Starting a Counseling Practice Success Stories

Latest Episodes:

Know Yourself and Stand Out: Self-Disclosing and Improving Your Presence Online with Ronald Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

Have you been trying to grow your online presence? Feel like you don't stand out to other practice's websites? Ronald faced the same issue starting his practice late in his professional career. As he worked in education, he wanted to help his students with deeper matters.

Ronald, an LMFT in the Bay Area, spoke with Miranda about how he resolved his digital presence. Self-disclosing, niching, and workshops helped attract Ronald's clients. Both discuss certain ways to stand out online, knowing yourself, and dealing with late a career change.

Want to learn more about Ronald’s work? Check out his publications on Couples and Relationship therapy here.

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Making Businesses More Human with John Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Most of the time, we think of businesses only motivated by money. John, LPCC and business coach working with therapists in San Francisco, wants to change that. As he had therapy at a young age, he wanted to pursue it as a career. He continued his education up to a doctoral program where he wanted to teach therapists the business side of the work.

Although John noticed faculty weren't backing his proposal, he still wanted to continue helping others. After a retreat where Kelly was speaking, he made the difficult decision to cease his Ph.D. program. Now John works with therapists his own way: Business Made Human. He created his business to help therapists create a purpose-driven practice.

Miranda and John talk about the issues therapists have transitioning from agency work to their practice. John discusses how important it is to have a vision and its effects on your practice as a whole. He also wants to remove the stigma of receiving help for clients and therapists alike.

Click below on the image to watch the video episode of Starting a counseling practice podcast with zynnyme. Or, scroll down to listen to the podcast version.

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Giving Yourself Permission: Should You Close Your Private Practice? Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Annie had therapy sessions at the age of 8. She loved the sessions with her therapist and wanted to pursue it as a career. Now Annie, a therapist and coach in San Francisco, began setting the foundation of her practice. After talking to a supervisor, she noticed she wasn’t fulfilled by the work she was doing. As she was still developing her practice, she also had a brainchild in the works: Rebel Therapy. Soon, Annie realized she enjoyed the coaching work more than her actual practice. Annie and Miranda speak on what helped develop their practices and why they shut them down. Annie also shares the issue with wanting passive income and if it is "passive".

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Navigating Neurodivergent Entrepreneurship with Caroline Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Caroline, registered psychologist in Canada, has always flown by the seat of her pants so when a friend suggested that they get their master’s degrees and become counselors she jumped on board.

Caroline says the move into private practice was “always something I just had to do… I have lots of ADHD, working for an agency is always hard… wasting time, deadlines didn’t make sense…” She acknowledges difficulties of being in business with a neurodivergent brain, such as handling billing and administration work, but finds the same personality traits that make it hard are the same traits that provide a great point of connection with the kids she serves. She also states a training program like Bootcamp would have been very helpful.

While examining the outcomes of her clients and looking at the research, Caroline recognized grad school leaves new therapists incompetent for the fieldwork. Due to outdated resources and incomplete training, they often struggle and so do their clients so she created her own training to provide “effective work all around the world.” Her trainings, in addition to updating the techniques for therapy, also focus on improving her students’ practice such as working with their strengths, implementing rating scales with clients, and setting boundaries.

Check out Caroline’s website and training programs. A special offer for our listeners: use “zynny” at checkout for 20% off of any training programs!

Interested in joining us on Starting A Counseling Practice? Request to be a guest here!

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Navigating and Transitioning Into your Practice With Dr. Shemena Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Shemena credits Jack Nicolson for her career as a therapist. After watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, her interest in psychology sparked as she saw how one's environment can affect a person.

Dr. Shemena, PsyD and LMFT in Los Angeles, shares her process of transitioning into her practice. She talks about the challenges of leaving a corporate position and how it felt like a traffic jam. From stability and low responsibility to freedom and uncertainty, it was a slow-paced change. She also had trouble adjusting to the free time she had as she transitioned from two jobs to focusing solely on her business.

Wishing she had access to Business School programming, Shemena created workshops and a podcast based on her growth within her private practice. She advises why therapists should be in therapy, how to be present with each client, and being open about “what we don't know.”

Want to share your own private practice success story? Request to join Miranda and Kelly on Starting a Counseling Practice.

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Adapting and Wasting Nothing with Dr. Kate Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Kate, Ph.D. is an LPC Supervisor and LMFT Supervisor in Texas who had an unconventional start. After completing her music degree, she began teaching, but when she began having family troubles, she went back to get her counseling certificate. Kate quickly recognized that this change would benefit her students too.

Kate made her first attempt at private practice while still in school but had difficulty handling both school and business full-time while managing her husband being deployed, raising 3 kids, and fighting breast cancer. When she finished her program in 2007, she and a trusted mentor began the practice again. It wasn’t long before she expanded beyond the couch and took her love of teaching and turned it into creating more teachers.

Now, in addition to her full-time virtual clinical work with couples and families at Achievebalance.org, Dr. Kate teaches university-level courses and designs continuing education courses for Texas mental health professionals and staff, including the first completely online, 40-hour LPC/LMFT supervisor course in Texas.

Want more of Kate? Join her on her YouTube Channel, Instagram, and two Facebook groups: Texas Supervisor Training and Texas Counselors Creating Badass Businesses.

Interested in joining our conversations about private practice? Request to be a guest with Miranda and Kelly today!

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Slow and Steady: Taking Time to Expand Your Practice with Tracie Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Tracie’s journey into private practice. After her undergraduate years, she started the process of becoming licensed by joining a master's program, but her progress was delayed by a few life setbacks.

It took Tracie, LCSW in Salt Lake City, 10 years to complete her requirements… and graduating is one of her proudest moments!

Tracie’s goal has always been to reduce the unnecessary suffering of others. She's been a pillar in her business, encouraging a strong working culture and collaboration with other businesses.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Tracie started her solo practice and transformed it into a thriving business with 20 clinicians conducting 300 sessions a week.

Check out Tracie’s services here and connect with her on Instagram @mountainviewfamilytherapy.

Interested in guesting on the Starting a Private Practice Podcast or having Miranda and Kelly be guests on yours? Find out more information HERE!

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Burnt Therapists Webinar Series, Episode 3 Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

In the third and final episode of the Burnt Therapists Series, we talk about how we can help mental health professionals in the long term.

Tired of feeling burnt out and frustrated? Click here to register for the FREE Burnt Therapists training on 12/9/21!

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Burnt Therapists Webinar Series, Episode 2 Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

Mental health professionals are tired, burnt out, and ready for change. Join Kelly and Miranda as they brainstorm how to give back to the community, and be one of the first to learn what's to come for zynnyme.

P.S. Register for the Burnt Therapists training and reclaim your joy on 12/9/21!

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Burnt Therapists Webinar Series, Episode 1 Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

Kelly and Miranda value work-life and have ensured that their schedules are sustainable so they can make time for their lives and kids, but since the pandemic, Miranda noticed she started working 60-hour weeks, which hadn't been the norm in a long time -- she wanted to support the community with Kelly but didn't even realize she was working so much.

But it's not just Kelly and Miranda... Everyone is trying to help out during a time of crisis, but it's not sustainable -- we're overworking ourselves and breaking down our boundaries to serve other people at the expense of our own well-being.

Join Kelly and Miranda as they talk about what's been going on and how to start changing it during this exclusive look behind the scenes!

P.S. Register for the Burnt Therapists training and reclaim your joy on 12/9/21!

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