The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewe‪r‬ Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT: Therapist | Consultant | Writer | Speaker

Business ownership can be challenging, but it's not that different than treating patients. Your business is like a patient, and Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers by Kasey Compton will teach you to treat it that way. We talk all about the inspiration behind this book and why Kasey thinks healthcare providers are the best suited for entrepreneurship. Plus, we dive into everything you need to fix in your private practice and how to finally get closer to professional goals while building a strong foundation. 
Meet Kasey Compton Kasey built a million-dollar practice with over seventy-five staff members in less than two years from the ground up. She is the President/CEO of Mindsight Behavioral Group with multiple offices located in Kentucky.  Kasey says, “it definitely wasn’t easy but I learned a lot scaling a practice”. She is now in year three and her business with basically running itself; largely due to the systems and processes we put into place.
Now, Kasey is a behavioral group consultant (www.consultwithkc.com) and author that helps practices avoid mistakes by cleaning up their systems, implementing better processes, and understanding what to do with their money. Kasey says, “ I take so much pride in my own practice and now I feel honored to help others grow too.”
About Fix This Next  When Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change That Will Level Up Your Business came out; Kasey loved it! It is based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Well, our private practices have tons of needs. We can't act like a firefighter in private practice. Every time our business has a problem, we need a system for addressing the issues rather than just willy nilly solving things. When Kasey read that book, she thought this was meant for mental health. Kasey knew that mental health professionals needed something similar. After talking to so many other practice owners, Kasey learned that they loved the book. However, something was missing – they didn't know how to apply those principles to their private practice. Kasey knew that it was just something she had to fix; she felt like she was responsible for writing this book.
Treat Your Business Like You Treat Your Patients  In many ways, private practice consultants have a responsibility to help people feel confident in the way that they're spending their time and feel like they don't need an MBA to run a therapy practice. Throughout Kasey's book, that's a running theme that therapists, in her opinion, are better-suited business owners than anybody else out there. She truly believes that our businesses are much like our patients. If we treat our businesses like we treat our patients, everything becomes much smoother, and everything becomes much more efficient. Overall, we will have better outcomes. So, that is what Kasey teaches in Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers is how to treat your business like you do your patients.
How To Assess Your Business One of Kasey's strategies within Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers is all about assessing your business. Basically, you would do a diagnostic assessment of a client or a patient. Kasey teaches therapists how to evaluate the business in the same way. There are three foundational levels in your business, which are sales, profit, and order. We have core needs within each of those levels. Next, we ask ourselves the fifteen questions in the book. Based on that simple assessment, we're able to determine what our business's biggest priority is and where we should start.
If you have a client coming in to see you, and they're having panic attacks. What you're going to do first is you're going to gather information. We're going to ask them all these questions to try to determine what is at the core. Panic and anxiety are a direct result of fear. So, fear is just manifesting itself into anxiety and then ultimately into a panic a

Margarita Khosh joins for a lively and fun conversation. We talked about expanding your niche beyond state lines; it's time that you become available to more clients than you could have ever imagined! Plus, Margarita gives us the scoop on navigating regulatory compliance, licensing regulations, and the importance of niche branding to reach underserved and underrepresented communities. Lastly, we chat about how Covid and 2020 had a massive impact on getting telehealth to become universally accepted and finally lowering the stigma around mental health.
Meet Margarita Khosh Margarita Khosh, MBA, LSSGB, GHAC, is a healthcare industry implementation consultant who works with health care professionals to strengthen the patient-provider relationship. Leveraging her 20-year healthcare operational experience, international training, Healthcare MBA,  fluency in insurance terminology, licensing, and regulatory compliance, she launched MK Medical Solutions, LLC to shift the mindset of providers and health systems to understand that the patient is a consumer. Through this lens, and motivated by overcoming trauma and burnout, she propels the implementation of a modern patient-centric experience that funnels to benefit all healthcare stakeholders by reducing cost, decreasing burnout, and contributing to a health system that works for all. 
Margarita serves on the Board of Directors of Women’s Healthcare Executive Network of South Florida and teaches a Facebook community of 12K therapists while interviewing industry-leading authors. She has been featured on Sabrina Runbeck’s Powerful and Passionate Healthcare Professionals, The Mighty Pete Lonton’s Fire In The Belly, The B2B Podcast by The App Guys,  The Practice Of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer, and Coming Out Loved and Supported Podcast.
She is also a contributing author and columnist. In a recently cited article at awarenow, she spoke about the importance of leveraging technology to make the health system work better for everyone. 
Covid's Impact On Telehealth Before Covid, therapists were not leveraging technology the way that other industries leverage technology. When Covid happens, all of a sudden, it helped therapists propel the adoption of technology in a way that we never imagined. The entire healthcare industry has been turned upside down (for the better)! During this time, Margarita learned everything that she needed to know about how the new policies, rules, and regulations worked.
So, she started helping therapists launch private practices beyond state lines. Plus, she can inform therapists on how to utilize the executive orders and treat patients. 2020 and 2021 are all about helping therapists expand their practice beyond state lines for Margarita. It is a total game-changer for both therapists and clients. Plus, it's helping lift the stigma that people have around mental health issues. Covid has been extremely stressful, and we are lucky to help patients in the virtual world.
 
Why You Should Get Licensed In Another State It has been exciting for many therapists - you can get licensed in another state and grow your practice. There is value in niche branding and lived experience. When you expand your practice beyond state lines, think about how that will impact a population that has traditionally had a different viewpoint on therapy. So, this is how you heal even more people. With telehealth, we can bring therapy to people regardless of where they are. Sadly, there is stigma and shame associated with mental health in specific communities; nobody will talk about it the importance of therapy. That's why it will be critical to get your practice across state lines.
 
How Licensing Works In Other States There are resources out there to empower therapists to understand how licensing works in different states. Therapists might not be aware of specific questi

Do you need help with your private practice website? Jenn Fredette joins to talk about the power of strong copywriting on your website. First, it's essential to have a niche when thinking about copywriting. That way, it will be seamless to market to your ideal client. Jenn gives loads of copywriting tips for your private practice website. Plus, we talk about the importance of community and mentorship, especially when it comes to your copywriting.
Meet Jenn Fredette Jenn journeys with others to develop a deep understanding of themselves and the world around them.  She is passionate about connecting the curious and brave with therapeutic guides who can lead the way into the wild adventure of self-knowledge.
As a former minister, practicing psychotherapist, adjunct graduate professor, and host of “A Thinker’s Guide to…” Podcast, Jenn brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in translating the profound into everyday language. Learn more at therapyforthinkers.com or follow her on Instagram at @athinkersguide.
The Importance of Copywriting Jenn realized the importance of finding a niche in terms of who she wants to serve. However, a niche is also helpful in terms of what marketing does and doesn't work for you. There are 20 billion options when it comes to marketing your practice. We need to think about how we speak about who we are and who we want to serve. Online speak is also known as "copy" or written content that we've created. However, our marketing copy doesn't even have to be in writing; it can also include a podcast or a networking conversation. Basically, how do you articulate who you are serving, who you are, and who want to work with?
Plus, Jenn speaks about her copywriting journey; she loves to write. So, Jenn set out to learn how actually to write copy that is captivating and is converting clients. Your copy needs to be representative of who you are as a clinician. Sometimes, marketing can feel kind of shallow and feels a little slimy. As therapists, we're not wanting to manipulate people. In addition, a lot of marketing techniques sometimes don't integrate our clinical depth or clinical awareness, which is a real shame. Jenn feels passionate about helping people translate their voice and the knowledge they already have into the copy on their website.
Copywriting Tips A lot of therapists are resistant to the essence of marketing, which is niching down. You have to niche down for your marketing to work. However, many therapists don't want to exclude someone from their niche. When you're trying to accommodate many different people, then often this leads to a lot of blocks when writing. Then, it will be challenging to write either your therapy directory profile or website. When we try and write to everyone, then we need to write to Jim, as well as Karen, and Bob. Also, you don't want to leave Jane out either. So, it's hard to distill down what you want to say in your website copy.
Plus, Jenn says that sometimes a therapist will lose themselves; you lose your desire of what you want your practice to be. If you're so focused on accommodating others, you're maybe not getting your own needs met. So the first step is to really get in touch with your own desire. Who do you want to sit with who would light you up? When you know who your ideal client is, it will be super easy to start copywriting for your website! If you're not sure who your ideal client is, then think about the people that you are most excited to work with!
Can We Really Say That? Therapists will think some of their copy might sound too edgy for their website. For instance, a therapist's ideal client may smoke marijuana. The therapist says: "I know that you just smoked three bowls of marijuana back to back to numb the pain." Your copy should always start with the problem in mind. Then, you get into where you can go from the problem. It's a

I am grateful to be joined by two private practice rock stars, Kelly Higdon and Miranda Palmer, in The Practice of Therapy's latest episode. Our conversation revolves around the money mindset that we should have as therapists and as private practice owners. The one silver lining that has come out of Covid is that people are finally starting to understand mental health services' true value. So, join me, Kelly, and Miranda as we talk about what you should be charging, why you should consider outsourcing, and the reason therapists should never compare fees.
Meet Kelly Higdon, LMFT Kelly Higdon, LMFT is the co-founder of ZynnyMe and co-creator of The Business School Bootcamp for Therapists, a flagship course that helps therapists in all parts of their private practice journey solidify their business foundation and growth. When she isn’t coaching or hosting retreats for her clients, you can find her playing roller derby or spending time with her family. To learn more about Kelly check out kellyhigdon.com and zynnyme.com
On any given day you will find her writing, meeting with her psychotherapy or coaching clients, running a webinar for therapists, providing consultation with private practice owners, and making lots of room for playtime with her family. Kelly's hair constantly changes. She cares about the people that she works with. AND her most FAVORITE THING is to push, educate and inspire in the Business School Bootcamp.
Meet Miranda Palmer, LMFT Miranda Palmer built a cash-based private practice during the recession. But, she is most proud that she did it to take care of her family and created a work-life balance that allowed her to avoid the all too common burn-out a lot of therapists experience.
As the co-creator of ZynnyMe.com, she provides how-to articles, free monthly webinars, and co-leads the Business School Bootcamp for Therapists.
Today her primary business is inspiring and teaching therapists private practice marketing. Miranda teaches them business skills, and not because she is all about money. Miranda sees how clinical outcomes, burnout rate, and overall passion can be impacted positively or negatively by how our businesses run. 
How Much Is Therapy Worth? How much is therapy worth? Most of us know that it's a silly question! Well, people are priceless, and you cannot put a value on a therapy. How are you going to monetize transgenerational trauma and healing? So then that brings us back to, well, how do we know what to charge? What do we need to do good work and to live the life we teach our clients?
Money is a resource; that is part of the outcome that we are working towards. We're working towards an outcome with our clients, a clinical outcome, and we want them to have a great experience. We want to be able to be present to provide that outcome. So we need to look at our outcome; money is just one resource that we need to get there. Time and energy are also resources that we require as therapists. Now, we start to calculate, what does that number really come out to?
When you take all of this into account, then you no longer feel shame or guilt about how much you charge for your services. When you think about running a business, you need sick time; you need to pay your rent, you need to pay your mortgage, health insurance, vacation, technology, and utilities. All of these things that are part of being a business owner we need to consider. Most of us did not learn how to be business owners in graduate school, we have nonprofit training, and we have this nonprofit mindset. Nonprofit organizations will get grants for millions of dollars; then, they can use that money to pay for their positions. You never really get to see where all of the other money goes.
Stop Comparing Fees The mental healthcare system is not doing well. Access is challenging. As therapists, we are one part of that system. In order for

In this episode, Colleen Hilton joins the show to talk about our marketing mindset in private practice. Many therapists think that marketing is icky. However, marketing is actually essential to get clients the help that they need. The more effective your marketing efforts are, the better you can help the right people. Tune in as we talk about finding your ideal client and how Thrivelution can be a win-win for both therapists and clients.
Meet Colleen Hilton Colleen Hilton is the founder & CEO of Acuity Counseling, Acuity Consulting and Thrivelution LLC. She is also a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist & an AAMFT approved Supervisor, with over 14 years of experience in the industry.
Since 2016, Acuity Counseling has been providing boutique therapy services, with a retail-style model, making high-quality mental health available to the general public. With 3 brick and mortar locations and a strong online presence throughout the state via telehealth, Acuity is seeking to make a difference across all of Washington state.
Acuity Consulting focuses on creating change in the business world by offering leadership coaching, and organizational mental health training. By supporting individuals and organizations in personal and professional change, believing in the systemic impact we will have together.
Colleen co-founded Thrivelution LLC in 2020, amidst the unprecedented circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thrivelution is disrupting the current market space by throwing out the antiquated practice of directory style searches, focusing on the quality of matches, and demonstrating a return on investment for small business owners.
Colleen is outspoken as a leader and educator on the business side of the mental health industry. She is active in coaching private practice owners, as well as new group practice owners, in how to align their values as a helper, with their role as a business owner to assist them in creating successful, profitable businesses.
Personally, Colleen is a wife and the proud mother of two inspiring young women. She is passionate about warm weather (still missing




SoCal), boating, and finding great food wherever she is at. Colleen loves people and making new connections, finding great joy in learning from others, and hearing the amazing stories every person has to share.




Success Mindset Many therapists think that marketing is icky or too salesy. Colleen is working on debunking that marketing mindset for private practice owners. Instead, we should use marketing to create a mindset for success. Marketing and advertising get an awful rap in the mental health industry. We feel like somehow being a helper doesn't align with marketing and advertising, but Colleen honestly believes that our professional ethics require that we do beneficial marketing and advertising.
Charge What You're Worth Your marketing mindset has a lot to do with finances too. If you don't have enough money, then you are struggling. How will that impact the work that you do for clients? If you can hone in on marketing, then you can market to your ideal client and attract the person into your practice. That is why it's essential to have an exact brand. Then, the feedback loop just starts to work in a beautiful way where the clients are coming to us. We can charge what we're worth!
Market To Your Ideal Client When we do effective marketing, we reach our ideal client and provide the most qualified help. While on the other hand, if our net is too broad or there is no net at all, we can't help our ideal clients. Clients will not magically find you when you build a website. We should be practicing from an abundance mindset - there are many clients out there, and you really should be helping the people you are passionate about supporting.
Colleen will reverse engineer her marketing. So, think about your ideal client and

In this episode, I am joined by Susan Orenstein, who works with individuals and couples to pursue a more peaceful, purposeful, and passionate life. Susan speaks about the process behind starting a podcast and what she has learned so far. We chat about creating content outside of the therapy room to help people on their healing journey. Tune in as we discuss other ways to expand your niche and turn your passions into creative and useful content.
Meet Susan Orenstein Hi, I’m Susan Orenstein, Ph.D. For over twenty-five years, I’ve worked with individuals and couples that come to my counseling office in pursuit of a more peaceful, purposeful, and passionate life. Relationships are integral to that rich, fulfilling existence we all desire. Healthy relationships bolster our well-being while unhealthy relationships hinder our ability to thrive.
That’s why I’m passionate about helping couples to either optimize their relationship or learn to let each other go so they can develop a nourishing, intimate connection elsewhere.
Making Content For Clients


Susan wants her work to be accessible to more people. So, she developed a podcast - it's called After The First Marriage. Plus, Susan has a free e-course that goes with it. She is creating a lot of content because Susan particularly loves the work that she does. In addition, Susan loves going online and looking at worksheets, reading, and joining groups. There are so many ways people can heal outside of the therapy room, and Susan wanted to help develop those things for her clients.
Creating A Podcast In Susan's podcast, she gets to bring more of herself in. Susan gets to think about who interests her, who she wants to learn from, what she is reading, and who she wants to interview. Plus, Susan gets to create fun materials with her content. Also, Susan is learning that there are parts of her that she can bring into this process to expand her ability to be a therapist. For instance, Susan has learned about the effectiveness of self-disclosure when working with clients because it gives you more credibility when they can hear that a therapist has gone through similar struggles. Overall, with a podcast and creating content, it's fun to shake it up and to learn new things all the time.
Normalizing Therapy Next, Susan speaks about working on tearing down the stigma that's still attached to being a therapy client. She wants to normalize these processes for people because almost everybody cares about having healthy relationships. Therefore, getting the skills to learn about this and making it approachable and accessible to people is critical to Susan. One way Susan helps people for free is through her podcast and social media. Plus, podcasting is more personal than blogging or written material because it's a better way to connect with the person on the other end. Even though you're just listening to a recording, you still make a connection through voice.
Choosing Divorce As A Niche Professionally, Susan's favorite clients have been people who have been kicked to the curb. They are so down; they cannot get their head up, and they are so grateful to have therapy and have someone believe in them and have someone help them. That way, Susan can help her clients figure out what happened, so it doesn't happen again. Through therapy, Susan's clients regain self-esteem and gain some tools for intimacy in the future. Some of her very favorite clients have been people going through a divorce. Luckily, Susan can't say that she knows personally what divorce is like. However, she can say that she has never taken her husband for granted, and he has never taken Susan for granted.
Client Themes Around Divorce When Susan sees somebody going through a divorce who didn't choose divorce, they are often very wounded, have hurt self-esteem and depression. Plus, there is anxiety, they questio