Oct 21, 2019
Do you ever feel overwhelmed? In this episode, Gordon and Sarah Leitschuh, LMFT discuss the progression of practicing therapy to consulting people on the business side of private practice. Often, private practice owners crave the flexibility of being an entrepreneur. However, flexibility isn’t always a good thing as Sarah can attest to. Stay tuned to hear all the ways owners can navigate the overwhelm of private practice.
Meet Sarah Leitschuh
Are you ready to reduce the overwhelm that has overtaken your life as a result of trying to balance your work and personal life? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute Vibrant Therapist Clarity call and walk away with a strategy that you can implement today in order to find yourself feeling more energized and less depleted. You can access my schedule HERE.
Flexibility in Private Practice
Sarah quickly realized that flexibility could be a bad thing. She found herself overwhelmed – it was hard for her not to have enough time or energy for anything she wanted to do. Sarah was working all the time and not seeing the results she wanted to see. Plus, she was supervising others – her supervisees were saying the same things that she was thinking. Sarah knew there was something she wasn’t doing. There needed to be a way to show up to private practice and still have a life in the outside world.
Taking Inventory
We can find the path to doing things more easily – but we don’t necessarily have the big picture of what is contributing to our overwhelm. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself: what is contributing to your overwhelm? Where do you feel like you are wasting a lot of your time? Also, find out where you are leaking time, energy, and money. Once you fix these leaks, you will have more time to devote to things that could fill your bucket.
Feeling Overwhelmed
Private practice owners feel overwhelmed because of the constant need to document. Sometimes, their caseload is full of clients that they are not passionate about working with. Or, the schedule can be overwhelming. Your schedule may not be working out – are you scheduling too many things outside of therapy? These extra activities could be stressing you out. Gordon says therapists need to stick to their schedule. Do not let your clients run your schedule for you.
Solid Boundaries
Sarah says having boundaries is one of the ways to beat the overwhelm in private practice. Have limits as to which clients you can take into your practice. Have a solid list of referrals to give to your clients if you cannot take them in. Plus, have your set hours. If clients ask to see you outside of your hours – set your boundaries and let them know what is possible. Gordon says it was overwhelming when he started taking clients that were not his ideal clients. He is not a drug and alcohol addiction specialist – he gets a lot of calls about this, but his practice is not equipped to do this kind of therapy.
Constant Evaluation
Sarah recommends that quarterly or monthly therapists take a look at the state of their practice. Are you taking action to get you closer to vision? Or are you taking steps that are pulling you away from your vision? Evaluating regularly will keep your practice on track of meeting your goals and fulfilling your vision.
Tabling For Later
We do not have time for everything! It is beneficial to table things intentionally. At the end of 2019, some of the items on your brain dump list are not able to happen this year. Write this list down for 2020 to free up energy on things you can get done this year. It will no longer be hanging over your head for the rest of 2019. Find a blank spot on your calendar and make it sacred. Prioritize your well-being – it is just as important as seeing a 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!
Sarah’s Resources
Counseling Website
Vibrant Therapist & Professional Development Website
The Overwhelm Assessment for Stressed Out Therapists
Sarah’s Facebook
Other Resources
Free Webinar: Business Entities For Private Practice
Killin’It Camp
The Practice of Therapy Resources
G-Suite For Therapists
Be a Podcast Guest
How To Make Money In Private Practice
>>Get the FREE Financial Analysis Guide<<
Money Matters in Private Practice | The Course
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Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT
Gordon is the person behind The Practice of Therapy Podcast & Blog. He is also President and Founder of Kingsport Counseling Associates, PLLC. He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer, and writer. PLEASE Subscribe to The Practice of Therapy Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play. Follow us on Twitter @therapistlearn and Pinterest “Like” us on Facebook