Hey Therapist Entrepreneurs,
The episodes this week are about making decisions that are right for you, whether you're considering investing in social media, starting a group practice, or managing your stress during a difficult moment (or all of the above!) I hope you think these episodes are worth it.
My 3 Favorite Episodes This Week
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For deciding whether or not to use social media as a marketing strategy…
Everyone is obsessed with using social media to market your therapy practice, and I think we all know some people who are doing this extremely effectively. That's why I was fascinated to hear Allison's take on whether you need it in order to build a therapy practice. She's not talking about whether you need to build a brand or a following, but whether your social media presence will directly lead to new cases for you.
I thought her conversation with Rebecca Smith was really nuanced and interesting because They discussed how using social media as a strategy can actually cost you if it’s not something you’re particularly good at. They also discussed why you might not need it at all.
Personally, I have only started using social media within the past couple of months and have never used it as a way of getting clients into my therapy practice. If you're wondering whether you want to add Instagram, TikTok, (or whatever they come up with next), this episode is worth a listen.
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For deciding whether to start a group practice…
For many therapist entrepreneurs, as soon as they get busy in solo practice, clinicians immediately think about starting a group. Honestly, sometimes they think about this even if they're not actually busy in solo practice 😉.
In this episode of The Bad Therapist Show, Felicia talks about her belief that group practice can be either the best or the worst thing for you and gives specific questions to ask yourself before you decide whether or not to move into group practice ownership. Personally, I thought that these questions were spot on.
In my opinion, too many therapists jump to group practice ownership before they have successfully filled their own caseload consistently. Felicia and I agree that they make this decision as a panic move, instead of really growing their solo practice out and moving into it when they're at a place of consistency and stability. It's sort of like deciding to have kids when your marriage is on the rocks, maybe even in an attempt to save your marriage. Maybe it'll be fine, but maybe it will be a complete disaster.
One part of group practice ownership that Felicia did not mention, and I truly believe most people don't think about, is the loophole that I discuss in my own episode of Worth It Practice about how you can bring on one contractor when you are full without actually having to function like a group practice.
If you're on the fence or wonder if you're moving too fast into this next phase, go ahead and listen to Felicia's episode. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, go ahead and listen to my old episode and let me know what you think makes sense for you.
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For using your clinical skills when business gets hard…
I've said it once, and I'll say it again: the soft skills that we learn as clinicians are so valuable to us as business owners. I truly believe that we often underestimate how we can use our clinical skills in a variety of contexts, including when we run into situations that are stressful as a business owner.
In this episode of the Worth It Practice podcast, I talk about how I use my own clinical skills (and no, they are not relaxation or self-care skills) to view business problems more objectively and problem-solve without panicking. If you'd like to use your clinical powers for more than just doing your amazing therapy work, this episode is worth a listen
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Leah's Personal Story Time:
Working backwards from my highest value tasks
I'm not going to lie. This is a hard season in my group practice. Not because of anything specifically about the practice, but because of the limited time that I have to get everything done. If you've been following along, you know that I am now taking my son to three mornings of physical and occupational therapy a week, and now I'm also doing pickups. My time is so compressed. Trying to get so much done in so little time is definitely a recipe for burnout and not something I would suggest doing long-term ever. Luckily, I only have to do this for five more weeks before my nanny recovers from knee surgery and comes back to rescue me.
I knew it would be tough, so I did something strategic. At the beginning of these six weeks, I identified the three highest-return CEO tasks I could complete each week, along with the nonnegotiable parts of my regular rhythm, such as writing this newsletter and recording podcast episodes.
I put those goals into ChatGPT and asked it to work backward, dividing everything across six weeks. Now I have a short checklist for each week that keeps the important-but-lower-value tasks from taking over simply because they feel urgent. Every day, I look at that week’s list and decide what to check off next.
It has not worked perfectly, because no plan can account for every stressful problem that lands on my plate. Things happen, particularly when your office manager goes on vacation 🙃. But I have been much more focused than I would have been without it.
This season has also forced me to identify the relatively small number of things I do that create the most value for the practice. I'm always aware of them to some extent, but I had to really focus in and be strict with myself in order to make this list work.
If you are overwhelmed, ask yourself: What are a few of the most valuable things I can do for my business this week? Which activities are most likely to create a financial return or meaningfully move the business forward?
Do those first. Everything else can wait until you have the capacity to pick it back up.
If it's Worth It, pass it along!
Got a fellow therapist or practice owner who would love this info? Send them this email! They can also join the list by clicking on this link. Let's help more people thrive in their businesses.
Hope these resources help you grow your practice this week! Here's to your continued growth and success!
Warmly,
Leah
CEO of Thriving Child Center and PCIT Experts
Host of Educated Parent Podcast
Host of The Worth It Practice Podcast
CEO of Worth It Practice Consulting
