The Therapist Experience Podcast by Brighter Vision: Marketing & Business Lessons for Therapists, Counselors, Psychologists & Coaches in Private Practice

Since Michele Hahn primarily works with couples, she realized early on that connecting with therapists that work with children was very advantageous. But it doesn’t matter how many people you connect with, if you aren’t able to communicate what you’re good at in a way that gets you remembered. This is Michele’s Therapist Experience.

Marline Francois has wanted to be a therapist since she was 5 years old. And in her private practice, she prides herself on providing a safe space for women and girls. Having this niche has allowed her to focus on a very girl, chic, and feminine office environment and marketing initiatives, which has really helped define her brand. But most important to her growth: The fact that during her 15 minute free consultation Marline focuses on her potential clients’ pain points. She asks questions to help the client become more comfortable and so that Marline can best understand how to help her potential client.

Margie Wheelhouse stumbled into private practice accidentally. She had always planned to work in a group practice. But an opportunity presented itself to her to take over her supervisor’s office after she retired. And she jumped on it. After a little time in private practice, Margie discovered that niching was not only a possibility, but a really good idea because it allowed her to focus exclusively on relationships on a deeper level. And this has made a huge difference in her enjoyment of being a therapist and in the success of her private practice.

Cha'Ke'Sha Spencer spent a lot of time listening to other clinicians and gathering tips from them on how to grow a private practice. But it was her 'Accountability Partner' that really put things into high gear for her private practice They would meet for lunch once a month for 2-3 hours and bounce ideas off each other, talk about things they were struggling with in Private Practice, and hold each other accountable. This helped Cha'Ke'Sha grow her practice, put systems in place, and build a successful business.

This is one of my favorite podcasts we ever recorded. You need to listen to how Sorrenta Stuart created a Boutique Service for people to get full, holistic care. Her journey from solo practice owner to holistic group practice is one you must listen to if you're trying to figure out how to make the jump. Her practice now includes a hypnotherapist, somatic therapist, school psychologist, MFT, an associate that specializes in new moms, a male associate that focuses on teens, and a psychiatrist. My goodness. Just listen, OK? :)

Katie Leikam was 5 months into her private practice and did not have any clients. She spent those 5 months learning the business of private practice, marketing herself, putting herself out there, and doing everything she could to gain traction. From social media, to cold calling and cold mailing doctor's offices. And where is she today? Well, you'll have to listen to find out!

Courtland McPherson didn't want to be non-inclusive. He didn't want to feel like he was being gender bias. But at the end of the day, his skillset happened to be understanding how men's depression manifests, and so that came to be his focus. As a result, he was able to get his private practice off the ground in a very competitive location in a very short amount of time!

Marquita Johnson is Atlanta’s Millennial Dating Coach. And WOW. What a niche! In 4 words, Marquita laser focuses in on the types of clients she loves to work with and what she helps them with. Here is a chat with Marquita about the importance of a niche when it comes to branding, marketing, and business happiness.

"I have an MBA from Berkeley and it did not prepare me for marketing a private practice." One of the many gems from Katherine in this weeks episode. But yet, in only 5 months, Katherine Jewett's practice is full of cash pay clients. And it's made up entirely of her ideal client. Listen to Katherine's Therapist Experience to hear her journey!

Felice Martin is The Attitude Adjuster. And wow! I was so floored at how effective those 3 words are at communicating Felice's niche and her specialty. Here is Felice Martin's Therapist Experience.

By all accounts, Avalaura had arrived. She had her degree, a good paying job as a program director, but didn't find her life fulfilling. After a weekend women's retreat where Avalaura had an emotional breakdown, Avalaura returned to her job, only to be handed her pink slip. Here is how Avaluara recovered, built her practice, and built a career she found fulfilling and inspiring.

Shari Pescatore hung up her shingle and just sat and waited. But nothing happened. Her phone just wasn't ringing. It was then that Shari took pro-active steps to build up a client load and catapult her private practice forward. The steps she took were made at the right time and with the right intention. From starting on Psychology Today when it wasn’t that popular, to helping provide her services to companies letting people go during the Great Recession, to specializing in CBT, to moving off insurance panels… Each step was taken deliberately and executed successfully to routinely reinvent her private practice based on the needs of the market.

Ami Grace considers herself a holistic psychotherapist and began incorporating holistic ideology into her private practice before it became popularized in the mainstream. As a result, she found traditional psychiatrists opposing her initially and found it tough to gain traction. But she gutted it out and now has a thriving private practice. Here is her Therapist Experience.

We last interviewed Dana over a year ago on The Therapist Experience, when she was still just an intern. She is now fully licensed, a few months into her private practice, and has a completely full, cash-pay private practice. Here's an update on her story.

In this week's episode of The Therapist Experience, we answer your questions on how to start, grow and market a private practice.