We are tackling another topic relevant to the pandemic crisis. This particular time is a good chance to think about private practice in different ways than ever before. If you’ve ever considered blogging as a way to build your practice and expand your reach to your ideal clients, then this is the show for you.

Lauren Hahn is a licensed mental health counselor in Orlando, Florida. She has built a successful private practice through blogging. In this episode, Lauran shares the process that she’s gone through for the past several years in starting her blog and evolving that blog to cater to her ideal clients. She explains where she finds inspiration and content for her posts that are now released regularly each week. We wrap up the conversation by discussing the most important lessons she’s learned along the way.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session243

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Podcast sponsorship is often seen as the “golden goose” of podcasting. We started working with sponsors on STC a few years ago, and they have generated over $95k to this point. However, I’ve learned that relying solely on sponsorships is not the wisest stance because your success rides the ebbs and flows of another company’s marketing budget. I’m very grateful for the sponsors who have worked with us, but I don’t want to depend on them for the main source of income for STC. Today, I’m sharing three ways you can make money from your podcast from Day One, without having to depend on securing sponsors down the road. Join me for a closer look!

You’ll Learn:

• The increasing responsibility I feel to be a good steward in today’s podcasting environment
• Three ways to make money from your podcast from Day One:
• One-on-one work–I share how to use analytics to pinpoint your niche and impact to specialize your focus and offerings. (I use and recommend Fathom Analytics.)
• Scalable work–This includes things you can continue to do for the next 8-10 years, like paid speaking engagements, coaching groups, therapy groups, writing books, and establishing a “private podcast” feed. 
• Online courses–The time and energy investment comes on the front end, but they become an asset into which you can invite others.
• It’s best to view podcast sponsorship as “the cherry on the top” that may come to you, but not as the financial foundation to depend on from month to month.
• Our free podcasting workshop can help you launch your podcast! 

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is about something a bit different, even though we’re in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. I’ve learned that we should have a virtual aspect of our business in place for scenarios like this. I’ve also learned how important diverse income streams can be when your regular practice is interrupted. I can’t maintain my business health if I rely solely on my clients. Five years ago, I launched my first online course, so now I’m sharing lessons learned over that time, especially about gear. Remember, though, that gear should help you achieve your goals and not just be another way to spend money.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session233

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

The fear of being seen is something we all face at one time or another. When we feel called to serve in bigger and better ways, we can’t be afraid to show up authentically. Today’s conversation brings the message that we can’t let fear hold us back. The world needs the good things that we can bring. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Cyndi Doyle, LPC-S, NCC, CDWF, CCISM

Cyndi Doyle is a counselor, speaker, and author who had a big vision to work with couples in which one or both partners are in law enforcement. With a partner in law enforcement, Cyndi is familiar with the unique stressors that come to the individual and family from this line of work. She founded Code4Couples, which provides information and training to help law enforcement officers and their spouses remain connected and resilient. She recognizes the role that fear plays when your passion calls you to step into something new and unknown. Cyndi shares with us how she shows up to share her message and overcomes the fears and insecurities that come with being seen.

Website

You’ll Learn:

●     How Cyndi uses her gifts and abilities in areas of service

●     How she has learned to honor “BIF,” her big idea fairy in her life and work

●     Why we have to learn to embrace and live with fears to make forward progress

●     How Cyndi pays attention to the signals from her body that come from fear, anxiety, and “head trash”

●     How Cyndi’s Code4Couples idea came about to help other law enforcement couples

●     How Cyndi became more clear about the mission for Code4Couples in 2017---and faced the fear in beginning something new

●     Cyndi’s steps for navigating through fear:

○     Acknowledge the purpose for the pain

○     Accept failure as a part of life

○     Reframe anxiety and fear as elements of your love language

Today’s Podcast Sponsor

Tidemark VA Services provides billing, credentialing, client scheduling, and social media management services to therapists in private practice. T

The owner, Brittany Wagner, is a group practice owner who knows the ins and outs of our field.

Learn more about the services that Tidemark provides at https://sellingthecouch.com/tidemark.

Be sure to use the code "STC2021" for a 15% discount for the first 3 months.

Additional resources

 Code4Couples (This is Cyndi's website where she works with law enforcement).

Cyndi’s book: Hold the Line: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Law Enforcement Relationship

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful...

It’s a challenge to open up and be vulnerable about what you’ve learned along your journey. Often, it’s that authenticity that is most effective in helping others learn from what YOU have learned. Today’s guest is an example of openness and vulnerability.

Katie Leikam, LCSW, has a private practice in Decatur, GA. She is sharing with transparency about how she went from zero clients after the first four months to a thriving $100,000 practice. There is wisdom to be found in Katie’s experience, in the difficulties of building a business and the struggle to get the results you want. Katie opens up today about why and how she opened her private practice--even to zero clients, what she learned, and how she maintained a positive mindset. She also talks about the unique marketing strategies she has used to build relationships along the path to building her practice.

You can read the full show notes at: Session184

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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 TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):

🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From 9 Downloads On Day 1 To 1.2 Million And a 7 Income Stream Business)

💻 How To Launch And Grow A Successful Online Course (Lessons Learned From A $297 First Sale To $150k Online Course)

MY FREE GUIDES:

🎤 Start your Podcast: The QuickStart Guide

🖥️ The A To Z Online Course

MY COURSES:

🎧 The Healthcasters (A podcasting course + community for helpers/healers):

💻

As rewarding as it is to start your own podcast and share your knowledge and expertise with the world, there is one thing that makes it even better--and that’s monetizing your podcast. Wouldn’t it be a dream come true to make money from your podcast? You might think it’s the impossible dream, but today’s show brings practical information and simple tips for monetization that can expand your reach, extend the life of your podcast, and free up more of your time for quality content creation.

Christy Haussler is the founder of Team Podcast, a full-service podcast editing and production company. She’s been my podcast editor since 2015, when I realized I needed help with podcast editing. Christy and her team work behind the scenes to produce, edit, and upload podcasts, and they are the main reason the STC podcast goes out each week. Christy began her podcast editing service around the same time as STC, and her team currently edits about 60 different podcasts and about 300 episodes each month. Christy has a unique and interesting perspective on what people are doing to create income through podcasting, and she’s here to share those insights with us.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

So much of what we do as clinicians revolves around leadership, even though we may not be comfortable thinking of ourselves that way. If we are truly leaders in what we do, it makes sense to learn all we can about making ourselves the best leaders possible. The world needs good leaders! Join us as we discuss all things leadership development in today’s show

Our Featured Guest

Jevin Koleth

Jevin Koleth is a leadership coach who happens to be a childhood friend of mine. He has vast experience in what it means to be a leader through his time as a regional manager for a major healthcare system in Texas. I want you to hear Jevin’s insights about why leadership needs to be developed first at the individual level before implementing the more popular team approach. We also dive into how leadership has changed as a result of the pandemic, and we wrap up with personal and real-life experiences from Jevin that can help you in your growth as a leader.

Jevin Koleth

You’ll Learn:

● Why effective leadership development has to begin at the individual level with a solid foundation

● The first steps in an individualized approach to leadership training:

○ Identify the person’s personal purpose and mission

○ Identify the person’s barriers to being their best self

● How Jevin becomes an accountability coach in helping people develop long-term habits

● Why the mass team approach to leadership training needs to FOLLOW after the foundational individual approach

● Why it’s good to develop one’s self as a leader to be the best version of yourself

● How an impactful leader will come across with consistency

● How leadership has changed during the pandemic in the three areas of remote leadership, interpersonal skills, and team culture

● Jevin’s pearls of wisdom about going back to work in the office

● Why a leader’s goal should be positive outcomes from difficult conversations

● Highlights of Jevin’s current work as a leadership coach

Today’s Sponsor: Zynnyme

Zynnyme was founded in 2010 by therapists and private practice owners, Kelly Higdon and Miranda Palmer. Kelly and Miranda have become good friends of mine who have helped me immensely on my business journey + they've helped over 50k of our colleagues.

I credit their Business School Boot Camp for helping build the business and life that I imagined. Their values align with mine in helping clients build valuable and gratifying businesses while living healthy, happy, and sustainable lives.

Check out their website for a wealth of resources and services + sign up for a free 4 day, live private practice marketing masterclass they're putting together to help us establish a private practice with the best outcomes and income at sellingthecouch.com/zynnyme

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):

🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From

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/session220

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Hosting a retreat sounds like a great idea, right? When you stop and think about all the logistical and financial details, that’s when many fears and questions come to the surface. Perhaps the biggest fear is whether enough people will pay for your retreat to make it a success. Join us as we dive into this topic with today’s expert guest!

Our Featured Guest

Megan Gunnell

In addition to being a business owner, author, and triathlete, Megan Gunnell is a Clinical Social Worker who has been hosting 1-day retreats, workshops and weekend/week long retreats for 20+ years.

She hosted her first one at a local community center–complete with harp music! From these humble beginnings, Megan’s retreats have evolved into weekend retreats and international retreats that started in 2012 in Costa Rica, Italy, France, and other places around the globe.

In this episode, we discuss why therapists find it so appealing to consider hosting a retreat, along with common fears related to the risk of hosting your first retreat.

Megan explains how to find suitable venues that offer 100% refund options and points out the important legal and logistical considerations. We wrap up our conversation by discussing retreat marketing, which is vital to the success of your retreat. Megan shares what she has learned along her journey as a retreat host. 

Megan's Website and Thriving Therapists ® Facebook Group

You’ll Learn:

• Megan’s inspiration to expand beyond private practice into hosting retreats
• Megan’s #1 lesson learned: Start small and grow later.
• The attraction of retreats? They are transformative spaces for people to pull away from everyday life and reinvigorate their passion and purpose.
• The major differences between private practice work and group retreats as income sources
• Legal considerations around liability, disclaimers, emergencies, etc.
• Megan’s low-risk tips for hosting retreats:
• Start small with a test audience and test venue with a half-day or one-day retreat.
• Look for 100% refundable venues through a certain date prior to the event.
• Do the math and “beta-test” your audience.
• Making your retreat a profitable venture
• Finding 100% fully refundable venues—and why international properties are desirable
• Megan’s top marketing strategies for retreats:
• Be very clear about your intentions. (Who is this for, and what is the purpose?)
• Think about your runway. (Make sure it is long enough to “land the plane.”)
• Build a warm excitement with your audience around the date for open registration.
• Handling the cancellation or rebooking of your retreat with flexibility and transparency

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast? Check out our free podcasting workshop

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style,...

Today’s show wraps up this season of new episodes for 2020. STC will feature replays of our most popular episodes through November and December. I’ll be taking some extra time for self-care and family activities during the holiday months, along with putting together exciting new shows for 2021. This show keeps with that theme of following your heart and finding compassion for yourself. Join us!

Tori Press is a writer, artist, and therapy enthusiast. She has an Instagram following of over 250,000 people! Tori is here to discuss her journey from a long career in graphic design to where she is today, along with what it took to give up that career and move forward. Tori explains why her art focuses on cartoons, and we’ll wrap up by discussing how business owners can employ more self-love and self-compassion.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session260

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is about a topic I’ve wanted to cover for a while. It’s about something many of us might have wanted to do in our practices. We are talking about retreats and mini-retreats, and I have the perfect person to fill us in on the details.

Mikella Millen is an art therapist in NYC. She has taken a great idea and made it reality by creating retreats focused on self-care for clinicians. She’s sharing with us how she developed this idea and validated the fact that people would want to sign up. We’ll talk about what went well and what didn’t go well, along with Mikella’s lessons learned along the way.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is about navigating long-haul COVID symptoms and life as a private practitioner. I wanted to have a non-academic conversation about this intriguing topic from a real-life perspective. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Robert Cox, MA, LPC, NCC

Robert Cox is a private practitioner in Kentucky. He contracted COVID back in December. After a few weeks, he noticed that his symptoms improved a little but then continued. You’ll hear Robert’s story of his long-haul COVID symptoms and navigating through it as a private practitioner, especially regarding what to disclose to clients.

Tristn Jevon Center for Recovery

You’ll learn:

● What it means to have “long-haul COVID”

● How long-haul COVID symptoms can vary with dementia-like brain fog, heart problems, physical exhaustion, night sweats, etc.

● Robert’s story of contracting COVID last December from his daughter and facing moments of panic because of his asthma

● How Robert’s symptoms were complicated by the death of his son in February 2021

● How Robert learned to deal with long-haul COVID by taking more time off and learning to be more efficient, organized, and focused

● How Robert’s exhaustion and fatigue are impacting his daily life and activity level

● Why there is no standard treatment protocol for long-haul COVID

● How Robert is using meditation to cope with the daily challenges of life and work

● What Robert has learned about having limits and setting boundaries

● How Robert decided to share openly with his clients about his experience

● What Robert has learned about his resilience because of the support from his wife

● How Robert is functioning better because of the system changes he has put in place

● Why Robert’s #1 message to everyone is to get the COVID vaccine

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):

🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From 9 Downloads On Day 1 To 1.2 Million And a 7 Income Stream Business)

💻 How To Launch And Grow A Successful Online Course (Lessons Learned From A $297 First Sale To $150k Online Course)

MY FREE GUIDES:

🎤 Start your Podcast: The QuickStart Guide

🖥️ The A To Z Online Course

MY COURSES:

🎧 The Healthcasters (A podcasting course + community for helpers/healers):

💻 Online Course School (A course to create, sell, and grow a successful online course): COMING IN 2022 (please feel free to download the

If you’ve thought about getting more active on LinkedIn and building an audience there to increase the number of referral sources for your private practice or to move from clinical to online income, today’s session will be helpful for you. Since my very first LinkedIn post a few months ago, I’ve gone from 789 to 1864 followers and from 1000 to over 245,000 views.

The growth has been phenomenal! Throughout this process, I’ve done some things right and a lot of things wrong, and I hope you can learn from my experiences.

In today’s session, I’m sharing the mistakes I’ve made in the past six months in writing on LinkedIn and the best lessons I’ve learned along the way. 

You’ll Learn:

• Why I started writing on LinkedIn in November 2022–and was shocked at the views on my very first post
• My best tips for writing on LinkedIn:
• Turn on Creator Mode when you begin. 
• Make narrowly-focused carousel posts related to your paid offerings–and this process can evolve over time. (Use these links to find out more about Shield and Flocksy.)
• Engage with targeted accounts to create an informal tribe.
• Post on a schedule that fits with your energy and mental health, even if it means you play the long game.
• My biggest challenges in writing on LinkedIn:
• Feeling pressure to post more often than I’m comfortable with doing. 
• Overcoming perfectionism in artwork and graphics in my posts.
• Being on the “content-creation treadmill.”
• Determining whether I want the successful version of this endeavor–and the issues that accompany that success.

I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn!

We'd LOVE To Partner With You!

💻 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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Try Psych Careers!

Where do your ideal clients hang out? Who are the people and organizations that are serving them? These are questions you should answer as you consider narrowing your focus and attracting your ideal clients. Today’s show dives into the practical steps you can take to accomplish these important goals.

Keri Nola is a dear friend who has been on the show before. Keri has branched out of her psychotherapy background to mentor, awaken, and support healers of all kinds through her newly established practice in San Diego. She has a lot of answers to the questions we might ask about attracting ideal clients. She explains why it’s best to focus on the ideal client, how to find those ideal clients, and why those ideal clients need the services you offer.

This will be the final episode of 2018, as I take some time to focus on my new responsibility as a father and enjoy the holidays with my family. I hope you’ll plan to join us for more great conversations in 2019!

You can read the full show notes at www.sellingthecouch.com/session214

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

I have to admit that the topic of personal finance excites the nerd in me. I love reading and learning more about all things around finance! Investing intelligently and planning for retirement are often intimidating areas in which we can always benefit from expert advice. Join us to learn how you can make solid investment decisions and better prepare for your future.

Our Featured Guest-Dave Frank, Certified Financial Planner

Dave Frank is the founder of Turning Point Financial Life Planning, which focuses on helping clinicians in private practice manage their retirement and finances. Dave has a heart to empower therapists around money and finances so they can be more present and centered in all areas of personal and professional life. In today’s show, we will begin by looking at the information and misinformation about investing that have come forward during the pandemic. Dave shares strategies for financial management, including why investing in the stock market is a good idea. Our conversation turns to retirement options for solo and group practitioners and a brief look at cryptocurrency.

Turning Point Financial Life Planning

Use the promo code “STC” for 20% off Dave’s Quick Start Coaching Intensive!

You’ll Learn

●     Why most people don’t know the basics of sound investing

●     Why “passively managed, low-cost, tax efficient mutual funds” are the best tools for long-term investing---(Dave explains the terminology!)

●     The difference between investing and gambling for long-term financial goals

●     The important question about investing: What are my goals?

●     The basics of mutual funds

●     A sound and simple investing strategy that Dave recommends

●     Why your allocations should shift to funds with less volatility and less return as you near retirement age

●     Dave’s investment advice for beginners about getting started with target-date accounts and emergency savings

●     Why solo practitioners should be careful not to overcontribute to a retirement account

●     Dave’s opinion about investing in cryptocurrency--does it make sense for therapists?

Today's Sponsor: Online Course School

I know that many of us want to launch a successful online course whether it's to share our message with a larger audience or to diversify our income beyond 1:1 work.

Speaking from personal experience, I also know that there are a ton of barriers to getting started: the tech, the mental hurdles, being unsure of whether our course will make money, or even how to market and grow our online course.

Online Course School is a live 8-week cohort-based experience where you'll gather with other therapist course creators to create your online course. It includes teaching workshops from Mel and the STC team, weekly assignments, and opportunities to work together to get things done.

By the end of our time together, you'll have your lessons and modules outlined, know what tech, software, and platform you need to record your online course, a working sales page, and have a concrete growth plan for your online course.

We'll be launching our first cohort in Sept 2021 with six members. If this sounds like something you'd love to be a

part of, please check out my free A to Z Online Course Guide.

The guide will help you learn from my mistakes over the past 6+ years of being an online course creator and...

As rewarding as it is to start your own podcast and share your knowledge and expertise with the world, there is one thing that makes it even better--and that’s monetizing your podcast. Wouldn’t it be a dream come true to make money from your podcast? You might think it’s the impossible dream, but today’s show brings practical information and simple tips for monetization that can expand your reach, extend the life of your podcast, and free up more of your time for quality content creation.

Christy Haussler is the founder of Team Podcast, a full-service podcast editing and production company. She’s been my podcast editor since 2015, when I realized I needed help with podcast editing. Christy and her team work behind the scenes to produce, edit, and upload podcasts, and they are the main reason the STC podcast goes out each week. Christy began her podcast editing service around the same time as STC, and her team currently edits about 60 different podcasts and about 300 episodes each month. Christy has a unique and interesting perspective on what people are doing to create income through podcasting, and she’s here to share those insights with us.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

This is the last podcast episode for this year as I take some extra time off to refresh, recharge, and get new episodes ready for 2022. In this solo episode, I’m reflecting and sharing the top five business lessons I have learned this year and what I’ll be focusing on for the upcoming year.

You’ll Learn:

● How I was intentional about taking an indefinite sabbatical from clinical work to focus fully on STC (See Episode 210 for the full story.)

● Why humbling realizations came to me about the difficulties in running two businesses, delivering clarity about my calling, and my desire to build a life around my family

● How this decision has significantly improved my mental health and sleep quality

● Five Business Lessons I’ve Learned this Year:

○ #1--”I don’t want to keep swapping Corelle plates.”

■ I’m focusing now on four things: the STC podcast, The Healthcasters course and community, Online Course School, and a high-level Mastermind group--and this feels right to me.

○ #2--What is ENOUGH?

■ Success and personal worth are not solely measured in finances, and there are other aspects of life that are higher priorities.

○ #3--I love teaching and want to create more space for that.

■ Creating exercises to help students learn brings me great satisfaction and happiness.

○ #4--I value a few deep and authentic relationships with fellow creators.

■ I love these friendships and the connection we have to do life and our business journeys together.

○ #5--Slow and steady growth is fine.

■ This pace of life makes sense to me and suits me, and I couldn’t ask for anything more than this meaningful and purposeful life.

● My primary goals for 2022:

○ Work intentionally on my money stuff.

○ Focus on making Online Course School an amazing experience for therapists.

One of the questions I get asked all the time as a podcaster is “what podcasts do you listen or subscribe to?” This might surprise you, but there's really only one show that I absolutely have to listen to . . . every week. Actually, every day. Like, I'll literally drop what I'm doing (unless I'm with the family of course) and listen to each episode when it drops.

The show is Tesla Daily, which is why I couldn't be more thrilled to have its host Rob Maurer on the show today!

If you want a behind-the-curtain peek at how someone with over 100,000 YouTube subscribers produces a hard-hitting podcast every day, you're in the right place. Rob built this show from the ground up and incredibly, launched his first episode from concept to publish in just 48 – 72 hours. Even more impressive is how Rob's built a trust-worthy brand in such a crowded space.

What does it take to keep up production with a daily show like this? Why does Rob do what he does and how did he get started? How do you combine an audio-first podcast with the power of YouTube? And what does Rob do when Elon Musk posts a controversial tweet? All that and more today — press play, y'all!

Our Featured Guest

Rob Maurer

Rob Maurer has been a Tesla retail investor since 2013 and started the Tesla Daily podcast in 2017 to help people understand the company and contextualize the flurry of news surrounding Tesla. In 2019, Rob expanded the podcast to YouTube, amassing 100,000 subscribers in less than a year.

YouTube

Twitter

You'll Learn:

• How a gap in mainstream reporting and the pursuit of neuroplasticity led to Tesla Daily
• Why producing his podcast on top...

Today’s topic is inspired by a Twitter thread I wrote about a life-changing event in our family when our daughter began preschool recently. Since she was born prematurely, going through the NICU experience four years ago coupled with the demands of entrepreneurship brought me to the realization that things had to change. The season of life that was one of the hardest things became the best thing to help me reevaluate and realign my life and goals. As much as I love my work, I wanted my life to be about much more than my work. Join me to learn how shifting my work week has made me a better entrepreneur, husband, father, and person. 

You’ll Learn:

• Business becomes more complicated with more time. 
• “You don’t have to suffer in order to succeed.”
• For any task, look to automate, delegate, eliminate, or systemize.
• There are more metrics than money. 
• “Not everything that counts can be counted.”
• The time I’ve spent and the memories I’ve made with my daughter are priceless.
• Creativity time is essential.
• Time to explore and be curious should be an intentional part of the day/week. 
• Giving your mind time for creativity and play will help you make better business decisions.
• Business doesn’t have all the answers.
• Work will not fulfill you in every aspect of life. 
• “Don’t build your life around your business; build your business to support your life.”
• Simplicity is key.
• Concise communication is essential for people to understand you.
• “Be clear, not clever.”
• Seasons don’t last.
• Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster ride, but time will pass quickly.
• “Focus on the present and be grateful for now.”
• The courage of a child is inspiring.
• Be resilient like a child, and get back up when you fall down.
• “The only way to fail in building a business is by refusing to get back up.”

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s topic is one that puzzles many clinicians and leaves us feeling uncomfortable. We’ve approached setting fees on past episodes, but today we are diving deeper into setting fees that ensure our profitability. How do we make sure our business is growing, thriving, and allowing for future expansion? Join us as we learn more with today’s guest.

Reina Lombardi is an art therapist based in Florida. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge about debt, building a business, and setting fees. Reina understands the many challenges in owning a private practice, and she knows that we need to be profitable. I hope our conversation gives you a practical perspective on using objective data, and not emotions, to figure out where your numbers should be.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session226

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show covers a topic that is very important to clinicians, but it’s one that we don’t often talk about. We’re focusing on how we survive the day-to-day grind of private practice both as clinicians and business owners. I think the best way to face these struggles is to talk about them with colleagues and realize that we aren’t alone in whatever we face.

Chris Griffin, LPC, went from solo to a group practice with five clinicians in the Greater Hartford, CT area. Chris joins me for an honest conversation about the day-to-day grind of private practice and the emotional ebbs and flows of the business. We discuss staying in the middle and how Chris stays hyper-focused, not getting too high with the highs or too low with the lows. We also discuss the vital importance of self-care for clinicians and what Chris does to keep up his self-care commitment.

You can read the full show notes at: Session197

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

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

How is your sleep? Sleep is a vitally important part of our lives that is often overlooked. We don’t usually think about the ways we cheat ourselves out of good sleep and how the quality of our sleep impacts every part of our day. Today’s show focuses on sleep as it relates to private practitioners and small business owners. Let’s explore how we can improve the quality of our sleep!

Dr. Yishan Xu is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Los Altos, CA. She’s an expert on sleep and runs therapy groups on insomnia. Her podcast, Deep into Sleep, is launching soon, so she’s a great person to help us cover this topic. We’re discussing why sleep is so important and what an ideal night of sleep should look like. Yishan explains why people struggle with insomnia, how quality sleep impacts us as private practitioners, and the biggest mistakes small business owners make regarding sleep. She wraps up our conversation by giving us her best tips for great sleep from her work, training, and experience.

You can read the full show notes at: Session202

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If the topic of building your personal brand on social media brings feelings of anxiety and insecurity, then today’s show is for you. As clinicians, we know it makes sense to have a digital footprint in the online world, but it’s difficult to know just how to establish yourself with authenticity and transparency. There are so many nuances to the intimidating world of social media! Today’s conversation will give you valuable insight and practical tips to help people get to know, like, and trust you. Join us to learn more.

Our Featured Guest-Lisa Mustard, LMFT

Lisa Mustard is a personal brand coach, psychoeducator, therapist, podcaster, and self-described personal development junkie in South Carolina. This mom of two has created an awe-inspiring presence on social media around topics like fitness, health, mindset, and goals. Recording with her phone, Lisa proves that a high-quality, high-dollar studio is not a requirement for building your personal brand, and she does it in very unique and authentic ways. Lisa joins us to talk about what personal branding is, how much to share, and that all-important line between OK and TMI. We’ll wrap up with the most common mistake people make in personal branding and three tips that you can utilize today to start building your personal brand on social media.

Lisa Mustard

You’ll Learn

●     What is a personal brand? Your reputation, what people say about you, and what you’re known for

●     The best way to narrow your brand down to three specific things is to identify your top values and priorities

●     Why you have to be clear and specific about how you want to move forward on social media

●     How to decide how much to share online

●     The most common mistake people make is----not taking the time to build a personal brand

●     Three tips for a clinician who wants to build a personal brand:

○     Identify your strengths, uniqueness, and how you help people

○     Know your values and what you stand for

○     Know where you want to go and what you want to accomplish

●     Why you should realize that not everyone will resonate with your message---and that’s OK

●     Why social media is the best place to build your personal brand

Resources

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session covers a topic that many clinicians are pondering. Many, like me, are having conversations with themselves in their heads about the available opportunities and the most efficient and ethical ways not to be left behind as technology presents new options in our field. The issue is how we can navigate the world of mental health tech startups that are available to join us to support our good work. Examples of what these startups provide are electronic health records, website design, marketing, and more. The truth is that the pandemic changed everything and catapulted the tech startup world into the range of billions of dollars. Don’t miss my enlightening conversation with today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Michael Fulwiler

Michael Fulwiler is Head of Brand Marketing at Heard, a company that assists therapists with bookkeeping and financial needs. I’ve come to rely on Mike’s expertise as a good friend as I navigate the aspects of STC, trying to be a protector of our field while staying in alignment with my values. In this session, Mike and I discuss the mindblowing numbers around the multitude of mental health tech startups and how clinicians can be informed about which ones are most likely to succeed or fail. We also discuss the vitally important topic of client data privacy and the top three considerations we should have before signing up for a product or service. 

Heard Website

You’ll Learn: 

• How to view tech startups in the mental health industry in terms of “headwind” and “tailwind” tendencies since the COVID-19 pandemic
• What the data shows about tech startups: 90% will fail!
• Why the big risk also comes with big opportunities in the startup world
• What happens when a clinician contracts with a mental health tech startup
• Why client data privacy is a valid concern when working with a tech startup (Hear Mike’s advice about watching out for red flags!)
• Top three considerations for a therapist about a tech startup:
• How they handle the data 
• Whether or not there is a mental health professional on their team who helps with decisions and development
• How compensation for therapists is structured
• Mike’s advice about doing your due diligence when contacted by a tech startup
• An overview of Mike’s work and mission at Heard and what they provide for therapists

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

This is the first episode of 2025, which marks the ten-year milestone for the STC podcast! It’s incredible that, despite my fears and uncertainties, this podcast began as a small dream of mine to use our skill sets beyond the therapy room and learn to build successful businesses. I’ve loved documenting my journey of transitioning from psychologist to online creator, podcaster, and public speaker, and I’m eternally grateful to you, each listener. It is a humbling experience that’s given me way more encouragement in return than I could have ever imagined.

This episode is an honest look at my decision in 2024 to return to private practice, which I detailed in a podcast episode and on social media posts. I’m being extremely vulnerable in explaining why I’ve decided to pause my private practice journey for now. It’s tough for any people pleaser like myself to realize that others may be disappointed in my decision, so I want to explain. Join me for this solo episode as I lay out the details. 

You’ll Learn:

• The reality is that we don’t build a business in a vacuum, and external factors are always in play.
• Three significant life events impacting my decision:
• Susan’s job changes mean more home responsibilities for me.
• Aging parents–and their need for more consistent care
• More church responsibilities in leading a small group
• A look at my typical daily schedule
• My commitment to viewing parenting as a privilege–and what that looks like for me as a dad
• My simple insights about the totality of life and my next steps:
• Income is only one part of success.
• My brain is not wired for the mental load of running two businesses.
• I’m hitting my “enough” number with STC revenue.
• Caregiving for our parents is on the horizon, and I have the most flexibility in our family to do this.
• I’m realizing how I can best leverage what we’ve built with STC to bring the maximum benefit to our field and the world.
• My big dreams to do good and effect meaningful change to help more people

Resources:

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

Want to launch your online course?

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

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Since STC usually focuses on aspects of the journey into private practice, today’s show is different. We are talking to someone who decided to take her skill set in another direction and move away from private practice. A traditional talk-therapy practice isn’t for everyone, and there are other therapeutic healing modalities that can be fulfilling and meaningful. Join us to learn more!

Hayley Hansen is a body-centered healer based in Phoenix, Arizona. She was a Licensed Professional Counselor who became fascinated with bodywork healing methods through yoga; Hayley decided to give up her LPC license to pursue her calling. She shares her journey with us and what she’s learned along the way, including the early indicators that a traditional talk therapy practice just wasn’t the right fit for her. We will also discuss how she worked through internal and external struggles and decided to focus on bodywork healing methods.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session245

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Grief, mourning, and loss---they aren’t topics we usually enjoy discussing, but whether we like it or not, they are processes that we all have to go through at some point in life. For a therapist, how do you build your private practice while dealing with these intense feelings, and what would prompt you to find your niche within this realm? Today’s guest answers these questions and more as we delve into this topic to begin a new season of STC.

Nikki Sewell, LCSW, has tackled building a private practice through the loss of a loved one. She and her husband, Andrew, built a private practice together with his psychiatry work and her social work. Shortly after establishing the practice, he had complications following an extensive surgery and passed away unexpectedly. Nikki was only 30 years old when she became a widow and had to endure grief, loss, and the practical steps involved in moving forward. In today’s conversation, Nikki shares candidly about what inspired them to form a joint practice, how she felt the strength and resolve to keep going, and how her vision for the practice has changed. She also shares how her personal experiences with grief and loss have factored into the niche she has chosen for her practice.

You can read the full show notes at : Session169

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These can be watched at a date/time that works for you):

🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From 9 Downloads On Day 1 To 1.2 Million And a 7 Income Stream Business)

💻 How To Launch And Grow A Successful Online Course (Lessons Learned From A $297 First Sale To $150k Online Course)

MY FREE GUIDES:

🎤 Start your Podcast: The QuickStart Guide

🖥️ The A To Z Online Course

MY COURSES:

🎧 The Healthcasters (A podcasting course + community for helpers/healers):

💻 Online Course School (A course to create, sell, and grow a successful online course): COMING IN 2022 (please feel free to download the online guide course above and I can keep you updated as I'm trying to build this with ample input and care including a chance to work 1 on 1 with me!): 

MY FAVORITE SOFTWARE:

🧳 My Podcast Hosting Platform (Captivate-Includes 7 Day Free Trial):

🚀 My All In One Online Business Platform (Kartra-Includes 14 Day Free Trial):

🤖

Welcome to a new season of STC! Today’s conversation is different from the typical STC session, as it was inspired by a thread created in the STC community about healthcare providers dismissing legitimate medical concerns. This situation is one that you might encounter personally or with your clients, so I hope you’ll find our conversation helpful and informative. Join us!

Our Featured Guest

Danielle Hughes, MA, LPC

Danielle Hughes is in private practice in Loveland, CO. Danielle shared her perspective in the STC community as someone with a chronic illness who struggled for 12 years to get a proper diagnosis. She interacted with several healthcare providers who didn’t believe that her physical issues could be attributed to anything other than stress and trauma.

It’s been quite a journey for Danielle, who was just recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that truly affects her energy levels on a daily basis. In today’s session, Danielle shares her story and the challenges she has overcome

with the fortitude to keep going when doctors attributed her problems to psychological issues. We also dive deep into practical questions you can ask in

sessions with clients who have chronic illnesses and related psychological concerns.

Find Danielle Hughes on Facebook and Instagram, @daniellehughesLPC

You’ll Learn:

• About Danielle’s health journey that began with joint pain and fatigue in college
• How she was dismissed by the medical community as her physical concerns were attributed to stress for 12 years
• How Danielle found the fortitude to keep pushing forward with multiple doctors and specialists to get a diagnosis of an autoimmune disease
• About the route Danielle took with her PCP, the VA system, and multiple specialists
• Danielle’s advice for clinicians dealing with clients with physical issues in addition to psychological concerns
• Why it’s important to believe the client and not relate everything to trauma or anxiety
• How clinicians can be most helpful by asking questions and being supportive to understand the whole of the client’s life
• Why we should respond with compassion and curiosity when we are tempted to assume there’s nothing wrong with someone who appears “fine”
• About a typical day/week for Danielle, a clinician in private practice with a chronic autoimmune disease
• How Danielle deals with days when she struggles to function as a clinician

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Where do your ideal clients hang out? Who are the people and organizations that are serving them? These are questions you should answer as you consider narrowing your focus and attracting your ideal clients. Today’s show dives into the practical steps you can take to accomplish these important goals.

Keri Nola is a dear friend who has been on the show before. Keri has branched out of her psychotherapy background to mentor, awaken, and support healers of all kinds through her newly established practice in San Diego. She has a lot of answers to the questions we might ask about attracting ideal clients. She explains why it’s best to focus on the ideal client, how to find those ideal clients, and why those ideal clients need the services you offer.

This will be the final episode of 2018, as I take some time to focus on my new responsibility as a father and enjoy the holidays with my family. I hope you’ll plan to join us for more great conversations in 2019!

You can read the full show notes at: Session177

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

July is an exciting month because STC will hit one million downloads! It’s something I could never have imagined during these first few years. As STC has grown, we’ve added new team members and made significant changes. One of the biggest changes to date is happening now, and we’re taking a closer look in today’s show.

Nicole Denison has been my virtual assistant for the past three years. You may remember that she joined us in Episode 232 to talk about the benefits of having a VA. Nicole is back to discuss the changes taking place as we move all of our STC content into an all-in-one platform. Maybe a move like this is something you’ve considered because it’s tough to manage different content on several pieces of software at once. We began this journey about two months ago, so Nicole and I will share why we are making this transition, why we are excited about this new step for STC, and how this move fits into our dreams for the future. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at STC!

www.sellingthecouch.com/session247

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is a special episode as we celebrate STC hitting the ONE MILLION downloads’ milestone. When I started the podcast, I thought one million downloads was a reasonable 20-year-goal, but here we are, just five years along in the journey. To mark this occasion, I’m going solo today with advice to the younger me, or what I wish I had known five years ago.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session249

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):

🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From 9 Downloads On Day 1 To 1.2 Million And a 7 Income Stream Business)

💻 How To Launch And Grow A Successful Online Course (Lessons Learned From A $297 First Sale To $150k Online Course)

MY FREE GUIDES:

🎤 Start your Podcast: The QuickStart Guide

🖥️ The A To Z Online Course

MY COURSES:

🎧 The Healthcasters (A podcasting course + community for helpers/healers):

💻 Online Course School (A course to create, sell, and grow a successful online course): COMING IN 2022 (please feel free to download the online guide course above and I can keep you updated as I'm trying to build this with ample input and care including a chance to work 1 on 1 with me!): 

MY FAVORITE SOFTWARE:

🧳 My Podcast Hosting Platform (Captivate-Includes 7 Day Free Trial):

🚀 My All In One Online Business Platform (Kartra-Includes 14 Day Free Trial):

🤖 What I Use For Evergreen Webinars (Easy Webinar)

🌐 My Website Host (SiteGround-Includes Discount)

🎨 My WebSite Theme (Divi)

MY FAVORITE GEAR:

❤️ STC Home Office Tour!

📔 My Online Counseling + Coaching Gear

🎥 My...

Today’s show is a live coaching call regarding a topic that has been very relevant to me recently. We are talking about the many nuances of online courses. I hope this episode will be helpful to you and bring new ideas if an online course is on your radar.

Our Featured Guest-Kristen Boice, LMFT

Kristen Boice is a therapist in private practice and a fellow podcaster. She has realized the need among her listeners for an online course. Her podcast, Close the Chapter, is about closing the chapter on certain things in our lives so we can open ourselves up to new opportunities. In today’s coaching call, I’ll share some lessons I’ve learned along the way about online courses. We’ll talk about the rationale behind creating a live course vs. a pre-recorded one. We will wrap up with a pre-launch strategy to help get buyers for your course before you launch.

Pathways To Healing Counseling 

Kristen Boice

You’ll Learn

●     Why Kristen started her podcast about two years ago to provide another opportunity for deeper work for her clients

●     How an online course can help you get more information out to curious people

●     The options for your course and other services

●     Why niching down is a big challenge for therapists

●     How Kristen sees the epidemic of people feeling “not good enough” and being scared to speak up

●     How a niche can help you offer value and find your sweet spot

●     How the best courses take people from one place to another

●     Why Kristen focuses on helping with the hard conversations

●     How to use phraseology that appeals to people and addresses their need

●     Step-by-step actions to build your email list and create effective opt-ins

●     How to create value on the front end of your course by validating your content

Today's Sponsor: Online Course School

I know that many of us want to launch a successful online course whether it's to share our message with a larger audience or to diversify our income beyond 1:1 work.

Speaking from personal experience, I also know that there are a ton of barriers to getting started: the tech, the mental hurdles, being unsure of whether our course will make money, or even how to market and grow our online course.

Online Course School is a live 8-week cohort-based experience where you'll gather with other therapist course creators to create your online course. It includes teaching workshops from Mel

and the STC team, weekly assignments, and opportunities to work together to get things done. By the end of our time together, you'll have your lessons and modules outlined, know what tech, software, and platform you need to record your online course, a working sales page, and have a concrete growth plan for your online course.

We'll be launching our first cohort in Sept 2021 with six members. If this sounds like something you'd love to be a part of, please check out my free A to Z Online Course Guide.

The guide will help you learn from my mistakes over the past 6+ years of being an online course creator and lessons I've learned from moving the Healthcasters podcasting course from a $297 first sale to over 275 students and passing the $200k revenue mark in 2021.

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with...

Today’s topic will resonate with many of us in private practice as we focus on burnout. Therapists are faced with many questions around how they want to conduct their businesses and structure their lives—and no one wants to face the reality of burnout. Let’s take a closer look with today’s guest.

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Jennifer Blanchette is a licensed psychologist, podcaster, speaker, career coach, and business consultant. She helps therapists get unstuck in their careers and lives. In this episode, Dr. Jen discusses the hazards of our profession, how it’s changing, and the emphasis on certain markers around revenue and numbers. Jen gives a sense of why we can't talk about burnout very often, along with telltale signs she noticed in her personal experience with burnout. We also discuss the strange juxtaposition of finding freedom in private practice but taking on more administrative roles, experiencing isolation, and bearing the heavy emotional toll. We close with honest insights about tuning into our bodies and learning to listen. Jen gives practical advice for any therapist who could be teetering on the edge of burnout. 

Website (and The Therapist Burnout Podcast)

You’ll Learn:

• Burnout—why we are afraid to talk about it
• Unexpected isolation and the need to find community
• Private practice offers freedom, right??
• Learning to listen to your body
• Factoring your body into major decisions in life and giving yourself space for rest
• Jen’s private practice experience during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Managing our resources, energy, and our ability to give
• Telltale signs of burnout for Jen
• It’s okay to ask for help!
• Looking at all aspects of private practice and the actual costs
• Jen’s perspective on burnout today and what therapists need to look for
• Burnout prevention vs. burnout recovery
• Jen’s advice to therapists who are teetering on the edge of burnout

Resources:

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

Want to launch your online course?

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

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

As clinicians, we occupy a unique role as we hold space for the grief of our clients while still navigating our own grief and disappointment in a time like this pandemic crisis. These times make us think differently about how we serve our clients, which makes today’s show about text-based therapy very relevant. Can it be used in an ethical and effective way?

Bill Hudenko is a professor at Dartmouth College in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. He also teaches at Dartmouth’s School of Medicine and is the CEO of Trusst Health, a company that developed an app called Trusst. The app came about as the result of research Bill conducted at Dartmouth about the efficacy of text-based therapy and whether it can work well for certain populations. Our conversation brings fascinating knowledge and insight as we cover a range of topics. Bill explains his research, how the Trusst app works, and what the benefits are to using this medium.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session241

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session is all about rebranding. We are taking a behind-the-scenes look at how different circumstances might affect the business you’ve established and force you to rebrand. Should you view this kind of pivot as a failure? Absolutely not! Let’s explore this topic together.

Our Featured Guest

Kevon Cheung

Kevon Cheung is the founder and head teacher at Small School. He was a previous guest on the podcast several years ago, and I’ve taken his Build in Public Mastery Course to help overcome my fears about posting on social media. I learned a lot of helpful information about creating effective posts on LinkedIn, YouTube, and the STC podcast. Kevon’s wisdom and practical knowledge have helped me lean into vulnerability in many areas. In light of his rebranding from Public Lab to Small School, Kevon shares the pain and difficulties in business building and rebranding, why he felt the need to rebrand, and what he teaches in his online “small courses.” He also explains where he sees course creators stumbling the most. 

Small School

You’ll Learn:

• The painful parts of Kevon’s rebranding process (Changing your identity and “rebuilding what you’re known for”)
• Kevon’s thoughts about working through the inevitable feelings of failure when a change became necessary (How to reframe your mindset about a pivot)
• The biggest mistake course creators make
• Kevon’s #1 piece of advice for entrepreneurs and course creators
• Kevon’s reasoning behind his “all in” attitude about online courses
• Knowing when to add a course as a new offering (Have you validated your expertise with your audience?)
• Where course creators stumble the most–and why the goal is to create an experience that connects, surprises, and delights
• Kevon’s perspective on what a “small course” is

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Have you thought about starting a podcast? If you run a busy private practice, you might wonder how you could take on such an endeavor in addition to all the other things you do. I feel your concerns, as I’m coming up on ten years as a clinician-turned-podcaster. I’ve learned a lot, and I want to share five unique ways you can launch and run a successful podcast without it feeling like another “job” you have to do. Join me in this session to learn more!

You’ll Learn:

• Fact: Podcasting has made my life a lot easier in many ways. 
• Five unexpected insights into podcasting as a beneficial addition:
• Batch record and automate.
• This will save you a ton of time, which is your most precious asset. 
• Look at your schedule and identify a 2-3 hour block of time for recording episodes. (Captivate makes it easier!)
• Bonus tip: Stack this by creating a podcast on your live schedule so you don’t have to record new episodes every week/month. 
• Repurpose your existing content.
• Look for common themes and pain points with your clients.
• Capture ideas during the course of your day with notes or a notes app.
• Bonus tip: My private Slack subchannel helps me. 
• Use podcasting as a client-attraction tool.
• Your podcast can reduce your marketing workload and attract clients and customers organically.
• Podcasters are the most trusted media personalities.
• Podcasts are evergreen and have binge potential.
• Bonus tip: Create episodes around questions clients ask that are related to your niches and specialties. 
• Keep episodes short and impactful.
• Shorter episodes are easier for you AND the listener. (15-25 minutes is an ideal length.)
• Bonus tip: Set a 20-minute timer and cover one question relating to a common struggle within your niche. 
• Outsource editing to free up your time.
• You don’t have to be the editor; hire someone!
• Outsourcing allows you to focus on your zone of genius and not get bogged down with the technical side. 
• Bonus tip: Reach out to local colleges and universities for students who are looking for work. 
• Check out the free workshop, Using Podcasting to Grow Your Business. Click here.

Resources:

Try Upheal Secure AI Therapy Notes! Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH” to get 50% off for the first three months! 

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

Want to launch your online course?

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

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn...

The concept of using telemedicine for mental health clinicians has become very relevant due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, meeting clients this way is something that is not just temporary; clinicians need to make this transition and set themselves up for successful telemedicine for the future.

Roy Huggins has been at the forefront of telemedicine and how to do it ethically. In today’s show, he’ll share practical measures to take, like setting up your computer and tablet. He’ll also share tips around the expectations of telemedicine mental health and how to reframe those expectations for our new normal.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Have you felt the pull of private practice? Maybe you’ve considered taking the leap into private practice, but are hesitant about the first steps to take. Today’s show takes an authentic look at the big picture, along with basic procedures to get you started. Our guest shares how she followed her intuition and took the risk that comes with starting a business.

Montoyia McGowan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the Memphis, Tennessee area. She and I have connected online for about four years, since the early days of the STC community. Montoyia left a job she loved at the VA to go into private practice, and she celebrates four years in that practice this year. We are discussing what made her start her private practice, how she honed in on a niche, and how she networked and found referral sources. We’ll wrap up with an honest analysis of what has gone well for Montoyia and what she wishes she had done differently. I hope you enjoy this action-packed episode with many pearls of wisdom and insights.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session224

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

So much of what we do as clinicians revolves around leadership, even though we may not be comfortable thinking of ourselves that way. If we are truly leaders in what we do, it makes sense to learn all we can about making ourselves the best leaders possible. The world needs good leaders! Join us as we discuss all things leadership development in today’s show

Our Featured Guest

Jevin Koleth

Jevin Koleth is a leadership coach who happens to be a childhood friend of mine. He has vast experience in what it means to be a leader through his time as a regional manager for a major healthcare system in Texas. I want you to hear Jevin’s insights about why leadership needs to be developed first at the individual level before implementing the more popular team approach. We also dive into how leadership has changed as a result of the pandemic, and we wrap up with personal and real-life experiences from Jevin that can help you in your growth as a leader.

Jevin Koleth

You’ll Learn:

• Why effective leadership development has to begin at the individual level with a solid foundation
• The first steps in an individualized approach to leadership training:
• Identify the person’s personal purpose and mission
• Identify the person’s barriers to being their best self
• How Jevin becomes an accountability coach in helping people develop long-term habits
• Why the mass team approach to leadership training needs to FOLLOW after the foundational individual approach
• Why it’s good to develop one’s self as a leader to be the best version of yourself
• How an impactful leader will come across with consistency
• How leadership has changed during the pandemic in the three areas of remote leadership, interpersonal skills, and team culture
• Jevin’s pearls of wisdom about going back to work in the office
• Why a leader’s goal should be positive outcomes from difficult conversations
• Highlights of Jevin’s current work as a leadership coach

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s topic is very specific, but it’s one that makes a big difference in your private practice and has a meaningful impact on your clients. We are talking about creating an epic welcome video for your practice website. If making a welcome video isn’t part of your website already, don’t miss today’s episode about showing up authentically in ways that connect you to your clients.

Our Featured Guest

Bryan Nixon, MA, LPC

Bryan Nixon is a group practice owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His welcome video on his website stands out in my mind as a beautiful and powerful example of what we’re bringing forward in today’s show. Bryan will break down the process of creating such a video, along with things a clinician might overlook when creating such a video. We will wrap up with helpful tips if creating an engaging welcome video is on your to-do list.

Website

You’ll Learn

●     How a video can bring intentionality to your sacred work of therapy in a visual experience

●     How Bryan identified the vibe he wanted to communicate about his practice

●     Why Bryan decided to feature an old, scarred dresser in his welcome video and the symbolism it presents to clients

●     What a client really wants to know about a therapist: Will you see me? Will you hear me? Will you connect with me?

●     Why Bryan felt the importance of “telling the story” through narration for his video

●     Three tips for creating an impactful welcome video:

○     Be willing to do your own work with authenticity before you think about a video

○     Connect to your purpose and your WHY in the world

○     Present your authenticity, but don’t be afraid to show your mistakes

●     Bryan’s continuing ed program, Relationally-Focused Psychodynamic Therapy

●     How restorative healing comes about as a result of the relationship between the client and the therapist

Today’s Podcast Sponsor:

Tidemark VA Services provides billing, credentialing, client scheduling, and social media management services to therapists in private practice. The owner, Brittany, is a group practice owner who knows the ins and outs of our field.

Learn more about the services that Tidemark provides at https://sellingthecouch.com/tidemark.

Additional resources:

Learn about Bryan’s two-year, post-grad program: The Seattle School 

Match Frame Creative (the company that created Bryan's video)

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS

Today’s topic is very specific, but it’s one that makes a big difference in your private practice and has a meaningful impact on your clients. We are talking about creating an epic welcome video for your practice website. If making a welcome video isn’t part of your website already, don’t miss today’s episode about showing up authentically in ways that connect you to your clients.

Our Featured Guest

Bryan Nixon, MA, LPC

Bryan Nixon is a group practice owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His welcome video on his website stands out in my mind as a beautiful and powerful example of what we’re bringing forward in today’s show. Bryan will break down the process of creating such a video, along with things a clinician might overlook when creating such a video. We will wrap up with helpful tips if creating an engaging welcome video is on your to-do list.

Website

You’ll Learn

●     How a video can bring intentionality to your sacred work of therapy in a visual experience

●     How Bryan identified the vibe he wanted to communicate about his practice

●     Why Bryan decided to feature an old, scarred dresser in his welcome video and the symbolism it presents to clients

●     What a client really wants to know about a therapist: Will you see me? Will you hear me? Will you connect with me?

●     Why Bryan felt the importance of “telling the story” through narration for his video

●     Three tips for creating an impactful welcome video:

○     Be willing to do your own work with authenticity before you think about a video

○     Connect to your purpose and your WHY in the world

○     Present your authenticity, but don’t be afraid to show your mistakes

●     Bryan’s continuing ed program, Relationally-Focused Psychodynamic Therapy

●     How restorative healing comes about as a result of the relationship between the client and the therapist

Today’s Podcast Sponsor:

Tidemark VA Services provides billing, credentialing, client scheduling, and social media management services to therapists in private practice. The owner, Brittany, is a group practice owner who knows the ins and outs of our field.

Learn more about the services that Tidemark provides at https://sellingthecouch.com/tidemark.

Additional resources:

Learn about Bryan’s two-year, post-grad program: The Seattle School 

Match Frame Creative (the company that created Bryan's video)

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):

Today’s show covers an interesting topic that has come up in the STC community. We discuss multiple income streams frequently, but what is the best way to put those in place? Do I need to build my therapy practice before I launch a second income stream? Let’s answer these questions and more with today’s guest.

Annie Schuessler lives in the San Francisco Bay area. She’s been in private practice for 20 years, and she’s mentored other therapists for 10 years. She has insights learned along the way in her journey, and she’s here to share those secrets with us. We’ll discuss why it’s important to have additional income streams as a clinician, and Annie shares the three minimum steps to take before launching into other income streams. Join us for more from Annie!

www.sellingthecouch.com/session227

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

The concept of using telemedicine for mental health clinicians has become very relevant due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, meeting clients this way is something that is not just temporary; clinicians need to make this transition and set themselves up for successful telemedicine for the future.

Roy Huggins has been at the forefront of telemedicine and how to do it ethically. In today’s show, he’ll share practical measures to take, like setting up your computer and tablet. He’ll also share tips around the expectations of telemedicine mental health and how to reframe those expectations for our new normal.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Do you love learning new things but struggle to retain the information you’d like to remember for later use? This problem is an ever-present obstacle in my nerdy quest to accumulate knowledge. The good news? I’ve found something that works for me, and I’m sharing it in today’s show. Join me to learn more.

This is a solo episode about building a second brain. You may or may not have heard of this concept, but it has revolutionized my life. As I stick to my commitment of setting aside two hours every day to learn new things, I find that I can grow as a business owner, gain knowledge and expertise, become more proficient in offering valuable products and services, and improve my physical and mental health. The problem is that I can’t always remember everything I read, hear, and think. That’s where the magic of the second brain comes in to help. Let’s dive in.

You’ll Learn:

●     How note-taking helps me remember things and stay organized

●     How I was introduced to the “second brain concept” through the work of Ali Abdaal, a physician in England

●     The basics of the second brain: Instead of feeling pressure to store accumulated knowledge in my brain, I can store it online in a digital brain

●     How the second brain principles of productivity were developed by world-renowned productivity expert Tiago Forte, who has a free 10-part podcast on the topic (see Resources)

●     Ten Principles in Building a Second Brain:

○     Borrowed creativity

○     The capture habit

○     Idea recycling

○     Projects over categories

○     Slow burns

○     Start with abundance

○     Intermediate packets

○     You only know what you make

○     Make things easier for your future self

○     Keep your ideas moving

●     “The key is not to just consume content, but to personalize and recycle it.”

Resources mentioned:

Ali Abdaal

Forte Labs 

Find the 10-part podcast series on Building a Second Brain at Forte Labs

Apps and tools recommended by Melvin:

For live transcription of Mastermind groups: Otter

For pulling highlights from Kindle books: Readwise 

For capturing snippets of podcasts: Airr 

For pulling highlights from blog posts: Instapaper 

To use a central repository for information: Notion or Evernote or Roam Research.com  

Transcript:

Melvin:

Hey friends, welcome to session 264 of Selling the Couch, I hope that you are having a wonderful day. So today's episode is a solo one. And I wanted to start this episode by sharing a story or rather a scenario. As you may have figured out

I think often about legacy in providing STC as a resource for our field and being of service to our colleagues. The same desire for a lasting legacy drives me to connect with good people who are doing great things in the world, which is what this podcast is all about. Today’s conversation, with two of those good people, focuses on a common issue for clinicians in referring out clients. If you are looking to do referrals in a better way, this session will give you valuable information. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guests

Anna O’Brien 

Jim Pasquarella

Anna O’Brien and Jim Pasquarella live and work locally in the Philly area as a clinician and commercial real estate developer, respectively. They have created a resource called The Consult List, which addresses a common problem for clinicians. “Referring out” clients to other colleagues is something every clinician faces, but what’s the best way to do it? 

Anna and Jim will share with us how they created The Consult List for clinicians to use in making sure the clients we serve are getting appropriate and helpful referrals. This resource allows clinicians to harness the power of their community and streamline the referral process. They will explain how the resource handles issues like data privacy and protection, and we will discuss how they are monetizing this free resource.

Website

You’ll Learn:

• The story behind The Consult List and how it came to be as Anna and Jim teamed up to improve access to mental health services
• How Jim’s efforts are inspired by the memory of his mom’s tireless dedication in caring for others
• How Anna and Jim met through the shared vision of making a vacant building into an affordable wellness center to serve the local community
• What The Consult List is and how it helps clinicians with referrals
• How the client can interact with The Consult List
• What a prospective clinician would have access to on The Consult List in keeping safety and privacy in mind for the prospective client
• How the location parameters are set for clinicians and clients on The Consult List
• Why The Consult List is free in its essential version and offers a premium membership with extra features
• How data is protected on this referral platform

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Like many of you, I’m looking forward to a different 2021, but I am grateful for what we’ve learned about ourselves, our businesses, and our resilience. Today’s topic is more relevant than ever, as we all want to learn more about improving our private practice website. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Daniel Fava

Daniel Fava, from Private Practice Elevation, is my friend and an expert in website design. I trust his insight and advice, and I rely heavily on him for everything website-related. Daniel is here to share what is working for private practice websites post-pandemic. Much of what we think about our private practice websites has shifted greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what used to serve us well may not be working now. As many of us are transitioning to full-time online counseling or at least some increased element of online therapy, Daniel’s advice is relevant and timely.

Website

ROI Report

Website Audit

You'll Learn:

• What has changed about websites and online traffic since the pandemic began
• Three things that are working well for private practice websites:
• A professional website is more important than ever.
• People are searching online, so you need to have a presence there that stands out.
• Content is the foundation for getting found online.
• Foundational content includes your home page, service pages, and specialty pages.
• Online therapy has become an essential part of private practice.
• Your website audience is now expanded throughout your entire state, instead of just your local vicinity. 
• How to incorporate non-written content, like videos and podcasts, into your website
• Why you should take this opportunity to view your website through new eyes

Transcript:

Melvin:

Hello, welcome to session 262 of Selling the Couch. I hope you are having a good start to the New Year. Man after the fun adventure that was 2020 I am really looking forward to a different 2021. At the same time, I feel like I'm so grateful. As hard as this has been that in some ways that we were able to go through this because I think it's definitely taught all of us just how resilient we are; especially if you have been able to manage a business and during a pandemic, you're pretty legit.

So today's podcast session is with my good friend Daniel Fava from Private Practice Elevation. Daniel is an expert when it comes to website design. It's someone I rely on for both STC and my private practice website. And Daniel is here to share three of the things that are working for private practice websites post-pandemic. I know that how we think about private practice and even how we think about our private practice websites has shifted in the midst of this pandemic.

There are just things that were working in the past that are not working as well now and we've learned a lot of insights and key things in terms of what could work and what will be working going forward. Especially as many of us transition either fully to online counseling or maintain some element of online counseling in our practices. I think there are just a lot of different things there. So we'll get right to today's conversation. Here is my conversation with Daniel Fava from privatepracticeelevation.com.

Hey, Daniel, welcome back to Selling the...

Today I’m sharing what I’m using for no-code tools and my tech stack as an online course creator. Believe me, I’ve experimented with a lot of different things, and I’m always willing to share what I’ve learned and what I recommend to others. If you aren’t familiar with the term “no-code,” it simply refers to tools that don’t require a code or advanced programming to use. I hope this information is helpful to anyone who is creating a course or thinking about this endeavor in the future. Join me to learn more!

You’ll Learn:

11 no-code tools I’m using to create online courses:

• Kartra is an all-in-one platform with features that fit our needs. 
• Circle provides a place for community outside mainstream social media. 
• Stripe allows us to take payments within Kartra.
• Loom is great for recording online course videos because there are many recording options.
• Notion helps with lesson planning because there are lesson and template options that make it easy to repurpose content later. 
• Testimonial.to makes it easy to gather testimonials from students; a downside is that it is expensive.
• Smarter Queue helps with social media management because it integrates with Facebook groups and LinkedIn, and it recycles posts.
• Canva is amazing because there are many clean and modern slide templates with animation and graphics. 
• Headline Studios helps create engaging course titles with built-in AI and feedback.
• Captivate is great for podcast hosting because of dynamic ads insertion.
• Easy Webinar makes the webinar sign-up process easy for students. 

Resources:

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive...

As clinicians, we often think about creative outlets for our messages of hope and healing. One of those that you might not have considered is creating a conference. It may sound like an overwhelming task, but it’s one that can be effective and fulfilling. Let’s discuss it in today’s show!

Mercedes Samudio, LCSW, does a lot of good work around all things related to parenting. She’s written Shame-Proof Parenting and has created The Diversity in Parenting Conference, which explores the diverse ways that clinicians work with parents and families. The conference is coming up soon on September 13-14 in Anaheim, CA. In today’s show, Mercedes takes us behind the scenes to learn what it takes to put together a conference of this magnitude. Mercedes is excited to share with all of us what she’s learned from this first-time experience. She’ll share about the planning process and why she chose a conference as the medium to share her message instead of a webinar. Mercedes also fills us in on how she selected speakers and set fees for the event, along with the biggest lessons she’s learned along the way.

You can read the full show notes at: Session201

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

“Will anyone listen to it? How can I grow my audience?” These are the questions that badger everyone who starts a podcast, and even though I am a veteran podcaster of several years, I know there is a lot of room to grow. The good news is that there are people who can help us learn by sharing their knowledge and experience. My guest today has answers to your biggest questions about growing and marketing your podcast. It’s easier than you think! Join us!

Our Featured Guest

Jeremy Enns

Jeremy Enns is a podcast marketing strategist for scrappy brands, networks, and creators who are looking to punch above their weight. He has helped his clients generate over 50 million podcast downloads and millions of dollars in revenue. By working with many different podcasters, Jeremy has learned what works best in podcast growth, and he’s here to share his top tips for growing a podcast strategically and intentionally. 

Website

You’ll Learn:

• Jeremy’s outlook on the fate of the podcasting industry–Is podcasting here to stay?
• Why people from different platforms are getting into podcasting to build long-term engagement
• Jeremy’s tips for beginning podcasters:
• Have realistic expectations. “The root of unhappiness is misaligned expectations.” Think of podcasting as a five-year plan for learning a new skill—and appreciate the intangibles.
• Think of marketing as just another way of creatively communicating ideas to help the people you want to serve. Find ways to make marketing fun for you.
• Use the writing methods that work best for you.
• Be an active participant in communities where you feel comfortable and always look for one-on-one conversation opportunities. “Go live in the world where your people already are.”

An overview of Jeremy’s upcoming workshop, The Minimalist Podcast Marketing Method, and his flagship course, Podcast Marketing Academy

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Do you love learning new things but struggle to retain the information you’d like to remember for later use? This problem is an ever-present obstacle in my nerdy quest to accumulate knowledge. The good news? I’ve found something that works for me, and I’m sharing it in today’s show. Join me to learn more.

This is a solo episode about building a second brain. You may or may not have heard of this concept, but it has revolutionized my life. As I stick to my commitment of setting aside two hours every day to learn new things, I find that I can grow as a business owner, gain knowledge and expertise, become more proficient in offering valuable products and services, and improve my physical and mental health. The problem is that I can’t always remember everything I read, hear, and think. That’s where the magic of the second brain comes in to help. Let’s dive in.

You’ll Learn:

●     How note-taking helps me remember things and stay organized

●     How I was introduced to the “second brain concept” through the work of Ali Abdaal, a physician in England

●     The basics of the second brain: Instead of feeling pressure to store accumulated knowledge in my brain, I can store it online in a digital brain

●     How the second brain principles of productivity were developed by world-renowned productivity expert Tiago Forte, who has a free 10-part podcast on the topic (see Resources)

●     Ten Principles in Building a Second Brain:

○     Borrowed creativity

○     The capture habit

○     Idea recycling

○     Projects over categories

○     Slow burns

○     Start with abundance

○     Intermediate packets

○     You only know what you make

○     Make things easier for your future self

○     Keep your ideas moving

●     “The key is not to just consume content, but to personalize and recycle it.”

Resources mentioned:

Ali Abdaal

Forte Labs 

Find the 10-part podcast series on Building a Second Brain at Forte Labs

Apps and tools recommended by Melvin:

For live transcription of Mastermind groups: Otter

For pulling highlights from Kindle books: Readwise 

For capturing snippets of podcasts: Airr 

For pulling highlights from blog posts: Instapaper 

To use a central repository for information: Notion or Evernote or Roam Research.com  

Transcript:

Melvin:

Hey friends, welcome to session 264 of Selling the Couch, I hope that you are having a wonderful day. So today's episode is a solo one. And I wanted to start this episode by sharing a story or rather a scenario. As you may have figured out

Many therapists are interested in diversifying their income streams beyond their clinical work. We focus today’s session on a very specific aspect of supplemental income, mainly around AirBnb rentals. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Mando Sallavanti III

Armando “Mando” Sallavanti III is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with a wealth of wisdom to share. We met and connected through LinkedIn, and we’ve had several conversations in recent months. In this session, he shares his expert opinion on owning AirBnb rental properties as compared to long-term rentals, along with the nuances of setting boundaries as a rental property owner. He is open to sharing mistakes he has made along the journey and what he finds rewarding in his role as a rental property owner. 

You’ll Learn:

• Why real estate became the natural pivot for Mando to diversify his income
• How Mando and his fiancé became the owners of a triplex home, living in one unit and renting out the other two
• Why investing in real estate is a common denominator for wealthy people
• How AirBnb rental management differs from traditional long-term rentals
• How Mando maintains boundaries with tenants living in such close proximity to his home
• Why Mando works with a rental management company for AirBnb rentals, cleaning, maintenance, etc.
• How Mando’s AirBnb rental properties bring in significantly more money monthly than the same units did previously as long-term rentals
• Mando’s mistakes in not knowing what his expenses would actually be on his older property
• Mando’s advice to others: “Whether you purchase a property as a primary residence or for a rental, have an emergency fund set up to cover repairs and maintenance. There will always be unexpected issues that come up.”
• What Mando sees as the hardest part of owning rental properties

Armando Sallavanti is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. Supervisory Office: 2 Bala Plaza, Ste 901, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Tel: 610.766.3000. Discussion of real estate investing is informational only and is not a service of MML Investors Services, LLC. or its affiliate companies.

Resources:

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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/session218

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

How do you succeed in marketing your practice when you tend toward introversion? So many clinicians are not extroverts and don’t feel comfortable with the traditional networking that is required in marketing. There are challenges to face, and fortunately, there are non-traditional forms of marketing that can be done. This show will give you some valuable information and practical insights about marketing for non-extroverts.

Patricia Young, LCSW, is based in California, but also offers teletherapy sessions for her clients. Her practice focuses on helping HSP’s (highly sensitive people) experience more ease and peace and thrive with less overwhelm and fatigue. In today’s show, Patricia discusses marketing and the fears around it, along with how we can honor who we really are and still present our business in authentic ways. She shares with us three non-traditional marketing methods that have worked well for her that might be just what you’re looking for!

You can read the full show notes at : Session171

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about a big decision we made recently to shut down and archive our 10,000-member STC Facebook group. In this session, I intend to pull back the curtain and give an authentic glimpse into the thought process and motives behind this move. In early August, about a month ago, we made this decision concerning our Facebook group that has been in existence since 2015. I never expected the group to grow as it did, and it required a great deal of time and energy to maintain the group at a high level of engagement. The reality is that decisions like this are multi-layered and complex.

Join me in this episode as I discuss the factors in this decision. 

You’ll Learn:

The six major considerations in making this decision:

• The impending season of caregiving for aging parents and the role of business in my family life
• My original goal for STC and my changing definition of success (“Do I want the successful version of this?”)
• The sustainable cadence and level of social engagement I’ve found with the STC podcast, YouTube, and the STC newsletter
• Managing a large Facebook community takes a lot of emotional bandwidth and leadership.
• The realization that I can’t be everywhere on social media and need to “do less but in a better way”
• My manageable strategy and goals for social media posts on discovery platforms and relationship-deepening platforms

I’m still alive, well, and active on social media! Please find me on YouTube and LinkedIn!

Resources:

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

Want to launch your online course?

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

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Many of us find the concept of networking to be an intimidating endeavor. Even though it’s a vital element of business success, it can feel scary and shady and a little too sales-y. Join us to learn more about what you should be focusing on in your networking relationships.

Our Featured Guest

Patrick Casale, MA, LCMHC, LCAS

Patrick Casale is a clinician in Asheville, NC. He provides coaching for clinicians who are transitioning from a group practice or agency to a solo practice. He’s here to talk about networking in authentic ways. We’ll discuss what authentic networking means to Patrick and how to make your networking relationships count. We will also examine different scenarios that might be a win-loss situation, a win-win situation, and the most common mistakes that happen in the networking space.

Casale Coaching 

Resilient Mind Counseling 

You’ll Learn

●     How clinicians aren’t taught to use collaborative communication to support each other’s businesses in reciprocal ways

●     What is networking? Getting to know people as people and learning about their lives and passions

●     Why networking can feel artificial, very “surface level,” and inauthentic

●     Some authentic questions to ask in networking situations include questions about family, passions, how they ended up here, fears of entrepreneurship, etc.

●     How to have reciprocity in relationships by making the other person the priority and supporting them

●     Why you should ask, “How can I help this person be successful? And not, how can this person help me?”

●     Why Patrick says, “A lot of networking opportunities feel like awkward first dates.”

●     Why a win-lose scenario would be talking too much about yourself and not listening actively; a win-win scenario means talking and getting to know each other with connection and trust

●     The most common mistakes in networking:

○     Not having clear strategy and intention

○     Scheduling too many networking events in one day

○     Making networking one-sided in your requests

●     Why your networking strategy should include colleagues who don’t work with the same client population, those who do work with the same , and client groups, and psychiatric providers

●     The best action step for you to take in applying the wisdom of today’s episode

Today's Podcast Sponsor: Online Course School

Online Course School: I know that many of us want to launch a successful online course whether it's to diversify our income or share our knowledge and serve others on larger levels.

But I also know that the thought of launching an online course can be super intimidating whether it's the tech, the fear that no one will buy, or figuring out how to market and scale it in an honest and ethical way.

I launched the Healthcasters online course back in 2015 and have learned A TON of lessons from the very first $297 sale to a course that will pass $200k in earnings this year (and currently brings in over $3k/month in recurring income).

Online Course School is a live, 6 week experience we're launching in 2022 where we'll spend each week learning and implementing.

It's a...

What if I told you that there is something simple and free that most of us can do daily for an hour or less that yields amazing physical and mental benefits? Would you want to know what it is? Since the pandemic has forced us to take a closer look at our habits and make some changes, I want to share this life-changing activity that has become an almost daily habit for me. It’s hiking! 

Incorporating a midday hike several times each week helps me sleep better at night and stay centered for daily tasks. My inner “research nerd” got curious and took a deeper look at the intersection of hiking, mental health, and entrepreneurship, and I want to share with you what I’ve found.

You’ll Learn

●     Why hike? What are the benefits?

○     Hiking helps keep our minds sharp and agile.

○     Hiking helps us to focus better.

○     HIking can spark serious creativity.

●     If you’re a hiker, please share with the STC Community what benefits you’re seeing in your personal and professional life. I’m very interested to hear about your results!

Resources:

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

Also mentioned:  Successful Aging by Daniel Levitin

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Everyone loves a good story! Just think how your marketing could be transformed by using the same captivating pull of a good story! This concept takes the intimidating world of marketing and makes it fun, exciting, and accessible to every entrepreneur. Want to know more? Join us in today’s session!

Our Featured Guest

Brent Stutzman

Brent is a former church pastor turned brand marketing expert, and he is StoryBrand Certified through Donald Miller’s StoryBrand Framework. As the only non-therapist in the STC Online Course Mastermind, he genuinely desires to use his knowledge and expertise to help the group members. He approaches brand marketing from the perspective of story, which resonates with many people. Brent will share how we can use the technique of story in ethical ways and integrate this approach into the marketing process. He gives simple steps that you can take today to transform your marketing!

Website

You’ll Learn: 

• The connection between story and business growth
• Why confusion is the #1 villain in the marketing process 
• How to analyze what your website is saying to people (Are you helping them survive and thrive?)
• Why simplicity works to capture attention to your website in the first three seconds
• How to “Play the Guide, not the Hero” with empathy and authority
• How a problem opens a curiosity gap (story loop) that will engage the brain until the problem is solved
• Brent’s personal example of identifying a problem and opening a story loop that needs to be solved
• How to open story loops and solve problems on your website, speeches, etc. 
• Why you need a clear and easily accessible call-to-action
• How the StoryBrand Framework works: character, problem, guide, plan, call to action, success, and failure

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s topic is one that puzzles many clinicians and leaves us feeling uncomfortable. We’ve approached setting fees on past episodes, but today we are diving deeper into setting fees that ensure our profitability. How do we make sure our business is growing, thriving, and allowing for future expansion? Join us as we learn more with today’s guest.

Reina Lombardi is an art therapist based in Florida. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge about debt, building a business, and setting fees. Reina understands the many challenges in owning a private practice, and she knows that we need to be profitable. I hope our conversation gives you a practical perspective on using objective data, and not emotions, to figure out where your numbers should be.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

These past few years, I’ve been focused on building a life around my family and self-care rather than fitting those things around a career. I’ve learned that there is much wisdom in slowing down and not keeping up a crazy pace. One thing that has helped me accomplish these goals is creating an online course. Even though I’m super grateful and blown away by the success of the Healthcaster’s course, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Join me as I share my insights and lessons learned. 

You’ll Learn:

• The 10 biggest mistakes I made as an online course creator:
• 1–I didn’t understand how my childhood trauma affected my course pricing. 
• Check out these resources: “The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship” (Inc Magazine), We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, and courses by Tiffany McLain.
• 2–I gave my students lifetime access to coaching and community.
• This caused me to feel resentment for not charging more for that kind of access to me.
• 3–I focused too much on gear instead of creating a steady marketing system. 
• I have learned that marketing, which is not my strength, is all about authenticity and connection.
• 4–I focused on being in the “middle of the pack” on pricing instead of in the upper tier.
• Ask yourself, “Do you want to be the Apple or the Walmart in your niche?”
• 5–I didn’t realize that I could invite students into other experiences beyond my course.
• Options include a mastermind, cohort-based course, and other recurring income buckets.
• 6–I realized that looking at my bank account doesn’t drive sales as testimonials do.
• Follow me on Twitter for more information on this topic.
• 7–I thought I’d be stuck on one business model, so I built a “strip mall model.”
• I didn’t realize that offering several products requires a lot of work, so I’m moving to a “skyscraper model.” Find out more at www.sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.
• 8–I thought having a mentor with a similar course meant that I couldn’t create one.
• When someone else has a similar course, you can niche down into a more specific message.
• 9–I was too concerned about the sale over the relationship.
• This came from a poverty mindset instead of the abundance mindset to which I aspire. 
• 10–I didn’t think about the one-off sale on the front end and the recurring invitation on the back. 
• A certain number of students will want a more in-depth experience with us. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Ready to create your own course? Download the FREE Online Course Guide!

Learn how to create and market your own online course in Melvin's unique online course guide. Download the FREE online course guide today!

Online Course Guide

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn...

Today’s topic is a fascinating one for me. As therapists, we are wired for stories, but telling an effective story online is a struggle for many of us. Fortunately for us, my guest has wisdom and tips to share to help us become awesome storytellers. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Kieran Drew

Kieran Drew lives in Leeds, England, and is my writing coach for Twitter. In an interesting career twist, he was a dentist who left behind his stressful, work-filled life to become a copywriter/storyteller. My first connection to Kieran came through the viral story he wrote about his unique medical experiences as a teenager. He is a talented storyteller who has helped my writing immensely, and I know his insights will be helpful to anyone looking to improve their writing. 

Website

You’ll Learn:

• Why Kieran made the unconventional transition from dentist to copywriter/storyteller
• An overview of Kieran’s spinal issues involving a tumor, surgeries, and titanium rods—this is the experience that helped him discover storytelling and a new love for life
• 3 tips to become a better storyteller:
• Make a story bank by writing down everything that happens to you with specific details.
• Cut through the noise to impart a lesson. 
• Even in sales, start every point with a story. 
• How specific details make your stories more impactful
• How to draw a “lesson” from each story
• How storytelling breaks down skepticism and improves your selling ability
• How storytelling can be your differentiator in the online world
• A storytelling template: what happened/the lesson, why people should care, and a call to action
• How Kieran reviews his story bank to choose his next story

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Overwhelmed. That’s the best word to describe how most podcasters feel as they take the leap and start on their podcasting journey. Perhaps the biggest source of overwhelm is confusion about the gear needed to get going, and I remember this well from my beginning in 2015. I didn’t have a pro-level setup when I began, and I wondered and worried about how I would be perceived in this new world. In all honesty, I had about $100 in gear, the biggest part of that being a $60 mic.

Things have changed since those early days, and STC has blossomed from nine downloads initially to over 1 million today. The tech-junkie part of me has enjoyed being able to upgrade my gear, and those upgrades have been a process of learning and experimenting. Even though your gear IS important for podcasting, I believe strongly that the most important keys are consistency and personality–and you don’t have to spend a fortune to have those elements. In today’s episode, I’m discussing my tech stack, what I use now, and what I recommend to other podcasters. Join me!

You’ll Learn:

• The three-prong fork in the road on the podcasting journey: the basic starter set of gear, incremental upgrades as the budget allows, and the decision to “go all in” with podcasting
• Why I invested about $2K into gear upgrades in 2021–and how I made this decision
• My current tech stack:
• The Shure SM7B mic
• Many podcasting pros use this mic because it is top-notch quality; it runs about $400 on Amazon.
• The RODECaster Pro all-in-one podcasting studio
• It gives more nuanced control of the mic and headphone sound levels. The Pro I runs around $400, and the Pro II is about $700. A less expensive starter piece that I recommend is the Samson Q2U, for about $60.
• The Cloudlifter CL-1 signal booster 
• This elevates the signal from your mic to give quality sound, and it costs about $150.
• Mogami Gold XLR cables
• These are about $60 each and are top-quality cables.
• The Gator Frameworks tabletop mic stand
• I pair this with the Rode PSA1 mic arm. It’s worth it to spend more for quality because it stays in place and doesn’t shift or droop.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50x studio headphones
• These connect to the RODECaster Pro and give consistent sound; they cost about $190.

Resources:

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

I have big news! I’m going back into private practice! Don’t worry, though, because STC remains, and I’ll be adding 1-2 days of clinical work each week. In today’s session, I’m pulling back the curtain on my thought process as I’ve pondered this decision for quite a while. Do I have all the bits and pieces organized and figured out? The answer is NO, and that’s okay. I want to give you a glimpse into the messy middle of this decision and the three main reasons I have made this choice. 

You’ll Learn:

• What my life was like when STC began in 2015 when I was working in a group practice
• Why I feel a responsibility to provide mental health support in today’s world
• Three reasons I feel drawn to private practice:
• I genuinely miss clinical work.
• The mental health landscape is changing like no other due to COVID-19, AI tools, and heavily financed mental health startups.
• A “hub and spoke model” can keep things in perspective for me. 
• How I’m structuring my “hub and spoke model” with a flagship offering as the “hub” and other offerings as “spokes”
• Questions that I’m thinking about and weighing in my mind about private practice:
• Is the insurance route or private pay route better?
• Do I have a niche for private practice work?
• How I’m confronting my fears about taking this new step
• The hopes and dreams I have about stepping into a new phase

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

In today’s busy online world, virtual presentations are everything in how you are received AND perceived. If you put forth the effort to create an online course, webinar, or speaking engagement, you want to show up authentically and masterfully to engage your audience. This is an important area in which there is always room for improvement! My guest today is a proven expert in virtual presentation, and she’s here to share her knowledge with us. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Lorraine K. Lee

Lorraine Lee is a top career and business virtual keynote speaker who has been featured in several publications and on podcasts with numerous accomplishments and awards throughout her career. She has worked in several editorial roles at LinkedIn and Prezi and has built a LinkedIn following of over 300,000, so she is very much immersed in the world of virtual presentations and online learning. She is the perfect person to help us understand more about improving our virtual presentations. 

Lorraine's Website

You’ll Learn:

• How virtual presentations give you access to a wider audience and help you stand out in your expertise
• Why the entertainment factor of virtual presentations cannot be ignored
• Examples of different types of virtual presentations
• Lorraine’s tips for improving your virtual presentations:
• Add movement to your presentations and incorporate “state changes.”
• Curate your background with features that are calming, positive, personable, and professional.
• Include visuals on your screens to help people learn and remember. (90% of the information processed by our brains is visual!)
• Use eye contact to improve your connection to your audience.
• How to implement visuals like logos, color gradients, and simple info on your screen
• How to use artwork, photos, and personal elements to cultivate a deeper connection
• How to set up your monitor, camera, laptop, etc. to maximize eye contact with your audience
• Lorraine’s tips for introverts in showing up better in visual presentations
• An overview of Lorraine’s expanding consulting business

Resources:

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

Want to launch your online course?

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

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is one that I’ve looked forward to for a long time. We are covering a topic that comes up frequently in the STC community, which is the process of hiring a virtual assistant. I’ve been through this process more than once, and it was a rocky road before finding Nicole three years ago. Hiring a VA teaches you about your strengths, weaknesses, and communication skills. I’ve learned what tasks I can delegate and what help I need for long-term sustainability in my business.

Today you’ll meet Nicole Denison, who is my awesome VA. I found her through my colleague, Laura Reagan, who raved about Nicole and her abilities. I’m so thankful to have found Nicole three years ago, and I can honestly say that STC wouldn’t exist as it does today without Nicole’s hard work and dedication.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session232

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Many of us find the concept of networking to be an intimidating endeavor. Even though it’s a vital element of business success, it can feel scary and shady, and a little too sales-y. Join us to learn more about what you should be focusing on in your networking relationships.

Our Featured Guest

Patrick Casale, MA, LCMHC, LCAS

Patrick Casale is a clinician in Asheville, NC. He provides coaching for clinicians who are transitioning from a group practice or agency to a solo practice. He’s here to talk about networking in authentic ways. We’ll discuss what authentic networking means to Patrick and how to make your networking relationships count. We will also examine different scenarios that might be a win-loss situation, a win-win situation, and the most common mistakes that happen in the networking space.

Casale Coaching 

Resilient Mind Counseling 

You’ll Learn

●     How clinicians aren’t taught to use collaborative communication to support each other’s businesses in reciprocal ways

●     What is networking? Getting to know people as people and learning about their lives and passions

●     Why networking can feel artificial, very “surface level,” and inauthentic

●     Some authentic questions to ask in networking situations include questions about family, passions, how they ended up here, fears of entrepreneurship, etc.

●     How to have reciprocity in relationships by making the other person the priority and supporting them

●     Why you should ask, “How can I help this person be successful? And not, how can this person help me?”

●     Why Patrick says, “A lot of networking opportunities feel like awkward first dates.”

●     Why a win-lose scenario would be talking too much about yourself and not listening actively; a win-win scenario means talking and getting to know each other with connection and trust

The most common mistakes in networking:

○     Not having clear strategy and intention

○     Scheduling too many networking events in one day

○     Making networking one-sided in your requests

●     Why your networking strategy should include colleagues who don’t work with the same client population, those who do work with the same, and client groups, and psychiatric providers

●     The best action step for you to take in applying the wisdom of today’s episode

Resources:

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the...

With all that’s going on in the world around us, dealing with grief in various forms and degrees has become extremely relevant. Additionally, we all know people who are hurting through the loss of a loved one, so wisdom from an expert is timely and helpful. Besides, it’s always fun to have a good friend on the podcast! Join us!

Dr. Sonya Lott is a local psychologist in my hometown of Philadelphia. We met years ago at a meetup group for therapists, and we’ve stayed in touch and become good friends. Sonya has become a valuable part of the STC community as a moderator, and her clinical specialty is complicated grief. She obtained advanced training in complicated grief from the Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University’s School of Social Work. She’s one of a small but growing group of complicated grief therapists here in the US. Sonya is also the CEO and founder of CEMPSYCH, a continuing education company in multicultural psychology. Many of us want to do more work around grief in this season of COVID-19 and racial injustice because we’ve had powerful realizations around grief. We are talking with Sonya about what complicated grief is, what made her choose this niche, and how she manages and balances a small but diversified caseload with a business mindset. We’ll wrap up with a discussion of why a multicultural orientation is important in grief work.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session254

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s guest is Debra Roberts, LCSW, who is in private practice specializing in relationship therapy. Our topic today is one that many clinicians have probably pondered at one time or another. We’re discussing how to take our clinical expertise and turn it into some kind of digital product that extends far beyond the therapy room. Over 20+ years in private practice, Debra realized that she was having success with her clients and finally mustered the courage to write a book that has since branched into a course, training, webinars and more. Debra shares her journey, what she’s learned about her strengths, and some practical aspects to consider about creating a webinar. Join us!

www.sellingthecouch.com/session219

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show focuses on the importance of doing our own work in therapy to be effective as business owners and good people in the world. In light of all the difficulties in navigating 2020, this topic has been extremely relevant, and I’ve seen firsthand the value of therapy in my own life. Join us to learn more.

Elizabeth (“Biz”) Cush is a good friend who knows the value of doing her own work. She’s a psychotherapist in Annapolis, Maryland, who joins us to talk about how and why she got into therapy and how that has benefitted her as a business owner. She’s also transparent in sharing lessons learned along her journey.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session255

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

About a month ago, I shared that I’ve decided to go into private practice, in addition to keeping STC running and growing. There are three main reasons for this decision: I miss the therapy room, a clinical arm to my business is a wise move, and I’ll be able to more strategically diversify my income. I think this venture will offer new opportunities for the future that are beneficial in many ways, but, to be honest, this decision has brought me some anxiety, insomnia, and depression.

I’m addressing these issues with my wonderful therapist, and I’m doing all the things that we therapists tell our clients to do. My worries and fears are probably normal for someone who feels the pressure to be successful in multiple businesses and endeavors. In today’s solo session, I’m sharing my insights on finding my private practice niche. Join me for a closer look!

You’ll Learn: 

• What is a niche, and how did I choose my niche for private practice? Who do I want to work with?
• My top four insights on finding my private practice niche:
• Niches are living and breathing things that evolve over time.
• Family and friends will always recommend people outside your niche.
• There is a relational component to marketing beyond your website.
• Even though my niche focuses on tech and business founders, working within other branches of these niches will add diversity to my work. (These last two insights come from my friends, Raj Lulla and Ben Lueders, the founders of Fruitful Design.)

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly

As a clinician, do you have a social media policy? Is it something you’ve ever considered? If not, then this show may open your eyes to this topic. How can we as clinicians create a sound social media policy while navigating the intersection of our personal and professional lives?

Dr. Keely Kolmes is a psychologist, speaker, consultant, writer, researcher, and innovator in San Francisco and Oakland, CA. Dr. Keely’s work covers many areas, but the development of a social media policy is one specific area of expertise. Let’s hear more about this interesting topic from Dr. Keely!

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):

🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From 9 Downloads On Day 1 To 1.2 Million And a 7 Income Stream Business)

💻 How To Launch And Grow A Successful Online Course (Lessons Learned From A $297 First Sale To $150k Online Course)

MY FREE GUIDES:

🎤 Start your Podcast: The QuickStart Guide

🖥️ The A To Z Online Course

MY COURSES:

🎧 The Healthcasters (A podcasting course + community for helpers/healers):

💻 Online Course School (A course to create, sell, and grow a successful online course): COMING IN 2022 (please feel free to download the online guide course above and I can keep you updated as I'm trying to build this with ample input and care including a chance to work 1 on 1 with me!): 

MY FAVORITE SOFTWARE:

🧳 My Podcast Hosting Platform (Captivate-Includes 7 Day Free Trial):

🚀 My All In One Online Business Platform (Kartra-Includes 14 Day Free Trial):

🤖 What I Use For Evergreen Webinars (Easy Webinar)

🌐 My Website Host (SiteGround-Includes Discount)

🎨 My WebSite Theme (Divi)

MY FAVORITE GEAR:

❤️ STC Home Office Tour!

📔 My Online Counseling + Coaching Gear

🎥

It can be a scary thing to truly pursue your calling. Today’s guest has beaten the odds to create brainspotting training specifically for the BIPOC community. He’s finding increased success and receiving positive feedback, so if you’re curious about what it takes to set up a training program, join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest: John Edwards, LCSW

John Edwards is a therapist in Oakland, CA. In 2019, he went through brainspotting training and experienced a pivotal shift as he saw the need to bring this training to the BIPOC community. We’ll hear about John’s journey in creating a training program from the ground up, how he became interested in brainspotting and became aware of the need within the BIPOC community. John shares his tips and lessons with us in today’s episode.

West Coast Psychotherapy

You’ll Learn

●     The realization that came to John in a pre-pandemic brainspotting training in March 2019--when he was the only black man out of 120 people

●     The experience that led John to develop trainings exclusively for BIPOC communities

●     What John wishes he had done differently with the very first training (December 2019)

●     Why patience and focus are the two elements necessary for success in building a training program

●     How the BIPOC community responded to John’s training as both facilitators and participants

●     Why John feels a certain hypervigilance when he attends non-BIPOC trainings

●     John’s observations about the differences in a BIPOC training for the participants

●     John’s tips for creating a training program:

○     Be clear about why you’re doing the training

○     Be willing to fall down---and then refocus

Today's Podcast Sponsor: Online Course School

Online Course School: I know that many of us want to launch a successful online course whether it's to diversify our income or share our knowledge and serve others on larger levels.

But I also know that the thought of launching an online course can be super intimidating whether it's the tech, the fear that no one will buy, or figuring out how to market and scale it in an honest and ethical way.

I launched the Healthcasters online course back in 2015 and have learned A TON of lessons from the very first $297 sale to a course that will pass $200k in earnings this year (and currently brings in over $3k/month in recurring income).

Online Course School is a live, 6 week experience we're launching in 2022 where we'll spend each week learning to help you launch and grow a successful online course.

It's a great chance to work with me and to join with other helpers/healers who are also launching online courses.

Seats are going to be extremely limited (just so that I can give you personalized attention), and the cost will be around $997.

Please feel free to download the FREE A to Z Online Course Guide if this is something you would LOVE support with, and I'll email you when we're live.

DOWNLOAD THE A TO Z ONLINE COURSE GUIDE

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are...

One of the new things for STC this year is the incorporation of coaching calls into the podcast from time to time. Join us for a glimpse into today’s coaching call about online courses.

Our Featured Guest for today’s coaching call

Heather McKenzie, LCMHCS

Heather McKenzie came through Online Course School as a beta student back in the fall of 2021. Online Course School is a live, eight-week experience that takes your online course from a simple idea all the way through the development stages so that you are ready to record. Heather created a course specifically focused on anxiety that can be found at Dial Down Anxiety. Like most of us who create an online course, she faced a common struggle about how to handle marketing time and costs to promote her course. Join us to hear the coaching call!

McKenzie Counseling 

You’ll Learn:

• How to handle logistical challenges in the online presentation of your course
• Why Heather’s course is an eight-week course to help people understand anxiety and DBT emotion regulation skills
• How marketing options for an online course can be overwhelming for most people 
• How to pinpoint your own superpowers in teaching and the style that works best for you
• How to structure the content levels for promoting your course in six-month blocks:
• Start with webinars, both free and paid.
• Offer a downloadable guide or cheat sheet.
• Use a core blog post as a stand-alone feature that blows people away.
• Tips from Melvin about content levels:
• Offering too many things can confuse people, so stick with one core webinar.
• Less is more!
• Be thoughtful about using the words “webinar” and “workshop” so as not to intimidate people.
• Link your blog post videos to YouTube to drive more traffic back to your webinar.
• Consider that high-quality offerings through webinars, guides, and blog posts help to establish your authority as an expert and give people value that keeps them returning.
• How podcasting can help with future promotion by giving a call-to-action to your webinar
• Why you need to take notes during the first offering of your course with beta students to know what content resonates the most; that content can be used for future free webinars
• In summary, five tools to market an online course that have evergreen potential:
• Webinar (start with live ones and then transition to evergreen ones)
• Downloadable guides or cheat sheets
• Core blog post
• Select podcast episodes
• Mini-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

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You...

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session features a coaching call about how to build an email list simultaneously with an online course. You’ve probably heard that social media is the best option for building an email list, but is it? There are pros and cons to consider. Join us as we discuss this topic that is relevant to many people. I hope it’s helpful for you!

Our Featured Guest for today’s coaching call:

Tami Zak, AMFT

Tami Zak was part of our first beta group for Online Course School last fall. Her practice is based in northern California, but she works virtually with clients from all over the state. To broaden her reach and the help she wants to offer couples, Tami launched her podcast, Marriage Breakdown, in 2021. Tami now faces the dilemma of developing her email list along with her online course, and she is overwhelmed with where and how to begin. You are invited to listen to the coaching call with Tami and Melvin!

Affinity Couples Counseling

Marriage Breakdown podcast

You’ll Learn:

• Tami’s online course idea to further develop her podcast topics and help couples communicate better
• Why an email list is important alongside an online course
• Why depending on social media alone to build a loyal following is not altogether sufficient
• How Tami feels overwhelmed and intimidated about where to start and where to spend money to build an email list
• Melvin’s tip #1: “There isn’t one solution to building an email list, but it’s more about what aligns with your creative energy.”
• How to focus on building “your island” in the social media “ocean”
• How Tami uses her lead magnet on her podcast and website to help build her email list–and she’s ready to dive into social media to some degree
• Melvin’s tip #2: “Think of offering your lead magnet as the beginning of a layering process to go from podcast, website, and then on to social media.”
• Why it’s overwhelming to dive into content creation and send out a newsletter
• Melvin’s tip #3: “Don’t feel obligated to send out too many newsletters; even once a month is OK when getting started. You can change things up at any time. “
• Why it’s important to be consistent at whatever stage of development you are in
• Melvin’s tip #4: “Think of how you can batch content with short tip videos to include in your newsletter.”
• Options in using podcast content for quotes, tips, etc. to use in a newsletter and on social media
• Why Tami feels that her next steps will be around leveraging her content in a newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

Many of us have thought about creating continuing education courses and wondered how the process works and what factors are involved. Who better to learn from than someone who has done this successfully? Being successful at CEU course creation takes innovation, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Join us for informative insights from today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Matthew Bierds

Matt Bierds, from Duke City Counseling, is a licensed professional counselor, course creator, and professional speaker who does in-person and virtual counseling and LPC supervision in Texas and New Mexico. As far back as ten years ago, Matt realized that the world of online education was expanding, and he knew there were interesting opportunities for LPCs in the area of online courses. After jumping into this arena, Matt went through a “failing forward” phase before making a few tweaks and creating a course for LPC supervisors. In today’s session, Matt shares the lessons learned along his fascinating journey and the mistakes and successes that have brought him to where he is today. 

Matt's Website

You’ll Learn:

• Matt’s wisdom: “I learned the hard way that selling general continuing education courses online is pointless and a waste of time and money.”
• The value in pivoting and niching down when something isn’t working
• Discovering the sweet spot: How Matt created a course designed for a specific person in a specific situation
• Course creation is successful when you see the need and solve the pain point.
• Matt’s path to building trust and cultivating repeat customers
• The progression and development of Matt’s 40-hour course and 6-hour refresher courses
• The challenges in maintaining compliance and navigating changes in licensing requirements
• Course creation challenges: creating content and incorporating more video interaction and student engagement
• Matt’s biggest mistakes and successes in marketing his courses

Resources:

So you’ve probably heard that blogging is one of the best ways to attract your ideal clients as a therapist. 

But I know that it can be intimidating to SEO optimize your blog post so that it’s actually getting found by your current and future clients. 

Please visit https://sellingthecouch.com/simplifiedseo.

**Use the code “MELVIN” to get 20% off any online, DIY SEO courses, and mention Melvin during your consultation for $100 off your onboarding fee for Done-For-You SEO services!

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at

Today’s show is about a topic that has been a struggle for much of my life and career.

I’ve fallen victim to comparing myself to others and feeling like I’m not measuring up.

It’s taken a lot of personal work for me to learn to compare in healthy ways that don’t cripple and stifle my creativity and purpose.

Are you in the same boat? Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest - Supriya Blair, PsyD

Dr. Supriya Blair is a psychologist in Albany, NY. We have connected through the STC community, and I wanted to get her input on the topic of comparing ourselves to others.

We’ll start by discussing how comparison comes too easily for many of us and how Supriya noticed this

comparison impacting her life until she was able to reframe her perspective.

We will consider an all-too-familiar scenario in which a colleague’s success triggers insecurity in our lives, along with helpful tips and resources to navigate the tricky field of comparison to others.

Dr. Supriya

You’ll Learn

●     Why comparison is so prevalent in the helping professions

●     Three ways we compare ourselves to our colleagues:

○     Seeing someone else’s path and journey as THE template for success

○     Not recognizing my authenticity as a source of empowerment

○     Not allowing for different business models in finding my unique path

●    How to handle the pushback when we launch into our own path

●     Navigating the difficult moments when someone else experiences success or achieves the milestone that we want

●     Why the ability to serve is the most important thing

●     Practical help in the area of comparison to others:

○     Brene՛ Brown’s book, I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Making the Journey from "What Will People Think?" to "I Am Enough"

○     Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)

○     Meditation practice

Resources

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s podcast is a solo episode about My Struggle with Chasing the Shiny Objects in Business. I’ve experienced this struggle as I’ve built STC and gone through the challenges of entrepreneurship. My desire is to encourage all of you by being transparent about this issue.

You can read the full show notes at www.sellingthecouch.com/session213

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s topic is a relevant one for any clinician interested in diversity and multiculturalism. It can be fulfilling and empowering to show up in authentic ways for your clients, especially with today’s increased awareness of diversity and social justice. I hope you’ll join us to learn more.

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Lindsey Brooks

Dr. Lindsey Brooks is a licensed psychologist. In these times of racial injustice, many of us wonder how to be a clinician in private practice who shows up in multicultural identities. Lindsey is here to share what she’s learned along the way in her niche of underrepresented achievers. We’ll talk about how Lindsey came upon that niche and how she gathers ideas to speak to that population on her website. She has helpful tips for taking and transcribing voice notes. Lindsey shares what a multicultural practice looks like for her and common mistakes she sees other clinicians make.

Website

Sexual Empowerment School

You'll Learn:

●     How Lindsey determined to present herself as authentic and genuine with her clients

●     How Lindsey connects with those whom she serves

●     How Lindsey goes “old school” and transcribes voice memos as if she’s having a conversation with a client

●     How Lindsey decided to work with underrepresented achievers

●     How to determine which parts of yourself to hold back in private practice and how much personal detail to share

●     Why Lindsey is intentional about serving a multicultural and diverse community in her practice

●     A practical first step toward a multicultural practice is to have a small group community (For Lindsey, it’s a book club) to learn and grow regarding social justice issues

●     Common mistakes that clinicians make in developing a multicultural practice:

○     Not doing the ongoing work required

○     Not “talking the talk” when opportunities arise to use your voice

●     Lindsey’s sexual empowerment groups for women

Transcript:

Melvin:

Hello, hello, welcome to session 262 of Selling the Couch. I hope you are doing well having a good start to the New Year. I'm actually recording this in late December, two days before Christmas. And yeah, I am doing well given everything I know that vaccines have started to roll out and I'm hoping by the time this episode starts, it becomes live that more of us will be able to get the vaccine; if you would like to get the vaccine, of course. And yeah, just more than anything, just wanted to encourage you to continue to lean on your loved ones, your social support, lean on our side of the couch community as we navigate all of this.

Today's podcast session is with Dr. Lindsey Brooks. Lindsey is a licensed psychologist; her website is at drlindseytherapy.com. And we're talking all about developing a multi-cultural niche in private practice. I know that especially given everything that has happened in our country, particularly this year, and definitely in years past, but I think really has been magnified with racial injustice, the continued murders of black men and women and all of those different things.

I know that many of us are thinking about what it looks like to be a clinician in private practice, and how do we show up in our multicultural identities, I guess is what I'm trying to say. And so Lindsey is here to share some of the things that...

I’m excited to begin a new year and a new season with you!

While we were on the holiday break, STC hit a huge milestone of 1.2 million downloads, which is unbelievable to me.

I’m so grateful for the success of STC and being able to offer this resource.

Today’s show focuses on one of my favorite topics, which is personal finance. Investing can be overwhelming and very confusing. Join us to learn how anyone can approach investing with knowledge and confidence.

Our Featured Guest:

Andy Gupta

Andy Gupta and I have become good friends over the past couple of months. He is a kind and genuine person who worked for 20 years on Wall Street. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School who understands the ins and outs of investing, and he wants to make investing more approachable for average people. Andy has a particular passion to help women understand investing, and he looks to use his wealth in ways that help others.

Andy’s 30-day investing course: Anyone Can Invest Now

Andy's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418356686326993

Andy's LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/andy-gupta

You’ll Learn:

● Andy’s background of growing up in a family without wealth in Mumbai, India, and then going to college in the US while holding multiple jobs to make ends meet

● Why Andy feels that his mission is to help others with investing so they can achieve financial security and freedom

● Why Andy’s definition of financial freedom revolves around increased time spent with his family, creating a financial safety net for them, and making a positive impact on others

● Three mistakes that the average investor makes:

○ Trying to “time” the market

■ “This is a fool’s errand. The difference in trying to time the market vs. staying in for the long haul is astronomical.”

○ Believing that cash in the bank is safe

■ You are guaranteed to lose money every year because of inflation.

○ Taking on too much risk by overexposing themselves in one area

■ It's best to mix asset classes to reduce your risk and potentially increase your return for the level of risk

● Andy’s tips for investing smartly:

○ Have a cash reserve on hand.

○ Diversity by investing in asset classes that don’t “move together.”

Today's Podcast Sponsor: Wellerz

Wellerz is an innovative idea that addresses two big problems that therapists have when it comes to office space.

First, if you own office space, being able to rent it out for hours you're not using it in order to supplement our therapy income.

Second, if you're looking for office space, being able to rent it by the hour vs. a chunk of time like .5 day of full-day, which may not make sense and/or is cost-prohibitive (e.g., if you're just starting out in private practice).

Wellerz addresses both through an easy-to-navigate website where therapists can list their office space, easily screen clinicians who would be using it, and get paid. Listing is office space is free + Wellerz only makes money if an office space is booked.

And if you're a clinician looking for office space, Wellerz makes it easy to find + rent office space by the hour.

To learn more + get a 1-hour free credit to book anywhere (for STC fans only), please check out

We all want to have entrepreneurial confidence as we run our business. Today’s topic is how we connect our mindset to systems to achieve that confidence. Join us to learn more about translating an entrepreneurial mindset into systems and processes that will boost your profitability.

Our Featured Guest

Kasey Compton, M.Ed, LPCC-S

Kasey Compton from KaseyCompton, lives and works in KY, where she has built a very successful, seven-figure group practice. When I thought about a show highlighting systems and processes, I knew Kasey would be the perfect person to cover this topic for us. We’ll discuss the dangerous trap we get stuck in as business owners, thinking that we can only be successful if we do everything ourselves. We’ll also get Kasey’s thoughts on why running your business as a therapist is not the wisest idea. We will break down a system and process that Kasey developed that’s based on the work of Mike Michalowicz and his Healthcare Hierarchy of Needs (HHN). Using this tool will help you target three areas of focus in your practice for profitability and peace of mind.

Website

You’ll Learn:

●     Why running your business like a therapist is NOT the best idea

●     Why we lose sight of the goal of our business, which is profitability, when we neglect foundational pieces that are crucial in operating a business

●     How “systems” are defined, and how they are connected to confidence, freedom, and peace in the health of a business

●     The Top Three Indicators of Business Health: leads, profitability, and order

●     How the two levels of leads for group practices, clients and therapists, work to balance prospect-provider attraction

●     How to determine priorities using Michalowicz’s Healthcare Hierarchy of Needs and channel the overwhelm of being a business owner

●     Kasey’s advice for the overwhelmed therapist/business owner

●     Why you should treat the core need of the business and not just the symptom

●     Why your to-do list is probably full of symptoms and not core issues

●     How to combat overwhelm in implementing new systems through a three-step process

PODCAST SPONSOR

Hushmail: Hushmail is a secure, HIPAA-compliant way to communicate with clients via email and to fill out clinical forms like intake packets securely.

Please visit sellingthecouch.com/hushmail and let them know that Mel sent you =).

Transcript:

Melvin:

Hey Kasey, welcome to Selling the Couch.

Kasey:

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Melvin:

We were talking about this right before we got started, but I feel like we have been in the same like orbit, maybe for the past several years, but we haven't yet connected. And I'm just so grateful. For one, all of the things that you are doing for our profession and just all of the things that you're doing in the world. You're an extremely busy person. And I really am just grateful for our time together.

Kasey:

Well, thank you so much. I mean, right back at you, I’ve been following some of the things that you've been doing, and I love this podcast. So it's...

Today’s show is a solo episode inspired by a recent roundtable that I led with some local therapists here in the Philadelphia area. A question came up that I’m asked often: “How do I know when I’m ready to launch a podcast?” There is no set time that’s right for everyone, but there are several factors to consider. That’s where today’s discussion takes us.

You can read the full show notes at: Session207

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Chances are you’ve thought about today’s topic at least once, or you may have your own similar experience. Many clinicians have gone through the transition from a full-time job into private practice. Today’s show is all about navigating the ups and downs of this important move.

Tricia Miller is a LIcensed Professional Counselor in Houston, Texas. She has a unique background, with an undergrad degree in business, a job as a business analyst, and a stint as a school counselor. It was here that she realized she wanted to take the next step and start her private practice. Today’s show covers the steps in Tricia’s journey, what she’s learned along the way, and what the transition looked like for her. Tricia also shares how she worked through the fine line of disclosure.

Mentioned in this episode:

Ready to create your own course? Download the FREE Online Course Guide!

Learn how to create and market your own online course in Melvin's unique online course guide. Download the FREE online course guide today!

Online Course Guide

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is about the gear needed to begin podcasting. I will honestly admit that it’s a difficult decision when you’re just starting because you want reliable equipment that does a great job, but you are also hesitant to break the bank for it. As you progress, several factors complicate the choices of gear, such as how you conduct guest interviews and whether you have a co-host. In today’s session, I’m walking you through four common podcasting scenarios and the gear I recommend for each. All of this information is compiled in the Buying Guide found inside our Healthcasters course. 

You’ll Learn:

• My gear setup as I started the STC podcast in 2015 with a teeny, tiny budget
• My advice for beginning podcasters: “Don’t go out and purchase all the gear I mention, but go with the basics as you focus on building and honing your storytelling and interviewing skills.”
• Four podcasting scenarios and the recommended equipment:
• 1- A single host with solo episodes and guest interviews via the Internet.
• I recommend the Samsung Q2U dynamic mic, Koolertron mic shock mount, OnStage foam windscreen, pop filter, mic stand, and Rode PSA mic arm.
• 2- A single host who interviews guests in person.
• In addition to the basic equipment in Scenario #1, I recommend a 2-3 camera set-up (very expensive!), Calendly to coordinate interviews, 2 tabletop stands/mic arms, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for recording, and XLR cables.
• 3- Co-hosts who connect and interview guests via the Internet.
• I recommend the basic equipment in Scenario #1 for EACH co-host, along with a recording platform, like Zoom or Ecamm Live.
• 4- Co-hosts who get together in-person to interview guests in person. This is a dream set-up, but it is very expensive and complicated. 
• I recommend the basic equipment in Scenario #1 for EACH co-host and guest (Yes, that is at least three of everything!), along with the Rodecaster Pro (the Rodecaster Pro II or Pro Mini), 32 GB SD card, and XLR cables.
• My advice: “Start with a lean setup. My current gear costs around $5000, but I didn’t upgrade for several years when I started out.”
• Check out the free workshop, Using Podcasting to Grow Your Business.

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

As STC has grown, I’ve been wanting to address this topic of getting on other podcasts as a guest. In a typical week, I receive several requests from people wanting to be a guest on STC.  There are several reasons why I cannot accept every one of those requests, and there are things to consider in remaining authentic while seeking podcast appearances. In this solo episode, we discuss some tips to follow if you want to increase your exposure by appearing on podcasts.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session229

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Welcome! I’m glad to be back on the podcast after a break over the holidays, and I wish you each a Happy 2017 as we start off this year together! My guest today is Cathy Hanville, LCSW, in Albany, NY. Cathy is very knowledgeable about websites and SEO, and I think her expertise will be helpful to anyone in private practice. Join us now!

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show is about building an online directory, which is hugely relevant to every clinician. Whether you’ve used an online directory to refer clients or thought about creating a directory to help other clinicians and clients, you know that it is a valuable resource that makes it easier to find a therapist who can help with very specific needs. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Laura Reagan, LCSW-C

Laura Reagan is a clinical social worker and integrative trauma specialist in Maryland who had the idea to create a directory for trauma therapists, Trauma Therapist Network. She’s a trauma survivor who has specifically worked around trauma for the past 19 years. Through her years of experience, she has learned a lot about the nuances of trauma therapy, the services available, and what services are lacking. Laura gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how her idea for the directory evolved, the logical steps in the creation process, and the helpful resources that are available in creating an online directory. We wrap up today’s conversation with a look at what has gone well in Laura’s process and the things that are being constantly tweaked along the way.

Trauma Therapist Network

You’ll Learn:

• How Laura got the idea to create an online directory of trauma therapists
• How Laura saw the need and made the leap to create the online directory
• How the directory helps people find the specific therapy focus that aligns with their trauma
• How the directory goes beyond finding a therapist but also helps inform and educate people about trauma and its effects
• The first steps Laura took to take the online directory from an idea to reality
• Why Laura was willing to make the intentional commitment of time, effort, and money (lots of money!) to make the directory a thoroughly usable resource that helps people feel safe, hopeful, and reassured
• How Laura conveys the important message through the directory that trauma doesn’t define a person and that there is hope to improve and make a better life
• Why Laura had to allow herself to receive help and support in the development process
• How creating the directory has been similar to giving birth to a child and watching it grow and develop into what it was meant to be

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Being a private practice owner and running your own business can be a daunting process with many things to learn. We are diving into the nuances of entrepreneurship today with someone willing to take the risk of failure and learn the lessons there.

Lee-Chaix McDonough, LCSW, is here to discuss the mindset required to be a private practice owner and business owner. Lee’s book, Act on Your Business, is Amazon’s #1 new release in business entrepreneurship. In this episode, she explains the fear of failure and the fear of success, because success brings with it the fear of not being able to sustain it. Lee discusses the integration of our skillset and mindset and how to bring mindfulness into the entrepreneurial journey, through her “3 M’s of Entrepreneurship.”

 You can read the full show notes at: Session192

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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

Today’s show is full of very practical tips that I hope will be helpful to you. We are talking about the nuances of building a sustainable practice with someone who has a wealth of knowledge.

Laura Northrup is a Marriage and Family Therapist in Oakland, CA. She’s here to discuss a wide range of topics, including the biggest factors to consider before setting up a practice in a saturated area. We’ll discuss the most common mistakes new clinicians make when jumping into private practice, how to market and strategically build relationships with referral sources, and the struggles in niching. Laura also shares some top tips she’s learned along the way in her private practice journey.

You can read the full show notes at: Session206

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

I still call myself a Twitter newbie because I haven’t been there for very long, but I’ve been honored to connect with amazing people holding full and varied skill sets. I’m chatting with one of them in today’s session, someone who has helped me learn what I was doing wrong on Twitter and how I can improve. If you need Twitter help, too, join us to learn more about standing out on Twitter!

Our Featured Guest

Aadit Sheth

Aadit Sheth is a 21-year-old engineering student who started on Twitter only a couple of years ago. He has built a following of over 200,000 by focusing on the life optimization habits of top entrepreneurs. Aadit shares with us about Twitter threads and how they work to make this social media platform one of the top ways to network and stay current with technology, productivity, and business.

Website

You’ll Learn:

• How Aadit decided that Twitter would be his “place”
• How Aadit began by engaging with people he admired on Twitter and finding ways to provide value to them
• How to build strong connections through a “permission-less action” approach
• A basic understanding of Twitter threads vs. single tweets
• Aadit’s best tips for writing threads and hooks on Twitter–”80% of the performance of a thread is driven by the hook.”
• Why you should identify the emotion you want to evoke and the purpose of your thread hook (i.e. counterintuitive, suspenseful, successes, novelty)
• An example of a thread idea in a specific niche for mental health providers
• How to use templates to help find a balance between perfectionism and spontaneity in writing Twitter threads
• How to combat the crippling pressure to write the perfect Twitter thread by repurposing your content
• An overview of Aadit’s work, including the Maker’s Mark agency and course on audience building for creators and founders

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s show covers a topic we’ve talked about before, but there are many aspects for a clinician to consider around money. The topic carries many nuances and emotional ties, so we need to have continuing conversations about how we feel and think about money.

Michael Spencer is a holistic declutter coach. She has an interesting background in the accounting/auditing space prior to transitioning to a career in the mental health field. Surprisingly, Michael found that she wasn’t very grounded in her thoughts around money, and she’s open and willing to share her experiences with us. Struggling to charge for her worth impacted her creativity and overall work. In today’s show, we’ll break down what Michael was taught about money as she grew up, how these realizations impacted her career, and what she has learned about the deeper work around money. Michael also shares how she’s moving forward in what she’s learned.

www.sellingthecouch.com/session256

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the new online course workshop of a small launch to a $300K course at https://sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseworkshop

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s solo episode is an honest look at my journey as a business owner, especially concerning finances and business expenses. I always try to be transparent with you about my successes, and I think it’s equally important to be honest about the struggles, too. As we take a look back at how I structured my business to pay myself and track my expenses, you’ll see that I became less cautious with my spending. It was the principles set forth in a popular book that set this personal finance junkie on the happy path to saving money, managing profit, and finding peace.

You can read the full show notes at: Session186

Mentioned in this episode:

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. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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

This is the last episode until September while I take some time off to focus on self-care before the summer ends. Today’s episode is a valuable one if you are thinking about launching an online course sometime soon or in the future. My encouragement to you is to do it! Get started! Join me for this solo episode in which we discuss the basics.

You’ll Learn

● The most common reasons to launch an online course: to put your message out there to impact more people in different locations, to feel more fulfilled in your purpose, to diversify income streams, and to spark more creativity

● The highlights of my online course creation story that began in 2015---complete with all the doubts and fears

● How my first online course has surpassed my wildest dreams in passing the $200K mark in revenue

● What it means to me to build a successful online course:

○ I can build a life around my loved ones and self-care instead of fitting my loved ones and self-care around my career.

○ We as a family can contribute time and resources to organizations that make the world a better place.

○ I can create my ideal retirement schedule years before I actually retire.

● Why I want you to write down the completion to this statement: “A successful online course for me would mean . . .”

● Five pieces of advice to help you avoid the mistakes I made:

○ Online course creation is a long road---don’t rush it!

○ Don’t pick an online course platform because it’s cheap or free.

○ The first version of your online course will not be the final version.

○ See your online course as part of a larger value ladder rather than a one-off offering.

○ Build your course in community with others.

● Why you might want to join my newest online course that will launch soon!

Resources mentioned:

The online course platform that I use: www.sellingthecouch.com/cartra

Today's Sponsor: Online Course School

I know that many of us want to launch a successful online course, whether it's to share our message with a larger audience or to diversify our income beyond 1:1 work.

Speaking from personal experience, I also know that there are a ton of barriers to getting started: the tech, the mental hurdles, being unsure of whether our course will make money, or even how to market and grow our online course.

Online Course School is a live 8-week cohort-based experience where you'll gather with other therapist course creators to create your online course. It includes teaching workshops from Mel and the STC team, weekly assignments, and opportunities to work together to get things done.

By the end of our time together, you'll have your lessons and modules outlined, know what tech, software, and platform you need to record your online course, a working sales page, and have a concrete growth plan for your online course.

We'll be launching our first cohort in Sept 2021 with six members. If this sounds like something you'd love to be a part of, please check out my free A to Z Online Course Guide.

The guide will help you learn from my mistakes over the past 6+ years of being an online course creator and lessons I've learned from moving the Healthcasters podcasting course from a $297 first sale to over 275 students and passing the $200k revenue mark in 2021.

RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY

Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to