My Journey as a Therapist…

I graduated with my MA in Clinical Counseling in December of 2013. After graduation, I worked at a school district family counseling center for six months. In the summer of 2014, I moved to North Carolina and began working in an enhanced services program (Intensive In-Home Services) at a community mental health organization. I loved the team aspect of this role and enjoyed working with clients and their entire families. However, the hours were often unpredictable, as I frequently needed to work after school hours and would need to be available to respond to crisis calls 24/7 every 3 weeks. Those crisis calls could result in having to leave family events and gatherings without any notice. My car accumulated many miles as I provided services across three different counties.

I stayed in that role for four years. After having my child, I decided I needed a job closer to home with more consistent hours. I transitioned to a group practice, where I provided in-person therapy in an office setting. This was a generalist practice where I was expected to work with individuals ranging from 3 to 65 years old, addressing a wide variety of presenting needs. The age was limited only because, at the time, I couldn’t be credentialed under Medicare.

While there were many wonderful aspects of the group practice, the income was capped quite low, and I wanted more flexibility and autonomy as a therapist. I explored several online telehealth platforms, but decided those were not a good fit. (I could soapbox on that, but I’ll save that for another time).

Finally, at the end of 2020, I decided to launch my own practice. Initially, I planned to transition gradually over a few years and while continuing part-time at the group practice. However, after a few months, my caseload grew to the point that I decided I could sustain my income on my own. In July of 2021, I went into full-time solo private practice.

This was truly the best decision I ever made for my family. I have been able to spend more time with my child and husband. I was able to start exploring my niche and focusing on the areas of therapy I am most passionate about. With increased earnings, I have been able to invest in additional trainings to strengthen my therapeutic skills. I have found greater enjoyment in my work as I focused on the issues I feel most competent and confident addressing. My income has increased while my working hours decreased. Since Jully of 2021, I have maintained a steady caseload, averaging about 21 clients per week. I love my clients and I love providing therapy. I am so thankful to God that I get to do this as my job!

My Journey as a Business Owner…

I remember in graduate school thinking I would never work in private practice. I was also terrified of ever taking insurance. It all just seemed so hard and complicated! I believed, like many new therapists, that running a practice was just incredibly complicated, that there is so much liability, and that insurance above all is impossible to deal with!

Oh if I could only travel back in time and tell myself the collective fears therapists hold are not true!

It can be overwhelming to look at the big picture, but once I broke up the steps to starting a practice into bite sized pieces, it wasn’t so difficult. I actually launched my practice in about a month!

Over the years, I’ve realized I have a super power, and as a Private Practice Coach, I belief this is my biggest asset that I can lend you. I love the business side of being a practice owner, learning about taxes, deductions, insurance billing, bookkeeping, features EHRs, practice systems, etc. I enjoy going down the rabbit holes of business ownership and researching topics that will help a practice be successful and more efficient. I can read/listen to podcasts for hours on those topics!

Not everyone has the time and interest for that, which is why I am passionate about providing accessible consulting and coaching to therapists. Rather than provide a long extensive program, I offer one one one coaching so we can focus in on your specific quesitons and needs for launching your practice.

Many therapists, like myself, launch their solo practices while also working full-time jobs and juggling other life roles. I get it, time is of the essence!

We can skip over the aspects of starting a practice that you are familiar with and jump to the essential questions you may have about business ownership and running a practice. In a one on one format, we can go over your specific systems that you are setting up and tailor them to your needs in an efficient way.

I am so excited to work with you and help you realize your dreams!