Explore every episode of the podcast Selling the Couch

If you’ve ever thought about creating an online course or made preparations to launch a course, today’s show should bring you clarity and inspiration. We are discussing five indicators that you are ready to launch that course you’ve considered. Join us to learn more!

You’ll Learn:

• My online course journey and how it all began for me
• The biggest lessons I learned from my multiple fears of getting started
• Are you ready to launch your online course? Here are five signs to help you say YES!
• You are looking for a scalable impact. (Do you have a bigger vision?)
• You have mastered a specific skill or have become a known expert in a particular niche.
• You have a passion for teaching.
• You are open to learning new skills.
• You are willing to validate your idea. 
• My belief: “Every therapist has an online course inside them.” 
• Our free email course can help you become a course creator! Find it here.

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Private practice is often seen as the golden goose that brings everything clinicians hope for. However, there are many nuances to consider, as well as factors that can add significant stress to your life. This stress can lead to overwhelm, burnout, and questions about why you chose this route in the first place. Join us for today’s conversation!

James Childress

James Childress is a CPA whose practice primarily focuses on working with therapists, giving him a unique perspective on today’s topic. In this episode, we cover the top three uncomfortable aspects of private practice that can lead to imbalance and big problems. James shares insights that help us better understand business ownership, financial stability, and the seasonal nature of private practice.

James' Website

• Common factors that lead clinicians into private practice and entrepreneurship
• Key considerations before launching into private practice
• The importance of trusting your gut and paying attention to the data

1. There is a size of private practice that is inherently unstable. (This is a normal phase to pass through.)
2. Assessing your supervisor/admin load is critical to maintaining balance.
3. Therapists often strive to succeed in every area and “want it all.”

• The need for balanced growth and attracting more people into the field
• Ensuring the external environment aligns with the internal environment
• Achieving product-market fit for long-term sustainability

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more! here!

Want to launch your online course?

Check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you’re a seasoned therapist transitioning from clinical work to online course income, join our mastermind group! We meet to build, grow, and scale online courses. Learn more here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If you’ve been thinking about posting more on LinkedIn or if you’re curious about how to best use this social media platform, today’s show is for you. It took me a long time to understand the purpose of LinkedIn and how it can be beneficial in connecting me to the right followers. Join me for an honest look at my experience and the biggest lessons learned.

You’ll Learn:

• 5 lessons learned over the last 2 years on LinkedIn:
• The magic is in the DMs.
• Focusing on thoughtful relationships is better than chasing followers.
• LinkedIn’s search tool is amazingly helpful for making connections.
• The algorithm will always change.
• Don’t chase trends, but focus on consistency and diversified content.
• Experiment on LinkedIn, but don’t overthink the metrics.
• Watch out for growth gurus.
• Be wary of those who over-promise and under-deliver.
• I’m more interested in posting things that will help a young therapist like I used to be.
• Followers are less relevant than you think.
• It’s about the right people—not ALL people.
• Try creator mode and curate your network intentionally.
• The daily posting game is a slow burn.
• I’ve learned to pace myself in posting.
• I would rather focus on slower growth in followers and have consistency and sustainability.
• Connect with me on LinkedIn!

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s topic will resonate with many of us in private practice as we focus on burnout. Therapists are faced with many questions around how they want to conduct their businesses and structure their lives—and no one wants to face the reality of burnout. Let’s take a closer look with today’s guest.

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Jennifer Blanchette is a licensed psychologist, podcaster, speaker, career coach, and business consultant. She helps therapists get unstuck in their careers and lives. In this episode, Dr. Jen discusses the hazards of our profession, how it’s changing, and the emphasis on certain markers around revenue and numbers. Jen gives a sense of why we can't talk about burnout very often, along with telltale signs she noticed in her personal experience with burnout. We also discuss the strange juxtaposition of finding freedom in private practice but taking on more administrative roles, experiencing isolation, and bearing the heavy emotional toll. We close with honest insights about tuning into our bodies and learning to listen. Jen gives practical advice for any therapist who could be teetering on the edge of burnout. 

Website (and The Therapist Burnout Podcast)

You’ll Learn:

• Burnout—why we are afraid to talk about it
• Unexpected isolation and the need to find community
• Private practice offers freedom, right??
• Learning to listen to your body
• Factoring your body into major decisions in life and giving yourself space for rest
• Jen’s private practice experience during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Managing our resources, energy, and our ability to give
• Telltale signs of burnout for Jen
• It’s okay to ask for help!
• Looking at all aspects of private practice and the actual costs
• Jen’s perspective on burnout today and what therapists need to look for
• Burnout prevention vs. burnout recovery
• Jen’s advice to therapists who are teetering on the edge of burnout

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

This is the first episode of 2025, which marks the ten-year milestone for the STC podcast! It’s incredible that, despite my fears and uncertainties, this podcast began as a small dream of mine to use our skill sets beyond the therapy room and learn to build successful businesses. I’ve loved documenting my journey of transitioning from psychologist to online creator, podcaster, and public speaker, and I’m eternally grateful to you, each listener. It is a humbling experience that’s given me way more encouragement in return than I could have ever imagined.

This episode is an honest look at my decision in 2024 to return to private practice, which I detailed in a podcast episode and on social media posts. I’m being extremely vulnerable in explaining why I’ve decided to pause my private practice journey for now. It’s tough for any people pleaser like myself to realize that others may be disappointed in my decision, so I want to explain. Join me for this solo episode as I lay out the details. 

You’ll Learn:

• The reality is that we don’t build a business in a vacuum, and external factors are always in play.
• Three significant life events impacting my decision:
• Susan’s job changes mean more home responsibilities for me.
• Aging parents–and their need for more consistent care
• More church responsibilities in leading a small group
• A look at my typical daily schedule
• My commitment to viewing parenting as a privilege–and what that looks like for me as a dad
• My simple insights about the totality of life and my next steps:
• Income is only one part of success.
• My brain is not wired for the mental load of running two businesses.
• I’m hitting my “enough” number with STC revenue.
• Caregiving for our parents is on the horizon, and I have the most flexibility in our family to do this.
• I’m realizing how I can best leverage what we’ve built with STC to bring the maximum benefit to our field and the world.
• My big dreams to do good and effect meaningful change to help more people

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Here we are, all set for the final episode of 2024. We will fill the next few weeks with replays of popular episodes and be back in 2025 with exciting new episodes. During this hiatus, I’ll be using these “Walden months,” as I call them, for extra rest and taking time to work on specific projects, like my online course. If you are considering launching an online course, today’s episode is for you! I’ve learned a lot over the last 9 years as a course creator, and I’m sharing an honest look at my biggest lessons learned and what I would tell anyone on this course creation path. 

You’ll Learn: 

• 5 things I want to share about launching an online course:
• Focus on what you already know and love to teach. (Stay within your niche!)
• Hear my thoughts on course creation and AI.
• Start small and build slowly. (Think about your “value ladder.”)
• Think about recurring offers related to your course.
• Validation is non-negotiable. (Validate your course idea before you proceed.)
• Download the free Course Creator Starter Kit. 
• Embrace the tech, but don’t let it overwhelm you. 
• Start with “good enough,” and upgrade your sound, lighting, and camera when you can.
• Hear my recommendations for basic tech for someone just starting out in course creation. 
• Take a “defaulting to action” perspective rather than waiting for perfectionism. 
• Build your audience early.
• Don’t wait until your course launch to build your email list.
• Use social media and discovery platforms. 
• Use these affiliate links for more information: Teachable, ConvertKit, and Cartra

Resources:

Try Upheal Secure AI Therapy Notes! Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH” to get 50% off for the first three months! 

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Hosting a retreat sounds like a great idea, right? When you stop and think about all the logistical and financial details, that’s when many fears and questions come to the surface. Perhaps the biggest fear is whether enough people will pay for your retreat to make it a success. Join us as we dive into this topic with today’s expert guest!

Our Featured Guest

Megan Gunnell

In addition to being a business owner, author, and triathlete, Megan Gunnell is a Clinical Social Worker who has been hosting 1-day retreats, workshops and weekend/week long retreats for 20+ years.

She hosted her first one at a local community center–complete with harp music! From these humble beginnings, Megan’s retreats have evolved into weekend retreats and international retreats that started in 2012 in Costa Rica, Italy, France, and other places around the globe.

In this episode, we discuss why therapists find it so appealing to consider hosting a retreat, along with common fears related to the risk of hosting your first retreat.

Megan explains how to find suitable venues that offer 100% refund options and points out the important legal and logistical considerations. We wrap up our conversation by discussing retreat marketing, which is vital to the success of your retreat. Megan shares what she has learned along her journey as a retreat host. 

Megan's Website and Thriving Therapists ® Facebook Group

You’ll Learn:

• Megan’s inspiration to expand beyond private practice into hosting retreats
• Megan’s #1 lesson learned: Start small and grow later.
• The attraction of retreats? They are transformative spaces for people to pull away from everyday life and reinvigorate their passion and purpose.
• The major differences between private practice work and group retreats as income sources
• Legal considerations around liability, disclaimers, emergencies, etc.
• Megan’s low-risk tips for hosting retreats:
• Start small with a test audience and test venue with a half-day or one-day retreat.
• Look for 100% refundable venues through a certain date prior to the event.
• Do the math and “beta-test” your audience.
• Making your retreat a profitable venture
• Finding 100% fully refundable venues—and why international properties are desirable
• Megan’s top marketing strategies for retreats:
• Be very clear about your intentions. (Who is this for, and what is the purpose?)
• Think about your runway. (Make sure it is long enough to “land the plane.”)
• Build a warm excitement with your audience around the date for open registration.
• Handling the cancellation or rebooking of your retreat with flexibility and transparency

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast? Check out our free podcasting workshop

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style,...

Many therapists have created online courses or have thought about creating an online course. It’s one of the best ways to increase your visibility, establish your expertise, and expand your audience and impact in the world. The course creation journey is not an easy one, and it’s full of challenges and ups and downs. Join us for a transparent look at the process from today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Linda Murphy, MEd, MA, LMHC

Linda Murphy is a group practice owner in Florida, and she’s a member of the STC Online Course Mastermind group for therapists. Linda is the founder of the Banana Man Society and the Relationship and Divorce Counseling Center. She developed her idea to create a course for dealing with a difficult person because she saw that topic come up often for her clients, and she realized over time that there had to be a better way to distill and share information beyond 1:1 therapy. She created “Banana Man” as a metaphor for dealing with a difficult person–and the Banana Man Society was born. In this session, Linda gives an open, honest look at her course creation journey, along with insights into how she refined her idea. She shares tips and strategies she has learned that might be helpful to others in the course creation process. 

Website

You’ll Learn:

• How to embrace the mindset of connection, support, and collaboration
• How Linda realized in her first career, as a teacher, that connection is more important than content
• How Linda developed the idea for her online course
• The origins of Banana Man as a metaphor for options in dealing with difficult people
• Why Linda created an animated video of the Banana Man story (through the STC Mastermind group)
• Linda’s best tips for others about creating a successful online course:
• Lean into who you are and be authentic.
• Market yourself and be creative with social media.
• Where Linda sees her course going in the future with a specifically targeted niche
• Linda’s thoughts about the impact and benefits of the STC Online Course Mastermind group 

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session is all about rebranding. We are taking a behind-the-scenes look at how different circumstances might affect the business you’ve established and force you to rebrand. Should you view this kind of pivot as a failure? Absolutely not! Let’s explore this topic together.

Our Featured Guest

Kevon Cheung

Kevon Cheung is the founder and head teacher at Small School. He was a previous guest on the podcast several years ago, and I’ve taken his Build in Public Mastery Course to help overcome my fears about posting on social media. I learned a lot of helpful information about creating effective posts on LinkedIn, YouTube, and the STC podcast. Kevon’s wisdom and practical knowledge have helped me lean into vulnerability in many areas. In light of his rebranding from Public Lab to Small School, Kevon shares the pain and difficulties in business building and rebranding, why he felt the need to rebrand, and what he teaches in his online “small courses.” He also explains where he sees course creators stumbling the most. 

Small School

You’ll Learn:

• The painful parts of Kevon’s rebranding process (Changing your identity and “rebuilding what you’re known for”)
• Kevon’s thoughts about working through the inevitable feelings of failure when a change became necessary (How to reframe your mindset about a pivot)
• The biggest mistake course creators make
• Kevon’s #1 piece of advice for entrepreneurs and course creators
• Kevon’s reasoning behind his “all in” attitude about online courses
• Knowing when to add a course as a new offering (Have you validated your expertise with your audience?)
• Where course creators stumble the most–and why the goal is to create an experience that connects, surprises, and delights
• Kevon’s perspective on what a “small course” is

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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 working
• Discovering the sweet spot: How Matt created a course designed for a specific person in a specific situation
• Course creation is successful when you see the need and solve the pain point.
• Matt’s path to building trust and cultivating repeat customers
• The progression and development of Matt’s 40-hour course and 6-hour refresher courses
• The challenges in maintaining compliance and navigating changes in licensing requirements
• Course creation challenges: creating content and incorporating more video interaction and student engagement
• Matt’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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative...

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 symptoms
• Why Katie decided to jump into the online course world
• How 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 clients
• The starting point for content in Katie’s course: teaching about coping skills
• How Katie is looking to incorporate a playful element into her course
• How Katie is dealing with “blank-page syndrome” in creating her course slides
• Tips for Katie in distilling and refining the content for her course
• Why heart and intent matter more in an online course than “Hollywood-level” production
• Why 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!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

In today’s busy online world, virtual presentations are everything in how you are received AND perceived. If you put forth the effort to create an online course, webinar, or speaking engagement, you want to show up authentically and masterfully to engage your audience. This is an important area in which there is always room for improvement! My guest today is a proven expert in virtual presentation, and she’s here to share her knowledge with us. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Lorraine K. Lee

Lorraine Lee is a top career and business virtual keynote speaker who has been featured in several publications and on podcasts with numerous accomplishments and awards throughout her career. She has worked in several editorial roles at LinkedIn and Prezi and has built a LinkedIn following of over 300,000, so she is very much immersed in the world of virtual presentations and online learning. She is the perfect person to help us understand more about improving our virtual presentations. 

Lorraine's Website

You’ll Learn:

• How virtual presentations give you access to a wider audience and help you stand out in your expertise
• Why the entertainment factor of virtual presentations cannot be ignored
• Examples of different types of virtual presentations
• Lorraine’s tips for improving your virtual presentations:
• Add movement to your presentations and incorporate “state changes.”
• Curate your background with features that are calming, positive, personable, and professional.
• Include visuals on your screens to help people learn and remember. (90% of the information processed by our brains is visual!)
• Use eye contact to improve your connection to your audience.
• How to implement visuals like logos, color gradients, and simple info on your screen
• How to use artwork, photos, and personal elements to cultivate a deeper connection
• How to set up your monitor, camera, laptop, etc. to maximize eye contact with your audience
• Lorraine’s tips for introverts in showing up better in visual presentations
• An overview of Lorraine’s expanding consulting business

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Here we are, all set for the final episode of 2024. We will fill the next few weeks with replays of popular episodes and be back in 2025 with exciting new episodes. During this hiatus, I’ll be using these “Walden months,” as I call them, for extra rest and taking time to work on specific projects, like my online course. If you are considering launching an online course, today’s episode is for you! I’ve learned a lot over the last 9 years as a course creator, and I’m sharing an honest look at my biggest lessons learned and what I would tell anyone on this course creation path. 

You’ll Learn: 

• 5 things I want to share about launching an online course:
• Focus on what you already know and love to teach. (Stay within your niche!)
• Hear my thoughts on course creation and AI.
• Start small and build slowly. (Think about your “value ladder.”)
• Think about recurring offers related to your course.
• Validation is non-negotiable. (Validate your course idea before you proceed.)
• Download the free Course Creator Starter Kit. 
• Embrace the tech, but don’t let it overwhelm you. 
• Start with “good enough,” and upgrade your sound, lighting, and camera when you can.
• Hear my recommendations for basic tech for someone just starting out in course creation. 
• Take a “defaulting to action” perspective rather than waiting for perfectionism. 
• Build your audience early.
• Don’t wait until your course launch to build your email list.
• Use social media and discovery platforms. 
• Use these affiliate links for more information: Teachable, ConvertKit, and Cartra

Resources:

Try Upheal Secure AI Therapy Notes! Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH” to get 50% off for the first three months! 

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If you are a therapist in private practice in the US, this episode will be helpful for you. We are breaking down the new legal requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act. This act requires that you comply by the end of 2024, so time is running out. This act is part of an effort to reduce money laundering by shell companies, focusing on business ownership. If you have an LLC or an S-corp, please take the time to listen and learn more.  

Our Featured Guests

Dan Mayer and Dr. David Yood

Dan Mayer is an attorney who works with many mental health and healthcare practitioners. Dr. David Yood is a licensed psychologist and private practice owner who gives his perspective of the Corporate Transparency Act and its requirements. Dan and Dave co-host the Protecting Your Practice Podcast for mental health practitioners. In this session, they use simple language to explain what the CTA is, what the filing requirements and processes are, the implications of non-compliance, and the constitutionality of the act. 

Dan's website

Dave's website

Protecting Your Practice Podcast

You’ll Learn:

• What is the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)?
• Dave’s perspective about the CTA, his private practice, and compliance requirements
• A look at the compliance requirements of the CTA (mostly about ownership of companies)
• Who needs to register under the CTA? (Get professional help if you aren’t sure!)
• Thoughts on the constitutionality of the CTA
• Dave’s perspective on what the CTA requires of him
• Consequences of not filing under the CTA
• Dan’s recommendations for business owners
• Find out more about the CTA and how to file (in just a few minutes): fincen.gov

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If you have aspirations to be a keynote speaker of any kind, this episode is for you! I recently had the opportunity to speak at my first conference, the Mental Health Marketing Conference, in Franklin, TN. This conference is for clinicians and marketing tech people in the mental health field, and it was a fantastic gathering of about 300 in-person participants. I’m sharing what I wish I had known earlier about speaking at conferences. I hope you find this episode helpful!

You’ll Learn:

• 7 things I wish I had known earlier about speaking at conferences:
• Know the setup. 
• This varies from conference to conference. Know about rehearsal opportunities, Green Room, mic/sound/slides check, timekeeping, etc. 
• Find a place to rest and re-center before you go backstage.
• I didn’t do a great job at this, and I should have made other arrangements.
• Make sure the mic doesn’t hit your clothes when you move.
• I’ll be more careful with this and test it better next time.
• Use social media to share “before/after” posts to document your journey.
• I did LinkedIn posts and selfies and had friends in the crowd take pictures during my presentation.
• Have a small squad of friends sit near the front in the crowd.
• This 100% helped give me confidence.
• Start with a story that people will remember.
• Leading with a story makes an impact and connects you to your audience. (Hint: Be clear about your topic.)
• Understand the crazy power in public speaking. Pace yourself.
• The endorphin rush of being “in flow” brings an amazing level of external validation. I loved it!

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

The perfect recipe for burnout is to work in a caring profession, be a slave to perfectionism, and neglect your needs. As clinicians, we realize that we work in a flawed healthcare system in the US, but how do we exist in this environment to do good work and sustain ourselves from a holistic perspective that goes way beyond basic self-care? We are diving into this topic with today’s guest. Join us!

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Jessi Gold

Dr. Jessi Gold is the first Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System, which comprises five campuses and more than 60,000 students. Also serving as an associate professor of psychiatry, Dr. Gold is a speaker, media advocate, author, and mental health consultant. She recently wrote How Do You Feel? One Doctor's Search for the Humanity in Medicine.  In today’s session, Jessi shares her experience in teetering on the edge of burnout and what she learned about herself. 

Dr. Jessi Gold

You’ll Learn:

• The basics of Dr. Jessi’s role with the University of Tennessee and what it means to be a Chief Wellness Officer
• The differences and barriers from campus to campus in a university system
• “Silo-breaking” as it relates to mental health
• The difficulty in caring for ourselves while caring for others
• Perfectionism, burnout, and why “it’s OK not to be OK”
• The pandemic’s part in training us to wear a “badge of honor” for not caring for ourselves and our mental health
• We are human—and we forget that very often.
• The event that was the impetus for Dr. Jessi’s book—and why it left her feeling horrible
• Signs of early burnout that Dr. Jessi only noticed in hindsight
• Making the shift to navigate perfectionist tendencies to prevent burnout
• The importance of having self-compassion and reframing the mean things we say to ourselves
• The value of timeout for ME

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Have you thought about starting a podcast? If you run a busy private practice, you might wonder how you could take on such an endeavor in addition to all the other things you do. I feel your concerns, as I’m coming up on ten years as a clinician-turned-podcaster. I’ve learned a lot, and I want to share five unique ways you can launch and run a successful podcast without it feeling like another “job” you have to do. Join me in this session to learn more!

You’ll Learn:

• Fact: Podcasting has made my life a lot easier in many ways. 
• Five unexpected insights into podcasting as a beneficial addition:
• Batch record and automate.
• This will save you a ton of time, which is your most precious asset. 
• Look at your schedule and identify a 2-3 hour block of time for recording episodes. (Captivate makes it easier!)
• Bonus tip: Stack this by creating a podcast on your live schedule so you don’t have to record new episodes every week/month. 
• Repurpose your existing content.
• Look for common themes and pain points with your clients.
• Capture ideas during the course of your day with notes or a notes app.
• Bonus tip: My private Slack subchannel helps me. 
• Use podcasting as a client-attraction tool.
• Your podcast can reduce your marketing workload and attract clients and customers organically.
• Podcasters are the most trusted media personalities.
• Podcasts are evergreen and have binge potential.
• Bonus tip: Create episodes around questions clients ask that are related to your niches and specialties. 
• Keep episodes short and impactful.
• Shorter episodes are easier for you AND the listener. (15-25 minutes is an ideal length.)
• Bonus tip: Set a 20-minute timer and cover one question relating to a common struggle within your niche. 
• Outsource editing to free up your time.
• You don’t have to be the editor; hire someone!
• Outsourcing allows you to focus on your zone of genius and not get bogged down with the technical side. 
• Bonus tip: Reach out to local colleges and universities for students who are looking for work. 
• Check out the free workshop, Using Podcasting to Grow Your Business. Click here.

Resources:

Try Upheal Secure AI Therapy Notes! Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH” to get 50% off for the first three months! 

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn...

Today’s topic is one we’ve danced around but never tackled head-on. We’re covering the transition from being a solo practitioner to a private pay group practice. There are many things to consider in making this shift, and today’s guest shares an open and honest look at his experience. Join us!

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Adam Assoian 

Dr. Adam Assoian is a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of Ally Psychological Services. His full private-pay group practice began in 2019 and now employs more than eight clinicians. They experienced their busiest month this past summer when there is traditionally a seasonal slowdown. Adam joins us to share his transition from solo practitioner to private practice group practice and why he did not go the insurance route, which is seen as the “safer” move. We get Adam’s take on logistical tips about finding office space, finding clients, marketing, and payment options. Our conversation wraps up with a discussion of sustainability during uncertain economic situations. 

Adam’s Website: Ally Psych

You’ll Learn:

• An overview of Ally Psych’s growth over the last five years
• Factors in Adam’s decision to be private pay vs. insurance
• Tips on maintaining a “people over profits” mentality
• Considerations in choosing a physical space and location for an office
• The importance in figuring out the numbers for sustainability in a group practice
• Adam’s commitment to prioritizing the comfort of the client as part of the entire therapy experience
• Adam’s perspective on what his clinicians charge for therapy services
• The biggest stressor for Adam as a practice owner
• Factors in Adam’s diversified marketing approach
• The importance of networking relationships and referrals
• Common mistakes therapists make in this transition
• Adam’s structure for accepting payments at Ally Psych
• How Adam prepares for sustainability in his practice during seasonal slowdowns and an uncertain economy

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

The act of decluttering sounds like a simple thing, but it can be loaded with emotions, triggers, and feelings of overwhelm. Today’s guest takes us through this process which can be a beneficial supplement to therapy. 

Our Featured Guest

Sarah Mueller

Sarah Mueller is a friend I’ve known for several years. She started The Decluttering Club to teach people to declutter in a way that doesn’t create burnout, lets them keep the things they love, and actually lasts for the long term. She has grown a huge online following based on the concept of decluttering. It’s a relatable problem that we all face, and learning to let things go is important. Sarah discusses why decluttering is part of her story and part of who she is. She explains what decluttering is, what the benefits are, and how to declutter even when you feel overwhelmed. We wrap up by covering how decluttering can be an advantageous supplement to therapy.

The Decluttering Club

You’ll Learn:

• Sarah’s story that led her to create The Decluttering Club
• Sarah’s tagline: “Less stuff, more life!”
• The impacts of the personal and professional growth for Sarah as she fulfills the needs of others
• Decluttering defined: “Letting go of anything that doesn’t serve me”
• Being honest about what serves you and what “is clutter and needs to go”
• The internal work around stories, emotions, and our attachments that goes along with decluttering
• Benefits of decluttering
• Decluttering when you feel overwhelmed
• Sarah’s tips for decluttering books
• How letting go of sentimental items can be part of healing
• Working with a decluttering expert can supplement therapy in many ways
• Why decluttering is a combination of practical work and emotional work to boost someone’s self-worth

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session is about leaving psychotherapy for coaching. This transition is one that many therapist colleagues have made, and the reality is that many more are shifting from the field of therapy into coaching. Several major factors play into this decision, and my guest today gives a transparent look at his experience in this transition. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Corey Wilks

Dr. Corey Wilks is a good friend and licensed psychologist who joins us for an open and honest look at his transition from therapy to coaching.  In giving a glimpse into the circumstances and perspectives that led him to make this decision and shift his career, he shares how his career goals have changed over the years, what autonomy means to him, and why it is important. We wrap up by discussing mistakes that therapists often make in this career change and the drawbacks to leaving a traditional career in mental health.

Corey's Website 

You’ll Learn:

• Corey’s career goals back in grad school—and how they have changed
• Understanding autonomy, freedom, and why these are Corey’s top priorities
• Corey’s realizations about therapy, wellness, and burnout
• Considerations in making the shift to entrepreneurship
• The biggest mistake people make in turning from therapy to coaching
• The difference in coaching as a much more solo-based endeavor than therapy
• Corey’s advice to a therapist considering becoming a coach
• The distinction between the roles of therapist and coach—and how Corey navigates “the line”

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about a big decision we made recently to shut down and archive our 10,000-member STC Facebook group. In this session, I intend to pull back the curtain and give an authentic glimpse into the thought process and motives behind this move. In early August, about a month ago, we made this decision concerning our Facebook group that has been in existence since 2015. I never expected the group to grow as it did, and it required a great deal of time and energy to maintain the group at a high level of engagement. The reality is that decisions like this are multi-layered and complex.

Join me in this episode as I discuss the factors in this decision. 

You’ll Learn:

The six major considerations in making this decision:

• The impending season of caregiving for aging parents and the role of business in my family life
• My original goal for STC and my changing definition of success (“Do I want the successful version of this?”)
• The sustainable cadence and level of social engagement I’ve found with the STC podcast, YouTube, and the STC newsletter
• Managing a large Facebook community takes a lot of emotional bandwidth and leadership.
• The realization that I can’t be everywhere on social media and need to “do less but in a better way”
• My manageable strategy and goals for social media posts on discovery platforms and relationship-deepening platforms

I’m still alive, well, and active on social media! Please find me on YouTube and LinkedIn!

Resources:

Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session is all about rebranding. We are taking a behind-the-scenes look at how different circumstances might affect the business you’ve established and force you to rebrand. Should you view this kind of pivot as a failure? Absolutely not! Let’s explore this topic together.

Our Featured Guest

Kevon Cheung

Kevon Cheung is the founder and head teacher at Small School. He was a previous guest on the podcast several years ago, and I’ve taken his Build in Public Mastery Course to help overcome my fears about posting on social media. I learned a lot of helpful information about creating effective posts on LinkedIn, YouTube, and the STC podcast. Kevon’s wisdom and practical knowledge have helped me lean into vulnerability in many areas. In light of his rebranding from Public Lab to Small School, Kevon shares the pain and difficulties in business building and rebranding, why he felt the need to rebrand, and what he teaches in his online “small courses.” He also explains where he sees course creators stumbling the most. 

Small School

You’ll Learn:

• The painful parts of Kevon’s rebranding process (Changing your identity and “rebuilding what you’re known for”)
• Kevon’s thoughts about working through the inevitable feelings of failure when a change became necessary (How to reframe your mindset about a pivot)
• The biggest mistake course creators make
• Kevon’s #1 piece of advice for entrepreneurs and course creators
• Kevon’s reasoning behind his “all in” attitude about online courses
• Knowing when to add a course as a new offering (Have you validated your expertise with your audience?)
• Where course creators stumble the most–and why the goal is to create an experience that connects, surprises, and delights
• Kevon’s perspective on what a “small course” is

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants). Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop.

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session covers the unusual topic of securing contracts from different agencies for mental health services. This aspect of therapy work is not what we normally think about as clinicians, but the connection between private practice and federal funding for programs that can be a wonderful niche. Whether you’ve ever thought about this topic or this is brand new to you, today’s conversation will be food for thought about opening new doors and opportunities in the therapy world. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Dr. Ajita Robinson

Dr. Ajita Robinson is a dear friend, a highly respected colleague, and a sister in the faith. She has secured many millions in government contracts both for her private practice and in coaching other clinicians to do the same. In sharing her wealth of knowledge today, Ajita explains how to build relationships with government agencies and the top three things she looks for in available contracts. She shares the biggest mistakes our colleagues make in securing contracts and her unusual perspective on contracts that appear to already be given out. We wrap up our discussion with a transparent look at how Ajita’s strong faith influences her work and impacts the contracts she pursues. 

Website 

You’ll Learn:

• How working in marginalized communities led Ajita to pursue contracts with local and federal governments–and solved a problem she was passionate about
• How Ajita leveraged what she knew firsthand about social programs, combined with her research skills, to access available systems
• Where a clinician should begin in forming connections and relationships that lead to government funding opportunities
• How state-level certifications position a clinician for government contracts and can assist in the corporate contracting market
• Why the biggest barrier to securing government contracts is mismanaging money and not having your books in order
• What business insurance is required to become a government subcontractor
• The top three things Ajita considers with any contract opportunity: the scope of work, payable terms, and whether the contract is renewable or not
• How Ajita has been able to strategically position herself to recover contracts when they have fallen through for others
• The biggest mistakes our colleagues make around securing government contracts: they think they aren’t qualified to pursue them, they aren’t open to partnering with others, and they get stuck in DIY-mode
• How Ajita’s Christian faith aligns with the contracts she pursues, how she operates as a therapist, and how she functions as a Black, female business owner
• An overview of The Purposeful and Profitable Therapist Summit, an annual conference focused on diversifying income scheduled for July (2024) in Washington, DC 

Resources:

Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH25” for a special 25% off a paid plan for the first 2 months just for STC fans.

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly

As I’ve learned and grown as an entrepreneur, I have tried to study and learn from those who are further along on the journey. I’ve come to understand that I can learn as much from their hard lessons and challenges as I can from their successes. Today’s session is based on a podcast interview I listened to a couple of months ago. It featured Ali Abdaal and Sahil Bloom, two online creators who have built 7-figure businesses and audiences of over 6 million followers. In their insightful interview done in two parts, they talked a lot about life and business; I’m sharing seven lessons I picked up from them that I’m implementing in my business and personal life. 

 You’ll Learn: 

• 7 Lessons I Learned from Ali and Sahil:
• Change the wealth scoreboard.
• Don’t define self-worth based on net worth. 
• A new definition of success bases “wealth” on health, relationships, and the time I have for the things I enjoy.
• Set daily non-negotiables.
• Live with intention by identifying 3-5 things that must happen each day for me to be at my best.
• Friends over followers
• The quality of my relationships greatly impacts my health. 
• Schedule time to connect with genuine friends.
• More growth equals more haters.
• Sharing my message attracts people with a lot of pain, so I should default to empathy.
• Don’t be a slave to social media. 
• Be careful about posting pictures of kids and sharing revenue numbers. 
• This is difficult to navigate while still establishing credibility and the human connection that people crave. 
• Build micro-businesses.
• These can generate cash flow with minimal involvement.
• An example: having an in-house agency along with doing a podcast.
• Connection over mass content
• With AI, content is easier than ever to create, but connection and authenticity help others know, like, and trust me. 

Resources:

Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH25” for a special 25% off a paid plan for the first 2 months just for STC fans.

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session covers a topic that many clinicians are pondering. Many, like me, are having conversations with themselves in their heads about the available opportunities and the most efficient and ethical ways not to be left behind as technology presents new options in our field. The issue is how we can navigate the world of mental health tech startups that are available to join us to support our good work. Examples of what these startups provide are electronic health records, website design, marketing, and more. The truth is that the pandemic changed everything and catapulted the tech startup world into the range of billions of dollars. Don’t miss my enlightening conversation with today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Michael Fulwiler

Michael Fulwiler is Head of Brand Marketing at Heard, a company that assists therapists with bookkeeping and financial needs. I’ve come to rely on Mike’s expertise as a good friend as I navigate the aspects of STC, trying to be a protector of our field while staying in alignment with my values. In this session, Mike and I discuss the mindblowing numbers around the multitude of mental health tech startups and how clinicians can be informed about which ones are most likely to succeed or fail. We also discuss the vitally important topic of client data privacy and the top three considerations we should have before signing up for a product or service. 

Heard Website

You’ll Learn: 

• How to view tech startups in the mental health industry in terms of “headwind” and “tailwind” tendencies since the COVID-19 pandemic
• What the data shows about tech startups: 90% will fail!
• Why the big risk also comes with big opportunities in the startup world
• What happens when a clinician contracts with a mental health tech startup
• Why client data privacy is a valid concern when working with a tech startup (Hear Mike’s advice about watching out for red flags!)
• Top three considerations for a therapist about a tech startup:
• How they handle the data 
• Whether or not there is a mental health professional on their team who helps with decisions and development
• How compensation for therapists is structured
• Mike’s advice about doing your due diligence when contacted by a tech startup
• An overview of Mike’s work and mission at Heard and what they provide for therapists

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

To keep you informed, this will be the last session before I take a summer break. Along with taking time for much-anticipated rest, I’ll be busy with my family and many STC-related projects! STC will still be here, though, as we run replays of our best episodes for you during this time. I look forward to returning in a few weeks with another great season of podcast sessions for you! 

As I prepare to see clients very soon in my return to private practice, I’ve been given unique opportunities to do two talks related to mental health for folks near my childhood home of Dallas, Texas. Through a childhood friend, I became connected to a nonprofit there and was asked to share my personal experience with mental health. As a high-achiever, I grew up as a South Asian kid in the US, struggling with anxiety and depression. It was REAL and led me to see a psychologist, prompting my love for psychology and changing the course of my life. I shared my story with parents of high-achieving kids through this nonprofit and led a Q & A session with them; it was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was subsequently asked to do a second talk with another organization on a similar topic, focusing on risk factors for kids/teens growing up in hyper-competitive public and private schools. These kids are in what I call “the gilded pressure cooker,” feeling enormous pressure to achieve almost impossible feats. In today’s session, I want to share the three biggest lessons I’ve learned as a result of these unexpected opportunities to talk about the intersection of my experiences, passions, and callings. 

You’ll Learn: 

• My three biggest takeaways after doing these talks:
• Leaning into social media platforms, podcasting, and teaching workshops has helped me refine my speaking skills and learn to enjoy public speaking. (I’ve learned to silence my ever-present inner critic!)
• Doing talks like these takes a LOT of work and planning. (These were pro bono talks, but I will charge a fee in the future because of the multiple hours required. I don’t want to focus on revenue but on reach)
• For every talk I do in the future, I will capture the email addresses of the audience members to expand my community. (Adding people to your email list takes them from a “rented” audience on social media to an “owned” audience.)
• My thoughts and plans for the future in creating community, products, and services for this niche of families of high-achievers
• This is a new area for me, but I would love to connect with more groups and organizations around this topic of high-achieving kids and their parents. If you have a contact for me, please email me!

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit

More is not always better. We often find that what we are chasing in our pursuit of success is not what we thought it was. Entrepreneurship for private practice clinicians naturally attracts many high achievers and recovering perfectionists, so we need to take a pause and periodically reassess and redefine what success looks like. Join us for a closer look at this important topic!

Our Featured Guest

Jeanetta Garrison, LCSW

Jeanetta Garrison is an anxiety therapist in private practice in Charlotte, NC. She is the perfect person to share insights into today’s topic. In this episode, Jeanetta shares a personal story about what she learned about money during her childhood, along with how we navigate our aspirations and what we go after to achieve success. We wrap up with a discussion of knowing what is “enough” and being cautious about who we follow after as mentors and examples. 

Crown Counseling & Consulting

You’ll Learn:

• Common characteristics of entrepreneurs in private practice
• Jeanetta’s family story of how she learned about money from her upbringing
• Having big hearts of service sets us up to allow boundaries to be crossed
• The need for clarity in communication with clients about cancellations and no-shows
• Chasing the proverbial “carrot” to reach success
• Jeanetta’s advice: “Remember your WHY and center your head, heart, and spirit around it.”
• Think about your success in terms of what you are sacrificing for it!
• Navigating the ebbs and flows that are inherent in entrepreneurship
• How Jeanetta grounds herself with what is “enough” for her in her business
• Thinking about money in terms of what it symbolizes to us (“All money is not good money.”)

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is about the gear needed to begin podcasting. I will honestly admit that it’s a difficult decision when you’re just starting because you want reliable equipment that does a great job, but you are also hesitant to break the bank for it. As you progress, several factors complicate the choices of gear, such as how you conduct guest interviews and whether you have a co-host. In today’s session, I’m walking you through four common podcasting scenarios and the gear I recommend for each. All of this information is compiled in the Buying Guide found inside our Healthcasters course. 

You’ll Learn:

• My gear setup as I started the STC podcast in 2015 with a teeny, tiny budget
• My advice for beginning podcasters: “Don’t go out and purchase all the gear I mention, but go with the basics as you focus on building and honing your storytelling and interviewing skills.”
• Four podcasting scenarios and the recommended equipment:
• 1- A single host with solo episodes and guest interviews via the Internet.
• I recommend the Samsung Q2U dynamic mic, Koolertron mic shock mount, OnStage foam windscreen, pop filter, mic stand, and Rode PSA mic arm.
• 2- A single host who interviews guests in person.
• In addition to the basic equipment in Scenario #1, I recommend a 2-3 camera set-up (very expensive!), Calendly to coordinate interviews, 2 tabletop stands/mic arms, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for recording, and XLR cables.
• 3- Co-hosts who connect and interview guests via the Internet.
• I recommend the basic equipment in Scenario #1 for EACH co-host, along with a recording platform, like Zoom or Ecamm Live.
• 4- Co-hosts who get together in-person to interview guests in person. This is a dream set-up, but it is very expensive and complicated. 
• I recommend the basic equipment in Scenario #1 for EACH co-host and guest (Yes, that is at least three of everything!), along with the Rodecaster Pro (the Rodecaster Pro II or Pro Mini), 32 GB SD card, and XLR cables.
• My advice: “Start with a lean setup. My current gear costs around $5000, but I didn’t upgrade for several years when I started out.”
• Check out the free workshop, Using Podcasting to Grow Your Business.

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, you’ve realized that the process is intimidating. Just knowing where to begin and how to proceed pose big challenges. We are tackling this topic with today’s guest and uncovering the things nobody tells you about writing a book. Join us to get real and learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Raj Lulla

Raj Lulla is a StoryBrand Certified designer and strategist. He and his partner, Ben Lueders, are the co-owners of Fruitful Design & Strategy, where they “create and grow compelling brands.” Raj has spent the last few years writing a book called The Caring House, and he joins us to dive deeper into the book-writing process. He shares why he chose to write a fiction book, how he approached the publishing aspect, and the financial outlay for a project like this. We wrap up with Raj’s perspective on the things no one tells you about marketing a book and Raj’s best tips for anyone who wants to write a book. 

Fruitful Design and Raj Lulla

You’ll Learn:

• Raj’s choice: fiction vs. nonfiction?
• Big questions to confront around the grief-processing journey
• Raj’s idea for The Caring House as part of his personal healing process
• Writing to answer the question, “What is this book for?”
• Narrowing your purpose to the “most important thing”
• Understanding the publishing dilemma: a traditional publisher, indie/hybrid publishing, or self-publishing? 
• Differences in the pitching/publishing process between a fiction vs. nonfiction book
• Financial considerations in the book-writing process
• Details about the “print-on-demand” publishing option and the hard work required to market a self-published book
• Raj’s advice to aspiring writers

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Podcast sponsorship is often seen as the “golden goose” of podcasting. We started working with sponsors on STC a few years ago, and they have generated over $95k to this point. However, I’ve learned that relying solely on sponsorships is not the wisest stance because your success rides the ebbs and flows of another company’s marketing budget. I’m very grateful for the sponsors who have worked with us, but I don’t want to depend on them for the main source of income for STC. Today, I’m sharing three ways you can make money from your podcast from Day One, without having to depend on securing sponsors down the road. Join me for a closer look!

You’ll Learn:

• The increasing responsibility I feel to be a good steward in today’s podcasting environment
• Three ways to make money from your podcast from Day One:
• One-on-one work–I share how to use analytics to pinpoint your niche and impact to specialize your focus and offerings. (I use and recommend Fathom Analytics.)
• Scalable work–This includes things you can continue to do for the next 8-10 years, like paid speaking engagements, coaching groups, therapy groups, writing books, and establishing a “private podcast” feed. 
• Online courses–The time and energy investment comes on the front end, but they become an asset into which you can invite others.
• It’s best to view podcast sponsorship as “the cherry on the top” that may come to you, but not as the financial foundation to depend on from month to month.
• Our free podcasting workshop can help you launch your podcast! 

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Hosting a retreat sounds like a great idea, right? When you stop and think about all the logistical and financial details, that’s when many fears and questions come to the surface. Perhaps the biggest fear is whether enough people will pay for your retreat to make it a success. Join us as we dive into this topic with today’s expert guest!

Our Featured Guest

Megan Gunnell

In addition to being a business owner, author, and triathlete, Megan Gunnell is a Clinical Social Worker who has been hosting 1-day retreats, workshops and weekend/week long retreats for 20+ years.

She hosted her first one at a local community center–complete with harp music! From these humble beginnings, Megan’s retreats have evolved into weekend retreats and international retreats that started in 2012 in Costa Rica, Italy, France, and other places around the globe.

In this episode, we discuss why therapists find it so appealing to consider hosting a retreat, along with common fears related to the risk of hosting your first retreat.

Megan explains how to find suitable venues that offer 100% refund options and points out the important legal and logistical considerations. We wrap up our conversation by discussing retreat marketing, which is vital to the success of your retreat. Megan shares what she has learned along her journey as a retreat host. 

Megan's Website and Thriving Therapists ® Facebook Group

You’ll Learn:

• Megan’s inspiration to expand beyond private practice into hosting retreats
• Megan’s #1 lesson learned: Start small and grow later.
• The attraction of retreats? They are transformative spaces for people to pull away from everyday life and reinvigorate their passion and purpose.
• The major differences between private practice work and group retreats as income sources
• Legal considerations around liability, disclaimers, emergencies, etc.
• Megan’s low-risk tips for hosting retreats:
• Start small with a test audience and test venue with a half-day or one-day retreat.
• Look for 100% refundable venues through a certain date prior to the event.
• Do the math and “beta-test” your audience.
• Making your retreat a profitable venture
• Finding 100% fully refundable venues—and why international properties are desirable
• Megan’s top marketing strategies for retreats:
• Be very clear about your intentions. (Who is this for, and what is the purpose?)
• Think about your runway. (Make sure it is long enough to “land the plane.”)
• Build a warm excitement with your audience around the date for open registration.
• Handling the cancellation or rebooking of your retreat with flexibility and transparency

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast? Check out our free podcasting workshop

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style,...

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session is all about brainspotting, a powerful and fascinating psychotherapy technique that I have personally found to be helpful. Specifically, we discuss the technique as it is used to help performance athletes. Join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Thad Frye, LCSW

Thad Frye is a licensed clinical social worker in Boulder, CO. As a certified brainspotting consultant, Thad has gone through multiple levels of training in this therapy technique. In our conversation, Thad explains why he was motivated to pursue training in brainspotting after previously focusing his work with families through hospice care and end-of-life journeys. He describes the technical aspects of brainspotting and how he uses it in his work with athletes, specifically in those with the “yips,” a puzzling phenomenon of the loss of an ability.

Thad Frye Counseling and Brainspotting Coaching for Athletes

You’ll Learn:

• Why Thad pursued training in brainspotting in 2016 as a way to serve families better
• How Thad experienced the somatic connection with his personal grief in new and real ways during his brainspotting training
• How brainspotting differs from EMDR
• Technical aspects of “inside window” and “outside window” reflexes within brainspotting
• How different clients might respond during a brainspotting session
• How training phases are structured in the brainspotting certification process
• Why Thad chose to use brainspotting with performance athletes
• How Thad uses brainspotting with athletes who experience muscle-guarding and the “yips”

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session covers a topic that many clinicians are pondering. Many, like me, are having conversations with themselves in their heads about the available opportunities and the most efficient and ethical ways not to be left behind as technology presents new options in our field. The issue is how we can navigate the world of mental health tech startups that are available to join us to support our good work. Examples of what these startups provide are electronic health records, website design, marketing, and more. The truth is that the pandemic changed everything and catapulted the tech startup world into the range of billions of dollars. Don’t miss my enlightening conversation with today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Michael Fulwiler

Michael Fulwiler is Head of Brand Marketing at Heard, a company that assists therapists with bookkeeping and financial needs. I’ve come to rely on Mike’s expertise as a good friend as I navigate the aspects of STC, trying to be a protector of our field while staying in alignment with my values. In this session, Mike and I discuss the mindblowing numbers around the multitude of mental health tech startups and how clinicians can be informed about which ones are most likely to succeed or fail. We also discuss the vitally important topic of client data privacy and the top three considerations we should have before signing up for a product or service. 

Heard Website

You’ll Learn: 

• How to view tech startups in the mental health industry in terms of “headwind” and “tailwind” tendencies since the COVID-19 pandemic
• What the data shows about tech startups: 90% will fail!
• Why the big risk also comes with big opportunities in the startup world
• What happens when a clinician contracts with a mental health tech startup
• Why client data privacy is a valid concern when working with a tech startup (Hear Mike’s advice about watching out for red flags!)
• Top three considerations for a therapist about a tech startup:
• How they handle the data 
• Whether or not there is a mental health professional on their team who helps with decisions and development
• How compensation for therapists is structured
• Mike’s advice about doing your due diligence when contacted by a tech startup
• An overview of Mike’s work and mission at Heard and what they provide for therapists

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

Mentioned...

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 working
• Discovering the sweet spot: How Matt created a course designed for a specific person in a specific situation
• Course creation is successful when you see the need and solve the pain point.
• Matt’s path to building trust and cultivating repeat customers
• The progression and development of Matt’s 40-hour course and 6-hour refresher courses
• The challenges in maintaining compliance and navigating changes in licensing requirements
• Course creation challenges: creating content and incorporating more video interaction and student engagement
• Matt’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. 

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at

To keep you informed, this will be the last session before I take a summer break. Along with taking time for much-anticipated rest, I’ll be busy with my family and many STC-related projects! STC will still be here, though, as we run replays of our best episodes for you during this time. I look forward to returning in a few weeks with another great season of podcast sessions for you! 

As I prepare to see clients very soon in my return to private practice, I’ve been given unique opportunities to do two talks related to mental health for folks near my childhood home of Dallas, Texas. Through a childhood friend, I became connected to a nonprofit there and was asked to share my personal experience with mental health. As a high-achiever, I grew up as a South Asian kid in the US, struggling with anxiety and depression. It was REAL and led me to see a psychologist, prompting my love for psychology and changing the course of my life. I shared my story with parents of high-achieving kids through this nonprofit and led a Q & A session with them; it was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was subsequently asked to do a second talk with another organization on a similar topic, focusing on risk factors for kids/teens growing up in hyper-competitive public and private schools. These kids are in what I call “the gilded pressure cooker,” feeling enormous pressure to achieve almost impossible feats. In today’s session, I want to share the three biggest lessons I’ve learned as a result of these unexpected opportunities to talk about the intersection of my experiences, passions, and callings. 

You’ll Learn: 

• My three biggest takeaways after doing these talks:
• Leaning into social media platforms, podcasting, and teaching workshops has helped me refine my speaking skills and learn to enjoy public speaking. (I’ve learned to silence my ever-present inner critic!)
• Doing talks like these takes a LOT of work and planning. (These were pro bono talks, but I will charge a fee in the future because of the multiple hours required. I don’t want to focus on revenue but on reach)
• For every talk I do in the future, I will capture the email addresses of the audience members to expand my community. (Adding people to your email list takes them from a “rented” audience on social media to an “owned” audience.)
• My thoughts and plans for the future in creating community, products, and services for this niche of families of high-achievers
• This is a new area for me, but I would love to connect with more groups and organizations around this topic of high-achieving kids and their parents. If you have a contact for me, please email me!

Resources:

Mentioned in this session: Sign up for the newsletter for high-achievers!

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit

As I’m moving back into clinical work, I’m compelled to do more clinical-related podcasts. Today’s session fits that bill as it delves into psychedelic psychotherapy, an area of clinical work that is exploding with interesting potential. There is a lot to navigate within this topic; join us to learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Keith Kurlander

Keith Kurlander is the co-founder of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI) and the co-host of the Higher Practice Podcast. The IPI is the largest training provider of clinicians in psychedelic psychotherapy. In this conversation, we explore psychedelic psychiatry, the drugs available for use, and the causes of the recent surge in this field. We also discuss the practical cautions and considerations for therapists. 

Keith's Website and The Integrative Psychiatry Institute

You’ll Learn:

• A simple definition that helps us understand psychedelic psychotherapy
• Causes of the recent surge of interest in this field and a briefing on the history and current research
• The current mental health crisis is changing the landscape of mental health care!
• Right now is an opportune time for therapists to get on board with psychedelic psychotherapy and get their training.
• The differences between traditional talk therapy modalities and psychedelic psychotherapy
• A glimpse into the often uncomfortable intensity of a psychedelic psychotherapy session
• The logistics of a psychedelic psychotherapy session around the length of sessions and payment/insurance parameters
• Common psychedelic psychotherapy medications: ketamine, psilocybin, and LSD
• The type of client who is well-suited for psychedelic psychotherapy

Resources

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

More is not always better. We often find that what we are chasing in our pursuit of success is not what we thought it was. Entrepreneurship for private practice clinicians naturally attracts many high achievers and recovering perfectionists, so we need to take a pause and periodically reassess and redefine what success looks like. Join us for a closer look at this important topic!

Our Featured Guest

Jeanetta Garrison, LCSW

Jeanetta Garrison is an anxiety therapist in private practice in Charlotte, NC. She is the perfect person to share insights into today’s topic. In this episode, Jeanetta shares a personal story about what she learned about money during her childhood, along with how we navigate our aspirations and what we go after to achieve success. We wrap up with a discussion of knowing what is “enough” and being cautious about who we follow after as mentors and examples. 

Crown Counseling & Consulting

You’ll Learn:

• Common characteristics of entrepreneurs in private practice
• Jeanetta’s family story of how she learned about money from her upbringing
• Having big hearts of service sets us up to allow boundaries to be crossed
• The need for clarity in communication with clients about cancellations and no-shows
• Chasing the proverbial “carrot” to reach success
• Jeanetta’s advice: “Remember your WHY and center your head, heart, and spirit around it.”
• Think about your success in terms of what you are sacrificing for it!
• Navigating the ebbs and flows that are inherent in entrepreneurship
• How Jeanetta grounds herself with what is “enough” for her in her business
• Thinking about money in terms of what it symbolizes to us (“All money is not good money.”)

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

One of the most common questions I’m asked is about the gear needed to begin podcasting. I will honestly admit that it’s a difficult decision when you’re just starting because you want reliable equipment that does a great job, but you are also hesitant to break the bank for it. As you progress, several factors complicate the choices of gear, such as how you conduct guest interviews and whether you have a co-host. In today’s session, I’m walking you through four common podcasting scenarios and the gear I recommend for each. All of this information is compiled in the Buying Guide found inside our Healthcasters course. 

You’ll Learn:

• My gear setup as I started the STC podcast in 2015 with a teeny, tiny budget
• My advice for beginning podcasters: “Don’t go out and purchase all the gear I mention, but go with the basics as you focus on building and honing your storytelling and interviewing skills.”
• Four podcasting scenarios and the recommended equipment:
• 1- A single host with solo episodes and guest interviews via the Internet.
• I recommend the Samsung Q2U dynamic mic, Koolertron mic shock mount, OnStage foam windscreen, pop filter, mic stand, and Rode PSA mic arm.
• 2- A single host who interviews guests in person.
• In addition to the basic equipment in Scenario #1, I recommend a 2-3 camera set-up (very expensive!), Calendly to coordinate interviews, 2 tabletop stands/mic arms, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for recording, and XLR cables.
• 3- Co-hosts who connect and interview guests via the Internet.
• I recommend the basic equipment in Scenario #1 for EACH co-host, along with a recording platform, like Zoom or Ecamm Live.
• 4- Co-hosts who get together in-person to interview guests in person. This is a dream set-up, but it is very expensive and complicated. 
• I recommend the basic equipment in Scenario #1 for EACH co-host and guest (Yes, that is at least three of everything!), along with the Rodecaster Pro (the Rodecaster Pro II or Pro Mini), 32 GB SD card, and XLR cables.
• My advice: “Start with a lean setup. My current gear costs around $5000, but I didn’t upgrade for several years when I started out.”
• Check out the free workshop, Using Podcasting to Grow Your Business.

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, you’ve realized that the process is intimidating. Just knowing where to begin and how to proceed pose big challenges. We are tackling this topic with today’s guest and uncovering the things nobody tells you about writing a book. Join us to get real and learn more!

Our Featured Guest

Raj Lulla

Raj Lulla is a StoryBrand Certified designer and strategist. He and his partner, Ben Lueders, are the co-owners of Fruitful Design & Strategy, where they “create and grow compelling brands.” Raj has spent the last few years writing a book called The Caring House, and he joins us to dive deeper into the book-writing process. He shares why he chose to write a fiction book, how he approached the publishing aspect, and the financial outlay for a project like this. We wrap up with Raj’s perspective on the things no one tells you about marketing a book and Raj’s best tips for anyone who wants to write a book. 

Fruitful Design and Raj Lulla

You’ll Learn:

• Raj’s choice: fiction vs. nonfiction?
• Big questions to confront around the grief-processing journey
• Raj’s idea for The Caring House as part of his personal healing process
• Writing to answer the question, “What is this book for?”
• Narrowing your purpose to the “most important thing”
• Understanding the publishing dilemma: a traditional publisher, indie/hybrid publishing, or self-publishing? 
• Differences in the pitching/publishing process between a fiction vs. nonfiction book
• Financial considerations in the book-writing process
• Details about the “print-on-demand” publishing option and the hard work required to market a self-published book
• Raj’s advice to aspiring writers

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Podcast sponsorship is often seen as the “golden goose” of podcasting. We started working with sponsors on STC a few years ago, and they have generated over $95k to this point. However, I’ve learned that relying solely on sponsorships is not the wisest stance because your success rides the ebbs and flows of another company’s marketing budget. I’m very grateful for the sponsors who have worked with us, but I don’t want to depend on them for the main source of income for STC. Today, I’m sharing three ways you can make money from your podcast from Day One, without having to depend on securing sponsors down the road. Join me for a closer look!

You’ll Learn:

• The increasing responsibility I feel to be a good steward in today’s podcasting environment
• Three ways to make money from your podcast from Day One:
• One-on-one work–I share how to use analytics to pinpoint your niche and impact to specialize your focus and offerings. (I use and recommend Fathom Analytics.)
• Scalable work–This includes things you can continue to do for the next 8-10 years, like paid speaking engagements, coaching groups, therapy groups, writing books, and establishing a “private podcast” feed. 
• Online courses–The time and energy investment comes on the front end, but they become an asset into which you can invite others.
• It’s best to view podcast sponsorship as “the cherry on the top” that may come to you, but not as the financial foundation to depend on from month to month.
• Our free podcasting workshop can help you launch your podcast! 

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast?

Check out our free podcasting workshop for therapists (and therapists turned coaches and consultants)

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Hosting a retreat sounds like a great idea, right? When you stop and think about all the logistical and financial details, that’s when many fears and questions come to the surface. Perhaps the biggest fear is whether enough people will pay for your retreat to make it a success. Join us as we dive into this topic with today’s expert guest!

Our Featured Guest

Megan Gunnell

In addition to being a business owner, author, and triathlete, Megan Gunnell is a Clinical Social Worker who has been hosting 1-day retreats, workshops and weekend/week long retreats for 20+ years.

She hosted her first one at a local community center–complete with harp music! From these humble beginnings, Megan’s retreats have evolved into weekend retreats and international retreats that started in 2012 in Costa Rica, Italy, France, and other places around the globe.

In this episode, we discuss why therapists find it so appealing to consider hosting a retreat, along with common fears related to the risk of hosting your first retreat.

Megan explains how to find suitable venues that offer 100% refund options and points out the important legal and logistical considerations. We wrap up our conversation by discussing retreat marketing, which is vital to the success of your retreat. Megan shares what she has learned along her journey as a retreat host. 

Megan's Website and Thriving Therapists ® Facebook Group

You’ll Learn:

• Megan’s inspiration to expand beyond private practice into hosting retreats
• Megan’s #1 lesson learned: Start small and grow later.
• The attraction of retreats? They are transformative spaces for people to pull away from everyday life and reinvigorate their passion and purpose.
• The major differences between private practice work and group retreats as income sources
• Legal considerations around liability, disclaimers, emergencies, etc.
• Megan’s low-risk tips for hosting retreats:
• Start small with a test audience and test venue with a half-day or one-day retreat.
• Look for 100% refundable venues through a certain date prior to the event.
• Do the math and “beta-test” your audience.
• Making your retreat a profitable venture
• Finding 100% fully refundable venues—and why international properties are desirable
• Megan’s top marketing strategies for retreats:
• Be very clear about your intentions. (Who is this for, and what is the purpose?)
• Think about your runway. (Make sure it is long enough to “land the plane.”)
• Build a warm excitement with your audience around the date for open registration.
• Handling the cancellation or rebooking of your retreat with flexibility and transparency

Resources:

Want to launch your podcast? Check out our free podcasting workshop

https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworshop

Want to launch your online course?

Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style,...

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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 working
• Discovering the sweet spot: How Matt created a course designed for a specific person in a specific situation
• Course creation is successful when you see the need and solve the pain point.
• Matt’s path to building trust and cultivating repeat customers
• The progression and development of Matt’s 40-hour course and 6-hour refresher courses
• The challenges in maintaining compliance and navigating changes in licensing requirements
• Course creation challenges: creating content and incorporating more video interaction and student engagement
• Matt’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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative...

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 symptoms
• Why Katie decided to jump into the online course world
• How 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 clients
• The starting point for content in Katie’s course: teaching about coping skills
• How Katie is looking to incorporate a playful element into her course
• How Katie is dealing with “blank-page syndrome” in creating her course slides
• Tips for Katie in distilling and refining the content for her course
• Why heart and intent matter more in an online course than “Hollywood-level” production
• Why 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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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 profit
• Why pursuing your passion usually means sacrificing something else
• How Dan came to a watershed moment with his passion, The Meaning Movement 
• Why entrepreneurship is a constant reimagining of yourself and your purpose
• Why there is never a clean line between who you are and what you do
• Dan’s top tips for finding a balance between work and life
• How to assess your happiness and satisfaction
• Info 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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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 course
• Why Heather’s course is an eight-week course to help people understand anxiety and DBT emotion regulation skills
• How 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 you
• How 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 webinar
• Why 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 webinars
• In 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 sheets
• Core blog post
• Select podcast episodes
• Mini-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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You...

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 meet
• Why Andy feels that his mission is to help others with investing so they can achieve financial security and freedom
• Why 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 others
• Three 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 safe
• You are guaranteed to lose money every year because of inflation.
• Taking on too much risk by overexposing themselves in one area
• It's best to mix asset classes to reduce your risk and potentially increase your return for the level of risk
• Andy’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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today’s session covers a topic that many clinicians are pondering. Many, like me, are having conversations with themselves in their heads about the available opportunities and the most efficient and ethical ways not to be left behind as technology presents new options in our field. The issue is how we can navigate the world of mental health tech startups that are available to join us to support our good work. Examples of what these startups provide are electronic health records, website design, marketing, and more. The truth is that the pandemic changed everything and catapulted the tech startup world into the range of billions of dollars. Don’t miss my enlightening conversation with today’s guest!

Our Featured Guest

Michael Fulwiler

Michael Fulwiler is Head of Brand Marketing at Heard, a company that assists therapists with bookkeeping and financial needs. I’ve come to rely on Mike’s expertise as a good friend as I navigate the aspects of STC, trying to be a protector of our field while staying in alignment with my values. In this session, Mike and I discuss the mindblowing numbers around the multitude of mental health tech startups and how clinicians can be informed about which ones are most likely to succeed or fail. We also discuss the vitally important topic of client data privacy and the top three considerations we should have before signing up for a product or service. 

Heard Website

You’ll Learn: 

• How to view tech startups in the mental health industry in terms of “headwind” and “tailwind” tendencies since the COVID-19 pandemic
• What the data shows about tech startups: 90% will fail!
• Why the big risk also comes with big opportunities in the startup world
• What happens when a clinician contracts with a mental health tech startup
• Why client data privacy is a valid concern when working with a tech startup (Hear Mike’s advice about watching out for red flags!)
• Top three considerations for a therapist about a tech startup:
• How they handle the data 
• Whether or not there is a mental health professional on their team who helps with decisions and development
• How compensation for therapists is structured
• Mike’s advice about doing your due diligence when contacted by a tech startup
• An overview of Mike’s work and mission at Heard and what they provide for therapists

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

I have big news! I’m going back into private practice! Don’t worry, though, because STC remains, and I’ll be adding 1-2 days of clinical work each week. In today’s session, I’m pulling back the curtain on my thought process as I’ve pondered this decision for quite a while. Do I have all the bits and pieces organized and figured out? The answer is NO, and that’s okay. I want to give you a glimpse into the messy middle of this decision and the three main reasons I have made this choice. 

You’ll Learn:

• What my life was like when STC began in 2015 when I was working in a group practice
• Why I feel a responsibility to provide mental health support in today’s world
• Three reasons I feel drawn to private practice:
• I genuinely miss clinical work.
• The mental health landscape is changing like no other due to COVID-19, AI tools, and heavily financed mental health startups.
• A “hub and spoke model” can keep things in perspective for me. 
• How I’m structuring my “hub and spoke model” with a flagship offering as the “hub” and other offerings as “spokes”
• Questions that I’m thinking about and weighing in my mind about private practice:
• Is the insurance route or private pay route better?
• Do I have a niche for private practice work?
• How I’m confronting my fears about taking this new step
• The hopes and dreams I have about stepping into a new phase

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Alma

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.