In this episode, Gordon talks again with Jane Carter, LPC about finding your "Superpowers" and priorities in private practice. Jane and Gordon share how their mindsets have shifted over time and how it has changed the focus of their practices. Jane also shares how getting some business coaching changed her practice and helped her to grow exponentially. She also shares how she made the shift to doing more coaching rather than traditional therapy in her practice. They also talk about being able to embrace change and taking some risks. And, at the same time, being genuine to yourself and knowing your gifts.

Meet Jane Carter

Jane Carter, LPC is a counselor and business coach from Asheville, NC. Jane has spent the last several years in private practice as a counselor and has recently begun focusing more on business coaching, not only for therapists but other businesses as well. Her website is: JaneCarterCoaching.com

Jane says, "As a therapist, business coach, and life coach, I love helping people navigate the path to achieving their goals for a meaningful life. I apply these principles in my own life in the mountains of Asheville, NC, where I'm an outdoors woman, world-traveler, dog-mama, food-and-wine lover, reader, and coffee-shop connoisseur. (I'm also known for making up great puns on the fly)."

First Pancakes

Jane talks about how she has tried a few things that really have not worked so well for her as a counselor and a business coach. She refers to these as "first pancakes". If you have ever cooked pancakes, the first ones you try to make never turn out that good. But you have to make that first one for the rest to be perfect.

Our private practices are the same way. How you start out is probably not going to be at all like you end up. There will be a huge learning curve and you will experience some failures along the way. But you have to always make the first pancake…

Finding Your Superpowers

Your "superpowers" are your gifts and talents as a person. Superpowers are also found in what you are passionate about. Finding your superpowers means being able to discover what you do better than anything else. And when you do those things, you can do them almost effortlessly. To find your superpowers it is important get feedback from others to know what they see in you that you might not have really noticed before. This is where coaching and finding a mentor can help so very much.

Another way to think about "superpowers" is really to think about what your strengths might be. By understanding and knowing yourself well, you can be more genuine and authentic with people. In many ways, it is what we help our clients with day in and day out. We help them find their strengths and gifts to help them thrive in life.

When we know our own "superpowers", we are better able to live into how we can best help people. It makes us more authentic and genuine with what we do. People will notice that and be drawn to it.

Using Your Superpowers To Market Your Practice

One of the keys things to remember about marketing is that people are drawn to what is genuine. In many ways, it is all about helping people discover how you can help them in their lives. It's putting yourself in front of others and sharing with them how your superpowers can help them transform their lives.

Building the Long Game

The other thing to remember about growing a private practice, or any business for that matter, is to think about the "long game". "Get rich quick" rarely works. But by being able to think long-term and be content with steady growth, we are usually much more satisfied and content. Sharing your superpowers as a clinician, people will notice it as being genuine and authentic.

Ultimately, being able to know yourself well and discover your true strengths and abilities will help you be much more successful. It is where our superpowers live. By embracing our superpowers, we become much more effective as clinicians and human beings in general.

Resources Mentioned:

Get a free copy of the "Private Practice Crush Game" by emailing Jane at [email protected]. Use the subject line: "Gordon Brewer is awesome". Let Jane know you listened to the podcast and she will send you the game.

Jane's coaching and consulting website: JaneCarterCoaching.com

Get "The Works" – Paperwork Packet, Session Note Helper™ and the Accounting Templates for Google Sheets in one money-saving bundle – practiceoftherapy.com/theworks

Apply for a Mastermind Group and find your "Superpowers"!

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 Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Play. Follow us on Twitter @therapistlearn and Pinterest "Like" us on Facebook.