In this epside, hosts Kim and Mary welcom Jena Castro-Casbon, a speech therapist with her own private practice and creator of the Start Your Private Practice and Grow Your Private Practice programs. Jena shares her journey into the field of speech therapy, initially inspired by her father's experiences with stuttering and his positive feedback about speech therapy.  Despite her early aspirations to become an FBI agent, this personal connection led her to pursue speech pathology, and eventually creating The Independent Clinician. 

Jena credits her father's business mind for sparking her entrepreneurial spirit, leading her to start her own practice shortly after becoming certified. She developed educational programs to fill the gap in resources available for speech therapists looking to start and grow their private practices. Her initiatives, which began as an ebook, have evolved into comprehensive online courses assisting thousands of students across the country.

Jena also discusses how her programs have expanded to include occupational therapists (OTs), ensuring the content is inclusive for various disciplines. She emphasizes the importance of staying current with industry changes and integrating these lessons into her teachings.

Jena highlights the challenges of insurance and reimbursements in healthcare, advocating for creative financing options like school contracts and state-funded grants. Her programs provide structured mentorship, offering real-world advice from experienced practitioners to those new to private practice.

She stresses the importance of robust legal and financial structures to protect and sustain private practices and strongly advocates for business education as essential to professional development in speech therapy.

We end this info-packed conversation with Jena sharing inspiring stories of the people she's mentored, underscoring the transformative impact of proper guidance in building successful private practices.

This episode is a must listen if you are ready to dip your toe into private practice or if you are ready to grow and multiply your practice!

Important Links:

Jena's Website - The Independent Clinician

Follow Jena on Instagram - Independentclinician

Start Your Private Practice Program

Grow Your Private Practice Program 

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