Starting a Counseling Practice Success Stories

Ryan, one of our TAP Accountability Coaches, joined Kelly on the Starting a Counseling Practice podcast to talk more about his role with zynnyme and what it means to be accountable as a business owner and human being. --- Join the FREE Private Practice Community: classroom.zynnyme.com/share/DCZS57H6dbE8S_GZ Learn more about Business School for Therapists: news.zynnyme.com/bootcamp/ Website: zynnym...

We’ve highlighted success stories where therapists start from scratch after locating to a new location, but what if you’re moving constantly? Is it feasible to open and shut down a practice every three years? Can you build a full caseload of clients if you’ll be leaving the area in a few years? Ashley realized early on that she couldn’t grow in a regular position if she kept relocating. Since her...

Outsourcing your website may seem the most practical way of setting up your website. You pay someone to write your copy, make the site searchable, and make it look pretty. But Robin found that depending on who you hire for the task, you might only get one of the three, or none in some cases. And even if you look for referrals from friends and colleagues you might not get the same experience they h...

On Thursday, February 24, Russian president Putin announced a "special military operation" to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine. Minutes later, missiles and airstrikes struck throughout Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, shortly followed by a large ground invasion from multiple directions. In response, Ukrainian president Zelenskyy enacted martial law and general mobilization. As we witness th...

Erinn loves doing her work by herself. After launching private practice in 2021, she wanted to grow her online presence to legitimize her business. She started creating her website on Wix with a single page about her services and thought it was enough to start attracting clients. During her initial phone screenings, callers mentioned how her website "spoke" to them, but she noticed many weren’t pe...

Nicole was surprised by how different therapy is after licensure when compared to her coursework. Here she talked with Miranda about starting her practice and the variety of work she's completed in the field. Nicole began to feel overworked as she grew her practice while working an agency position and writing on the side. As an outlet, she began her Instagram page. Gaining over 120,000 followers,...

The transition from working for someone to working for yourself can be tricky. Even as a successful practice owner, group practice might be something that seems unattainable with all the additional steps required: new processes, supervision, onboarding, insurance coverage, distributing paychecks — ALL while managing the clinical side of your business. But here’s the good news about expanding into...

Ever wanted to get 1:1 time with Kelly and Miranda to have all your juicy questions answered? During this live Q&A, those of you who joined us got just that! We talked about determining next steps in your practice, accepting (or getting off) insurance, building client-generating websites, and acquiring an NPI for starting group therapy (don’t worry, we’ll go over what this means and if you nee...

You weren’t taught how to run a business in grad school, and many of us finish without even knowing what we don’t know! But you still set out to build a business that’s right for you, and now you’re feeling stuck and don’t know what went wrong. So, you may be thinking: Why aren’t people staying? Are my fees too high? What am I missing? Maybe private practice isn’t right for me. We spoke with inspi...

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to starting a private practice, and we’re here to help no matter what your journey looks like. Whether you have no previous business experience or if this is your third business, you can find value in this Starting a Private Practice Q&A. In the Q&A, you’ll meet some amazing Business School for Therapists alumni and get answers to your burning question...

Karen, a clinical psychologist in Cape Cod , had worked in the public sector for years and loved every second of it. She loved the predictability and the regular paycheck but this would change abruptly.  Her health began to deteriorate to the point she could no longer hold a regular 9-5 position or work under fluorescent lighting. She began to lose self-confidence as she was forced to live of...

From the outside, just owning a business can look like success.  But from the inside, your relationships may be deteriorating, you may not be making enough to sustain yourself, or you may be managing a heavy caseload. Success can vary from person to person and change over time. Kelly and Miranda discuss their definition of business success: When your practice has great clinical outcomes AND y...

Jackie worked in a state agency office doing work that left her feeling unsatisfied. As the only sex therapist in the state, she advocated for her sex therapy work but wasn't helped with promoting her business. As the agency suggested working with trauma patients, a group she didn't have experience with, she started feeling trapped and unfulfilled. She knew the only way to align herself with her w...

You’ve been running a marathon since March 2020 and still haven’t stopped. Some of us were even feeling this way BEFORE the global pandemic. Bubble baths and vacations aren’t going to heal us individually and collectively. So, what’s the REAL reason for our burnout? You've been supporting clients through a collective trauma that you, too, have been experiencing. In this experiential, trauma-inform...

Jeanetta didn’t have a set schedule before starting her practice. As a contractor, she would travel the world and go wherever she was needed. But she didn’t feel she was honoring herself or her worth. Jeanetta struggled choosing between continuing down a path she didn’t enjoy versus pursuing what she really wanted to do. Now, as a therapist, she feels grounded and continues to grow a practice that...

In 2021, insurance companies made around 30 BILLION DOLLARS in profits! And do therapists on insurance panels see similar figures? Not even close. Accepting insurance brings a third party into the therapeutic relationship. Insurance companies can determine medical necessity or if they’ll cover diagnosis. As a therapist on panels, you agree to rates for services and abide by contracts. But sometime...

Handling 54 clients may seem impossible, but Lauran continues to add to the caseload as she expands her business into a group practice. How do you know if group practice is right for you? Are you ready for that type of responsibility? What are those next steps? Lauran originally joined Business School for Therapists as she launched her solo practice and continued to use the material as she transit...

Have you thought about transitioning into group practice? It may seem so easy : hire another clinician, see more clients, and instantly increase your revenue. Or it may feel daunting : you’ve heard nightmare stories of group owners normalizing intense work hours, being available 24/7, and bringing in minimal profits, even with a high gross. After seeing the numbers they work with, it may feel inti...

Your website is the hub for clients to learn about you and your practice. And it’s difficult to attract the right people or convert anyone to a client if your website is a carbon copy of another practice. Instead, it should be your own and highlight why you’re the right fit for clients! Tabitha, one of our recurring guests and a successful practice owner, shares how she refined her messaging and w...

You have so much to offer, and you know there are clients in need, but you just keep wondering What am I doing wrong?   You can’t seem to fill your practice, and you’re struggling to maintain the clients you have. When you think about it, you just aren’t in love with your practice the way you know you could be… and when you take a look at your income, it’s simply not sustainable. But even if...

You’re so needed right now, and the demand is high, but that doesn't mean opening your business magically leads to a full caseload and a great paycheck. You want to provide quality care to clients in a way that’s sustainable, but you weren’t taught about business in grad school! Check out this FREE training for therapists to help you lay the groundwork so you can start creating a practice that wor...

Social media can be tricky to use. From automating posts to using the correct hashtags, there are many challenges when growing your online presence. Gaining a following doesn't happen overnight. Abbey and Miranda talk about personal growth and success with social media, such as how Instagram can strengthen your digital presence. They also look into why therapists have trouble with the platform its...

Struggling in private practice doesn't look the same for everyone. You have a full practice but are unable to pay off bills. You created an awesome website but it's not converting prospects into clients. You accept insurance panels and feel burnt out from the overwhelming number of clients. You pay contractors more when they work fewer hours than you. You move to a new state and have to start from...

Starting a practice and publishing a book is no easy task. Kelsey has done both while raising her daughter. We interviewed her last year as she worked on her book. Now set to release, she discloses her publishing process and how her practice continues to operate as she begins to shift her focus on the book. Kelsey notices a lack of information in the field and wanted to make sure teens with anxiet...

Building a group practice requires shifts in mindset, new business practices, and relationship-building with the right clinicians! But how is it done? We spoke with four incredible group practice owners about their experiences building and growing their businesses (SPOILER: It’s about progress in your practice, NOT perfection) and how Business School for Therapists helped inform them every step of...