Selling the Couch

What are your “money stories”? This is a topic many of us struggle with related to the stories we tell ourselves about money. Our money beliefs affect everything about our practice, our work as business owners, and how we view and work with our clients. Let’s dig in and address the issues around our money beliefs so that we can better serve our clients and ourselves.

Deb Lyman, LCSW, has a private practice in Oakland, CA. She does a lot of work with clinicians, helping them work through their money stories to charge what they are worth. In today’s conversation, Deb explains why we need to understand our money stories and how to set private practice fees in order to honor our stories and our emotions. She shares an interesting conceptualization of money in the personal, business, and clinical realms. We wrap up today’s show with Deb’s helpful tips about money. Join us!

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Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

When you’ve talked with as many people as I have, you tend to learn a lot of lessons and gain great insights into what it takes to build a successful private practice. Today’s show is a solo episode inspired by a presentation I did recently. We are focusing on three lessons I’ve learned, along with key takeaways and the biggest mistake for each lesson.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session164

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Upheal!

Try Upheal Secure AI Therapy Notes

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

Every once in a while, you’ll hear the success story of someone who breaks the mold and goes against the norms. Today’s show highlights the story of a therapist who bucks the trend of everything we normally learn on the podcast and is the direct opposite of what the experts say about building a private practice.

Katie Zimmerman, LMFT, practices in Arroyo Grande, CA. She endured some crazy circumstances that led to her leaving one job and having to quickly figure out how to create and open her private practice---in about two weeks! She found office space that was appropriately perfect, established a name for her practice, and got it going with some foundational clients. It may sound impossible, but it speaks to the importance of intentionality and relationships. Katie shares reflections on the reasons for her success, the narratives we struggle with about what we can accomplish, and the importance of certain training modalities. Join us!

You can read the full show notes at: Session163

Mentioned in this episode:

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

What safety measures do you have in place? As clinicians, we may not think about personal safety as a concern, and we certainly hope it’s never an issue, but we should be proactive and prepared. We’ve never had safety issues as a podcast topic before, but there have been many conversations about this in the STC Facebook Community.

Adriana Alejandre is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Porter Ranch, CA. She has learned some practical things related to safety, so she’s here to share about screening clients and staying present around safety concerns. She has also had conversations with law enforcement officials and gotten some great tips about using apps and technology to help with this very important topic. Join us!

www.sellingthecouch.com/session162

Mentioned in this episode:

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

Have you considered online counseling? As clinicians, we all have questions and fears around this endeavor and how it works. We have discussed the practical aspects of online counseling on the show before, but today’s conversation focuses more on the day-to-day aspects of the therapeutic relationship.

Shelley Smith and Jennifer Labanowski are LMFT’s who have a wealth of knowledge about online counseling. They worked in the same practice until moves to different places separated them in the workplace. This is when they first considered, researched, and implemented their online counseling practice. Today’s conversation with Shelley and Jen covers how to build rapport, the initial consult, questions to ask, and how to handle emergency psychosis situations---all through the medium of online counseling. Join us to learn more from Shelley and Jen!

www.sellingthecouch.com/session161

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Today's Sponsor is Wellerz

Don't waste money on traditional office space that you pay for no matter how many clients you need to see. Instead, only pay for the actual time you need to see clients with Wellerz. You can schedule the time you need inside the Wellerz scheduling portal and it's easy and cost effective to use!

Wellerz

Do you “have it all together” when it comes to your business finances? My hat’s off to you if you do, but for most of us, the painful truth is that any business journey comes with its own set of challenges and lessons, some of which must be learned the hard way. Like many of you, I like to pretend that I have it all together, but today’s show is all about transparency and baring it all---the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Every few weeks I like to a solo session to share with you what I’m learning along with my business journey because I believe my experiences--the good AND the bad--can help others. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and I’m willing to share those lessons with you with humility. Let’s talk about the money pitfalls that come with business success.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session160

Mentioned in this episode:

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

Have you found yourself intimidated, but still curious, about using Google AdWords? Maybe you’ve wondered how it really works and if it would be helpful for you as a clinician. I’m in this category also, as I’ve wanted to know more and learn the ins and outs from a knowledgeable person. Today is the day! Join us to learn more!

John Sanders is an expert in the field of Google AdWords, as he has been in the field for many years and helped healthcare providers use wise marketing dollars to increase web traffic and convert those clicks into clients. On an interesting side note, his significant other, Laura, and I were in grad school together. Since she is a therapist in private practice, John has a handle on the nuances of how this concept applies to clinicians, and I’m excited to hear what he can teach us.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session159

Mentioned in this episode:

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

How do clinicians hone in on a particular niche? Is it important to focus on a specific ideal client? Our conversation today is one that’s needed in today’s world because it’s a focus on developing a niche in supporting gender-questioning or transgender clients. There aren’t a lot of therapists who focus solely on helping with these issues.

Dara Hoffman-Fox, LPC, is located in Colorado Springs, CO. Dara works exclusively with people in the LGBTQI population. We’re discussing Dara's journey and what they learned along the way. Dara shares the importance of languaging in dealing with marginalized communities, even down to the questions on your intake paperwork. Dara's background in videography and communications has allowed them to utilize YouTube videos in a big way to market their practice. We talk about Dara's website and how the words and images are used in a practical way. This episode is helpful for all clinicians, and not just those focused on gender issues.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session158

Today’s Awesome Sponsor:

TheraNest helps behavioral health professionals manage their practice with ease and efficiency.

Get 21 days free trial and 20% off the monthly fee for the first 3 months: TheraNest

Mentioned in this episode:

Check Out PsycCareers!

If you’re a psychology professional who is ready to take the next step in their career, check out PsycCareers, the American Psychological Association Services, Inc’s career center. PsycCareers is home to over 400 open positions tailored specifically for psychology professionals. Start your journey today by exploring opportunities that inspire and challenge you at sellingthecouch.com/apa.

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

What are the nuances to consider if you want to make the transition from therapy to coaching? It’s something that many therapists think about and wonder if it would work for them and their practice. We cover the ins and outs in today’s episode!

Mary Bicknell, LCSW, moved to Portland and wanted to start a coaching practice. As she made the move, she thought a coaching practice would be more family-friendly and match up better with what she wanted to accomplish. We’re discussing how she made the decision and transitioned from a therapy model to a coaching model. We go deep into pricing and marketing, and why pricing is a monumental struggle for so many in this field. Mary helps us with some “out-of-the-box” thinking that may help other clinicians and business owners. Join us!

www.sellingthecouch.com/session157

Today’s Awesome Sponsor:

TheraNest helps behavioral health professionals manage their practice with ease and efficiency.

Get 21 days free trial and 20% off the monthly fee for the first 3 months: TheraNest

Mentioned in this episode:

Check Out PsycCareers!

If you’re a psychology professional who is ready to take the next step in their career, check out PsycCareers, the American Psychological Association Services, Inc’s career center. PsycCareers is home to over 400 open positions tailored specifically for psychology professionals. Start your journey today by exploring opportunities that inspire and challenge you at sellingthecouch.com/apa.

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

What happens if you receive a serious diagnosis or injury that puts you out of work? It’s obviously something that we don’t want to think about, but the reality is that any of us could face this situation and be forced to step away from our regular income. What happens to your family? How do you deal with the sudden loss of income for your business? We’re discussing these topics and more in today’s show, focusing on disability insurance.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session156

Mentioned in this episode:

Today's Sponsor is Turning Point HQ

Don't let your own money blocks rob you of your future financial security. Turning Point HQ is a financial planning company specifically for therapists. They've created a free guide to help you avoid the 7 money mistakes that most therapists make. Download the free guide today!

Turning Point HQ

Check Out PsycCareers!

If you’re a psychology professional who is ready to take the next step in their career, check out PsycCareers, the American Psychological Association Services, Inc’s career center. PsycCareers is home to over 400 open positions tailored specifically for psychology professionals. Start your journey today by exploring opportunities that inspire and challenge you at sellingthecouch.com/apa.