Fearless Practice Julia Smith

Today we are celebrating that Registered Counselling Therapists and Registered Psychotherapists no longer have to charge tax!
There are decades of work behind the scenes to bring this to fruition, so it is a big deal! Thank you to the CCPA for making this happen!
In this podcast episode, I’ll give you all the information about what this means and what you should do next so that you’re in the loop and on the right track. 
In this Episode:
Who doesn’t have to charge tax anymore?
What does this mean? 
Addressing the change with clients 
Who doesn’t have to charge tax anymore?
Last month in June 2024, Bill C59 received royal ascend and that means that GST and HST can successfully be removed from counselling and psychotherapy services in provinces that regulate the profession. 
What does this mean? 
What this means for therapists across Canada is that if you are in a province that regulates psychotherapy or counselling therapy, which includes; 
Ontario 
Quebec 
New Brunswick 
Nova Scotia 
Prince Edward Island 
You no longer have to charge tax on therapy services! However, if you are certified in an unregulated province, it can be a little tricky. You may or may not be able to take tax off of your services, because it depends on if you have the relevant qualifications with a regulated province, what your provinces rules are specifically, and other factors. 
‘So before taking off tax in an unregulated province, you will want to speak to your MPs [and] to the board where you are certified just to make sure that you can legally do that.’ - Julia Smith  
The CCPA is still advocating for those unregulated provinces so that Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCC) may become included in not having to charge tax anymore, because this is currently not the case. 
No matter what, you should still contact the CRA to discuss your individual situation on whether or not to deregister your HST or GST number. Click here to find the CRA link! 
Addressing the change with clients 
Are you going to take the tax off of your therapy fee? Or are you going to keep the therapy fee the same and give yourself a little bit of a raise? There’s no judgment if you do decide to go with the latter, since inflation has been tough these last few years. 
First and foremost, you may want to put yourself in your client’s shoes because by not taking the tax off your fee and keeping it the same - depending on how you word it - your clients may not appreciate that, especially since for them it has also been difficult with inflation and rising costs. 
‘If you do decide to give yourself a raise, you want to explain to your clients why you are doing this, so that they understand and can respect it!’ - Julia Smith 
Some therapists may not tell the clients that they are doing this because the final fee includes the tax in the price, so the tax could be removed without the clients noticing. But by not informing your clients of the change, it may bring up big issues in the therapeutic alliance if a client finds it out and feels cheated or lied to, so being transparent is usually the best route! 
In my private practice, we’ve decided to pass the benefits to our clients.  
With Jane App, it is super simple to do to change this feature! 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources Mentioned and Useful Links: 
Ep 132: Destin Jones: Creating Canadian Therapist Communities | EP 132 
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Article: How to Set Up a Canadian Private Practice Website  
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)
Canada Revenue Agency 
Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and TuneIn

Do you have a community of clients, peers, or professionals that you work alongside? How can communities open up new opportunities? Have you considered starting a community that isn’t focused solely on sales? 
Community is a bit of a buzzword in marketing and private practice these days, but it’s still truly valuable and a worthwhile investment to make. 
In this podcast episode, I chat with Destin, the Director of Community at Jane App, about everything to do with community and what every Canadian therapist needs to know to start, find, and support one! 
MEET DESTIN
Destin is the Director of Community at Jane.app, an online platform for health and wellness practitioners that makes it simple to book, chart, schedule, bill, and get paid. Destin has been working in tech and community for over 15 years and is a passionate advocate for community-led growth and how community can help businesses big and small connect with their customers in a real, human way to build authentic relationships while also achieving their goals. 
Learn more about Destin on her LinkedIn Profile. 
In this episode: 
How Destin joined Jane App
The benefits of multidisciplinary communities 
How therapists in Canada can build community online 
Which communities you can create 
Destin’s advice to listeners 
How Destin joined Jane App 
For Destin’s philosophy, being part of the Jane App team inherently means to value community, and bring in community principles into the work that the Jane App team does with their customers. 
Destin started working in marketing and communications and various agencies, which all showed Destin that she really liked to work with people, and in positions where client relationships are at the forefront of the business. 
After a few years, social media began taking off for business as a marketing tool, around 2008 and 2009, and this is where Destin’s epiphany and understanding of the value of community in business became apparent, to unite and grow a bigger customer base. 
The benefits of multidisciplinary communities
Something unique about Jane App is that it offers a community space for you to tap into where all the business owners can share and learn from each other about how to personalize the app for their practices. 
You can work with the Jane App team, and learn from other people who are using it too, because the platform in itself is inherently creative and customizable. 
How therapists in Canada can build community online 
It can be tricky to navigate building an online community if you’re a therapist since there are different rules and regulations across colleges and provinces. 
The landscape for building community is big since you can include so many different platforms, so just pick one and start small to build up that momentum. 
Additionally, Destin recommends starting a professional profile instead of merging your personal social media with a new professional branch to it. 
And remember to add a disclaimer that your professional social media community isn’t a substitute for formal, in-session therapy. 
Which communities you can create 
Apart from the more obvious communities that you can create with your audience and client base, Destin wants you to consider building up a community that’s based on your fellow practitioners, peers, and professional network. 
Destin’s advice to listeners
If you’re not ready yet or you don’t have the time, don’t force it, but do consider it in the long-run since communities are keys to greater success, networks, income, and friendships along the way too. 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Ep 131: Paige Abbott: Taking Private Practice at Your Own Pace| EP 131
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS

It can be easy to get caught up in looking at everyone else’s journey when instead it’s important to focus on your own. When you take private practice at your own pace, and when you incorporate your talents and passions and allow yourself to be guided from one spot to the next, you can more easily find your way in private practice instead of trying to do what everyone else has done with theirs. 
In this podcast episode, Paige and I discuss her journey into private practice, how she overcame impostor syndrome, and how she’s bringing in her personal passions into her Canadian practice. 
MEET PAIGE
Paige Abbott is a Registered Psychologist and founder of Sana Psychological in Alberta. Paige has been a Psychologist since 2009 and running her private practice since 2019. Paige expanded from solo to group practice in 2023.
Learn more about Paige on her practice website, Psychology Today, and LinkedIn profiles. 
In this episode: 
Paige’s interest in and pursuit for psychology 
Heading towards private practice 
Overcoming impostor syndrome 
Marketing authentically and successfully 
Paige’s goals for the future 
Advice for listeners 
Paige’s interest in and pursuit for psychology 
For Paige, becoming a psychologist was a collection of different circumstances that stretched over a few years. Initially, she wanted to be a writer, and was passionate about the written word and she knew that it was something she wanted to take forward into a future career. 
In her undergrad, Paige took psychology and really enjoyed it, and it came to feel like “a match made in Heaven”. Afterward, Paige got her Masters in Psychology and began her career as a psychologist in Alberta.
After the assistance program, Paige worked as an outpatient psychologist for almost a decade and after that she began to dip her toes into private practice in 2020, where she is now, with her own fully established private practice!
Heading towards private practice 
Even though Paige always wanted to work for herself, she got caught up working in agencies for many years before finally listening to the inner call to open up her own practice. 
Once she committed to being her own boss and working on her private practice, she found that she enjoyed the daily tasks and inner workings of managing and taking care of a business. 
Paige also uses Jane App, and it allows her to streamline her practice with more efficiency as well as allowing her that sense of creativity and ownership to set things up as she likes! 
Overcoming impostor syndrome
Paige initially held back from expanding her solo practice into a group practice because she felt unsure.
Often with impostor syndrome, it helps to remind yourself of all the times you have succeeded in the past.
Marketing authentically and successfully 
Paige prioritizes digital marketing since for her it’s the thing that works. It’s more than having the profile on Psychology Today, it’s about showcasing your business truly in an effort to find the best-fit clients.
Paige’s goals for the future 
In the upcoming months, Paige is looking to scale down on the amount of hours she spends in session so that she can find a more holistic work/ life balance. 
Paige wants to move from more direct client work to more mentorship, as both a change in her hourly work and as a progress that she wants to experiment with in her career. 
Advice for listeners
Do it! Get into private practice. There’s never going to be a perfect moment, so if you hear the call, honor it and get started.
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Ep 130: How to Create a Summer Schedule that Works for You! | EP 130 
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)
Learn more about Paige o

As many therapists may have experienced with their practices, there’s usually a summer slump. Everybody is either away on vacation or taking time off work, and as such their schedules have changed, albeit temporarily, and this can make it challenging for therapists to maintain their usual steady stream of clients. 
More than that, you also want a holiday! It’s important for everyone, including therapists, to enjoy the nice weather and to take time off, wherever applicable and useful. 
In this podcast episode, I share with you some of the tips and approaches I use to make sure that I can also relax and take a breather, without 
In this Episode:
Some ideas to deal with a summer slump 
What I’m trying this year!
Managing my time 
Slowing down 
Some ideas to deal with a summer slump 
While everyone is outside and enjoying the warmer weather after winter, businesses and practices can suffer a little financially.
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to help keep your business afloat and top of mind, such as: 
Increased marketing your business leading up to the summer 
Adding a niche with a summertime focus 
Saving money throughout the year to help you manage the slower summer months 
Adding an additional stream of income 
Hiring new therapists to your practice 
What I’m trying this year 
From the suggestions I’ve given above, there are a couple of things that I am trying this year for summer 2024. 
What I’m doing; 
1 - Reminding myself that this is a phase. I know that there are trends of busyness that come and go throughout the year, and to keep calm and make adjusted actions is the best way to go. 
2 - Be proactive and productive. I use the client summer slump to work on my business in other ways, making tweaks and adjustments where it may be needed that I might not have the time to do during the rest of the year. 
3 - You can network too. Networking is an ongoing investment that you are making in your business, and these ring true and could bring you some valuable clients before, during, and after the summer months. 
Managing my time 
So, the way that I manage my time over these summer months with my other work priorities is to simply slot them into my usual clinical working hours, where I would’ve been clients. This way I maintain my usual schedule, keep my own routine, and still work within the hours that I am used to. 
Blocking out that time in my own schedule means that I keep working, and I don’t see an empty client slot as “free” time. 
Slowing down 
Another thing that I am doing this summer is slowing down, and taking time off as well! One of the most annoying things of the summer is having one client booked on a clinical day, and no one else. 
When that happens, I book the rest of the hours off to focus on that one summer work priority, and also to relax! Where possible, I’ll bunch those client hours onto a day or two so that I work in batches, and can then manage my time so that I’ll have a solid block of working time, and then rest. 
If you want to hear more about how I portion out my time so that I can enjoy both my clinical work and enjoying my personal life, listen to this episode for some tips and advice! 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources Mentioned and Useful Links: 
Ep 129: Rhea Bridge: Niching in a New Practice to Reduce Burnout | EP 129
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Article: How to Set Up a Canadian Private Practice Website  
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)
Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and TuneIn

In the beginning of starting a new practice, being a generalist seems like a good idea, especially when you want to welcome clients through the door and the idea of turning away new potential clients seems counterintuitive.
However, niching down is not only helpful regarding your marketing or your skill set: niching down is also important for you! It helps you to enjoy your everyday work instead of feeling unnecessarily drained. 
In this podcast episode, I chat with Rhea, who started her virtual Canadian private practice after graduating, and who has built her success around focusing on her ideal clients and in the future hopes to build connections with her community, of both clients and therapists. 
MEET RHEA
Rhea is a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario, mom of 2 and business owner. Her practice is focused on mood and anxiety disorders, life transitions, BIPOC and cultural issues, as well as the perinatal period.
Learn more about Rhea on her website, Instagram, and Psychology Today profiles. 
In this episode: 
How Rhea developed her career in therapy 
Starting a solo practice 
Marketing the practice
Overcoming issues 
Thinking on the future 
How Rhea developed her career in therapy 
In Rhea’s previous work life she was working with clients with autism. She ended up leaving the field, and wasn’t sure what to do. 
When she was working with patients with autism, she did feel like she wanted to do more for them but felt constrained by the role that she was employed under. 
So, after Rhea left that job, she took some time to think about what she wanted to do and considered the things that she enjoyed doing to shift these passions into a career. She ended up finding a masters program that enabled her to unite her interests with counselling in a way that she was excited about. 
Starting her solo practice 
Even though Rhea was uncomfortable and a little scared about the unknown, she started exploring what she needed to do to set up a new practice. She started looking for only a few clients in the beginning to get a feel of what it would be like. 
Rhea worked part-time and had some financial support from her husband while she was launching her practice, both of which helped her to navigate the uncertainties in the beginning before her practice was more fully established. 
Marketing the practice 
Rhea launched a Psychology Today profile for herself and her practice to advertise herself and her business. 
She also opened up accounts on a few other free platforms where clients often may search for therapists, as well as launching a small Instagram account. 
Within her community, Rhea’s practice is starting to gain some traction by word-of-mouth as well.
Overcoming issues
For Rhea, a common problem that she is working on resolving is the issue of scheduling, and of finding a time that works well for her and for clients to have a session. 
Additionally, niching was something that Rhea had to work on and to find the right fit. Once she niched down, things became easier. 
A powerful bonus of working within your niche and within your skill set and with the clients that you want to work with also reduces your risk of burnout. 
Thinking on the future 
Rhea is focused on making more connections in her community within the next six months to a year. Having one or two specific goals can help you to figure out your direction.. 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Ep 128: Christina Page: Transitioning from Agency to Private Practice | EP 128
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)
Learn more about Rhea on her website, Instagram, and Psychology Today profiles
Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotif

With private practice, Christina, our guest today, went through a challenging experience and found it difficult herself to find the therapy that she needed.
When she registered as a social worker and later as a perinatal therapist, she knew that she wanted to fill the niche in the market by serving the families in her community. 
Today, we discuss her journey into social work, her time working at a hospital, and how she started her thriving, mostly virtual Canadian group practice, and how she incorporated her own values and passions into building a successful practice that meets her client’s needs!
MEET CHRISTINA
Christina Page is a Registered Social Worker, Certified Perinatal Therapist and the owner of Whole Family Psychotherapy, a primarily virtual Ontario based group practice specializing in perinatal mental health. Christina and her team of RSW’s are also parents themselves, and believe supporting parents in all stages of their journey allows for family systems to thrive.
Learn more about Christina on her practice website, Psychology Today, and LinkedIn profiles. 
In this episode: 
How Christina became a social worker
Opening up a private practice 
Developing the solo practice into a group practice
A client login for Jane App 
How Christina became a social worker 
Initially in school, Christina really wanted to be an actor!
Upon coming to this life changing realization, Christina dropped out of acting school and spent a couple of years getting to know herself while working different jobs here and there. She went to therapy herself, and discovered that it was something that she felt a natural calling to do too. 
Opening up a private practice
Christina spent a while working in the hospital system as a social worker, however she knew that there was something else that she wanted to try. While Christina was still on maternity leave, she decided that she wanted to move out of working in the hospital system and to open up her own practice. 
Christina wanted to gain more expertise, and found some Canadian perinatal mental health trainings in Toronto that she loved, and where she completed a bunch of certificates with course work and supervision which helped her to feel competent and ready to market herself in her new practice. 
Developing the solo practice into a group practice
In 2022, once Christina’s children were in school and daycare, she really committed to networking in her area and meeting every midwife and doctor that she felt fit with her niche and approach. 
Once 2023 came around, Christina felt the need to expand her solo practice into a group practice. 
Even though Christina didn’t initially want to be a boss, she found herself warming up to the idea. Now, it’s been a year since Christina has been running her group practice. 
Christina was motivated to lay a strong foundation for her practice that wasn’t only solid on operation, skill sets, expertise, and student services for affordable therapy, but also on ethics. She hired an attorney to make sure that everything was done by the book.
A client login for Jane App 
Having a client login option for your practice website so that your existing clients can have access to their receipts or other documentation is a great way to keep the client journey piece in mind within your business operations. 
It shows your clients that you are considering their needs too, and that you are incorporating their experience into how you structure your services to serve their needs. 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Ep 127: Being Intentional when Starting a Group Private Practice | EP 127
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)
Learn more about Christina on her practice website, Psychology Toda