Once you start trying to grow a private practice, there is a lot of advice about what you are supposed to invest in next, and a lot of people online sharing their perspectives and what worked for them. Is it another course? A business coach? A conference, mastermind, a new piece of software or another training?
And honestly, these can all be genuinely useful and I’ve used them all! Kate here, by the way, I’m the founder of the Perinatal Collective. For many therapists hoping to grow their practice, the harder part is figuring out which kind of support makes the most sense for where you are right now, because a course, private practice coaching, a conference, and a mastermind all offer something a little different.
I’ve personally invested in all of these forms of support while building my own private and group practices. I’ve done high-level masterminds, lots of 1:1 business coaching, courses, conferences, and professional development, and I’ve found that different kinds of support have been helpful at different stages. So, this post isn’t going to tell you exactly what to do, but my hope is that by the end of this read, you’ll have a better sense of what might be a good fit for you right now.
One of my first big investments was a business mastermind, about 10 years ago. I remember it felt scary to make that investment at the time because it was high-priced (about $7k), and yes, it made me a little sick to spend that much at the time) but what I learned, and the relationships I built through that program have continued to benefit me years later. There was something incredibly valuable about getting into a room with people who were growth-minded and ambitious, and who were also willing to invest in themselves and their businesses.
I also found it incredibly helpful to hear directly from people who had already grown their businesses. Having experienced leaders say, “This is what I invested in, this is what actually helped, and this is where I wouldn’t spend my money,” was incredibly valuable!
I’ve also had lots of 1:1 business coaching, which has been a very different kind of experience. It’s highly personalized and strategic, and we could work through whatever was happening in my business that week. There was accountability, motivation, and someone helping me solve problems that were specific to my practice. I’ve found that kind of support particularly useful later in practice when I’ve wanted to scale in bigger ways or add new revenue streams. I didn’t invest in private coaching until later in my business.
For someone earlier in their practice, I think that things like a mastermind, conference, or other professional development experience may make more sense as a starting point.
The point is that there isn’t one universally best investment. The right support depends on what you are trying to figure out, where your practice is right now, and how much individual support or community you want around you (and, of course, what you are comfortable investing).
Why Growing a Therapy Practice Often Feels Really Difficult
If you’re struggling to grow your business, please know that you are not alone! Therapists just generally aren’t trained to be business owners. You can spend years learning how to be an excellent clinician and then find yourself responsible for making decisions about marketing, money, referrals, systems, boundaries, caseloads, hiring, niching, and growth. Like, what?? How are we supposed to know how?
And you’re making all of those decisions while also doing emotionally demanding clinical work.
It’s a lot to hold.
There can also be a point where you know a lot about what you are “supposed” to be doing, but you still aren’t sure what to prioritize or how to apply all of that information to your particular practice. You may have taken courses, listened to countless podcasts, read books, followed business educators online, and saved more posts about private practice growth than you could ever realistically go back and read.
That doesn’t necessarily make the next step obvious or even doable.
There’s a difference between knowing what could work and knowing what makes sense for your practice right now. You might understand a marketing strategy, for example, but still be unsure whether marketing is actually the thing you need to focus on at this stage. Or you may know that hiring is the next step toward growth, but feel overwhelmed by everything that comes with making that decision.
This is where different forms of business and professional support can become useful. The question is less about finding the single best option and more about finding the kind of support that fits the problem you are actually trying to solve.
When a Business Course Can Be Helpful
A business course can be a really useful way to learn something you don’t know yet, particularly when there is a defined skill, strategy, or process you want to understand.
Maybe you want to learn more about marketing your private practice, understand how referrals work, or get a better handle on a particular aspect of running your business. A course can give you a clear framework to work through without requiring a major time commitment or an ongoing relationship with a coach.
There is also something nice about being able to learn at your own pace. You can work through the material when you have the capacity, come back to it later, and focus on the pieces that are most relevant to you.
The limitation is that you can finish a course with a lot of new information and still find yourself wondering how much of it actually applies to your practice.
This is one of the biggest differences between education and individualized support. A course can teach you a strategy, but it can’t necessarily tell you whether that strategy is the right priority for your practice right now, or help you troubleshoot when implementation doesn’t go quite the way you expected.
That doesn’t mean the course wasn’t useful. It just means that learning something and having someone help you apply it are two different experiences.
For many therapists, courses are a great way to build their knowledge and develop specific skills. They can also be one piece of a larger collection of support throughout a career.
What About Working With a Business Coach for Therapists?
Working with a business coach for therapists offers a different level of personalization. Instead of learning a general strategy and then figuring out how it applies to you, you have someone who can look specifically at your practice, your goals, and the challenges you are running into (including things like mindset and limiting beliefs).
That can be incredibly helpful when you have a particular problem you’re trying to solve or a bigger decision you’re trying to make.
One of the things I have valued about 1:1 business coaching is being able to bring whatever is actually happening in my business into the conversation. We could look at a problem, talk through possible solutions, decide what made the most sense, and then come back the following week and see what happened.
There is also something powerful about having another person who knows your goals and can hold you accountable to them. Sometimes the issue isn’t that you don’t know what to do. It’s that you have a hundred competing priorities and need some help deciding where to put your energy.
Of course, if you’re considering working with a business coach, it’s worth paying attention to who you’re choosing. Their understanding of therapy and private practice matters, because building a therapy practice has some considerations that don’t necessarily exist in other kinds of businesses. Their experience and approach matter, too, as does whether the kind of business they are encouraging you to build actually aligns with what you want.
And really, I feel strongly that there isn’t one definition of a successful therapy practice. You may want to build a large group practice with multiple therapists and revenue streams. Or maybe you may want a smaller private practice with a manageable caseload and plenty of flexibility. You may want to remain primarily clinical while making your practice more financially sustainable.
So at the end of the day, the best business coach for therapists is not necessarily the person promising the biggest or fastest business. It is someone whose approach makes sense for the practice you actually want to create.
What About a Mastermind?
So, what exactly is a mastermind? A mastermind is a small group of people who come together regularly to work on their individual goals, challenges, and decisions, with guidance from someone with relevant expertise and support from the other people in the group. In a therapy practice mastermind, that might mean talking through a hiring decision, troubleshooting a referral problem, thinking about a new revenue stream, or getting unstuck on a goal you’ve been putting off. You’re learning from the person leading the group, but you’re also learning from the experience and perspective of the other therapists in the room.
So with a mastermind, there is guidance and expertise involved, but you are also learning through conversation, problem-solving, accountability, and the experiences of the other therapists in the group. Rather than simply being taught what to do, you can bring what is actually happening in your practice into the conversation. Maybe something isn’t working the way you expected, you’re stuck on a decision, or you’re considering a new opportunity and want to think it through with people who understand the realities of building a therapy practice. You might also have a goal that you’ve been meaning to work on but haven’t quite managed to follow through on yet.
That peer component is one of the things I found most valuable about my own mastermind experience. I wasn’t just learning from the person leading the group. I was also learning from the other people in the room: what they were trying, what was working for them, what they were struggling with, and how they were thinking about their businesses.
For me, the relationships ended up being just as valuable as the content. Some of those connections have continued to benefit me long after the program itself ended.
That is one of the reasons I think a mastermind for therapists can be such a meaningful investment, particularly for therapists who are ready to grow and want to be around other people who are also taking their businesses seriously (we actually run a Mastermind here at the Perinatal Collective, scroll down for more!)
Why We Believe Community Matters When You’re Building a Practice
Private practice can become surprisingly isolating, particularly when you are making business decisions on your own, and even more so if you’re working online. For me personally, I’ve been building my business out of my home for about 10 years and it is so lonely sometimes!
You might spend your entire day talking to clients and then find yourself sitting at your desk after hours trying to figure out your marketing, finances, referral relationships, caseload, or next steps. Even when you have a supportive personal network, there is a particular kind of understanding that comes from talking with other therapists who are actually building practices.
That sense of community is a big part of why we created the Abundant Therapist Mastermind. We wanted to create a space where therapists could get guidance and expertise while also having the opportunity to learn from and support one another.
The goal isn’t simply to give you another list of things to do. It’s to have a place where you can bring the actual challenges that are coming up in your practice, work through them with people who understand the context, and have some accountability as you put things into action.
If that sounds like the kind of support you’re looking for, you can join the waitlist for an upcoming cohort (learn more here).
Courses vs. Coaching vs. Masterminds: Which One Is Right for You?
Once you understand the differences, it becomes a little easier to think about what might be most useful for you.
A business course can make sense when there is a particular skill, strategy, or area of knowledge you want to develop. It offers structure and education, while giving you the flexibility to learn at your own pace.
Private practice coaching can be a better fit when you want someone to look specifically at your practice and help you work through your goals, challenges, and decisions. The support is more individualized, and there is often a strong focus on accountability and strategy.
A private practice mastermind can be a good fit when you want guidance but also want to learn through community, conversation, shared problem-solving, and the experiences of other therapists.
And these options don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, many therapists will use different forms of support throughout their careers. The more useful question is what kind of support would actually move you forward right now.
You Don’t Have to Figure Out Your Practice Alone
You can be a really great therapist and still need support figuring out how to build the business around your clinical work, that is so normal! Remember, no one teaches you anything about actually running a business in school (so it’s not just you who needs a little guidance!).
You also don’t have to figure everything out at once, and you certainly don’t have to have everything figured out before you ask for support. We’re in your corner if you need some support, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
+ show Comments
- Hide Comments
add a comment