Abundant Practice Podcast – Episode #718: Ask Allison Live

Host: Allison Puryear
Date: December 29, 2025
Episode Theme:
How therapists can transition out of agency or government roles, grow a thriving private practice, and overcome the practical and emotional challenges of this shift. Allison takes live questions from therapists at various stages, providing actionable advice on niche development, marketing, burnout prevention, and navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Launching a Mindfulness Course for Kids—Avoiding Burnout

(02:08 – 07:28)

Therapist: Former teacher and school counselor, now in solo private practice, wants to supplement income and serve primary-aged kids through in-person mindfulness classes.

• Allison’s advice:
  • Local, in-person offerings are manageable and can scratch the “work with kids” itch without causing burnout.
  • Avoid launching an online course for now:

    “That's veering into online business and that's going to be an enormous amount of work...you really have to get your practice exactly where you want it… before you want to venture into anything like that.” (03:26–03:41)

  • Lean on your existing connections as a former school counselor for referrals.

    “Once you're in [with school counselors], you're kind of like in, but you're already in, so that's great.” (03:54–04:01)

  • Market to school counselors, other child therapists, and even couples counselors whose clients’ kids may benefit.
  • Value proposition: Present the course as a joint experience for both parents and children, enabling skill reinforcement at home and filtering out “fix my kid” parents.

    “It's going to have a bigger impact…but it's also going to screen out those people who are like, here, fix my kid.” (05:02–05:16)

  • Transparency with other child therapists is key—clarify you’re not taking on child therapy clients, simply offering adjunctive support.

Takeaway Quotes:

• Therapist Client 2: "My hope is to teach the parent while I'm teaching the children…so parents, when they go home, they can reinforce what both parties have been taught." (04:54–05:02)
• Allison: "You can be so clear with them [other therapists]: I'm not taking on kids in my practice... just wanting to help support them by teaching their parents these skills." (07:01–07:21)

2. Early Stages of a Premium Fee Practice—Managing Overwhelm

(07:38 – 18:55)

Therapist: Left a government job after 10+ years; wants to build a virtual, premium fee practice for millennial women considering changing their drinking habits.

• Struggles with feelings of overwhelm:

  “I'm watching like 10 pots I'm trying to get to boil and none of them are simmering yet, you know?” (08:42–08:45)

• Current Steps:

  • Working on licensing, website, marketing modules (with Abundance Party), and high-fee strategy (with Tiffany from Lean & Make Bank).
  • Has clear niche: Millennial women considering changes in alcohol use after partner input.

• Allison’s advice:

  • “You’re not alone.” Practitioners commonly feel lost with so many parallel startup tasks.
  • It's smart not to wait for the website to be perfect before marketing.

    “That’s not the way to do it.” (11:33)

  • Emphasize networking—connect with therapists, substance use providers, and medical professionals (especially OB/GYNs, since women often disclose more openly in that context.)

    “Usually as women, we tend to be most honest with our OB/GYNs. And most of us lie a bit about how much we're drinking when our doctors ask us.” (14:03–14:12)

  • SEO and Blogging can be primary digital marketing strategies—skip social media if it’s not a fit for your energy and schedule:

    “I grant you full permission to skip social. All of you, if you want to.” (15:00–15:05)

  • Incorporate video content on your website—makes you relatable and increases conversion.
    • Allison advises practicing with video daily for a couple of weeks to get comfortable.

    “The only way through that is through practice... making yourself watch it, which is the hardest part.” (15:39–16:11)

  • Public Speaking is a solid option, especially in venues frequented by your ideal clients (e.g., premium gyms), with friendly, approachable topics ("How to do Sober January"). Always conclude talks with a call to action.

    “It doesn’t count as a marketing strategy if you’re not promoting your practice at the end of your talk.” (17:17–17:33)

  • Message should always meet clients where they are, not where you think they "should" be.

    “In all marketing things, y’all meet them where they’re at right now, not after they’ve been seeing you.” (18:29–18:52)

Notable Quotes:

• Allison:

  “What’s the worst that’ll happen? They’ll be like, no, you know.” (17:53)
  "If you want to do [social media], do it…If you’re doing SEO, that means you're doing blogging." (15:00–15:07)

3. Marketing Methods: How Long To Expect Results?

(19:05 – 23:54)

Therapist: Focus on SEO, has stopped using Psychology Today, and questions the value as a backlink and marketing tool.

• Allison on Psychology Today:

  • The value varies by location—less predictable now due to virtual practice and “big therapy” platforms buying profiles.
  • Listed as a decent backlink, but may not be worth $30/month for most.

    “I don’t know how much actual weight it has as a backlink...Psych Today is actually just taking up the front pages of everybody’s searches.” (19:50–20:04)

  • Psych Today does help get you surfaced in ChatGPT results—simulate your client’s search in ChatGPT to see where your site appears.

    "ChatGPT is pulling from Psych Today. So it helps you show up on ChatGPT listings..." (21:32–21:47)

• Results Timelines:

  • Psychology Today: Give it 6 months—if you get at least one client per year, it pays for itself.
  • Blogging/SEO: With proper implementation, expect to start ranking on page 1 for some keywords within six months.

    “Usually blogging, if you’re doing it right, you’ll start to pop on page one for some keywords within six months.” (22:29–22:36)

  • If you’re getting web traffic but not calls, review your copy and site design—it often takes 7 to 11 exposures for a client to decide to reach out.

    “Make sure you’re really speaking to that one ideal client.” (23:40–23:45)

Notable Quotes:

• Allison:

  “If you get one client from Psych Today, it’s paid for itself…if they see you a few times, your year’s covered.” (20:34–20:40)
  “There are so many more therapists on there, so it’s all watered down.” (22:08–22:14)

Memorable Quotes (with timestamps)

• On burnout prevention:
  Allison (03:26–03:41):
  “That's veering into online business and that's going to be an enormous amount of work…you really have to get your practice exactly where you want it as like and easy as humanly possible before you want to venture into anything like that.”

• On transparency with colleagues:
  Allison (07:01–07:21):
  “I'm not taking on kids in my practice right now. Okay. So I'm not interested in taking your clients. I'm just wanting to help support them by teaching their parents these skills over this time in this workshop.”

• On startup overwhelm:
  Therapist Client 1 (08:42–08:45):
  “I'm watching like 10 pots I'm trying to get to boil and none of them are simmering yet, you know?”

• On marketing if your website isn’t ready:
  Allison (11:33):
  “That’s not the way to do it.”

• On trusting referral sources:
  Allison (14:03–14:12):
  “Usually as women, we tend to be most honest with our OB/GYNs. And most of us lie a bit about how much we’re drinking when our doctors ask us.”

• On permission to skip social media:
  Allison (15:00–15:05):
  “I grant you full permission to skip social. All of you, if you want to.”

• On live video discomfort:
  Allison (15:39–16:11):
  "The only way through that is through practice...making yourself watch it, which is the hardest part."

• On public outreach:
  Allison (17:17–17:33):
  “It doesn’t count as a marketing strategy if you’re not promoting your practice at the end of your talk.”

• On speaking to your client’s stage of readiness:
  Allison (18:29–18:52):
  “In all marketing things, y’all meet them where they’re at right now, not after they’ve been seeing you.”

Segment Timestamps

• 02:08 – 07:28: Mindfulness groups for kids, burnout, collaborations with school counselors
• 07:38 – 18:55: Building a premium virtual private practice, niche clarity, marketing strategy, website, video, and public speaking
• 19:01 – 23:54: SEO vs. Psychology Today, value of backlinks, ChatGPT as discovery tool, timelines for new client acquisition

Tone & Style

Allison is conversational, supportive, matter-of-fact, and strategic—encouraging calculated risks, self-compassion, and clear boundaries. The session is lively, practical, and affirming for therapists in transition or growth phases.

Summary Takeaways

• Lean on your existing connections and build referral networks as a cornerstone of early private practice growth.
• Don’t wait for every piece of your business (like a website) to be perfect before marketing and networking.
• Consider your ideal client’s actual readiness and mindset when crafting your message and outreach.
• SEO, blogging, and focused public speaking are effective marketing tools; social media is optional.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment and reassess tools like Psychology Today—digital marketing evolves rapidly.
• Meet your clients where they are, not just where you want them to be.

This episode is an actionable, reassuring resource for therapists ready to create their own abundance by leaving agency roles, clarifying their niche, developing resilient marketing strategies, and building a practice on their own terms.