Selling the Couch

Today’s session is all about brainspotting, a powerful and fascinating psychotherapy technique that I have personally found to be helpful. Specifically, we discuss the technique as it is used to help performance athletes. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Thad Frye, LCSW

Thad Frye is a licensed clinical social worker in Boulder, CO. As a certified brainspotting consultant, Thad has gone through multiple levels of training in this therapy technique. In our conversation, Thad explains why he was motivated to pursue training in brainspotting after previously focusing his work with families through hospice care and end-of-life journeys. He describes the technical aspects of brainspotting and how he uses it in his work with athletes, specifically in those with the “yips,” a puzzling phenomenon of the loss of an ability.

Thad Frye Counseling and Brainspotting Coaching for Athletes

You’ll Learn:

• Why Thad pursued training in brainspotting in 2016 as a way to serve families better
• How Thad experienced the somatic connection with his personal grief in new and real ways during his brainspotting training
• How brainspotting differs from EMDR
• Technical aspects of “inside window” and “outside window” reflexes within brainspotting
• How different clients might respond during a brainspotting session
• How training phases are structured in the brainspotting certification process
• Why Thad chose to use brainspotting with performance athletes
• How Thad uses brainspotting with athletes who experience muscle-guarding and the “yips”

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more at

https://sellingthecouch.com/jointhehealthcasters  

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

As I’ve learned and grown as an entrepreneur, I have tried to study and learn from those who are further along on the journey. I’ve come to understand that I can learn as much from their hard lessons and challenges as I can from their successes. Today’s session is based on a podcast interview I listened to a couple of months ago. It featured Ali Abdaal and Sahil Bloom, two online creators who have built 7-figure businesses and audiences of over 6 million followers. In their insightful interview done in two parts, they talked a lot about life and business; I’m sharing seven lessons I picked up from them that I’m implementing in my business and personal life. 

 You’ll Learn: 

• 7 Lessons I Learned from Ali and Sahil:
• Change the wealth scoreboard.
• Don’t define self-worth based on net worth. 
• A new definition of success bases “wealth” on health, relationships, and the time I have for the things I enjoy.
• Set daily non-negotiables.
• Live with intention by identifying 3-5 things that must happen each day for me to be at my best.
• Friends over followers
• The quality of my relationships greatly impacts my health. 
• Schedule time to connect with genuine friends.
• More growth equals more haters.
• Sharing my message attracts people with a lot of pain, so I should default to empathy.
• Don’t be a slave to social media. 
• Be careful about posting pictures of kids and sharing revenue numbers. 
• This is difficult to navigate while still establishing credibility and the human connection that people crave. 
• Build micro-businesses.
• These can generate cash flow with minimal involvement.
• An example: having an in-house agency along with doing a podcast.
• Connection over mass content
• With AI, content is easier than ever to create, but connection and authenticity help others know, like, and trust me. 

Resources:

Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH25” for a special 25% off a paid plan for the first 2 months just for STC fans.

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more at

https://sellingthecouch.com/jointhehealthcasters  

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

Today’s session covers the unusual topic of securing contracts from different agencies for mental health services. This aspect of therapy work is not what we normally think about as clinicians, but the connection between private practice and federal funding for programs that can be a wonderful niche. Whether you’ve ever thought about this topic or this is brand new to you, today’s conversation will be food for thought about opening new doors and opportunities in the therapy world. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Ajita Robinson

Dr. Ajita Robinson is a dear friend, a highly respected colleague, and a sister in the faith. She has secured many millions in government contracts both for her private practice and in coaching other clinicians to do the same. In sharing her wealth of knowledge today, Ajita explains how to build relationships with government agencies and the top three things she looks for in available contracts. She shares the biggest mistakes our colleagues make in securing contracts and her unusual perspective on contracts that appear to already be given out. We wrap up our discussion with a transparent look at how Ajita’s strong faith influences her work and impacts the contracts she pursues. 

Website 

You’ll Learn:

• How working in marginalized communities led Ajita to pursue contracts with local and federal governments–and solved a problem she was passionate about
• How Ajita leveraged what she knew firsthand about social programs, combined with her research skills, to access available systems
• Where a clinician should begin in forming connections and relationships that lead to government funding opportunities
• How state-level certifications position a clinician for government contracts and can assist in the corporate contracting market
• Why the biggest barrier to securing government contracts is mismanaging money and not having your books in order
• What business insurance is required to become a government subcontractor
• The top three things Ajita considers with any contract opportunity: the scope of work, payable terms, and whether the contract is renewable or not
• How Ajita has been able to strategically position herself to recover contracts when they have fallen through for others
• The biggest mistakes our colleagues make around securing government contracts: they think they aren’t qualified to pursue them, they aren’t open to partnering with others, and they get stuck in DIY-mode
• How Ajita’s Christian faith aligns with the contracts she pursues, how she operates as a therapist, and how she functions as a Black, female business owner
• An overview of The Purposeful and Profitable Therapist Summit, an annual conference focused on diversifying income scheduled for July (2024) in Washington, DC 

Resources:

Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH25” for a special 25% off a paid plan for the first 2 months just for STC fans.

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more at

https://sellingthecouch.com/jointhehealthcasters  

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

If you have ever considered creating an online course, or if you are already a course creator, you have probably thought a lot about marketing that course. The challenge is how to be thoughtful and creative in marketing your course, which becomes a separate income stream for your business. Starting a podcast is one of the best ways to market your course while creating a solid, compound income stream, and we are talking strategy today as I share what I’ve learned through my experience. Join us!

You’ll Learn:

• Why starting a podcast has been one of the most rewarding personal and professional endeavors of my life
• Why podcasts are the perfect way to produce authentic, evergreen content and establish trust
• How a podcast becomes a way to avoid burnout and take self-care breaks while staying consistent with releasing and re-releasing content
• How podcasts allow dynamic ads, which are pure magic (Captivate makes it easy!) and help build your email list
• How the podcasting format allows pre-roll, mid-roll, and end-roll ads to market your courses/resources consistently
• How the “flywheel effect” serves to compound your efforts over time if you leverage your existing course students on your podcast

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more at

https://sellingthecouch.com/jointhehealthcasters  

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Looking to launch a successful podcast?

Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

Are you using an email sequence in your practice? In today’s session, we are exploring the question of why more clinicians don’t create email sequences, which I believe is a smart and logical move. I have found that most of our STC sales come via our email list, and not through social media platforms. I’ve learned the hard lessons about this topic, so I hope this conversation will help you avoid some of my mistakes in this area. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Avivit Fisher

Avivit Fisher is the founder and owner of REdD Strategy and a marketing and business coach for therapists in private practice. Her work with therapists helps them attract their ideal clients through branding, digital marketing, and advertising. We will discuss what an email sequence is, why many clinicians aren’t creating it, and how you can repurpose existing content in your email sequence. We will cover why this tool makes sense in many ways and can be helpful to get more clients in the door. 

Website

You’ll Learn:

• What an email sequence is
• How an email sequence welcomes someone to your email list and draws them into your circle
• Why more clinicians aren’t taking advantage of an email sequence
• Why your email list is a better way to build your audience–as opposed to social media platforms
• How to pick a topic for an email sequence and strategically offer a lead magnet
• Why an email sequence should be useful to your subscribers and keep their interests in mind
• Avivit’s example of her email welcome sequence
• Details about ideal email sequences for solo and group practitioners
• How to handle the fear of unsubscribers
• The top mistake therapists make in using an email sequence

Resources:

Struggling with documentation and progress notes? Well, meet Upheal, a new AI-powered, HIPPA-compliant platform that creates automated session notes and analytics for busy mental health professionals. Whether online or in

person, Upheal captures your sessions and creates pre-drafted progress notes and insights that you can simply review and edit. And, it even creates treatment plans with SMART goals included!

Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH25” for a special 25% off a paid plan for the first 2 months just for STC fans.

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more at

https://sellingthecouch.com/jointhehealthcasters  

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

Many therapists have created online courses or have thought about creating an online course. It’s one of the best ways to increase your visibility, establish your expertise, and expand your audience and impact in the world. The course creation journey is not an easy one, and it’s full of challenges and ups and downs. Join us for a transparent look at the process from today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Linda Murphy, MEd, MA, LMHC

Linda Murphy is a group practice owner in Florida, and she’s a member of the STC Online Course Mastermind group for therapists. Linda is the founder of the Banana Man Society and the Relationship and Divorce Counseling Center. She developed her idea to create a course for dealing with a difficult person because she saw that topic come up often for her clients, and she realized over time that there had to be a better way to distill and share information beyond 1:1 therapy. She created “Banana Man” as a metaphor for dealing with a difficult person–and the Banana Man Society was born. In this session, Linda gives an open, honest look at her course creation journey, along with insights into how she refined her idea. She shares tips and strategies she has learned that might be helpful to others in the course creation process. 

Website

You’ll Learn:

• How to embrace the mindset of connection, support, and collaboration
• How Linda realized in her first career, as a teacher, that connection is more important than content
• How Linda developed the idea for her online course
• The origins of Banana Man as a metaphor for options in dealing with difficult people
• Why Linda created an animated video of the Banana Man story (through the STC Mastermind group)
• Linda’s best tips for others about creating a successful online course:
• Lean into who you are and be authentic.
• Market yourself and be creative with social media.
• Where Linda sees her course going in the future with a specifically targeted niche
• Linda’s thoughts about the impact and benefits of the STC Online Course Mastermind group 

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more at

https://sellingthecouch.com/jointhehealthcasters  

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

Today’s session is a conversation about how to navigate guest appearances on podcasts. Whether you have future aspirations to launch a podcast or desire to grow your visibility by appearing on podcasts, this will be a helpful session for you! Podcasting offers possibilities for interesting connections and unimaginable opportunities. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Dustin Riechmann

Dustin Riechmann is a new friend with whom I connected on LinkedIn. From an engineering background, Dustin has become an internet marketing and copywriting whiz. His entire niche is focused on helping entrepreneurs pitch themselves to bigger and bigger podcasts, which is a huge accelerant to business growth. Podcasting appearances help you establish social proof and open the doors to partnerships you could never imagine. Dustin shares his background story of coming to this niche and what he has learned along the way. He gives practical insights into crafting pitches to podcasters and much more valuable information on this topic.

You’ll Learn: 

• The steps Dustin took as an engineer, consultant, entrepreneur, and digital marketer before his COVID-forced entrance into the podcasting world
• Why Dustin began guesting on established podcasts instead of starting his own
• How Dustin has used his three elements of a podcast pitch (relational anchors, clear service to the audience, and a clear and friendly call to action) to an 80% success rate
• Why Dustin sees podcast guesting as a specific part of the umbrella of partnership marketing
• Dustin’s mindset shift: “No one else has to lose for me to win. We can all win together!”
• How Dustin approaches his podcast pitch with his three elements, customizing the relational anchors to connect with the host on an authentic and personal level
• An overview of Dustin’s work and the Podcast Pitch Playbook

Resources:

Connect with Melvin On LinkedIn

Want to launch your podcast soon?

Please check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists:

Connect with Dustin Riechmann: 

Website: Simple Success Coaching

LinkedIn

Get Dustin’s FREE Podcast Pitch Playbook!

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

Today’s topic is one that many clinicians have navigated, are navigating, or will navigate in the future. It’s the idea of increasing fees with existing clients. I’ve seen this topic come up repeatedly in online groups for therapists, and I know it brings anxiety and confusion. Let’s dig into it together!

Our Featured Guests

Kelly Higdon and Miranda Palmer

Kelly Higdon and Miranda Palmer are therapists, private practice owners, and the founders of ZynnyMe, where they teach and train therapists to build valuable and gratifying businesses. Their year-long training program, Business School Bootcamp, is a super-powerful system that teaches therapists everything they wish they had learned in grad school about running a successful private practice. In this episode, Kelly and Miranda will discuss the idea that we are betraying our client if we increase fees, along with ways to work through that mindset. We will cover the nitty-gritty of how to communicate fee increases to clients with all the logistical nuances. Our conversation wraps up with simple scripts you can use during sessions to stay on track, be clear, and affirm your clients without causing feelings of abandonment.

www.zynnyme.com 

Starting a Counseling Practice Podcast

You’ll Learn:

• Why the idea of increasing fees is intimidating even though many therapists are leaving a lot of money on the table
• Why increasing fees ties into mixed messages in our minds about our self-worth and value
• How the cumulative effect of a sliding scale adds up to significant amounts over time and reflects bias that we usually guard against
• How automation in today’s world allows us to avoid those difficult conversations
• Why the recommendation is to create a letter but have the conversation with the client in session; give them the letter after the conversation (or email virtual clients)
• Why the letter is a transitional object and shouldn’t make excuses for the fee increase
• Ideas for scripting the notification letter and stating the fee increase
• The need for us to be honest with our clients to be able to continue providing great care
• The misconception that schedules and fees should always stay the same; these are unrealistic expectations!
• How to present workable options to clients without feeling like you’re abandoning them
• Why clinicians have to do what it takes to care for themselves before they can care for their clients
• Highlights in the conversation with clients about increasing fees:
• Own your emotions about it.
• Let the client know the relationship with them is valuable to you.
• Check in with the client’s feelings and options moving forward.
• Why the window of notice should be long enough to prepare for termination or referral

Resources:

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists

Looking to launch a successful podcast?

Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists.

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

Have you ever considered writing a children’s book? I’ll admit that I’ve thought about it, and it might be a new endeavor in my future. Writing a children’s book takes creativity and planning, and much perseverance is required to navigate the publishing process. Join me as I talk to a longtime friend who has been through the process and published two children’s books.

Our Featured Guest

Amy Jivani

Amy is a childhood friend of mine who has become a children’s book author. Her latest book, Meera’s Flowers, tells the story of a young girl celebrating an Indian holiday while living in America. She also wrote More Than Words: A Book About Body Language, a story about body language and feelings. Amy is a former first-grade teacher who is inspired by her students and her cultural background to write children’s books with ethnically diverse characters. Amy shares with us where she gets ideas for books and how the creative process works. We also discuss the concept of self-publishing compared to the traditional publishing route. We wrap up with Amy’s insights into the hardest part about writing and releasing a book during a pandemic.

www.amyjivani.com 

You’ll Learn:

• Where Amy’s inspiration came from for Meera’s Flowers
• Amy’s advice for other aspiring writers:
• Write something you can champion.
• Storyboard your ideas as you begin.
• How the traditional publishing route requires resilience and seems like a “closed club”
• Why Amy decided not to self-publish her first book
• How Amy realized that creative stories could teach and reinforce important concepts to children in more memorable ways
• How Amy gives herself creative space to think and produce rather than setting aside a disciplined time slot
• The hardest part of what Amy has accomplished: getting publishers to see the quality of what she wrote and releasing a book during a pandemic when typical book promotion is a no-go
• How Amy handles the newfound attention of being a published author with humility

Resources:

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists

Looking to launch a successful podcast?

Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists.

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

What would it be like to own and run your own group therapy practice--including the building? And to complicate matters, what if the whole endeavor is getting off the ground during a global pandemic? It might sound crazy, but you’ll hear the details from today’s guest who is making it all happen after facing down all the obstacles. Join us!

Our Featured Guest

Karen Grayson, PhD, LPC

Dr. Karen Grayson had a vision a few years ago of owning a therapy practice building, so she followed through with the big purchase in 2018. She’s here to help us navigate through the challenges of owning a therapy practice building during a pandemic. The Center for Inner Transformation, in St. Louis, is a place where Karen combines philosophy, therapy, and spirituality on an integrated pathway to her clients’ personal and collective development, and it’s also home for the practices of three other clinicians. She shares where the idea of buying a building came from, how she went into the process, along with practical steps that she took during the pandemic. We wrap up today’s conversation with four pieces of advice that Karen would give to her younger self about this undertaking.

www.thecenterstl.com

You’ll Learn:

• How Karen began with the dream to purchase a therapy building
• How she moved from vision to implementation through finding comfort in the unknown
• How Karen’s journey unfolded from her teaching role to group therapy
• How Karen purchased her office building in 2018, dealt with two colleagues who backed out after the purchase and endured a difficult neighbor in the office park
• Why Karen learned to be gentle with herself and fierce in her purpose, staying grounded in the uncertainty
• How the drawbacks in the process led to feelings of failure and depression for Karen
• How she persevered with a deep commitment to her purpose and a willingness to fail
• How Karen learned the value in having support people in place from STC
• How the pandemic has affected Karen and her endeavors
• How word-of-mouth referrals have benefitted Karen’s business
• Why we need to know what our strengths are
• How Karen deals with her core wound of not being good enough
• How things worked out for Karen when she “let go and listened”
• Karen’s pieces of advice to her younger self about purchasing the building during a pandemic:
• Everything is an invitation for growth.
• The birthing process is always a hard thing.
• I’m not in charge of time.
• Be open to a larger container.

Resources:

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists

Looking to launch a successful podcast?

Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists.

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.