You've just about had it with grad school! You want to start practicing what you've learned. You want to spend more time with your family, get back to your hobbies, reconnect with your friends. The demands of grad school have kept you apart much too often. But back up....you have to work for 3000 hours under a clinical supervisor?

Yep.

So how should you go about finding that perfect supervisor? What is the step-by-step process?

If you're not too confused, listen in on this episode to get exactly that!

Today, I'm talking about one of the things I get asked about the most.  Navigating the Supervision Search: A Comprehensive Guide for Counseling Graduate Students is out now to provide the blueprint for going from “stuck” to making strides toward finding a supervisor who will become your mentor and friend.

I talk about a lot of myths in this one and even talk about things to beware of, but the tactics I talk about are pure gold for new grads! I also talk about my upcoming free webinar with Dr. Tara Fox April 5 where you can attend via Zoom and get the latest information (and 1 CE) about bridging successfully from grad school to Associate and much more. 

I'm also giving away three months free in the Step it UP membership so listen up to see how to enter (actually when you get the guide you're entered)!

Many people wait for their perfect clinical supervisor to appear out of nowhere. The thing is, unless you start taking action, you'll get what you get. So join me for this fantastic podcast to begin your journey to becoming a professional counselor. Enjoy!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

Just-in-time learning — only acquiring new information when needed for the job at hand — has been the story of my life for me!

To help set the tone, I'd like you to imagine brand new entrepreneur Kate hanging her head in shame after her accountant told her to go take Quickbooks lessons. Talk about  impactful! Although it was hard at the time, those lessons helped me level up my skill set at a pivotal moment in my journey. 

This incident made a big impression on me. In fact, I think something similar might be exactly what you need right now to get yourself organized for tax season.

This is a time of year that stops counselors in their tracks because of issues they have never dealt with before. Cutting through the noise is challenging, but this podcast episode may be a game-changer for many.

Listen in on this session to learn more about how you can learn to be good-enough at taxes. Enjoy!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

Starting from nothing and working hard to build a practice is relatable. But what happens when you finally do it? The inevitable tax season catches many mental health entrepreneurs by surprise.

You see, your family at the holiday dinner table probably doesn't want to hear about the money you may or may not owe the government.  But where can you find a safe space to talk openly without offending anyone? Essentially, how do you navigate tax season with grace?

This annual topic, the United States spring tax season, is the perfect example of something that can really mess with practice owners' mindset. We talk about this topic every year in Texas Counselors Creating Badass Businesses, and it is always a hot topic when I'm speaking to even NON-counselor entrepreneurs (taxes are a universal imposter-syndrome producer across the board so I'm not surprised).

But “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” (Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2). The responsibility of running a practice that's changing lives in your community and the important financial decisions involved can weigh anyone down.

Join me for this discussion about money, business growth, work-life balance, and building systems that reflect your vision. Listen in and enjoy!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

None of us starts out in private practice with a ton of clients, much less an army of followers on our social media, blogs, or podcast. In fact, even getting people to give our content a chance is a challenge in the beginning.

In this episode, Craig Alsup of Live Beyond Counseling and Coaching explains why every counselor needs to use digital marketing in their private practice to get more clients AND he gives us tactics that actually make a difference.

Today, Alsup teaches us his technique for using social media and SEO for counselors. This is the same method he uses with his consulting clients to create posts that get viewed by thousands of new followers and podcast listeners by leveraging the power of great content.

This is a masterclass in digital marketing, but the tips apply to all forms of content. Listen in, and be sure to go to  for the resources Craig mentions in this episode.

Craig has been my guest on my Expert Interviews series on my You Tube channel and I love highlighting his amazing work with his coaching clients.

When I have experts share their expertise, I know the content will be insanely valuable—this session is a perfect example of that!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

Connecting with your potential clients through social media can be a game-changing strategy for any practice. Here at Kate Walker Training, we're already helping many entrepreneurs take advantage of this opportunity. But there's a downside of creating a social media presence for marketing purposes.

A current client finds you and crosses a boundary.

This episode is mandatory listening for any practice owner on social media. Through podcasting, blogging, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok etc., the relationships you can build with potential clients and other counselors in your industry are second to none! But what do you do when a current client starts engaging with your posts and crosses a boundary? How do you create an informed consent that specifically covers your boundaries on social media?  What does damage control look like if things go sideways?

That's the focus of today's incredible episode. Review episode 17 and episode 18 to remind yourself why you are using social media in the first place (spoiler alert: because it's AWESOME!). 

Season 2 is all about how practice owners can leverage the power of podcasting, blogging, Instagramming, and all the rest to go from "barely making it" and "overwhelmed" to running a successful practice and achieving balanced mental health. 

The lessons I and others have learned on his journey are invaluable for any current or future practice owner, so don't miss this conversation!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

My chat with Jody Halsted, owner of Ireland Family Vacations for episode 13 was a great reminder of the importance of creating content that will drive business to your practice. But there is actually a different kind of marketing tool that can solve our growth and monetization woes.

The thing is, this strategy is not the same for everyone. In fact, I've had multiple times in my marketing life where I have been tempted to do too much on too many platforms trying to be too many things for too many people and I've always regretted it. So what am I talking about?

In this episode, I'll take you step by step through the process of creating content that will work all year long no matter what social media platform (that includes blogging and podcasting) you choose. How? Long and short of it; be consistent and avoid confusion.

So would you benefit from joining every social media platform, or maybe just creating quality content for your ideal client on a few key platforms?

This is a question I know many people wrestle with. There is no one size fits all answer, but I hope the perspective I share today will help you make the best long-term decision for your practice, and your balanced mental health.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

There's a huge problem that we have to figure out. If we don't, the time and money we spend creating content will be wasted.

In this episode, I want to share my thoughts on the epidemic of mental health practice owners getting on social media without knowing WHY they are doing it and IF their efforts are actually working.  This is not about dissing social media marketing. I love using social media (including blogs, podcasts, Instagram, and Facebook) in my marketing. What I'm talking about today is the how and the why behind using social media so you KNOW it is doing what you want it to do for your practice.

When we use these platforms, we have a wonderful opportunity to capture the most valuable commodity out there - the attention of your potential client/fan/customer/purchaser. So how do we optimize our posts for these content consumption habits?

I'm learning a lot as I interview experts in SEO and listen to podcasts about using content to build a brand, and I want to share some of my findings with you in this episode. These tips apply to everything from podcast intros to blog posts and are vital for any mental health practice owner who wants to incorporate social media into a marketing plan.

There's more to come, but join me today for a discussion about the strategies I recommend to use social media effectively!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

How do you craft a no-nonsense money plan as a therapist? The best starting point is to change your money narrative from fear to 'I got this!'

Many counselors start out with the exact opposite approach. They overemphasize how hard money is to get and hang on to, and research too little about how to put great financial systems in place to build a comfortable and happy life.

My guest today, David Frank, is the founder of Turning Point Financial Life Planning. He helps mental health professionals learn how to manage their money without losing their mind in the process! Having created a speciality working with therapists, David knows about why some counselors successfully manage their money and build a great life (and yes that includes retirement), and why some don't .

So how do you manage your practice revenue and personal income, even if you have zero experience? What is your number one task when you manage your money? What are  money management skills he recommends?

We learn about all of that from David today. Join us for this epic conversation to get the tools and strategies that can save you from learning about managing money the hard way. Trust me—you don't want to miss this one. Enjoy!

Today's Guest

David Frank
David Frank is a Financial Planner and creator of Turning Point Financial Life Planning. He uses the tools of comprehensive financial planning in a way specifically attuned to the unique needs of therapists. 

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

One thing we all want to do is to hone our skills so we can improve our work with clients. But, with tips and tools coming at us from all sides, how do we take action without getting overwhelmed?

I remember trying to become better at working with reluctant clients and focusing on all the things I needed to work on to make that happen. The list seemed endless, and I was getting nowhere tackling everything at once.

The strategy that changed everything for me was the opposite of that. Inspired by videos of Steve DeShazer and Insoo Kim Burg and their solution-focused work, I decided instead to focus on a single aspect of my counseling and improve on that.

When I was with a reluctant client, I noticed myself feeling trapped and frustrated. For one particular intake, I decided to focus on helping the client find exceptions and normalizing their struggles. This eventually turned into the 3-Point Wrap-Up I'm going to teach you today. Zeroing in on one issue was eye-opening and it completely changed my approach to helping reluctant clients.

So how can you focus on ending your intake session with a 3-Point Wrap-Up that will help your client win the battle for initiative (be more motivated)? Listen in on this episode to find out about the tactic I use and how you can apply it to your own intake sessions. 

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

There's a huge problem that we have to figure out. If we don't, the time and money we are wasting on software and apps that over-promise and under deliver can sink our practices. 

In this episode, I want to share my thoughts on apps, software, and websites that have stood the test of time in MY practice and in my Kate Walker Training company. This is not about the 'chase the next shiny object' that has practice owners running from product to product without ever committing to any of them. What I'm talking about today is an alternative to settling for expensive or no-longer-useful software out of habit or because we just don't have the time to sit and do the research.

Even if you decide to never use these platforms, the time we have at our disposal to try out new software or experiment with new apps is shorter than ever. I know you only have a limited amount of to spend on this today. So how about sticking around for about 25 minutes for these new software ideas?

I'm learning a lot as I go through my apps and software and remember why I landed on them, and why I stuck with them. I want to share some of my findings with you in this episode. These tips apply to everything from scheduling clients to operating your side hustle and are vital for any practice owner.

There's more to come, but join me today for a discussion about the apps and software I use to adapt and keep my businesses running!

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.