Fearless Practice Julia Smith

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

For many Canadian therapists, the trajectory seems to be that once you start getting full with clients that you should open a group private practice. 
However, if you blindly consider opening a group private practice without evaluating whether or not it is truly something that you want, then you may end up in a very stressful situation, feeling burned out and confused as to how this happened! 
Therefore, when you think that it is time to consider this next phase of your career and you are drawn to the idea of growing your solo a Canadian private practice into a group private practice, really give it some intentional thought, so that you can make a decision that is good for YOU! 
So, if you are trying to weigh up your options, listen to this podcast episode where I ask you a couple of important questions to use when deciding which path to take. 
In this Episode:
Is it your passion?
Do you like managing people?
Will it impact your work-life balance?
Are you following the crowd? 
Is it your passion?
There are so many reasons why people decide to open a group private practice, so make sure that if you are considering this path it is something that you are prepared to do because YOU have the desire to do it! 
A lot of people will encourage private practice owners to open a group private practice as a ‘natural next step’, when this isn’t necessarily a formulaic process, because it has to be intentional. 
Remember that passion and an active drive to pursue something are powerful ingredients for success. So don’t follow the crowd just because everyone else is, and take your genuine interests and passions into account when figuring out your next steps. 
Do you like managing people? 
Do you want to add more therapists to your private practice so that more people in your community can receive help? Do you want to make passive income? Even more so, do you want to be a boss and a manager? 
Being a manager is a skill that has to be developed, and something that you can learn from consultants or courses. 
Will it impact your work-life balance? 
If you are considering changing your solo practice into a group practice, imagine your current life and what it could be changed into if you do make this switch. 
In the book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse who noted the top five regrets that people had as they were passing away, and they are; 
I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
I wish I hadn’t worked so hard 
I wish I had the courage to express my feelings
I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends 
I wish I had let myself be happier 
Are you following the crowd?
Do you want to open a Canadian group private practice only because that is what consultants and supervisors say is the next step? 
Sure, it can be difficult to untangle what you want alone instead of what you think you want from looking at what worked for others. Figure out what works for you, and develop that! 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources Mentioned and Useful Links: 
Ep 126: Celissa Vipond & Melissa Lindstrom: From Friendship to Successful Practice | EP 126 
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)
Books mentioned in this episode: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware
Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and TuneIn

Celissa and Melissa noticed the clear need for mental health services in Ontario over the pandemic, and decided to team up to put their expertise and skills to use to serve the community. 
As a team, Celissa and Melissa were able to balance starting a practice between the two of them while continuing their social work positions that they love. Their Canadian private practice has now grown into a successful group private practice where they have the benefits of running their own practice while still working jobs that they cherish. 
In this podcast episode, I chat with the two of them about their progress, their ups and downs, and what they recommend to you for your Canadian private practice career!
MEET CELISSSA AND MELISSA 
Celissa and Melissa are the owners of Virtual CBT, a private psychotherapy practice specializing in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for clients in Ontario that are struggling with symptoms of depression, anxiety, phobias, OCD, and trauma.
Learn more about Celissa and Melissa on their practice website and Instagram profile. 
In this episode: 
How Celissa and Melissa found their niche
Working as a team 
Using Jane App 
The future of Virtual CBT
Melissa and Celissa’s advice to listeners
How Celissa and Melissa found their niche
Both Celissa and Melissa are social workers. Between the two of them, they had dabbled in different sectors trying to find what suited them both best before specializing further. 
Melissa thoroughly enjoyed working within CBT and she found it effective and helpful for both her services as a therapist and for her client’s needs. 
For Celissa, the path was a little different in that she only knew that she wanted to become a social worker after she graduated. 
Celissa’s expertise has become more narrow as the years have passed, from CBT and DBT to specialized CBT and others.
Working as a team 
Over the pandemic, both Celissa and Melissa were working for a not-for-profit organization when the public mental health system was being flooded with referrals. 
Also, over the pandemic they went from working completely in person to completely virtual almost overnight. 
One day, a doctor connected with Celissa asking if she had a private practice, and she ended up texting Melissa to see what she thought about it. They decided to work together to launch their own private practice since they could see that the need was there.  
Using Jane App 
Melissa recommends to all practice owners that Jane App is a great investment to commit to early on in your private practice journey since it streamlines so many processes in a way that they complement one another, helping you to stay organized and helping your clients to easily book appointments. 
Jane’s intuitive and automatic systems that you can customize to your needs allows it to help you with what you want help with. 
The future of Virtual CBT
Since September 2023 their practice has grown so much, which is why they have decided to take a step back and rest a bit before continuing to expand their practice together. 
Diversifying your practice is also a good idea to consider because it can take away some of the stress and allows for the owners and staff to engage with clients and modalities in new and innovative ways. 
Melissa and Celissa’s advice to listeners
Be willing to invest in your business, whether it is finances or time and effort, if you want to have a strong foundation and a successful practice. Be patient with the process as well! 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Ep 125: Kelly Hoskin: Trusting the Process for Success in Canadian Private Practice | EP 125 
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 Celissa and Melissa on their prac

Sometimes people can feel nervous to start their careers since they don’t know where it will end up. We may feel like we need to know exactly how the journey will look before we head towards a new destination. 
In this podcast episode, Kelly and I discuss how she had no intention of working in psychotherapy initially after grad school, but found her way there. She discovered more of what she loved along the way!
MEET KELLY
Kelly Hoskin (BSW, RSW) is a registered social worker and psychotherapist passionate about supporting teenagers and adults, Indigenous peoples, and those grieving the loss of a pet. Kelly lives in Angus, Ontario and provides sessions virtually and in-person, including walk and talk therapy. She feels strongly in meeting clients where they’re at and staying flexible to their needs. The client is the expert in their own life, and Kelly helps them to navigate their healing journey.
Learn more about Kelly on her Instagram and Psychology Today profiles. 
In this episode: 
Kelly’s entrance to social work 
From social work into private practice 
Working in NIHB 
Kelly’s advice for listeners 
Kelly’s entrance to social work 
Kelly got her bachelor’s degree after high school, and then she worked for a few years at an employee assistance program. Eventually, she decided to complete her bachelors of social work. 
After she graduated from her bachelors of social work, it took her another few years to figure out what to do with her degree. 
From social work into private practice 
Kelly worked as the coordinator in a collective of therapists, and she was well-known there. She did potential client’s risk assessments and recommended them to a therapist in the collective. 
Kelly was then motivated to start a private practice, with just a Bachelors of Social Work. She wanted to make sure that there wasn’t a specific rule stating that she wasn’t allowed, and within her province, it is allowed - but maybe not always recommended! Since further studying is often encouraged or required. Always check with your college! 
Kelly approached the team as joining a psychotherapist, and was met with a warm welcome. They were supportive of her trying it out, and it just took time, her confidence, and support from other psychotherapists - with peer supervision - but Kelly did get there! 
Working in NIHB
People who have status, either Inuit or indigenous, can access this service and they can receive up to 22 counselling sessions per calendar year. The therapist is paid directly from the government, so the client doesn’t have to pay at all. 
In order to be a part of this program you can fill out an application as to why you would be competent to be part of this program. 
You can learn more about this service on their official website. Kelly markets to her clients via her social media platforms, as well as receiving clients through her referral network.
Additionally, Kelly hosts a networking event each month for both fellow practitioners as well as clients, which allows more people to find out about her work, as well as allowing her to provide a platform for more therapists and clients to meet. 
Kelly’s advice for listeners 
You are not the only one who doesn’t know what they are doing with the business side of private practice! 
Connect with your community of fellow therapists and practitioners, so that you have people to learn from and lean on, this is not a journey that you have to walk alone. 
Connect with me:
Instagram
Website 
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Ep 124: Seeking Out and Mastering Work/ Life Balance | EP 124
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 Kelly on her Instagram and Psychology Today profiles
Rate, review, and subscribe to this