The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer: SPECIAL EPISODE | Essential Elements of Private Practice

SPECIAL EPISODE | Essential Elements of Private Practice | TPOT 100

Oct 7, 2019

In this episode, The Practice of Therapy celebrates its 100th EPISODE! Gordon plays clips from some of his favorite episodes, including guests like Jeff Guenther, Allison Puryear, Joe Sanok, Kasey Compton, Mike Michalowicz, Paul Jarvis, Melvin Varghese, and David Hall. The clips cover a variety of private practice topics like marketing, return on investment, processes, systems, and how to find support.

Jeff Guenther: Say More About That

In this clip, Jeff Guenther talks about why some therapists get “ghosted” by their clients and he also gives specific examples. His podcast, Say More About That, dives deep into the client’s personal journey of finding a therapist and going to counseling. Jeff talks to people about why they wanted to go to therapy, what kind of therapist they were looking for, and why. He covers why some mental health counselors were excellent matches and why others didn’t work and also touches on what they thought therapy was going to be like and if it met their expectations. Say More About That asks their guests if they have advice for therapists to help them be better or more effective counselors.

Jeff Guenther, LPC, is a therapist in Portland, OR. He has been in private practice since 2005 and currently leads workshops on how therapists can build their digital brand and attract more clients online.

TherapyDen

Say More About That

Jeff Guenther | What Clients Are Saying About Their Therapists | TPOT Podcast 075

Allison Puryear: Marketing Isn’t Scary

The most common struggle for private practice owners is being afraid to market and being uncomfortable with the idea of marketing. Some people think marketing is something a businessperson does, not a clinician. Allison says every client has their ideal therapist out there. It is up to the therapist, as an act of service, to help our clients find us and overcome their struggles.

Know that it is about showing up and continuing to try and build your practice. If someone has a phone call during their first two weeks of private practice, then that’s an anomaly. If you build it, they will not come; you have to tell people about your practice to build it.

Allison Puryear, LCSW is the person behind Abundance Practice Building, Abundance Party, and is a private practice coach and consultant.

TPOT 006 |Allison Puryear, LCSW | Marketing Your Private Practice Without Fear

Joe Sanok: Return on Investment (ROI)

Depending on which phase of growth you are in, it will determine where and how a clinician in private practice should spend their time and money resources to get the best ROI. When you start your private practice, your greatest asset is the time you spend. In this phase, attention should be spent on bootstrapping and marketing your practice. Spend time making those community contacts and developing relationships with other professionals in your business. Plus, Joe explains the benefits of outsourcing as much as possible so you can continue running your practice and seeing clients.

Joe Sanok is the person behind The Practice of the Practice Podcast and Blog. Joe is a speaker, mental health counselor, business consultant, and podcaster.

Joe Sanok | How to Level-Up and Grow Your Private Practice | TPOT Podcast 11

Kasey Compton: Processes and Systems

Kasey’s phenomenal growth (80 staff members and a million-dollar practice in just three years) came primarily out of her ability to create processes and systems to make the growth as seamless as possible. She put most of her effort on the front end into mapping things out so that the processes and systems were well defined. Kasey also said that she made some mistakes and learned from them rather than let them ultimately defeat her. For instance, her partner was high-strung, which made their workplace culture toxic. Three years later, the people who quit her practice are back and notice the immense changes.

Kasey Compton 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 Mindsight Behavioral Group with multiple offices located in Kentucky.

Kasey Compton | Systems, Processes & Growing a Million-Dollar Private Practice | TPOT Podcast 047

Mike Michalowicz: Profit First

With Mike’s “Profit First” system, he turns conventional wisdom on its head and gives us another way of thinking about how we manage our finances and look at profit. The traditional way of thinking about making a profit is this:

Income – Expenses = Profit

It’s what we get to keep after everything else is paid for; operating expenses, salaries, and taxes. The problem is that the bigger we grow, the more our expenses grow too. It becomes a never-ending cycle that keeps our profitability at bay and keeps our businesses unhealthy. Mike says this line of thinking is kind of like saying, “my health comes last.”

Mike says that a better way is to allocate our profit first rather than let our expenses and operating costs determine what we get. The premise is to allocate a percentage of the income on the front end for profit. It looks like this:

Income – Profit = Expenses

This, of course, seems like unconventional wisdom. Mike goes on to explain that by taking our profit first, we are better able to take control of our business’ health and operate at a level that is more sustainable and realistic.

By Mike Michalowicz’s 35th birthday, he had founded and sold two companies – one to private equity and another to a Fortune 500. Today he is running his third multi-million dollar venture, Profit First Professionals.

Mike’s Website

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Mike Michalowicz | Using “Profit First” In Your Private Practice (Part 2) | with Kasey Compton | TPOT Podcast 050

Mike Michalowicz | Using “Profit First” In Your Private Practice | with Kasey Compton | TPOT Podcast 049

Paul Jarvis: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

If people are working from home, then others think they do not have a legitimate business. Paul is a one-person business; he does work with contractors but has never hired an employee because he doesn’t want to be a boss. We should reconsider the idea that bigger is always better. Paul’s book isn’t about anti-growth; it is thinking critically about growth. The key is to think about how the business works and runs. If we grew our businesses, we would have to hire people and then become a manager. Is that the position you want to put yourself in?

Paul Jarvis is a writer and designer who’s had his own company of one for the last two decades. His latest book, Company of One, explores why bigger isn’t always better in business.

Company of One, The Podcast

Paul’s Website

Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business

Paul Jarvis | How Keeping Your Practice Small Could Be Big… | TPOT Podcast 086

Melvin Varghese: Income in Private Practice

If all you do is focus on income generation, you are eventually going to burn out. Time flexibility and creating a lifestyle that makes sense is far more critical than the money you will make. When a person reaches a net income of around $150,000 annually, then it just becomes unmanageable. Their quality of life will not increase with additional money. It is better to have a strong foundation that lasts long-term rather than something that takes off quickly and fizzles out.

Melvin Varghese, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Philadelphia, PA. In 2015, he launched Selling The Couch, a podcast and blog to help our field learn the business and marketing lessons we don’t often learn in our training.

Melvin Varghese, Ph.D. | Podcasting, And Entrepreneurship In Private Practice | TPOT Podcast 078

David Hall: Finding Supports From Others in Private Practice

Private practice can be lonely sometimes; we should find like-minded people to support us in our journeys. David gives us thoughts on proximity and finding support. Support can come in many different forms, and David speaks on ways to find resources and how to get your name out into your community.

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.

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Therapy Notes

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