Private Practice Skills

In this week's episode, we look at responses to a Reddit post that asks, "Therapists, what are the common patterns you've noticed in your clients that simultaneously tell you what's going on in society as a collective?"

This piqued my interest! What are some of the patterns you've seen in your therapy work that reflects societal shifts?

View the post on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/askatherapist/comments/1pc9ewu/therapists_what_are_the_common_patterns_youve/

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

https://get.paubox.com/solutions/private-practice

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

Link to Dopamine Nation:

https://amzn.to/4xplsSr

(this is an affiliate link)

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Sharing some of my favorite therapy tools to help break unhealthy patterns. What are some of your favorites?

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

https://get.paubox.com/solutions/private-practice

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Just a fun episode of "would you rather...?" therapist edition. I hope you have fun listening!

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year :)

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Though our clinical skills are clearly the meat and potatoes of our work, private practice also involves a number of important non-clinical skills as well. In this episode, I share my most-used non-clinical skills in private practice.

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year :)

Check out my playlist “Private Practice Marketing Strategy”https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi4iw1FZZYrAaqD-YMZm_Hc5WSZMq5WSB&si=qZzl_JKQ5R-9-B1O

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

We’re continuing our “fundamentals of therapy” series today and taking a closer look at empathy. We all know how central empathy is to the therapeutic process, but we don’t always talk about how to practice becoming more empathic. In this episode, we explore the facets of empathy, and name some practices to help us become more empathic therapists.

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year :)

Watch the previous episode in this series on Active Listening:

https://youtu.be/8bZFqdxUrF4

Links Mentioned:

Carl Rogers: “Empathic: An Unappreciated Way of Being"

http://www.sageofasheville.com/pub_downloads/EMPATHIC_AN_UNAPPRECIATED_WAY_OF_BEING.pdf

Article: "A transdisciplinary framework for empathy research"

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2026.1703147/full

APA’s Dictionary of Psychology Definition of Empathy:

https://dictionary.apa.org/empathy

Psychepedia Article: “Empathy: Affective vs Cognitive Types Explained"

https://psychepedia.arabpsychology.com/trm/empathy-affective-vs-cognitive-types-explained/

Article: "Therapist Empathy and Client Outcome: An Updated Meta-Analysis"

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpst0000175

Article: “Cultivating Empathy"

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/11/feature-cultivating-empathy

Previous Episode on the importance of staying curious with therapy clients:

https://youtu.be/SSNG7iHEar8

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Many of us can get caught up on figuring out how to set our rate in private practice. Do we just make up a random number? Do we charge whatever other people seem to be charging?

In this episode, I share the same rate calculator I’ve been using for years. Rather than guessing, you can use this formula to be empowered to name your desired income and work backwards to charge a rate that will earn the income you want.

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year :)

Links Mentioned:

Easy Rate Calculator:

https://mailchi.mp/f8d5d4be782e/hourly-rate-private-practice

*Don’t forget to make a copy of it, otherwise it won’t work :)

Video: "Should You Offer a Sliding Scale in Private Practice?”

https://youtu.be/YH1-L7olgGo

Heard Article: "Therapist Income Benchmarks: What to Expect in Private Practice"

https://www.joinheard.com/articles/therapist-income-benchmarks-what-to-expect-in-private-practice

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

A step-by-step guide on how I would market my practice if I were starting from scratch in 2026.

Free Checklist: Start a Private Practice in Counseling:

https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

Links Mentioned:

Last Week’s episode: "How to Launch a Successful Private Practice in 2026”

https://youtu.be/tydi5vXa0JM

Training: Website Copy in a Weekend:

https://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/l/pdp/website-copy-in-a-weekend

Free Workshop on SEO and AIO in 2026:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VosuMl8CTwo

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

With all the changes in the therapy profession and private practice lately, I’ve heard folks wonder if it’s possible to have a successful private practice in 2026. I do wholeheartedly believe it’s still possible! But I do also think it’s wise to adapt our strategy to fit today.

In this episode, I share the two top tips I’d focus on to launch a successful private practice in 2026. The good news: they don’t have anything to do with AI or technology.

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year :)

Links Mentioned:

Free Checklist: Start a Private Practice in Counseling:

https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

Training: “The Client Attraction System"

https://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/p/client-attraction-system

Training: “Website Copy in a Weekend”

https://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/l/pdp/website-copy-in-a-weekend

Video: "Beat Big Tech Therapy by not Playing Their Game”

https://youtu.be/wKrlL6oxUX4

Video: "Big Tech & AI Won't Replace Private Practice”

https://youtu.be/thRjsJPYccs

Video: "Develop your Niche in Private Practice”

https://youtu.be/bh6bJRb7iwQ

Video: "5 Ways to Find Your Therapy Niche”

https://youtu.be/FU1eHRDwkus

Video: "How to Find Your Specialty as a Therapist with Roy Kim, CSAT”

https://youtu.be/klbXEq4sIWs

Free Workshop: "SEO & AIO for Therapists: Simple Steps to Get Found on Google and AI”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VosuMl8CTwo

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

2026 Marie interviews 2012 Marie (the year I started private practice). Which do you prefer more?

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!

LINKS:

*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8

👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear

This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

The land of Big Tech Therapy has been making headlines. I cover some of them in this episode.

*The links shared below are a reference only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Marie Fang, Private Practice Skills, or its sponsors.

If you’d like a great summary of all that I covered, check out ZynnyMe’s article:

https://www.zynnyme.com/blog/alma-headway-and-the-big-question

If you feel compelled to do something, this r/therapists post links to several options at the systemic level:

https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1tvzpov/support_and_advocacy_for_therapists/

Build Better Health’s Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force’s Petition (if you’d like to sign):

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/we-demand-a-system-that-reflects-the-true-value-of-mental-health-care

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:

⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠

*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"

*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!

Citations:

Alma has investments from Cigna and Optum:

https://cignaventures.com/alma-raises-130m-in-series-d-funding-led-by-thoma-bravo-to-advance-its-mission-to-simplify-access-to-high-quality-affordable-mental-health-care/

Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of several Blue Cross Blue Shield programs, invests in Headway:

https://www.hcsc.com/newsroom/news-releases/2023/strategic-investment-headway-behavioral-health

Reference: HCSC is parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield:

https://www.hcsc.com/who-we-are

Rula backed by Blue Venture Fund:

https://bhbusiness.com/2024/09/17/digital-mental-health-platform-rula-health-expands-to-50-states/

Reference: Blue Venture Fund invests on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield:

https://blueventurefund.com/

Headway and Alma announce 30 percent cut in Optum Rates, January 2025:

https://clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2024/11/2-digital-mental-health-platforms-cut-pay-rates-for-therapists-with-unitedhealths-optum-stirring-anger/

Aetna cuts rates with Alma-contracted therapists:

https://bhbusiness.com/2026/05/21/aetna-cuts-rates-with-alma-contracted-therapists/

r/therapists megathread on Aetna’s rate cuts through Alma:

https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1tj1bl1/megathread_aetna_alma_reimbursement_changes_90837/

APA urges Aetna to halt rate cuts:

https://updates.apaservices.org/apa--american-psychiatric-association-urge-aetna-to-pause-reimbursement-rate-cuts-for-behavioral-health-clinicians

Aetna Launches Aetna Mental Health on Demand:

https://www.aetna.com/insights/news/aetna-launches-mental-health-on-demand.html

CVS Announces Aetna Mental Health on Demand:

https://www.cvshealth.com/news/condition-management/aetna-launches-aetna-mental-health-on-demand-to-provide-real-time-access-to-care-and-ongoing-support.html

Proof News Article: "Woman’s Talkspace Therapy App Sessions Exposed in Court"

https://www.proofnews.org/womans-talkspace-therapy-app-sessions-exposed-in-court/

FTC Sues Amazon for Monopoly Power:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-power

Class Action Lawsuit Against Headway:

https://www.classaction.org/news/headway-hit-with-class-action-over-alleged-disclosure-of-patient-info-to-google

Clear Health Costs Article: "Therapists have misgivings on the platforms: Alma, Headway etc. and the business of therapy”

https://clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/11/therapists-have-misgivings-on-the-platforms-alma-headway-etc-and-the-business-of-therapy/

Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com

This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.