Online coaching IN WASHINGTON STATE
Private Practice Coaching
I Help Social Workers & Therapists Build, Grow & Sustain Their Business
You’re burned out, tired, and scared of leaving your stable job for private practice
I’ve been there.
I can help you open, grow, and sustain your business. I’ll show you exactly what I did when I opened my private practice.
I’m passionate about helping therapists and social workers build their dream practice.
We come into this work to help others, especially those most underserved. This work is hard, doesn’t pay well starting out, and can lead to burn out.
I believe creating a sustainable private practice is one way toward liberation because we are doing work aligning with our values, goals, and vision for the life we want and deserve, rather than working for systems that can be dehumanizing and exploitative.
Note: There are no 100% guarantees or promises with coaching. Building a sustainable business takes time, effort, honesty, data, practice, consistency, time, risks, experimentation, and patience.
My Goals For You
To have financial independence, intelligence, and integrity
The more energy, freedom, and security you have outside of work, the more you can enjoy life and do more good.
Work should not be your 100% priority
Increase the number of QTBIPOC, immigrant, and refugee owned businesses
By providing resources, ethical consulting, and lowering barriers to creating, building, and sustaining a private practice
The more QTBIPOC therapists, the better because the field of mental health needs more diversity and clinicians who look like their clients
My Strengths, Areas Of Knowledge & What I Can Help With
Opening a private practice 101 step-by-step (this can happen in about 7-14 days)
Operating a cash/private pay only practice
Answering all your questions in real time
Help you manage your fears, worries, and anxieties around opening a private practice
Share my own experience as a private practice owner since December 2019
Exploring and managing money limiting beliefs, guilt, shame, and financial scarcity mindset
Identifying your ideal client and niche(s)
How to set a fee and increase your fee
Logistics and systems for your practice (finances, taxes, phone, email, EHRs)
Learning business basics we never learned in graduate school
Balancing being a business owner AND therapist
My Experience
I started my business in December 2020 and created a website as my main form of marketing
I’ve spent hundreds of hours learning about copywriting, SEO, data, etc. to optimize my website and digital presence
I have a bachelor’s degree in advertising
I now have about 12,000 - 14,000 monthly visitors to my website
I charge premium rates fees of $200 - $270 per hour
Cash Only Practice
I’ll help you work on your money mindset, fear, guilt, and scarcity.
I’ll help you set a fee that works for your life and values.
I’ll teach you how to market as cash only/private pay.
I’ll help you become more comfortable with money and bringing it up with clients.
I’ll help you become “better” with money (calm, confident, curious).
Common Concerns
I’m scared of raising my fees!
Is it okay to make money and be a therapist?
How do I bring up fee raises?
What if clients leave after I raise my fees?
What if no one is willing to pay my full fee?
My Experience
I work 3-4 days a week and only see a limited number of clients
I charge $270 per hour as a fully licensed clinician. As an associate, I charged $125 - $170
I work with a wide range of clients (e.g. race, ethnicity, age, gender, class, ability, etc.)
I offer reduced fees and pro-bono slots as part of my value of working with those with financial limitations
Because I am financially, emotionally, and physically stable, I am not only a better, more rested, compassionate, and effective therapist, but a better, more compassionate, and thoughtful human being and can give back in other ways outside of 1-1 therapy
Who I Work With
I work with social workers, licensed mental health counselors, psychologists, and marriage and family therapists.
I work with those who are ready and motivated to create and/or sustain their ideal private practice.
They’re ready to take risks, experiment with different options, and have energy and time to invest in their business.
I value honesty, challenge, authenticity, being real, compassion, and presence.
Fees
$270 per 60-minutes
$200 per 45-minutes
If you feel overwhelmed and don’t want to do-it-yourself by searching online, I’m here to answer all your questions, hold you accountable, and push you to create the private practice business you want and deserve.
If you want to open your private practice, I can help you set this up in about 7-14 days (depending of how long your license is approved) with 1 or 2 sessions.
Most clients meet with me for 1-3 sessions to ask questions and get answers around fears, worries, growth areas, long term marketing, and building a step-by-step plan.
Some clients meet me longer to address scarcity, anxiety, and worries related toward creating a cash only premium full fee practice. Their goals are to see less clients to devote their time toward other things (hobbies, raising their kids, managing chronic health issues, pro bono work, etc.).
Private Practice Blog & Free Resources
Learn more about what to expect in business coaching with me, marketing tips, private practice tips, and more.
Here are the most helpful blog posts:
Still Have Questions?
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Fostering Connection’s step-by-step instructions on how to open a private practice in Washington State
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Assess your strengths and areas you thrive/your gifts
Assess your areas of growth, continued challenges, and weaknesses
Working on and refining areas of growth, continued challenges, and weaknesses
Awareness and active exploration and management of scarcity, anxiety, worthiness, shame, guilt, and money mindset issues/core beliefs you hold
Understands and is comfortable with the reality of opening and building a private practice. Takes anywhere from 10-16 months to have a full caseload (depends on what you consider a full weekly caseload is)
Click here to read my post blog titled How Long Does It Take To Get A Full Caseload?
Is okay making limited income in the beginning stages of business (0-9 months)
Comfortable with making variable income based on the seasons of the year (e.g. summer is slower so take vacation then, fall is busier so working more) and/or due to client cancelations
Has a partner/spouse, savings fund, and/or disposable income in the beginning stages or is okay working part-time or per diem to supplement income in the beginning stages when you are building a caseload
Comfortable with consistent and ongoing networking with other colleagues (talking about themselves and reciprocal building relationships)
Comfortable with consistent and ongoing professional marketing with whatever method that they prefer and works for them and their ideal client such as : Google ads, Google My Business, SEO, blogging, social media, networking, a good website, writing a book, presenting workshops, going on podcasts, etc.
The traits and skills needed to be in private practice include, but not are limited to:
Identification of values and goals of your business (Why do you want to open a private practice. Who will you serve? What are your business values? What are your personal values?)
Go getter, self motivated and proactive
Active learner
Problem solver
Financial literacy
Strong clinical skills and judgement
Evidence based practice
Strong foundation of basic counseling skills
Customer service
Marketing and advertising
Adaptable
Okay with taking risks
Patience
Organized
Communication skills
Self awareness and insight
Okay with taking risks
Self confidence
Assessing your comfort with being a business owner and everything related to owning a business.
This can include: marketing, advertising, having your income directly related to bringing in new clients consistently, paying for your own health insurance, paying your own and taking out your own federal taxes.
Assessing your comfort working with clients long term vs. short-term (e.g. crisis work)
Finding a good fit supervisor who can help you with both clinical and business related issues and meeting with them weekly
Continually learning, researching, studying, etc. due to being isolated in a private practice setting vs. working for an agency which has support and training embedded already in it such as grand rounds, case consult, group supervision, etc.
Referring clients out if supervision, consultation, studying, researching, and ongoing learning is not helping you
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Those Who Tend To Thrive & Be Attracted To Private Practice
Valuing freedom and autonomy to make their own choices such as setting your fee, scheduling, time off, etc.
Valuing flexibility of working for yourself such as modifying your schedule, modifying your fee, taking as much time off as you want, working overseas, being 100% telehealth, being 100% in person, hybrid scheduling, etc.
Wants to work less and see less clients per week
Wants to make a desired income that is not offered in group practice or agency (e.g. six figures)
Does not like working for others
Embraces the challenges of being a small business owner
Enjoy the nitty gritty parts of business such as taxes, renewing licenses, etc.
Are confident in who they are
Are congruent (inside matches the outside)
Are authentic to who they are
Practice assertive communication vs. passive, passive aggressive, or aggressive communication
Have a beginner’s mind vs. believing they know everything and are an expert
Are comfortable making mistakes
Are comfortable taking risks
Can repair and negotiate relationships after disagreements/ruptures/conflicts
And more
Click here to read my blog post titled Private Practice Is Not For Everyone.
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Click here to a list of private practice resources I’ve compiled.
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You feel overwhelmed with the amount of information available
You don't want to DIY and spend hours of your time researching and teaching yourself
You can spend many hours a week devoted to marketing yourself and networking with others
You want to pay and invest with a another person's help and guidance
You're ready to identify and explore your strengths as well as areas of growth including: scarcity, abundance, growth mindset, fixed mindset, limiting beliefs, and more.
You know there are no 100% guarantees or promises with coaching and that it requires a mixture of things including: 1) Your own consistent work and effort, 2) Time and patience to see short-term and long-term results, 3) Honesty and identification of your own strengths, areas of growth, values, and skills, and 4) Risks, creativity, and experimenting, 5) Hiring out or paying someone else to do things for you that you may not want to do or are not good at, and more.
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What if my business fails? What if nobody comes to see me?
I feel so overwhelmed. I’m not sure where to start. Even researching is overwhelming.
I never learned any of this in grad school, is it possible to learn business and do therapy?
Why would someone pay me cash/private pay? Why wouldn’t clients use their insurance?
What if clients don’t pay me? What if a credit card is declined? What do I do?
What EHR should I get? Do I need an EHR?
What’s a business plan? Do I need one?
How do I do everything? Answer the phone, reply to emails, and also see clients?
START BUSINESS COACHING TODAY
Read through my website and watch my videos to learn more about me, my services, and if we might be a good fit.
If you want to learn how to open your private practice in Washington State, I recommend the following resource here which outlines step-by-step instructions at no cost.
Note: There are no 100% guarantees or promises with coaching. Building a sustainable business takes time, effort, honesty, data, practice, consistency, time, risks, experimentation, and patience.