It has always been important to me to do the best I can at my work. This desire has led me to invest tens of thousands of dollars in my own growth work as well as extensive, cutting-edge therapeutic trainings. And because of these investments, when I started my private practice, I was a solid, well-trained therapist and generally got great results with clients, which is important and wonderful. But will this alone make your private practice highly profitable? Nope. Not significantly. Why not?
Most therapists invest many resources in becoming excellent practitioners but don’t invest in becoming successful business owners.
It wasn’t until I invested in success coaching that things really started to turn around for me. Through coaching, I started seeing my inner blocks to success, my inner money and confidence blocks, and my inner worth and deserving issues in ways I had never seen them in over two decades of intensive inner work. And when I started to transform these inner blocks, my practice started changing almost magically. Once I did the inner work, the outer changes (e.g. raising prices, networking, marketing, etc.) happened with much more ease. And I see these same results again and again with clients.
Inner changes, coupled with strategy, support, and accountability can absolutely transform your business and your income.
Getting support from people whose job is to help you to succeed is often the missing step for therapists.But, unfortunately, most therapists will never invest in coaching. They don’t see the value. They don’t think they need it.
And I get that. Investing in coaching was scary for me, but not investing in success coaching sooner was the biggest mistake I made in my practice. It absolutely changed my practice and life in miraculous ways. If I had not invested in success coaching, I would still be unsatisfied with a struggling practice or maybe even working full time in a salaried job. But worse, painful confidence issues around “putting myself out there,” not being “good enough,” and “being seen” would still be keeping me playing small in work and life. And I don’t want that for you. I know so much more is possible.
If you’d like to have a conversation about how to improve your practice in seemingly miraculous ways, click here to schedule a Practice Accelerator Session. In this 45-minute session, we’ll identify the three biggest obstacles getting in your way and the number one thing to do now to move forward.
To your success!
Christina
So many times, when I ask therapists about their
vision, I notice that people either have very little clarity about what they
want or if they have a vision, it is pretty mediocre.
With
a limited vision, you’ll get limited thinking.
Therapists tend to be hesitant to speak about
their deep desires, dreams, and fantasies, such as writing a book, creating
workshops, and leading retreats since they have been often been taught to think
small - that mediocre is all that’s possible in the helping field.
Thinking Small
Your thinking, ideas,
and planning will be in alignment with your vision.So if you have a small or mediocre vision,
you’ll think small.
It
takes effort and expanded thinking to work smarter, not harder, but when you
do, it’s a game changer.
Thinking small can also lead to working hard but
non-strategically, spinning your wheels by doing things that aren’t really
effective, and keeping yourself in the same cycle over and over again.
Lack of vision
and small thinking often go hand in hand with playing small (or even just
playing “medium”), and it can show up in many ways in our business.
Playing small keeps people from putting their
gifts out into the world with their full potential.
Do
you find yourself being timid about trying new things, new offerings, or new
techniques out of fear of what people will think or fear of not being good
enough? Playing small is painful and often rooted in fear, anxiety, and trauma.
Does
lack of confidence or fear keep you from standing out with your gifts?
Does it keep you from talking about your practice in a way that generates
interest and referrals? Do you walk into a networking event and feel invisible,
like no one is paying attention to you or even like you don’t matter? Or
do you get into conversations where all you do is listen but never share about
your own gifts and offerings or if you do it doesn’t feel compelling or
interesting?
How would life be different if you could
own your talents and gifts without fear?
How would you serve the world if you step
into your power in a bigger way?
I would love to
support you in growing more into your vision and power.If you are ready to stop playing small and
step more fully into your power so you can put your gifts into the world in a
bigger way, click here to schedule your complimentary Practice Accelerator
Session. In this 45-minute session we’ll identify the three biggest obstacles
getting in your way and the number one thing you can do to move forward.
And today, I’m talking about Mistake #3: RUNNING YOUR PRACTICE BASED ON FEAR, SCARCITY, GUILT, AND NEEDING TO PROVE YOUR WORTH.
I see therapists making the mistake of running their practice based on fear, scarcity, guilt, and needing to prove their worth on some level or another so often. And this is a bit different from the mistakes I’ve discussed so far, because the inner thoughts and feelings leading to running your practice based on fear, scarcity, guilt, and needing to prove your worth are often deeply rooted in subconscious, old programming, and they’re often core issues effecting many areas of your life. But as therapists, we know we can work with our old programming and make changes in our behavior as a result.
Some therapists will easily identify themselves as doing these things on a regular basis. Other people may have more subtle undercurrents of fear, scarcity, guilt, and needing to prove your worth. You may not even be aware of it or it may not seem to be getting in your way. But it's good to be curious and ask yourself, “Am I doing this? And if so, to what extent?” Because if it is something you're doing, even if it's a two on a scale of zero to 10, isn’t that something you’d want to go after? What would your practice and life look like if it was a 0? What if there was no fear? No scarcity? No guilt? No needing to prove anything? In what ways would your practice look different if you didn’t have fear and scarcity or a need to prove something? How would you show up differently?
When your practice is based on fear, scarcity, guilt, and needing to prove your worth, you tend to overgive and undercharge, both of which can leave you feeling drained, resentful, and not making the money you need or want to make. Overgiving and undercharging also tend to lead to burnout and unsustainable business practices.
For therapists, overgiving tends to happen with time and energy, two very precious commodities. Below are ways overgiving as a result of fear, scarcity, guilt, and needing to prove your worth can show up in a practice:
Giving away your time excessively in phone calls and emails
Regularly going over time in sessions
Spending hours dealing with insurance companies and billing issues rather than letting clients be responsible for some (or all) of it
Spending lots of time looking for resources for clients (and for people who aren’t even clients)
Not having solid boundaries. Not sticking to your no-show or late-cancellation policies or giving leeway every time someone gives you an excuse.
Overworking by scheduling more clients than you’d like to see in a week because of a fear/scarcity mindset
Energetically overgiving, which can lead to feeling drained and tired at the end of the day or week. This is a complex issue, and it’s really important to recognize if it’s happening to you.
Let’s look closer at each of these aspects individually. I encourage you to reflect and rate on a scale of 0-10 how much each aspect is influencing your practice. If it’s a true zero, awesome. And if it’s higher than you want it to be, what can you do to start changing that? Even if it’s a 1 or 2, it’s worth looking at and may be something you’d like to change.
FEAR AND SCARCITY
If you have fear and scarcity in your practice, you may be afraid there will not be enough clients (especially ideal clients), not enough money, and/or you’re not going to make it in private practice. Fear and scarcity often cause people to shut down their practices (and definitely keep people from starting them in the first place).
Fear and scarcity can lead to undercharging because you don’t believe clients can or will pay you a higher fee. You may believe clients will seek out a “better” or more affordable therapist if your rate is too high.
Fear and scarcity can also create feelings of competitiveness with other therapists, making it difficult to effectively build referral relationships.
Fear and scarcity lead to limiting and small thinking, small goals, and small possibilities. It’s fine to genuinely want a small practice, but if you decide that’s what you want because you don’t believe more is possible for you, fear and scarcity may be an issue for you.
Anxiety and scarcity around money can result in seeing clients as “dollar signs” in subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways, which, if sensed, will be a turn off to clients, potential clients, and referral sources and can get in the way of creating an authentic, healing presence with our clients.
TO WHAT DEGREE IS FEAR AND SCARCITY IMPACTING YOUR PRACTICE? (0-10)
GUILT
Guilt can show up in many ways and is often connected to undervaluing ourselves and our work. When we undervalue our work, we are much more likely to feel guilty about charging for it. You may feel guilty about charging too much, so you keep your rates low or have “weird” energy around taking money from clients. You may stay on low-paying insurance panels because you don’t want to deal with the guilt of telling clients you’ll no longer be in-network with their insurance. You may not charge for no shows or late cancellations out of guilt.
Guilt can lead us to make assumptions about our clients and what they may or may not be able to pay. If we feel guilty, we may offer reduction in fees before they’ve even asked(!), and we may work hours we don’t want to work in order to accommodate clients.
Guilt can get in the way of the therapeutic relationship and turn clients off, lead to burnout, and it can definitely keep us from earning what we want to earn.
TO WHAT DEGREE IS GUILT IMPACTING YOUR PRACTICE? (0-10)
NEEDING TO PROVE YOUR WORTH
This is a biggie! And it’s a painful issue. If this is showing up in your practice, it’s probably been a long-standing issue in many areas of your life. Issues around worth, deserving, and being good enough are usually thematic and part of the human experience. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make progress on them. The more we can work with them, the more our practice and our lives will transform. And I believe, as therapists, we have a responsibility to work on these issues in ourselves in order to better serve our clients.
One of the ways this issue of needing to prove your worth can show up in your work is by creating a (probably unconscious) hidden agenda to having a successful private practice. People think, “If I have a successful private practice, it will mean I can finally feel ______________(e. g. good enough, smart enough, successful, worthy, safe, secure),” or, “When I get there, I’ll finally prove_________ (e.g. I’m good enough, I’m valuable, they were wrong about me).”
When you have a hidden agenda like this, it is going to tend to make your life harder. Hidden agendas will make you see challenges as bigger than they are. Normal challenges will feel personal and sabotage you from working towards your goals. You’re more likely to struggle with bigger highs and lows in your practice due to a tendency to take things personally and as a reflection of your worth. For example, if a client doesn’t come back or if you have a slow month, you may experience that as personal rejection and as a reflection of your worth, which can keep you from effective problem solving. While it’s always good to reflect and refine your skills, that’s very different from taking things highly personally.
When you have a need to prove your worth, clients can often pick up on it, and it can be very off putting. If you are depending on your practice to give you validation, even in subtle ways, it can become a dangerous cycle that gets in the way of the work that you want to do with clients.
TO WHAT DEGREE IS THE NEED TO PROVE YOUR WORTH IMPACTING YOUR PRACTICE? (0-10)
To your success! Christina
P.S. Are you ready to let go of this old pattern of living with fear, scarcity, guilt, and needing to prove your worth? Click here to schedule your complimentary Practice Accelerator Session where we’ll identify the three biggest obstacles getting in your way and the number one thing you can do to move forward.
I talk to a lot of therapists who are in
or who want to be in private practice, and I’ve been categorizing common
mistakes that I observe smart, skillful therapists make. In my last post, I discussed the mistake of NOT OWNING YOUR INNER ENTREPRENEUR. In this post I’m going to discuss Mistake #2— NOT WORKING ON YOUR MONEY BLOCKS.
Even though therapists tend to be
self-aware, they often don't dive as deeply as they could into their
money blocks. There are several reasons for this.
One, looking at our money issues can be
painful and highly anxiety provoking. As we know, people avoid things
that are painful, especially when they don’t think that looking at it
will make a difference.
Two, people have so many BLINDSPOTS when
it comes to money issues. We can’t always see what’s getting in our
way, especially without an experienced guide, and because of this, work
around money issues often isn’t as thorough or as deep as it could be.
Relatedly, when working on money issues,
people often do general work around money and abundance issues, but they
don’t dive deep into the real specifics that are getting in their way.
When working with clients around their
businesses, I guide them to see what are often their very specific blind
spots, so that they can really leave no stone unturned when it comes to
their money issues. And I see therapists in shock and surprise all the
time when it comes to this, because they had no idea what would be in
some of the places we go.
Another thing I see is that therapists
often don’t even realize that their money blocks are creating pain in
their lives. For them, money may not be a top priority or motivator.
Or because of their family, cultural, or religious/spiritual
backgrounds, they bury their desire for money because they do not allow
themselves to consciously want it. But even when making money is not a
top priority, money issues and blocks can still create a lot of pain.
Roots of our money blocks are often connected to deep inner issues like
self-worth and deserving.
Most therapists are naturally
big-hearted, generous givers who want to help wherever they can. And
many helpers have gotten a lifetime of positive feedback about how nice,
loving, caring, and giving they are, reinforcing this pattern. Of
course, giving isn’t a bad thing, but this pattern can become a problem
when it’s out of balance. People who give and give and give are often
somewhat shut down when it comes to receiving. Givers can forget about
their own needs and can forget about boundaries. When we are
disconnected from our needs and ability to receive, it can lead to
feelings of burnout, exhaustion, and even depression, and it will
definitely get in the way of having an abundant practice.
I love working with money blocks because
it has such a direct and literal “payoff” in the lives of my clients,
and also because working on money issues often takes us very quickly to
deep, sacred places inside around self-worth, deserving, and receiving,
which can lead us to feeling so much more joyful, confident, and
grounded.
CONSEQUENCE OF IGNORING YOUR MONEY BLOCKS
Not working on your money blocks affects
countless aspects of your practice, life, and overall sense of joy in
life! Below are a few ways it can affect you:
Not charging your worth
Difficulty raising rates
Giving your time away for free through consistently going over time
in sessions, lengthy phone calls, lengthy emails,
paperwork/documentation
Too many discounted or free sessions
Overgiving with your energy—leads to feelings of depletion and exhaustion
Being loose and inconsistent with cancellation, no show, and other policies
Not attracting ideal clients
Attracting clients who don’t value you
Hating your schedule—regularly accommodating clients by working hours you don’t like; overworking out of fear and scarcity
Not investing in yourself or your practice
Saying no to trainings, personal work, and coaching you really want
Doing all the work yourself (instead of hiring people who could make your life so much easier)
Tolerating (rather than loving) the appearance, location, and “vibe” of your office
High levels of stress
Not practicing consistent and/or adequate self-care
Feelings of resentment towards clients
Not giving your best in sessions
Are you ready to go after your blindspots
when it comes to money blocks so you can have the practice and life you
love? Schedule a complimentary Practice Accelerator Session where you’ll discover the three things getting in your way and the number one thing you can do to move forward.
