3 Things that Distract Therapists from Making a Big Impact with their Private Practice

I’ve helped many therapists build their private practice from the ground up.

And time after time, I see the same road blocks getting in the way of those therapists making a big impact. It’s getting in the way of them serving people effectively.

While there are many logistical parts of starting a business and private practice, those often aren’t the things getting in my clients’ way; those aren’t the road blocks. My clients are able to open bank accounts, set up the right privacy protections, and with some help, find the right lawyer and accountant. The business logistics are navigable with help from someone who has “been there, done that.” The distractions that have my clients shaking in their boots—crippled with self-doubt and questioning every step they take—are deeper than a bank account and some software. These distractions are oftentimes more challenging than the business logistics: self logistics.

Starting a business will test every fiber in your being. It will challenge you and ask you to confront deep, inner wounds. These are the distractions commonly standing in my clients’ way. And if they don’t work through them, their business will be a reflection of their own wounds rather than their wholeness.

To build a business that reflects your strengths and not your fear, here are three distractions every therapist should be mindful of:

1) I'm supposed to have all the answers. In reality, therapy is about being an objective observer helping the client get to what their answer is. Every person’s answers are different. So to think one person could hold the world’s answers is, well, unrealistic. You are meant to give clients a new insight and perspective, and you don’t have to have all the client’s answers.

2) I don't need to do my own work to reflect, discover, and clear my wounds. Not uncovering your past, traumas, and story turns into over-working for a client, and eventually, burnout. It could also look like looking to your clients to affirm how “good” of a therapist you are. Doing your own work as a therapist is essential in preventing overwork and burnout.

3) These feelings are mine. Many times therapists will interpret feelings in session as their own when the feelings might actually be the client’s. Being aware of emotional transference helps the therapist stays out of an agenda and curious— not attaching to the client's struggles. When we're clear, we see more clearly.