Apr 27, 2020
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 Rebel Therapist® 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 rebeltherapist.me.
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
rebeltherapist.me
Listen to The Rebel Therapist Podcast
Check out the free training & resources
Other Resources
Join the G-Suite for Therapists Users Group
The Practice of Therapy Teachable Courses (use code SPRING2020)
Money Matters in Private Practice | The Course
G Suite for Therapists | The E-Course
Session Note Helper
Cool Resources
Be a Podcast Guest
Follow @TPOTpodcast on Instagram
Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT
Gordon is the person behind The Practice of Therapy Podcast & Blog. He is also President and Founder of Kingsport Counseling Associates, PLLC. He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. PLEASE Subscribe to The Practice of Therapy Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play. Follow us on Twitter @therapistlearn and Pinterest “Like” us on Facebook