: Alyssa@DrAlyssaAdams.com Other Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Kati Morton | Using YouTube And Social Media To Leverage Mental Health Information | TPOT 118
03/02/2020
Kati Morton | Using YouTube And Social Media To Leverage Mental Health Information | TPOT 118
In this episode, joins the show. Kati talks about thinking outside the box when it comes to creating content and diversifying your income in private practice. YouTube can be a lucrative side hustle for your private practice – Kati tells us the common ways to monetize your videos. Plus, Kati speaks about how she navigates imposture syndrome and some helpful tools to stay organized. Meet Kati Morton, LMFT holds a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. In addition, she is a certified dialectical and behavior therapist and grief counselor and a member of The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. She runs a private practice in Santa Monica, CA. Over the past seven years, Kati has leveraged social media to share mental health information worldwide through video. Her specialties include working with individuals experiencing eating disorders and self-harming behaviors, although she addresses all things related to mental health. Kati is well known for her which now has over 820 thousand subscribers and over 50 million views. In addition to her YouTube channel and strong presence on social media, she has appeared on the CBS The Doctors, HLN/CNN “Dr. Drew On Call,” E! News, KTLA, Fox News. She also has been featured in CNN, VICE, Glamour UK, Huffington Post, Yahoo, VOX, and many more. Kati released her first book, Are u ok?: A Guide to Caring for Your Mental Health in December 2018. Kati’s passion is to increase awareness about mental health. Her online community has expanded to all major internet platforms, allowing her to answer mental health questions from her followers around the world. She hopes by doing this, the global community can push for better services worldwide and remove the stigma associated with getting help. Thinking Outside the Box Kati’s husband pushed her to take the leap into social media. Kati’s colleagues have been supportive; however, they don’t always understand it. Eight years ago, her peers didn’t realize how confidentiality would work over social media. Other clinicians give her pushback on the way she thinks about things. The most significant pushback Kati got was when she said therapy should be working toward a goal. Kati says we should be learning new tools that we can utilize in life. We shouldn’t be using our therapist as a crutch. Overcoming Imposture Syndrome Kati feels imposture syndrome to do this day. In the beginning, people would tell her she was an expert, and she was creative. Kati never thought of herself as either of those things. At a conference, Kati learned that everyone creates, which makes us creative. It has been something that she is trying to believe more. Kati is an expert at certain things; it’s okay to accept it! In society, we look down on people who are too confident because they come off as egotistical. Kati never claims to be an expert on everything. She does her research and talks to experts to give her viewers the best information she can. Making Money on YouTube The easiest way to make money online is through YouTube AdSense. YouTube deems mental health content as sensitive – so they are not all monetizable. Only about half of Kati’s videos are monetizable. People can make thousands of dollars a month from AdSense. Kati doesn’t get viral hits on her channel, so it’s not a sustainable source of income for her. Another way to monetize your videos is by making brand deals. Kati doesn’t get a lot of brand deals because she is careful of who to introduce to her audience. She has had online therapy programs as a brand deal and Bumble BFF. Kati also does speaking engagements at schools and wrote a book to help diversify her income. Plus, Kati has a Patreon account. These are a few ways that she supports herself. Ethical Dilemmas as a Public Figure A therapeutic relationship should be something that is developed over time in therapy. You should feel a click with your therapist. If people come into therapy and feel like they already know their therapist, it changes the dynamic of the relationship. Therapists can’t fix anything for people. You can work together with your therapist, but you’ll have to integrate the tools into your life. Staying Organized and Maximizing Your Time Kati started scheduling self-care in her calendar – it cannot be rescheduled. Kati isn’t afraid to outsource the things she can’t do. Kati has a team of people behind the scenes which lets her do creative work in her free time. Initially, she was nervous to bring people on to her team. However, scheduling doesn’t need to be done by herself. If you don’t have time to clean your house, you should have someone come and clean it for you. Kati’s Resources For more information about Kati, please click . Other Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Jonathan Van Viegen | Working Abroad As An Online Therapist And Coach | TPOT 117
02/24/2020
Jonathan Van Viegen | Working Abroad As An Online Therapist And Coach | TPOT 117
In this episode, Jonathan Van Viegen joins the show to talk about the time and effort it took to start his online coaching and therapy business. Jonathan gives tips on what you’ll need to do to start your own online business – most importantly, know your message! Plus, Jonathan reveals his “do’s” of online therapy and some common ways to get momentum online. Meet Jonathan Van Viegen Husband, Father of 2, Marriage and Family Therapist, Entrepreneur, and Coach, Jonathan Van Viegen, MA, MFT, CCC is the Founder and CEO of the Jonathan helps therapists all over the world attract new clients and build thriving online practices so they can do more of what they love to do while serving their clients with passion, integrity, and authenticity. Jonathan built a successful therapy practice in Canada before selling it all to travel full-time with my family. After transforming my struggling online practice into a 6-figure business, I decided to help other therapists do the same. His therapy website is: Getting Online Clients Jonathan would blog regularly and make YouTube videos to get his name out in the open. It took a long time for him to figure out what was going to work. It started to take off and get traction when he was on Instagram. It’s about adding value to people’s lives and following up with them. Build relationships with your audience and send direct messages. The process is about authenticity and genuine relationships. Create a Message Create a message about what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for. Generalities die, and specificity thrives. Find your passion! What do you love to do, and what type of client do you like to help the most? Craft a message surrounding your nano-niche. You only need a couple of hundred clients per year. There’s enough market demand out there that you can be really specific. You’ll want to be known as a trusted advisor in your niche. The Do’s of Online Therapy DO your research. Make sure you have the proper licenses to practice. DO have a goal in mind. You can be both a coach and a therapist if that’s your plan! DO protect your license. Make sure you operate under the necessary authority. DO take action. Put one foot in front of the other. You can pay for mentorship – it will be a journey. DO be consistent. Regardless of how you build your practice, get your momentum. “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” -Winston Churchill Getting Momentum Online It took about twelve months for Jonathan to get momentum. Jonathan learned everything himself using webinars and training. Today, Jonathan has three sales calls. People show up to book calls with Jonathan; he doesn’t have to go out and find people. It took a lot of work and effort. If it were too easy, then everyone would do it. Coaching vs. Therapy With therapy, your client will come to you with the content. With coaching, we go to our clients with the content. We are teaching them skills that will help with their daily lives. We aren’t supposed to label our clients – why are we labeling how we assist them? Psychotherapy isn’t the be-all and end-all intervention for our clients. We can offer people coaching or therapy – you do not need to mix the two. There is no reason that we can’t provide both. 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! Jonathan’s Resources Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Nicole Liloia | 3 Key Relationships In Private Practice | TPOT 116
02/17/2020
Nicole Liloia | 3 Key Relationships In Private Practice | TPOT 116
Nicole Liloia joins the show and talks about building bigger practices the right way. The first step in attracting more clients is overcoming our limiting mindsets. The next step is building three key relationships – community, referrals, and transactional. Stay tuned to hear how to why these relationships are so important and how to create them. Meet Nicole Liloia Nicole Liloia is a business strategist who helps women entrepreneurs build bigger businesses and create consistent income growth. She loves helping them create multiple income streams that allow them the freedom to work less while still making more money. Nicole’s first business was a counseling private practice but she quickly added in multiple income streams so that she could travel more while still running her business. She got her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University and has contributed to Forbes, Huffington Post, Mind Body Green, and more. Nicole always says yes to tacos and loves Apothic wine. You can find her online at and download her free tool, the Consistent Income Generator so that you can create a personalized plan to have consistent income growth in your own business at . Freedom and Flexibility Nicole’s business is online, when she goes on vacation, she can bring her work with her and stay extra long. Working online also allows for more time with kids or more time to dedicate to your hobbies. Look at what motivates you outside of work and think about how you can get more time doing what you love. Think about the lifestyle that you want for yourself and create or alter your practice so it will best fulfill your needs. Mindset Blocks Nicole always felt like there wasn’t enough out there for her. There were still other people who had what she wanted. Therefore, Nicole wouldn’t be able to do it herself. Nicole also thought that if she went on vacation, then her business would fail while she was gone. We are all subject to imposture syndrome – assuming we are not qualified enough for our dreams. The key to building a more prominent practice is building healthy relationships. However, if you have a scarcity mindset, then you will be unable to create healthy relationships. Be open to putting yourself out there and be open to the possibilities that come with being seen and building mutual relationships. In the mental health space, there is always room for more people. Just because someone has a successful practice, doesn’t mean you can’t do it as well – it just means there is a path for you to be successful too. Building Successful Relationships There are three key relationships you need to build to have a successful private practice. Community. Your ideal clients and the people that you want to work with. Make sure you are building a large community – you want to nurture a broad audience so when your clients leave you to have more people to pull from. Show up, create content, and get in front of an audience. Be active on Facebook, write blog content, and utilize mailing lists. Referral Relationships. Build a relationship 1:1 with someone who has a similar audience that you do. You can share each other’s content and even refer to each other when necessary. Reach out to someone and ask about their needs – how can you help their audience? Develop long-term relationships that will benefit your business. Think about how you would want someone to approach you for that relationship. Transactional Relationships. A transactional relationship is someone that shares a complementary audience with you. Nicole pitched herself to The Practice of Therapy Podcast. She wanted to know if there was anything she can do for the podcast. Nicole wasn’t asking for clients; she wanted to know how she could be helpful to Gordon’s audience. This relationship is a community builder. To be successful in any business, you need to be known, liked, and trusted. Be genuine with what you do. 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! Nicole’s Resources Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Ryan & Emily Russ | Investing Your Time In Private Practice | TPOT 115
02/10/2020
Ryan & Emily Russ | Investing Your Time In Private Practice | TPOT 115
In this episode, Ryan and Emily Russ join the show. They speak about their niche working with sexual addiction patients and uncovering underlying traumas. Plus, Ryan talks about how lucrative intensives have been for his practice. Later, Ryan and Emily explain the importance of doing your own work as a therapist – invest your time in education, therapy, and informative readings. Meet Emily and Ryan Russ Our family lives in Little Rock, AR. We have 3 young children and 1 Goldendoodle puppy. When Ryan was finishing up grad school at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS 15 years ago, we knew one day we wanted to work together in private practice. After being on staff at Capstone Treatment Center, where Ryan received extensive training and certifications in Trauma, Sexual Addiction, Multiple Addiction, EMDR, Mindfulness, and Brainspotting, in 2019 we nervously took the plunge into opening our own group practice clinic. Ryan’s main specialties are Sex Addiction, Trauma, Custom Intensives, and Custom Personal Growth Intensives for other therapists wanting to do their own therapy work. Emily’s specialties include administration, client hospitality, and juggling all the clinic details while raising 3 children and potty training a puppy. Getting to work together as a married couple has its challenges, but it mostly has been so rewarding! Seeing how God has created our skill sets so oppositely and yet so complementary has been a really neat gift this past year. Client care and the “Art of Therapy” is at the core of our family-owned and operated clinic. Sexual Addiction Niche In 2012, Ryan stumbled upon the work of . Ryan loved how men could encounter each other and work through their issues. This inspired Ryan to do sexual addiction work with people who were out of control sexually in their lives. Trauma, attachment, and family systems are also underneath sex addiction; Ryan likes to help his clients uncover these issues. Intensives Half of Ryan’s revenue comes from doing intensives. You can do so much more with uninterrupted time. Ryan does one, two, or three-day intensives with eight hours of therapy each day. The intensive will be customized to the issue at hand. Ryan utilizes brain spotting, trauma egg, and yoga. Plus, Ryan is a certified yoga therapist – they are also looking to start goat yoga. The Value of Doing Your Own Work Both Ryan and Emily have gone to therapy independently and as a couple. If it weren’t for that, they wouldn’t be as secure as a team. They want their clinicians who work for them to also have done their own work. It’s hard to take a patient farther in the therapy process than you have gone yourself. Sometimes, Emily and Ryan disagree on business ideas. You have to learn how to work through the bumps in the road. Work-Life Balance When there is scarcity, there is a shame-based hustle. Be intentional. Ryan and Emily have the mindset to go slow and steady. Plus, they have learned not to say yes to everything. When Ryan and Emily are home for work, it’s tempting to talk more about the business. However, they realized they needed to have more family time. They even hired a housekeeper to lessen the burden and increase their quality time together. Recommended Resources Ryan heard about G Suite on the Practice of Therapy. They recommend the because it helped them learn how to maximize their productivity using the G Suite tools. Emily says that the has also been beneficial because it is essential to have a community in private practice. Also, continual education will carry various dividends. Emily recommends doing your own work as a clinician so you can be a better clinician and serve your clients. They have a budget for each member of their staff to do their own work. Ryan even does intensives for other therapists. You can’t sell therapy if you don’t believe in doing it yourself. Investing Your Time Other people tend to value you more than you value yourself. If you are trapped in specific ways of thinking, then you are not going to be doing more in-depth and quality work. It’s essential to have an intentional effort to do quality work. Utilize the tools around you to level up. It’s a no-brainer for Ryan. Behind every risk, Ryan felt support. 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! Emily and Ryan’s Resource Emily@thefindingplacecounseling.com Instagram: Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Daniel Fava | 5 Ways To Improve Your Private Practice Website | TPOT 114
02/03/2020
Daniel Fava | 5 Ways To Improve Your Private Practice Website | TPOT 114
In this episode, Daniel Fava talks about five things you can do with your website to attract more clients to your private practice. You can take bits and pieces from each tip and dive deep into your site content. Daniel says the first thing you will want to do is to be specific with your goals. Have you been able to identify your ideal client? Stay tuned to hear Daniel dive deep into each of his five tips. Meet Daniel Fava Daniel Fava is a father, husband, podcaster, website consultant and founder of and . He helps therapists create websites and attract more clients online. After building a website for his wife’s private practice and seeing the impact it had on her business, he became passionate about helping others achieve the same. Daniel offers web design services, SEO services, consultations, and online training to help therapists grow their business through online marketing. You can get free access to his library of PDFs, cheatsheets, and ebooks by. 1. Be Specific With Your Goals Everybody has goals for their practice, but how does it pertain to your ideal client? If you want to attract ten new clients, what would those clients look like? Find out who the people are that you enjoy working with. After identifying your ideal client, you can look at your website through the eyes of your client. Are the images, words, and content speaking to that type of client? Once you do this, you can finally get specific with your content. 2. Ask Your Website Visitors to Take an Action You need a call to action on your website. Therapists are great at filling their websites with a lot of information. However, they may never tell their visitors actually to do anything. Daniel says you need to ask your visitors for their information. Daniel likes a specific and engaging call to action on each page. What is the next step that someone can take in order to work with you? For instance, you can have a free fifteen-minute phone consultation. On every page, there should be something that explains that step. Conversion rates are usually low on popups, be patient with your rates. 3. Make Sure Your Website is on Google Is your website indexed on Google? Put quality stuff on your website; Google will pick up on it. Think about your audience and who you are trying to attract to your site. Daniel says to think about the keywords that you want to rank for. Check out the first few websites that are listed on Google for those keywords and find out what kind of content they are putting out. 4. Get Your Content Shared When you create a blog post, you want to make it high-quality and give people a reason to share your content and come back to your website. Think about your ideal clients and the challenges they face. What are some ways you can help them out and create a win for their life? Blogging is also an essential way to get your ranking up. 5. Measure What You’re Doing It’s hard to grow something that you’re not measuring. What does your Google Analytics say? If you’re not tracking how many people are going to your website, how will you know what the problem is? Google Analytics is free to set up with your website. Even if you’re not planning on looking at it, have it going, so it’s collecting that information. Eventually, it will come in handy. 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! Daniel’s Resources Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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David Hall | Holding CE Events To Boost Your Practice | TPOT 113.
01/27/2020
David Hall | Holding CE Events To Boost Your Practice | TPOT 113.
In this episode, David Hall joins the show to talk about continuing education events. At first, David had significant “impostor syndrome”. However, he has come to realize that you do not need to be an expert to lead a training; you simply need to be an enthusiast of your topic. David explains some essential steps you need to take while planning your CE training, plus he describes some different ways you can profit from the event. Later, Gordon and David talk about the pros and cons of online courses. Meet David Hall Dr. Stephen “David” Hall heads up content and creative direction as the “Chief Maven” of PsychMaven. He began his work as a psychotherapist in 2005, and he currently holds clinical licenses in Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. He has built up multiple counseling practices in his years as a clinician, first in Georgia and then in his home state of Tennessee. In 2015, he led the start-up of an independent psychiatry clinic, , in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Hall maintains a psychotherapy caseload and supervises postgraduate therapists in the practice he leads in the clinic, Haven Counseling Center at Haven Family Psychiatry. Impostor Syndrome David says he would have started doing continuing education events earlier in his career. In David’s mind, he needed enough credentials to do CE. David thought he needed to be an expert to lead a training. However, David now knows that you do not need to be an expert to train other people. The first paid CE event David put on was about ethics. He isn’t an ethics expert, but he knew it would be a high-demand topic, so he was going to figure it out. David doesn’t like to present himself as an expert; he wants to present himself as an enthusiast. Starting a CE Event There are a lot of different steps to holding a CE event. Figure out what the CE requirements are for your state. Some states are easier than others to get approval. David’s first event involved getting his event approved for a pretty broad audience. The next step is figuring out where you are going to hold your event. Keep your costs as minimal as possible – it’s effortless to overspend when putting events together. Remember that it does not have to be a significant event. You can do a ten-person event and still make money. David does a lot of direct mailings; there is a lot of expense in this. The reason David picked ethics because he knew it would have a big draw. What do people want to learn about? In the , there is a list of required topics. Making Money from CE Events There are lots of ways you can make money from CE events. The most obvious way is to charge for the event. The best place to start is by looking at the mailings you get. You will price the event based on how many CE hours it includes. Between $15 and $20 an hour is a good starting point. Plus, you can also lower the price for an early-bird special, then charge more once the event gets closer. Sponsorship is another way to make money from CE events. Affiliate marketing is another way to make money. You can recommend a subscription service or another course and become an affiliate with them. The rate can be up to 30%, and the revenue can even be reoccurring. If you do a CE event at cost, because of that, you deepen your reputation and get an extra five clients. Presentation Space When David travels, he likes to do talks in hotels. However, the cost can be high with hotel space and catering. In a church space, David can do way cheaper catering. Managing your expenses is the biggest thing you will have to worry about when holding a CE event. David thought he needed to “go big or go home.” Nobody told him that he could “go big and go home.” Start lean by keeping your expenses low, and you can always add to your events later on when you know what your audience responds to. Online Courses There’s a lot of benefits to in-person events; the audience will have a significant commitment. Online, people are signing up and not attending. If you want CE events to be a steady source of income for you, then you should be doing both online and in-person events. The best way to build up your email list is by doing online events. If someone knows you, it’s easier for them to buy your online product. However, if there is no relationship there, people will start to question if the product is legitimate. Plus, many states have limitations on how many online credits you can do. 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! David’s Resources Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins | Creating Successful Partnerships As Private Practice Owners | TPOT 112
01/20/2020
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins | Creating Successful Partnerships As Private Practice Owners | TPOT 112
In this episode, Aaron Potratz and Nathan Hawkins join the podcast to discuss starting a partnership in private practice. They reveal some vital things you will need to know before committing to a partnership; you especially need to know the identity of your practice and where you see your business going. Later, the two explain why there is no competition between them and the importance of trust in a partnership. Meet Nathan Hawkins Nathan Hawkins is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has been working in the field for almost 17 years. He is a certified trauma professional and performs EMDR and also utilizes Hypnosis at times as well. He is an approved clinical supervisor in the state of Oregon. He is the owner of Life Encounter Counseling which he established in 2004. While maintaining his own client load he supervises the clinical and administrative work of 4 employees and a clinical intern program. The success of Life Encounter Counseling birthed a passion to multiply the work of counseling in different ways. One of those directions leads to him co-founding another private group counseling practice, Life Discovery Counseling Services with Aaron Potratz in 2016. Life Discovery Counseling Services has grown from 1 location to 2 successful locations that serve opposite sides of the Portland Metro. He supervises and manages the counselors and staff in both of those locations with Aaron. Nathan loves to teach and also intermittently fills in at Multnomah University as an Adjunct Clinical Supervision Professor. Meet Aaron Potratz Aaron is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oregon, the owner of Discover Counseling, and co-owner of Life Discovery Counseling Services – two private group counseling practices. Aaron maintains his own client caseload while also managing and supervising his counseling staff. He started out as a solo practitioner in 2007, expanded to a group practice in 2015, and started his second practice with his business partner, Nathan Hawkins, in 2016. Between the two businesses, he has 10 clinicians and one support staff. Aaron also does consulting for small businesses, helping them become more efficient and productive. He especially enjoys helping other therapist business owners grow their practices and focus in on the areas they are most passionate about. Building Trust Nathan and Aaron get along really well. There went through a honeymoon phase; however, there wasn’t much depth at first. As time went on, they had to lean on each other and give each other additional information. Plus, they were vulnerable when speaking about their businesses and gave honest feedback about the direction of their companies. They play up each other’s strengths and complement each other’s weaknesses. Integrating Practices When Nathan and Aaron first started with the shared space, they had a lot to think about, like rent, square footage, and office space. It is easy to make assumptions when you find a partner – even small things need to be discussed. Nathan and Aaron have separate businesses. However, the way they treat their employees is identical. These people are in the same space, so they need to be treated equally. When you are dreaming about combining practices, this may not be something you think about upfront. Competition You know what you’re good at, and you stick with those things. Aaron and Nathan have niched down and found what they do well. They both know what clients they work best with. If a client doesn’t fit one practice, then they will refer them to the other practice. Getting competitive with other therapists doesn’t make sense; there are more than enough clients out there for everyone. We will be doing a disservice if we are not giving our clients the right therapist. Tips for Starting a Partnership Both Aaron and Nathan have their own identities for their businesses. One reason they got together is because of how isolating private practice can be. However, it would be best if you spent some time understanding what you like to do on your own. Do not be in a big hurry to get together with another practice. You have to know who you are on your own before starting a partnership. Plus, Aaron and Nathan say how essential, to be honest, and open with your partner. 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! Resources for Nathan & Aaron Call Nathan: Email Nathan: Call Aaron: (971) 222-8166 Email Aaron: Resources Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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9 Ways To Diversify Your Income Streams In Private Practice | TPOT 111
01/13/2020
9 Ways To Diversify Your Income Streams In Private Practice | TPOT 111
In this episode, Gordon reveals nine unique ways to diversify income in private practice typically, we trade our time and expertise for money. We have a session, and our clients pay us for that. Trading time for money can be limiting. There are lots of other ways we can generate income for our practice. Gordon identified nine different ways to diversify revenue. The list goes in order from most practice related to less practice related. Nine Ways to Diversify Income in Private Practice 1. Group Sessions Most groups are between four to six people. You can have a group around a particular topic or niche. This way, you are maximizing the amount of money you get for the time spent. 2. Start a Group Practice Partner with other therapists and create a small group. Gordon collects a small portion of their rates to pay for overhead. However, a small piece of that is also the profit margin. This additional income allows Gordon to see fewer clients himself and gives his other therapists more clients. You can bring on therapists for your group practice as independent contractors or employees. 3. Affiliate Marketing Find products and services that other people are producing. When you offer that product or service, then you will get a commission from that. A lot of the links Gordon uses are affiliate links. If a person clicks through the link, then Gordon will get a commission. A big affiliate is Amazon. Gordon says to sign up for an Amazon Associate account. Through the account, you can offer anything from Amazon, link it on your website, and then you will receive a commission. For instance, Gordon recommends . Whenever you click on his site, Gordon will earn money from Amazon. Here are some other resources Gordon recommends: 4. Selling Online Products Gordon offers a as one of his online products. A lot of therapists create handouts and worksheets for clients. You can generate income from providing these resources online. Check out ; they help therapists sell resources through their platform. Another platform is – you can sell digital products on this site. With , they take a percentage of what you sell. However, it can still be a lucrative way to create income. 5. Online Courses Gordon uses for his. There is a lot of stuff that you as a therapist and a private practice owner are knowledgeable about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be courses for other therapists. It can be courses that you offer to your clients. If you do a lot of anger management counseling, think about putting it into a course format and provide it to your clients. 6. Writing a Book Gordon offers a . When people sign up to get it, they use their email address. Then, Gordon will use the email address to market. An eBook will get your name out there and establish you as an expert. EBooks can be used as a lead magnet, or you can sell the eBook online. Make sure the eBook is quality. Do not do it just to make people spend money. 7. Public or Live Events By offering continuing education events, you can create more income. Dr. David Hall of has a whole course on how to create one of these events: . Several organizations also offer continuing education credits online and as live events. 8. Starting a Podcast or YouTube Channel Gordon’s podcast has grown, now advertisers are interested in sponsoring the podcast. For example, pays to be a sponsor of the podcast. Gordon does not take any old advertiser. He only uses people that he trusts and businesses that offer a relevant service for his audience. People on YouTube will also create income via advertising. 9. Consulting and Coaching If you have been in practice for a while, and have business-related skills, think about consulting others. Generally, you can charge more for consulting than you can counseling because it comes with a level of expertise. Gordon charges two or three times higher for consulting than he does for counseling. Plus, counseling is more of a long-term commitment, whereas coaching may be more of a short-term commitment. 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! Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
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9 Ways To Diversify Your Income Streams In Private Practice | TPOT 111
01/13/2020
9 Ways To Diversify Your Income Streams In Private Practice | TPOT 111
In this episode, Gordon reveals nine unique ways to diversify income in private practice typically, we trade our time and expertise for money. We have a session, and our clients pay us for that. Trading time for money can be limiting. There are lots of other ways we can generate income for our practice. Gordon identified nine different ways to diversify revenue. The list goes in order from most practice related to less practice related. Nine Ways to Diversify Income in Private Practice 1. Group Sessions Most groups are between four to six people. You can have a group around a particular topic or niche. This way, you are maximizing the amount of money you get for the time spent. 2. Start a Group Practice Partner with other therapists and create a small group. Gordon collects a small portion of their rates to pay for overhead. However, a small piece of that is also the profit margin. This additional income allows Gordon to see fewer clients himself and gives his other therapists more clients. You can bring on therapists for your group practice as independent contractors or employees. 3. Affiliate Marketing Find products and services that other people are producing. When you offer that product or service, then you will get a commission from that. A lot of the links Gordon uses are affiliate links. If a person clicks through the link, then Gordon will get a commission. A big affiliate is Amazon. Gordon says to sign up for an Amazon Associate account. Through the account, you can offer anything from Amazon, link it on your website, and then you will receive a commission. For instance, Gordon recommends . Whenever you click on his site, Gordon will earn money from Amazon. Here are some other resources Gordon recommends: 4. Selling Online Products Gordon offers a as one of his online products. A lot of therapists create handouts and worksheets for clients. You can generate income from providing these resources online. Check out ; they help therapists sell resources through their platform. Another platform is – you can sell digital products on this site. With , they take a percentage of what you sell. However, it can still be a lucrative way to create income. 5. Online Courses Gordon uses for his. There is a lot of stuff that you as a therapist and a private practice owner are knowledgeable about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be courses for other therapists. It can be courses that you offer to your clients. If you do a lot of anger management counseling, think about putting it into a course format and provide it to your clients. 6. Writing a Book Gordon offers a . When people sign up to get it, they use their email address. Then, Gordon will use the email address to market. An eBook will get your name out there and establish you as an expert. EBooks can be used as a lead magnet, or you can sell the eBook online. Make sure the eBook is quality. Do not do it just to make people spend money. 7. Public or Live Events By offering continuing education events, you can create more income. Dr. David Hall of has a whole course on how to create one of these events: . Several organizations also offer continuing education credits online and as live events. 8. Starting a Podcast or YouTube Channel Gordon’s podcast has grown, now advertisers are interested in sponsoring the podcast. For example, pays to be a sponsor of the podcast. Gordon does not take any old advertiser. He only uses people that he trusts and businesses that offer a relevant service for his audience. People on YouTube will also create income via advertising. 9. Consulting and Coaching If you have been in practice for a while, and have business-related skills, think about consulting others. Generally, you can charge more for consulting than you can counseling because it comes with a level of expertise. Gordon charges two or three times higher for consulting than he does for counseling. Plus, counseling is more of a long-term commitment, whereas coaching may be more of a short-term commitment. 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! Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT Gordon is the person behind He is also President and Founder of . He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. , and . Follow us on
/episode/index/show/practiceoftherapy/id/12718658