Selling the Couch Melvin Varghese, PhD

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

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 workingDiscovering the sweet spot: How Matt created a course designed for a specific person in a specific situationCourse creation is successful when you see the need and solve the pain point.Matt’s path to building trust and cultivating repeat customersThe progression and development of Matt’s 40-hour course and 6-hour refresher coursesThe challenges in maintaining compliance and navigating changes in licensing requirementsCourse creation challenges: creating content and incorporating more video interaction and student engagementMatt’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. 
Simplified SEO Consulting is a team of mental health professionals who genuinely want to help you attract more of your ideal clients using a proven on-page SEO process.
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



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If you’ve had a standoff with perfectionism in starting something new, you’ll want to join us for this coaching call in today’s session. Like most clinicians who are branching out with an online course, my guest is struggling with her fears about this new endeavor and whether she will get it right. Join us to hear the conversation.
Our Featured Guest for today’s coaching call
Katie Lear, LCMHC, RPT, RDT
Katie Lear is a therapist in solo private practice near Charlotte, NC. She was part of the Online Course School Live Cohort, and she’s part of the Online Course School Mastermind this year. She is preparing for the beta group launch of her course, and her next step will be to record the digital version. This process gives a chance to collect feedback from beta students on the lessons and modules before creating the digital version. Join us for this open and honest conversation around fear and perfectionism.
Katie's Website
You’ll Learn:
A look at how Katie arrived at her private practice niche working with preteens and tweens around anxiety and OCD symptomsWhy Katie decided to jump into the online course worldHow an online course income stream helps clinicians build a balanced life outside their career, have more time and capacity for family, and utilize another way to reach clientsThe starting point for content in Katie’s course: teaching about coping skillsHow Katie is looking to incorporate a playful element into her courseHow Katie is dealing with “blank-page syndrome” in creating her course slidesTips for Katie in distilling and refining the content for her courseWhy heart and intent matter more in an online course than “Hollywood-level” productionWhy there is great value in teaching with the structure of three tips, three steps, and common mistakes
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
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Welcome to a brand new season of Selling the Couch! After an extended sabbatical of several months, it’s good to be back on STC with new, exciting shows. Today’s topic is one that we have all contemplated to some degree. I imagine that many coffee shop conversations and therapy sessions have included discussions around how we think about work and integrate our work into our post-pandemic lives. Join us to learn more!
Our Featured Guest
Dan Cumberland
Dan Cumberland is a creative, catalyst, and collaborator at The Meaning Movement. He created this blog and community to help people pursue a deeper meaning in what they do beyond simply earning a paycheck. From his personal experience, he knows what it’s like to sacrifice too much for work and face burnout and hopelessness. He is intensely passionate about helping others wrestle with the big questions around work, meaning, and purpose. In this conversation, Dan inspires us to find meaning without letting work become our identity, along with his top tips for finding a healthy balance between work and life. 
You’ll Learn:
Why entrepreneurs are programmed to find meaning in their work through the areas of people, product, process, and profitWhy pursuing your passion usually means sacrificing something elseHow Dan came to a watershed moment with his passion, The Meaning Movement Why entrepreneurship is a constant reimagining of yourself and your purposeWhy there is never a clean line between who you are and what you doDan’s top tips for finding a balance between work and lifeHow to assess your happiness and satisfactionInfo about Dan’s beta cohort assessment for finding balance in life
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
Connect with Dan
Website and Burnout Assessment
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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 courseWhy Heather’s course is an eight-week course to help people understand anxiety and DBT emotion regulation skillsHow 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 youHow 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 webinarWhy 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 webinarsIn 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 sheetsCore blog postSelect podcast episodesMini-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
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➡️ Want to launch your online course?
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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 for helping 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 meetWhy Andy feels that his mission is to help others with investing so they can achieve financial security and freedomWhy 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 othersThree 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 safeYou are guaranteed to lose money every year because of inflation.Taking on too much risk by overexposing themselves in one areaIt's best to mix asset classes to reduce your risk and potentially increase your return for the level of riskAndy’s tips for investing smartly:Have a cash reserve on hand.Diversity by investing in asset classes that don’t “move together.”
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