Episode #607: Full Practice, New Problems

Summary

Abundant Practice Podcast Host: Allison Puryear
Episode: #607: Full Practice, New Problems
Release Date: January 1, 2025

In Episode #607 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, hosted by Allison Puryear, the conversation delves into the evolving challenges faced by therapists as they transition to or manage a full private practice. This episode, titled "Full Practice, New Problems," features a candid and insightful dialogue between Allison and her guest, Allie, addressing real-world issues therapists encounter in their professional journeys.

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1. Navigating Negative Interactions on Instagram

One of the primary topics discussed is handling negative comments and interactions on social media platforms, specifically Instagram. As therapists increasingly use these platforms for marketing and client engagement, managing online negativity becomes crucial for maintaining a healthy practice.

Strategies for Managing Negative Comments:

• Blocking and Deleting: Allison suggests that therapists can choose to delete negative comments and block offending users to maintain a positive online environment. This approach prioritizes the therapist's well-being and sets clear boundaries.

  Allison [07:10]: "You can just delete and block and be done with it. [...] It's your account. This is not their house."

• Engaging Constructively: Alternatively, Allison proposes using negative comments as opportunities to educate and connect with the audience. By transforming criticism into content, therapists can address common misconceptions and reinforce their professional stance.

  Allison [05:21]: "A lot of people will take those comments and create more content out of it and be kind of more snarky."

Notable Insights:

• Self-Care First: Allison emphasizes the importance of therapists prioritizing their own mental health over engaging with negativity. The approach should align with what feels right for the therapist, ensuring that online interactions do not become a source of stress.

  Allison [06:50]: "It's your maintenance first. You got to take care of yourself first."

• Authenticity Matters: When responding to negative comments, maintaining authenticity without being condescending is key. Allison advises keeping responses simple and empathetic to ensure that clients feel heard without the therapist overstepping into therapeutic territory in public forums.

  Allison [10:23]: "Just that clean and easy where they feel heard and seen. And you're also not therapizing them."

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2. Implementing and Managing a Waitlist

Allie raises concerns about managing an increasing client base, leading to the consideration of establishing a waitlist. Allison provides a nuanced perspective on the benefits and challenges associated with waitlists in private practice.

Pros and Cons of a Waitlist:

• Pros:

  • Structured Client Flow: A waitlist can help manage client intake systematically, ensuring that new clients are seamlessly integrated as current clients conclude their treatment.
  • Client Assurance: It provides potential clients with a sense of order and expectation regarding availability.

• Cons:

  • Client Attrition: Longer wait times may lead clients to seek therapy elsewhere, potentially reducing the incoming client base.
  • Administrative Burden: Maintaining a waitlist requires meticulous tracking and management, which can be time-consuming.

Strategies for Effective Waitlist Management:

• Consistent Referrals: Allison recommends ensuring a steady stream of referrals to minimize reliance on waitlists. This approach helps maintain client numbers without the complexities a waitlist introduces.

  Allison [12:00]: "I've never been a waitlist person. I've always made sure that my referrals are coming in consistently."

• Time-Based Availability: For therapists who decide to maintain a waitlist, Allison suggests categorizing availability based on client treatment timelines. This method involves understanding when current clients will exit the practice, allowing for timely openings for new clients.

  Allison [14:01]: "I might have some availability in the next two weeks or whatever, and I can call you when that happens."

• Alternative Referrals: Instead of keeping clients on a waitlist, therapists can refer them to trusted colleagues. This ensures that clients receive timely support while maintaining professional relationships within the therapeutic community.

  Allison [14:33]: "An alternative would be to find really great people to refer these folks to instead of keeping them on a wait list."

Key Takeaway: Managing a waitlist requires significant organizational effort and may not be suitable for all therapists. Prioritizing consistent referrals and maintaining a manageable client load can often be more effective in sustaining a successful private practice.

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3. Exploring Passive Income Opportunities

The conversation shifts to the concept of passive income within a private therapy practice. Allie expresses curiosity about passive income streams, such as creating and selling digital products like workbooks or video courses.

Allison's Perspective on Passive Income:

Allison offers a grounded view on passive income, highlighting the misconceptions and challenges associated with it. She underscores that passive income often requires substantial upfront work and ongoing maintenance, contrasting with the common portrayal of it as effortless earnings.

Allison [16:53]: "I think like the idea of passive income [...] is so much more work than people talk about. [...] It's not passive at all."

Considerations for Therapists:

• Alignment with Passion: Allison advises that therapists should pursue passive income opportunities only if they are deeply passionate about the endeavor. This ensures sustained motivation and quality in the products offered.

  Allison [17:45]: "If there's something specific you are on fire about... that kind of energy to work the extra hours."

• Consistency in Marketing: Successful passive income streams, such as digital courses or products, require consistent marketing efforts. Therapists must be prepared to dedicate time and resources to promote these offerings effectively.

  Allison [19:24]: "For it to create an actual income... the marketing has to be really, really consistent."

Allie's Reflections:

Allie contemplates creating DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) skills videos as a potential income stream. She acknowledges the logistical challenges and her preference for maintaining a focus on direct therapeutic work.

Allie [19:04]: "I would love to teach DBT and just have like a DBT skills video. [...] I don't know how to do that."

Key Takeaway: While passive income can diversify a therapist's revenue streams, it demands a significant initial investment of time and effort. Therapists should evaluate their capacity and passion before venturing into such endeavors, ensuring that it complements rather than detracts from their primary practice.

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4. Networking with Veterinarians for Niche Specialization

Towards the episode's conclusion, Allie inquires about expanding her network, specifically by connecting with veterinary offices. Recognizing that many of her clients cherish their pets, she sees value in collaborating with veterinarians to support clients dealing with animal loss.

Allison's Insight on Networking with Vets:

Allison affirms the viability of this networking strategy, highlighting the emotional toll veterinary professionals may experience and the potential for mutual support. She emphasizes that such collaborations can provide specialized grief support for pet owners, enhancing the therapeutic services offered.

Allison [22:36]: "I know that it's a powerless thing to have to put a pet down and sit there with the family... here's somebody who really understands."

Benefits of This Niche:

• Targeted Referrals: Collaborating with veterinarians can lead to a steady stream of clients seeking grief counseling for pet loss, aligning perfectly with Allie's therapeutic focus.

• Shared Values: Both parties share a deep love for animals, fostering a genuine and empathetic connection with clients.

Allie's Realization:

Allie recognizes the alignment between her values and her clients', reaffirming the potential benefits of networking with veterinarians.

Allie [23:06]: "Some people don't get the animal thing. They need someone who gets it."

Key Takeaway: Networking within a niche that resonates with both the therapist's and clients' values can significantly enhance client engagement and satisfaction. Collaborating with veterinarians offers a strategic avenue to support clients experiencing pet loss, thereby enriching the therapist's practice.

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5. Concluding Thoughts and Encouragement

Throughout the episode, Allison reinforces the importance of aligning professional practices with personal well-being and core values. She encourages therapists to prioritize self-care, maintain authentic connections, and carefully evaluate additional income streams to ensure they complement their primary therapeutic roles.

Final Encouragement:

Allison advises therapists to focus on what brings them joy and fulfillment in their practice, suggesting that maintaining simplicity and authenticity often leads to a more sustainable and satisfying professional life.

Allison [20:19]: "Then I say, do that and enjoy it and keep your life simpler."

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Conclusion:

Episode #607 of the Abundant Practice Podcast offers valuable insights into managing the complexities of a full private practice. From handling online negativity and managing waitlists to exploring passive income opportunities and strategic networking, Allison Puryear provides practical advice grounded in real-world experience. Therapists navigating similar challenges will find this episode both relatable and empowering, providing actionable strategies to build a sustainable and fulfilling practice.

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Resources Mentioned:

• Abundance Practice Building: www.abundancepracticebuilding.com
• Abundance Party Membership Program: www.abundanceparty.com

For additional support or resources, therapists are encouraged to visit the provided websites or reach out via email at [e-mail].

Transcript

[Alison]

Foreign hi, welcome to the Abundant Practice Podcast. I'm Alison from Abundance Practice Building. I have a nearly diagnosable obsession with helping therapists build sustainable, joy filled private practices, just like I've done for tens of thousands of therapists across the world. I'm excited to help you too. If you want to fill your practice with ideal clients, we have loads of free resources and paid support. Go to abundance practice building.com Links all right, onto the show so I've talked about therapy notes on here for years. I could talk about the features and the benefits in my sleep. But there are a couple things I want you to know about Therapy notes that doesn't typically make it into an ad script. First is that they actually care if you like their platform. They don't only make themselves available on the phone to troubleshoot so you don't pull your hair out when you get stuck. They also take member suggestions and implement those that there's client demand for, like Therapy Search, an included listing service that helps clients find you internal and external secure messaging Clinical outcome measures to keep an eye on how your clients are progressing A super smooth super bill process Real time eligibility to check on your client's insurance. In my conversations with the employees there at all levels, they all really believe in their product and they want you to love it too. Second, they are proudly independently owned. Why should you care about that? Because as soon as venture capital becomes involved, the focus shifts from making customers happy to making investors happy. Prices go way up. Innovation plateaus. Making more money with as little output as possible becomes the number one focus. With over 100,000 therapists using their platform, they've been able to stay incredibly successful and they don't have to sacrifice your experience to stay there. You can try two months [e-mail] with the coupon code Abundant Some of you all aren't sending HIPAA compliant email and it's a problem. Even if you're paying for a business Google Workspace account and have a signed BAA, your emails still aren't 100% compliant. That's where Palbox comes in. You can connect Paubox to your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 email one time and you're completely covered. No one has to sign into portals. It sends and it shows up like any other email behind the scenes. Powbox software checks the security settings of the recipient and ensures that the email is sent properly so you're not violating HIPAA in the ways you may accidentally be. Now, I know HIPAA isn't sexy, but we don't avoid compliance. In an abundant practice, we check the boxes we need to check. And this is the easiest way to do that with email. Check out my [e-mail] that's P A U B O X. Use code abundant to get $250 off your first year of paubox. That makes it less than a hundred dollars for your first year. Again, that's P A U B O x dot com. Use code abundant. Hey, Allie.

[Allie]

Hi.

[Alison]

Hi. What would be most helpful today? How can we get you where you want to be?

[Allie]

Okay, so last time I actually saw you, I think it was like, I don't even know, a few. Few months back where I was like, I was post. Maybe even six months ago actually post wedding, and I was like, okay, I'm actually getting back into marketing, my practice. And so now where I'm at is since. Since then I have like, fixed my niche up, like, clean that up a little bit. And I've gotten back into like Instagram marketing. I had a business mentor as well that was helping me learn how to do that. Like, how to have a strategy because I didn't realize how specific it is.

[Alison]

Yeah.

[Allie]

And it's been working very well. And like, my Psychology Today profile, I'd like, messed with a whole bunch. And like, basically now I'm getting a lot of inquiries, which was my goal. My at that time, the goal was like, I just want referrals flowing in. That's how I'll know that I'll feel a lot more comfortable if that's the case. So that's been working. And I've been getting people from, like, around the country. So, like, now I'm working to like, build my. My, like, referral list with a bunch of people who do similar work as me. But. And I am getting some Seattle people too, thank goodness. Because I had to put on my, like, calendly, like, hi, I'm in Washington. I'm licensed in Washington. I can do coaching around the world. But I usually talk people out of coaching if they call. Like, but I really like you and I want to work with you. I'm kind of like, you sound like you need a therapist. Coaching comes after that. Like, so anyway, moral of the story, things are going very well. But I realized that a. I probably need to start a wait list. And like, I don't know how people do that. Is it just like an Excel spreadsheet or like a Word document or like, is there an app? I would love to have a nice little app. I don't know. And also B, when people are mad at me on Instagram. Because now, like, I'm speaking to a population that can be really, really queuing for people, especially if now they have kids and they had emotionally immature parents and they haven't acknowledged it. Yeah. And people, like, will sometimes, like, yell at me. And some people ask are like, respectfully, fuck off. But. And that's fine. But some people aren't. And I'm like, no, we can't do that here just because of the harm it can cause to people who I work with who are also in the comments. So how do I deal with mad people on Instagram? How do I have a wait list? Those are my two.

[Alison]

Yeah. So the mad people on Instagram, there are two different paths you can take. Right. You can just delete and block and be done with it.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Alison]

And that's totally fine. You can even have somewhere in your profile or somewhere at the end of each caption that you just copy paste in each one that says, here's the boundary for commenting on this post. And if somebody crosses the boundary, you don't have to engage with them. This is your account. This is not their house. It's yours. So that's one thing you can do. The other thing I'm thinking is, and I don't know if this. I don't get the sense that this is your vibe, but a lot of people will take those comments and create more content out of it and be kind of more snarky. And sometimes I see them and they're shaming, and sometimes I see them and I'm like, okay, I get that. That was a fair snark back. So you can use it to kind of educate the people who are your ideal clients or your ideal audience based on that, but that's going to bring more. So that's the downside. If you enjoy creating that content and you can do it in a way that feels authentic to you and not too snarky or too whatever, then by all means, go for it. If it's more reactive and triggering for you and you end up being like, oops, that was a little harsh. I've done a couple like that, where I was like, okay, I should have just breathed through it for a day and then created content around it in a way that would be more helpful and less like, I'm gonna put you back in your place. You're gonna try to put me in mine. But it ultimately comes down to, like, how does it feel for you to just block and bliss or respond? And how do your Ideal clients or your audience on Instagram feel about it, like, what's helpful for them? Because it might feel helpful for them for you to go toe to toe with somebody, but that doesn't mean it feels good to you. Yeah, it's your maintenance first. You got to take care of yourself first.

[Allie]

Yeah. Okay. I did, like, there was, like, one person that commented, like, a respectful. Like, why are we blaming our parents for this? Isn't this just being a normal person? And she meant it more snarky than she commented, which totally fine. But I commented back, and I. I'm pretty good at neutralizing people. Like, that's a skill I have. I'm pretty good at responding in a way that it's like, good luck, like, coming, like, getting mad at me for that. Like, I. I don't know. And I did have the thought, like, I did start making, like, a response video sort of like, where I, like, blocked out. I know some people, like, leave, like, the name. I, like, block out the name because I don't want it to be like, I'm calling someone in.

[Alison]

Yeah.

[Allie]

I wanted it to be more like, oh, my gosh, this is a really cog or a really common distortion where it's like, the internalizers are like, everything's my fault. The externalizers are like, everything's your fault. And this is why we probably need to remove the word blame if we're not blaming or just, like, identifying causes. But then I didn't post it just because I was like. I stopped caring. I was kind of like, I don't know. I feel like I can't tell whether I feel like I'm, like, feeding a troll or not. And so that makes sense where it's kind of like, like, breathe through it and just see how you feel about it. Like, do you need to respond?

[Alison]

Yeah. And I'm a big. When in doubt, just don't. Yeah, just get rid of them. It's fine.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Alison]

If it's. If it's meant to be snarky, if it is, like, a respectful. I'm trying to understand this better kind of a thing. That's different, obviously. But when it's somebody who's just trying to put you in your place in some way and we can feel it when they're doing that, then, you know, you don't have to engage with them and you don't have to create content off of it. If you feel inspired to do so, go for it. But otherwise, you really can't just block them.

[Allie]

Right. Right. Okay. Yeah. Because I Get freaked out that I'm like, well, what if I do that? And they, like. And they're like, really toxic, so I have to block them. And now they have, like, a secret fake account or now they have friends that are kind of like, I don't know. I. I should also be careful. I have to be very careful and, like, take my time and, like, check the facts when I'm getting those sort of comments. Because, like, I was raised by people who are super narcissistic and that's something they would do. Like, so it's like, not everyone is like, these people who you were raised by, who it's always like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna get you, and I'm gonna. In one way or another, I'm gonna find you. I'm gonna get you. Like, you know, so, like, I. Yeah, okay.

[Alison]

But your parents also weren't like that with every single person they encountered.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Alison]

And you're a momentary encounter for these people that even if they are like that with the people in their lives, it doesn't mean they're gonna latch onto you necessarily.

[Allie]

Right. Okay. Okay. And then also. Wait, I just had the thought too. What about, like, I realized that I also am bad at responding to people. Like, unless I really have, like, a good, authentic me type thing to say. Like, I don't know what to say. Even when people are, like, making normal comments. Like, they'll be like. Or when they're like, oh, my gosh, my mom is like this. And they get really in depth, I'm kind of like, oh, like, that's a lot for the gram. Like, oh. And like, I don't know. Other therapists are really good at commenting back. Like, they have, like, key phrases that they say, and I'm just like. And I try to borrow theirs, but I don't. What. What do you say to people?

[Alison]

I mean, you could just say like, I am so sorry you went through that. You absolutely didn't deserve it.

[Allie]

Okay. Okay.

[Alison]

Just that clean and easy where they feel heard and seen. And you're also not therapizing them.

[Allie]

Right. Okay. I never know if I should say, like, I'm. I'm sorry or not. I don't know why I would get worried. I'm like, do people want me sympathizing or is that going to feel condescending? I don't know. I also have to be careful because I work with DBT people who some of the clients from the DBT program I'm a part of will find things you say and Be like, what? And I'm like, it's like, out of my head.

[Alison]

Because they're not clients. Imagine you were at a dinner party and somebody just kind of trauma dumped on you real quick, which we've all. We've got that energy, so it happens. And, like, what would you say to them at a dinner party? To not go any more in depth, but also to show that it sucks. Like, you acknowledge how much that sucks, that they went through that.

[Allie]

Okay. Okay. Yeah, no, that's good to remember. Like, what would I say to someone in person?

[Alison]

Yeah.

[Allie]

Okay. That is helpful. Thank you.

[Alison]

Yeah.

[Allie]

And then how do I keep a wait list?

[Alison]

So are you sure you want to have a wait list?

[Allie]

I don't know. Why wouldn't I? What are the other options?

[Alison]

So I worked at my last job that I had. Our wait list was sometimes six months long. So my experience of waitlist was just total anxiety because so many times people would finally get off. Off the wait list, and they had either gotten so much worse that they would have been triaged to come in much sooner, or, like, they kind of got over whatever the situation was, and they just kind of were like, well, thanks a lot, but I don't need you now. I needed you then.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Alison]

So for me, I've never been a waitlist person. I've always made sure that my referrals are coming in consistently. So before. Before you yay or nay, a wait list, I would make sure that you have consistent referrals coming in that can keep you steady.

[Allie]

Okay.

[Alison]

I would look at the length of time that you see clients on average and start having kind of timelines for the clients. You see if you're going to have wait list, not that they're like, well, your 10 weeks is up, or whatever, but, like, you know, I'm seeing Susie. I feel like we're really coming to the end of some of our work together, and probably in the next month or two, she'll be done. And that would give you an idea of what. What that looks like for a wait list. But that's also a lot of tracking. It's a lot of keeping up with. So an alternative would be to find really great people to refer these folks to instead of keeping them on a wait list. Unless you're like, eminently, somebody is about to move, or you know that their treatment plan is coming to a close. Then you could say, I think I'm going to have some availability in the next two weeks or whatever, and I can call you when that happens. I know we wanted to work. We wanted our daughter to work with a specific therapist here in town. And she didn't have a wait list. And she said, you know, you can keep calling to check in to see when I have availability. She'd given me referrals, but I was like, well, we want you. And this was the way she handled it is I would just like call and check in every couple weeks to see and just put it in my calendar because I wanted her specifically. But I as a therapist refer out because I can't with a wait list after my experience at the agency. Okay, but that only works if you're getting consistent referrals. If you're somebody who gets referrals and fits and starts, it might make sense to have a wait list or to figure out the fits and starts piece. That's, that would actually be my recommendation is figure out when, when you're really flowing. Why, like what's happening? What are you doing? Marketing wise, that's working.

[Allie]

Okay, that makes sense because like right now, this exact time I'm in kind of a nice position because like I also contract with the DBT program so I always have five people and I'm okay with decreasing that. So they all have like discharge dates that are like planned and routine and administrative and whatever. So like that gives me an opportunity to like have a five people wales. But yeah, at that point, if I like say I wasn't seeing any more people from the program, then yeah, I guess that would be more complicated because it would. The average treatment duration is about six months.

[Alison]

So yeah, okay. And so if you know like, you know so and so has been with you for five months and things are rolling along as expected, then you might be able to say I may have some availability a month. Here's a referral if you don't want to wait that long or if the maybe part is rough for you, which I totally get. And I can call you in a month if you'd like me to do that or I can call you when this person rolls off if so. And I would do a spreadsheet in that case. Some EHRs have wait lists baked into them so I would explore yours to see. I don't since I don't do wait list. I don't remember which ones do and don't. Yeah, but I would do like a HIPAA compliant, like if you have a BAA with like Google or like password protected on your computer. If you're using Excel and you can password protect your computer and this and maybe use first name only kind Of a thing.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Alison]

Then that might be a way to do it.

[Allie]

Okay. That's a lot to think about.

[Alison]

Yeah, It's a lot of processes to make sure that it's done well for a wait list, which can sometimes feel really burdensome. But also for some people, having a wait list makes them feel safer and they know that they have clients coming in. And the longer typically that that wait list goes, the less likely that person is going to come see you.

[Allie]

Right, okay. Yeah, that makes sense. Totally makes sense. Yeah. And I kind of figured, like, I was hoping that like my marketing would be so good that like, I would only have people on the waitlist who were like, no, I really only want to see you. So I actually am likely to wait. But I totally know what you're saying though, where it's like, yeah, but still, it's like, you know, they might have already found someone else that is actually a really good fit for them too. Or they might not need to. Or not. They might not want the treatment anymore.

[Alison]

Right.

[Allie]

That time. Okay. Okay, then I guess the only other thing I was like, curious about and this is probably something where I can go back into the abundance party. I'm sure, I'm sure it's a module. There has to be. But for one year full and doing well, people keep talking about like passive income and stuff. What is that?

[Alison]

Like?

[Allie]

And then people post their like pretty worksheets and I'm like, I'm not an artist. I can't make a workbook. I. I don't want to. That sounds horrible. Like, so I don't know what those options are.

[Alison]

Yeah, I mean, I think like the idea of passive income, even those words just make me cringe because there's no income that's passive. There's so much work. It's a completely different skill set. The learning curve is steep. The expectations are always higher than the reality. This is me actively not selling you passive income options. That being said, they're out there. There are so many different things that you can do if you want to have. I'll call it like an alternative stream of income. Because like I said, there's a lot of work involved. A lot of people, particularly people who like sell the alternative stream of income or passive income programs, will make it sound like it's so easy and it is not. It's not at all. So like for abundance, for instance, we have four full time staff people that are working to keep all the things in motion and we market literally every single day. And so if you really love marketing, so much and you want to do it every single day and you want to maybe hire staff to keep. Keep the wheels on the bus for you, then alternative streams of income can be great. But I would rather see people make more money. If they want to make more money by raising rates or seeing the clients they want to see and keeping their lives simpler. Unless there's something specific you are on fire about. Like, you could not have talked me out of starting abundance. When I started abundance, there was no way. I was just too excited about helping people. And if you've got that kind of fire and that kind of energy to work the extra hours every to. To build this thing that will then truly, like, make you money in your sleep, that does happen, but it's not without 10 years of consistent, constant daily marketing. So.

[Allie]

Okay, because I. I guess the only thing I can think of that I would want to do would be like, video. I don't even know how to do that. Like, the logistics then also stop me in my tracks. I'm like, wait, what? I record a video? How do you record a video? Like, you people like, you just do it on Zoom. It's really simple. And I'm like, that's not simple to me. But anyway, I don't know, I. I would love to teach DBT and just have like a DBT skills video. And I would. It would not be free. I would charge for it just because, like, I'm really freaking good at that. And like, it's worth money.

[Alison]

And what's your Instagram following like? Because that might be an easier path, but what's your follower count thereabouts?

[Allie]

It's so cute and it's growing. Okay, let's see. Right now I'm. Oh, I just got someone 2,562. A month ago it was like 500.

[Alison]

So that's like, that's really great growth.

[Allie]

Okay, good.

[Alison]

And the fact that you were posting things that are pissing people off, right, like you're getting haters in the comments. Actually, like, that tells me that's why I asked the number. Because you. That you're on a trajectory and it could be you do some simple videos for DBT skills, you set up a cart for it and you sell it on Instagram, but for it to create an actual income and not just like some money here and there for it to create legitimate income that would allow you to step back from as much therapy as you're doing or something like that, the marketing has to be really, really consistent.

[Allie]

I realize I don't want Anything that replaces being a therapist at this. At this point in time where I'm at. And I don't know if I ever. Well, I mean, that obviously could change, but, like, I more so see the way that I practice changing because, like, whenever I'm, like, on my little, like, portal for, like, how to market for, like, my. The coaching program I have, I'm like, my heart's just not in that. Like, my heart really is in just being a therapist and seeing my people.

[Alison]

Then I say, do that and enjoy it and keep your life simpler. I think the. The promise of passive income, like, it sounds so good, but it is so much more work than people talk about. It's like a soapbox. I've been on a lot lately because a lot of people have been asking me, oh, really? And I think it's because the people who teach how to do alternative streams of income, they're in people's inboxes more. They're showing up in their feeds more. I like that people are exploring what's possible. And like I said, if there's something you're super passionate about, like dbt, teaching those skills, that could be a really great way to make a little extra cash, or if you want to go really hard on it, make a lot. But can't imagine running a practice, all the energy. I had to scale back my practice so much to be able to do abundance. And that was okay with me because that's where my passion was. But you love being a therapist, so be a therapist and enjoy your life.

[Allie]

Okay. Damn. That's good to know. That's good to know. This is very helpful. Very, very helpful. Let's see. Yeah, I think that's it. Because then the only other question I had a few months back and I went back and I watched a recorded video in the portal about networking and calling. And I have the script in my phone, but I wrote down the script and about who to call. Okay, this is a dumb, weird question. Is it weird to call a vet office as a possible networking thing? My clients tend to love animals. And obviously, animals get sick, they die. Like, they get to know their vets. Like, I don't know. I was thinking about that.

[Alison]

Yeah, absolutely. And I think it also helps the vet. I'm friends with a lot of vets. Lots of depression amongst veterinarians, and I'm friends with vets. And I can imagine it feeling like it's such a powerless thing to have to put a pet down and sit there with the family while the pet goes like, it's powerless and awful. And to be able to say, like, I know this is so hard, and here's somebody who really understands if you feel like you might need some grief therapy. I think when I think about my friends, they would feel like it helps them make it less hard for the clients or the patients.

[Allie]

Wow, that's. That's so interesting. And that's like, my niche is like one thing, but that's like, that's good to know just because, like, when I also just look at my values and my clients values, like we. We. Something we share is we love animals. Like, we love, love, love them. So, like, I still do think I actually would be a really potentially helpful person for people who are grieving because some people don't get it. Some people don't get the animal thing. They're like, what? Your pet died? Big deal. And like, I think that people really need someone who gets it. Like, no, this is a total catastrophe and it's unfixable.

[Alison]

Absolutely. And I think I had to take a week off just to function when our dog passed. Like, it's just. It's too heartbreaking to go about life like it's normal. So.

[Allie]

Yeah, right. It's not, right? Absolutely. You're walking around like this crazy thing just happened and nobody knows. Like, everyone's just living normal. And I feel like I just watched a rocket come down into earth.

[Alison]

Sweet babies.

[Allie]

That's cool. Okay. Network with a vet. Okay. I think that's all I have to ask about.

[Alison]

Okay, cool, cool. Well, let us know in the Facebook group, like, how things are going if you decide to go the waitlist route or not be on those five clients. I like the idea of five clients since you do have dates for those.

[Allie]

Okay, I will.

[Alison]

Awesome. Very cool. Well, I will talk to you soon.

[Allie]

All right. Thank you so much. I appreciate you.

[Alison]

Yeah, you too. Bye. Bye. If you're ready for a much easier practice, therapy notes is the way to go. Go to therapynotes.com and use the promo code abundant for two months free. Make sure your email is actually HIPAA compliant with Powbox. Use code abundant to get Palbox for less than $100 your first year at p a u b o x dot com. Let's stay compliant. If you're listening, you probably need some support building your practice. If you're a super newbie, grab our free checklist using the link in the show notes. I'd love for you to follow rate and review, but I really want you to share this episode with a therapist friend. Let's help all our colleagues build what they want.