Hey Therapist Entrepreneurs,
I've spent a lot of time this week thinking about diagnosis. Not psychological diagnosis. Business diagnosis. How do you figure out what problem you're actually trying to solve before you start throwing solutions at it?
Apparently that's the theme of this week's newsletter.
My 3 Favorite Episodes This Week
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For navigating the summer slump…
When you're not seeing the amount of clients that you want, it's really easy to start panicking and throwing the kitchen sink at a situation.
More networking, more adjusting things and tweaking them, more doom scrolling about the "future of mental health" and more complaining in Facebook groups. Just "more" without a clear direction.
What I love about this episode from Anna Rose Walker is that she offers diagnostic steps to stop and figure out where the issue might be.
Are people just not able to find you? Can they find you, but they don't want to work with you? What part of your system is broken? It's important to find out where your systems are broken so that you can make actual changes that move the needle. If you notice that all you want to do is try "more", this episode is worth a listen.
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For maintaining your referral relationships…
For maintaining your referral relationships…
One of the questions I hear most often in therapist spaces is about networking and referrals. We all know that building relationships is important. We all know that we should be tracking where our clients are actually coming from. However, one thing I rarely hear discussed in detail is what you're supposed to do after you've established a referral relationship.
How often are you supposed to reach out? Should you send a Christmas gift? What are the steps to growing that relationship into something long-term?
For me, this part has always felt easy when a referral relationship naturally turns into a friendship, which actually happens fairly often. But for the relationships that don't, I've often found myself wondering: What do I do next?
That's why I was so excited to stumble across this episode of the Roadmap to Referrals podcast. The hosts talk about how six touch points can make a huge difference in maintaining referral relationships in a way that feels genuine and actually works.
Now, this episode was more of an introduction than a deep dive, but it immediately got me thinking about this topic more strategically. If you're curious about how to maintain your referral relationships over time, I absolutely recommend giving it a listen.
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For choosing a business coach…
I can't tell you how many therapist Facebook groups I've been in where someone asks, "Who would you recommend for a business coach?" The first thing I always want to know is: "What is the goal of the business coaching?"
In fact, I usually jump into the comments and ask that exact question. I ask it because knowing the answer is fundamental to finding the "right" person. Knowing what you want from a business coach before you even start looking for one is probably the most important part of the process because it guides your entire process. It's what helps you figure out who you should actually be looking for instead of fumbling around in the dark. And it helps you assess how well the coaching is working for you and whether it's a good idea to continue investing
I've received business coaching that didn't help, business coaching that really moved the needle, and consultation services that were incredibly valuable. What I've learned through all of that is that the right coach depends on the problem you're actually trying to solve.
Do you need accountability? Strategy? Help with systems? Marketing? Leadership? Sometimes the answer isn't business coaching at all.
If you're trying to figure out how to choose the right business coach, or whether you even need one in the first place, this episode is worth a listen.
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Leah's Personal Story Time:
I think I found my enemy
I started a time audit. Have you ever done that?
Basically, you're trying to figure out what you are actually spending your day doing. Where is the time going? What are you really accomplishing?
The goal is to have a better understanding of the way that you structure your day and the activities that are actually eating up your time, and whether, at the end, you can notice patterns or strategies for being able to manage your time better. If you're like most CEOs, we're torn in so many different directions, wearing so many different hats. We can often feel really busy without actually accomplishing what we want to. For me, the lack of structure in business is sometimes the hardest part.
I've only been doing this time audit for two days, but I can already see a pattern. I wonder if this happens to you too.
My phone is ruining my business life.
Seriously. It's sitting there, and I'm trying really hard not to look at it, but it keeps buzzing. Often it's buzzing with work-related tasks that seem very important.
It's Voxer. Someone on my admin team is telling me something important.
It's my husband. He wants to know what we're doing for dinner.
It's a friend checking in.
It's a referral source contacting me.
It's Instagram telling me that I need to reply to someone's comment on my post.
Over and over, I'm getting pulled back into the phone and distracted from my tasks. Sometimes, once I'm on it, I end up being pulled completely away from my task into the world of Instagram, which we all know is a very addictive, scary place that will happily keep you captive for far longer than you intended.
That's the hard part for CEOs. There are so many important things, and we're trying to get to all of them urgently. The problem is that it keeps pulling us away from the things we really should be doing.
It's kind of like the teenagers who swear they can accomplish their homework while talking to their friends on the phone and listening to music at the same time. We know that's not how attention works. Our brains aren't designed to switch tasks that often.
This is something I know theoretically. I'm a psychologist. None of this should be surprising. But it's much harder to put into practice on a daily basis than it is to understand intellectually.
There's another layer to this too.
The distractions are most tempting when I'm doing the tasks that I find under-stimulating.
It's not usually the big strategic projects. I actually enjoy looking at metrics. I like thinking through systems. Reviewing finances doesn't bother me.
It's having to write that email.
It's finding that password that someone needs.
It's tracking down a piece of information.
It's all of those little administrative tasks that aren't difficult, but aren't particularly interesting either.
That's often when I find myself reaching for my phone. Suddenly Instagram seems more interesting. Responding to a text feels easier. Anything feels more appealing than spending ten minutes hunting for a password.
For me, the hard part about all of this is that a lot of the things pulling me away are important. It's helpful for me to respond to my team. It's important for me to answer referral sources. Instagram is a legitimate part of my marketing strategy right now.
But clearly something has to change.
I think I've found a plan.
My phone is going to have to live in another room for two-hour blocks.
If I really think about it, there's usually nothing so important that it can't wait two hours. I'm going to try this tomorrow and see what happens.
Because what is completely obvious to me right now is that the constant distraction and task switching is not working out in my favor.
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
