Private Pay Practitioners Premium Podcast

You did not set your rate to hurt anyone. So why does it feel like you need to apologize for it? In this one I am getting into where that apology comes from, what it is costing you, and what changes when you stop leading with sorry. Maybe it's time to explore in a 1:1! Book today at privatepaypractitioners.com

I sat down with Melissa Guttman, a licensed creative arts therapist, music therapist, and founder of IFS Witch in New York. Melissa specializes in trauma therapy for highly sensitive women in midlife recovering from narcissistic abuse. She uses IFS, Brainspotting, music therapy, and spiritual modalities including astrology and intuitive development. But what made this conversation so rich is what...

Natalie is back. And this one went somewhere I did not expect. Natalie Milom is a licensed clinical social worker, EMDRIA certified EMDR trainer, ICEEFT certified EFT therapist, the first Black EFT supervisor in Georgia, and the CEO of Potential Realized. She also just got approved to offer her own EMDR basic training, EMDR for the Culture, which centers anti-Black racism and what it actually look...

Your headshot is doing something on your website and your directories right now. The question is whether it is doing something good. In this one I am getting into why your photo is part of your marketing, what it communicates before anyone reads a single word, and what to do if it is not working for you. SMILE

Most therapists freeze when a client pushes back on the rate. In this one I am getting into why that moment does not have to derail you, what is actually happening when a client says they cannot afford it, and what to say that is honest, boundaried, and does not send you into a spiral. Enjoy!

This week I had two guests at the table and we went deep on the one topic most therapists avoid until it becomes a crisis. Money. Amber Dugger is the founder of Profit for Keeps, a system that combines personal finance and business cash flow strategies using Profit First and YNAB to help entrepreneurs become permanently profitable. Maren Londahl-Smidt is a licensed clinical social worker, Profit f...

I sat down with Shajuan Alexander, a licensed clinical social worker and supervisor based in Houston, Texas, and the founder of The Culture of Health. Shajuan specializes in therapy for Women of Color in healthcare, runs three clinical supervision groups with 16 supervisees, teaches immigration evaluation training through her program IEGA, and coaches clinicians on building income beyond the thera...

This week I sat down with Danielle Sampson, a licensed clinical social worker, perinatal mental health certified therapist, group practice owner, and the creator of Small Town SEO and the Private Practice Visibility System. Danielle is based in Buffalo, New York. You know, the place where everyone said you could never charge premium rates. She charges $250 an hour and she is full. She did it by fi...

Most Psychology Today profiles say the right things in all the wrong ways. Warm. Empathetic. Collaborative. Safe space. And somehow, none of it tells anyone whether they're in the right place. In this minisode, I break down exactly what PT prompts therapists to write, why following those prompts makes you sound like everyone else, and the three-part structure that actually converts profile visitor...

This week I sat down with Katie McKenna, a licensed psychotherapist and master's level nutritionist with over 22 years of experience based in Seattle. Katie specializes in eating disorders, chronic illness, anxiety, and trauma. She also integrates nutrition, the nervous system, and the body-mind connection into her clinical work because she believes talk therapy alone is not enough. Katie has been...

This week I sat down with Shimon Cohen, a licensed clinical social worker, trauma therapist, and creator of Doin' The Work, a continuing education platform for social workers and helping professionals doing justice-centered work. Shimon is in the middle of the transition. He is on Headway and Alma, he knows he wants to be strictly private pay by 2027, and he is doing the work to get there. We talk...

I sat down with Kyle Harwick, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Next Wave Counseling in Newport Beach, California. Kyle specializes in working with men navigating stress, anxiety, and the pressure of everyday life. He is also one of the most relational clinicians I have had on this show. We talked about how he built a full private pay caseload before he even got fully license...

This week I sat down with Joshua Robinson, a Navy veteran, licensed clinical social worker, doctoral candidate, and founder of Stillwater Counseling. Josh is building a private pay practice across five states while working full-time as a psychotherapist at the VA, finishing a doctorate on workforce burnout, and teaching at Florida State. He came in with a lot of ideas and a lot of fear. We got int...

LCSW. LPC. EMDR-trained. IFS Level 2. You worked hard for every single one of those credentials. But if they're the first thing people see when they land on your profile, you may be losing clients before they even read the next line. In this minisode, I break down why leading with credentials is costing you connections, what your ideal client is actually looking for, and what to put first instead....

This week's episode is one I've been wanting to do for a while. And I'm making it free for everyone from day one because this conversation needs to be heard. I put together a roundtable of four male clinicians who are all doing meaningful work with men and couples in private pay, and we got into all of it. Where this work comes from, why men are still underrepresented in the therapy room on both s...

You have five seconds. That's how long someone stays on your homepage before deciding whether to keep reading or leave. In this minisode, I break down the three questions every therapist website needs to answer immediately, why most homepages fail the test, and how to find out if yours is one of them. If your homepage opens with a forest photo, a candle, or a Rumi quote, this one's for you.

Tonight's episode is live and this one is going to make you think. Dr. Brian J. Dixon is a psychiatrist out of Fort Worth, Texas, who has been direct pay since day one. No insurance. Never. He started in 2014 after being called into HR for calling out his medical director, put in his notice, built a Wix website, and his first patient handed him a $250 check. He said it was off to the races ever si...

This one might sting a little. In this minisode I'm talking about one of the patterns I see most in therapists -- deciding on behalf of your clients what they can afford before they ever have the chance to tell you themselves. That's not generosity. That's codependency wearing a helper costume. We get into where it comes from, how it shows up in your pricing decisions, and what to do instead. It's...

Dr. Darius Fathi is a licensed clinical and sports psychologist running a concierge-style private pay practice in Jupiter, Florida. He moved there in 2024 with a 3-month-old, left his behavioral health director role, and had to build fast in one of the most saturated therapy markets in the country. Here's what we got into: What concierge therapy actually means and how it's different from just bein...

Tonight's episode is live. Keren Khait Goldenberg joined me to talk about building a boutique private pay practice with three associates in LA, leaving the VC platforms behind, and what happens when you break your own boundaries with clients. We also got into the sliding scale vs. reduced rate conversation, how she structures her associate model, and what it actually looks like to wear every singl...

I sat down with Dr. Sheena Horsford, a licensed couple and family therapist in Virginia who went full private pay in September. Dr. Sheena has a doctorate - and insurance paid her at a master's level rate. Started at $80. Got up to $130 by the end. And when she added another person to the room for couples or family work? The rate went DOWN to $65. She lost 90% of her clients when she made the swit...

I am feeling so good this week that I am dropping ANOTHER BONUS! I sat down with my dear friend and play cousin Renelle Nelson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, AASECT certified sex therapist, and infidelity recovery coach in Arizona and Wisconsin. Renelle is Black history. First African American AASECT-certified sex therapist in both Wisconsin AND Arizona. And she had to stay ready with...

This week I went live with Karen Conlon, therapist turned coach, author, and host of the brand new Emotionally Wealthy podcast. Karen spent 20+ years in corporate sales before becoming a therapist. She built a group practice in NYC (7 therapists at its peak), specialized in psychogastroenterology (gut-brain connection), and eventually closed it two years ago due to burnout. Now she does coaching,...

Natalie Milom and I have been friends in the private pay circle for a minute, and I finally got her on the show. Natalie runs Potential Realized, a group practice in the Atlanta area, and she's licensed in Georgia, California, Indiana, Vermont, Florida, and South Carolina. She's a certified EMDR therapist and consultant, certified EFT couples therapist and supervisor candidate, and a TBRI practiti...

Rachel Bentley jumped on last minute when my scheduled guest got sick, and I'm glad she did. Rachel owns COR Counseling in Michigan - a group practice that grew from 3 therapists sharing one crappy office to 35-40 clinicians serving about 1,000 clients. She also runs Next Level Private Practice, her consulting company, and hosted a summit last fall with 120 attendees and 30 speakers. She started t...