How I Got Into Private Practice [Show Notes]

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

private practice, felt, caseload, agency, clients, thrive, life, leave, space, day, practice, helping, baby, started, therapists, nest egg, wanted, coaching, change, month

Transcript

Note: This video is transcribed using AI therefore some errors have occurred in the transcription of this video.

Hi there, my name is Alexandria Theodor. I am the face behind Stressless Enterprises, better known through my blog stresslesstherapist.com. And I am a small business owner that tailors towards helping mental health therapists and mental health professionals find a work-life balance through entrepreneurship. If you’ve come across this video, my guess is that you are either new to my world, or maybe you’ve been kind of hanging around a little bit better just interested in getting to know a little bit more about me. So the point of this video is to sit down and have a conversation, I’m still getting used to this whole YouTube video thing. So it’s a little awkward for me. So I have my security seltzer with me. And I’m hoping that we can just kind of have this as a conversation between friends. So that’s truly how I want to think of you as a professional friendship. I started my private practice a couple of years ago, and through my coaching business, I help other therapists do the same thing, and find a way out of burnout, and into a job that they love. And they thrive in. I came across private practice out of necessity, and I’m gonna go through my story a little bit, mostly to just kind of talk about like, hey, if I can do it, you can do it too. And I know, there’s so many people out there that say that. But I’m just an ordinary social worker, right? There’s, yes, I have training, we all have training, we all have different areas of specialty, but it’s not like I have a ridiculous alphabet of letters after my name and, and went to Harvard and all these crazy degrees that I am, I’m well-trained as many of us are. But I’m also passionate and determined and care so much for my clients and want them to do well. And in order for me to really provide that best care, I had to create an environment where I was able to thrive, that then I can share that abundance and that thriving with my clients. So that’s the point of this video is to tell you a little bit about me, but also hopefully serve as motivation, inspiration, if you are on the fence about starting a private practice that if I can do it, you absolutely can do it too.

So, as I said before, I am a social worker. I’ve been practicing in the field for, it hurts to count, probably a little over 10 years. At this point in time, at the time of this recording, I have done everything from inpatient hospitalization, outpatient, all the levels in between. I’ve even done medical social work, which I absolutely loved. And it’s really where I kind of hung my specialty hat. And I really just love helping people. I’m fascinated by people’s stories and the resilience that individuals have when faced during kind of really difficult points in their lives. And that’s what drew me into therapy. Unfortunately, that was, I’m sure many of you can relate to, it is a difficult job holding space and being three steps ahead and trying to really help somebody navigate through their most difficult pain points in their lives, and oftentimes just have like, we’ll have it they are going through multiple at the same time. I was working at an agency, a medical agency that I absolutely loved for years, I got my LSW, ours, they are working towards my LCSW and headed to retention to staying there forever. But as time grew on, management changed, the environment changed. I was asking for a raise once I got my LC and though it was promised numerous times it never came. And I was really starting to feel the burnout of being one of the only practitioners there who’s providing the counseling work, getting assigned cases that I wasn’t feeling really comfortable and, and really was missing that support and appreciation. And so I knew in my heart that it was time for me to make a change but I was, I was afraid of it. Even see life is great in many aspects. There’s stability, there’s health insurance, there are people there’s colleagues and stuff, people that you talk to you day in day out is a routine. I was afraid to leave that. I’ve never known anything else. I’ve come from a family where everybody worked in a hospital. So that was, that was the path in front of me. And I didn’t know what else there was. It wasn’t until 2020. And I think we all know what that is. So COVID Hit the world shutdown March 2020. At that point in time, my husband had just left his job because it was a toxic work environment, and he needed to get out. And then the world shut down. And hospitals were brimming with COVID invasions, and there was chaos all over. And I was scared. I was, I was really scared for our, I mean, yes, our health because who else in the world wasn’t, but our financial kind of capabilities, because I was not able to support our household, our basic household needs, let alone any kind of luxury expenses or vacation, I was going on vacation during COVID. But I wasn’t able to support that on my hospital salary. So I had to start private practice to supplement income to make sure that that mortgage got paid, and those bills get paid and that we had food. Thank God knock on wood, both of us had a savings, which really helped us through that time because it’s not an easy, easy start. But I think that was really my wake-up call of like, Oh, crud like this, if God forbid, something happened, where he’s out of work for a long period of time, whether it’s by choice or not by choice, I can’t support us on this income, let alone if we wanted to grow up with family. That’s when I first dip my feet into serious private practice work. And it took some time. And I learned a lot about marketing through trial and error. And I also learned that I love the marketing side of it. I love the business side of it was something that I was terrified of before, like, how am I ever going to get clients because they were always handed to me on a silver platter with an agency. Now I had to go find them myself. And it turns out, I love the networking aspect of it. I love talking to prospective clients on the phone and seeing what their needs were in.

And if I was a great match for them, helping show them how I can help, and if I wasn’t the right match then helping them find somebody who I know was, versus feeling like I was stuck working with them just because that’s what was on my caseload for that day. I learned to love how to copyright meaning my website, my Psychology Today, any marketing material. I was able to show my voice in it. Before, I mean even through grad school, they teach you don’t have any personality, you were a blank slate. So it was liberating, it was freeing to be able to express my opinions. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m just going through the Alec shell, but explaining, like my view on cognitive-behavioral therapy and how I think it could help and what things it could help people with, particularly when it came to say adjustment, anxiety, and depression because those are the areas where I felt like I really shone and had a talent. And so it was really nice to be able to highlight those skill sets and become a big and a magnet for clients who were looking for exactly like that, versus just being kind of thrown in a room together and having that kind of like awkward date, so to speak kind of thing. We’re like, listen, like we got to make this work. It was a match right from the get-go because they were attracted to the wording that I was using, and those were the solutions that they specifically were looking for. So I was able to start my private practice and got officially March 2020 to 2020 2020. I worked at the agency at the same time up until probably March of 2021. Because at that point, it was just too much to be working essentially 24/7 because I didn’t want to leave the agency during COVID. I felt a responsibility and a loyalty to the people I was with. I didn’t want to leave at such a tumultuous time. So once things started to settle down a bit, I put my notice in, took the leap to go full time which was horrifying. I remember being up at night with my husband who was kind of coaching me through like you can do this you’re ready even prepping for it and ultimately gave my notice and people weren’t happy but I also at the same time felt a giant weight lifted off my shoulders because I knew that I was doing the right thing.

Two weeks into officially opening my door as a full-time private practitioner, I was full. I was taking insurance clients because at the time that is what was able to give me that stability and that security while I was honing my niche and honing and practicing my copywriting skills. But I felt I was seeing anywhere between 20 and 25 clients a week, which was the perfect number because I was able to tailor it based on what was going on in my life. If things were stressful, I took a lesser caseload, if things were more abundant, and I had the space I took higher caseload simply with acuity, I was able to work with clients who I felt I really thrived with and make that extra space if someone needed extra space. But then also when things were really tight and overwhelming to be able to rein it back a little bit, so I wouldn’t burn myself out. And I kept that caseload pretty consistent for for quite a while until I learned I was pregnant. So that was a whopping, right. So we’ve had COVID, we’ve been doing essentially two jobs back-to-back, I take the full-time leave into private practice. And then shortly after a month, maybe two months, and I saw that the stick had turned pink and I was pregnant. And I was terrified. I had just built this business baby, I was like, “What am I gonna do?” So luckily, with private practice, I was able to adjust my schedule to accommodate the doctor’s visits, the ridiculous morning sickness, because oh my god, I was so sick for felt like forever, easily half the pregnancy, if not more. But I would have never survived an agency being pregnant. And I fully believe that I was only able to get pregnant while they left the agency and left the stress of that and was able to build an environment where me and baby were able to thrive. I can’t help but smile as I think about it. Because at the time, it was so overwhelming. And it was horrifying. But at the same time felt so good because I knew that I had control. And that I can do what was best for my family. So I took on as many people as I could to make kind of little nest egg for myself knowing that I want to take a long-term leave, I was able to eventually close down the practice, and then reopen it, I took a six-month maternity leave. And I had the funds to be able to support myself because I was making just as much money as my agency job seeing half the clients, right. So now if you’re seeing more people, I’m making double the amount of that I was making, just doing the same amount of work, which was fantastic. And it felt so good. And I finally felt like I was getting appreciated. And I was working with clients who really wanted to work with me versus felt like they were stuck with me. And I was working with people who because we had that rapport, we’re seeing such transformation changes. And it was a beautiful thing. And so I would say January I had the baby, I took a six-month maternity leave to be with her, which was fantastic.

And then I picked right back up when I decided that I was mentally ready. And I was I was physically ready because again, I had some medical challenges that occurred afterwards, I was able to restart agency work, they would have wanted me back 12 weeks that would have been at that’s all I would have been able to afford. And to do. But with private practice, I was able to take six months, which is crazy. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. And I started back super, super slow. Because again, holding space for an infant under asleep and then holding space for adults during the day. It’s a lot, it’s a lot. So I was able to gently go back at my speed at my time I had built that nest egg because again, I was getting paid essentially double, if not triple what I was doing at the agency for the same amount of work that I was doing. And able to to this day work caseload that prioritizes my my life, my family, my friends, my hobbies, my entertainment. So when I do go into session with somebody, I go in feeling refreshed and vibrant, and ready and wanting to help versus feeling like I’m giving them scraps, which is such a change because the flipside was happening when I was working at the agency, I would give all that I had during that, that eight to five, eight to six or seven days, I was working to 7pm at night. And I gave it all to work and then I would come home and be exhausted and my husband won’t want to go out or friends who want to go out and I would just want to rest because I didn’t want to see people I saw people that I spoke to people all day. They don’t want to talk to anybody else. And that was really, really hindering my personal life and I didn’t want that anymore. And that’s not the modeling that I wanted to do for my, my, my baby, my child, I didn’t want that for myself, I didn’t want that for her. I didn’t want that period. So I made the change. And my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. So I kind of lost, I lost my note to the side here, or I think I pretty much covered where I was. And to this day, so we’re talking at the time of this recording, I am still doing my private practice, I have a very small caseload, all of which are out of network, I’ve worked my way down to dropping off as insurance panels and then just doing private pay. I love every client that I’m working with, and hopefully they’re having a similar relationship. If, and I’m, I’m in addition to doing the private practice I’m doing I’m doing this coaching, and I’m doing digital products, and which is a great way to touch and help other therapists and show them different ways that they can build that work life balance, using kind of my experience as kind of mentorship. Not to say that this is the only way to do it. There are other people who have done it a different ways or other people who have built massive practices. I didn’t want massive, I wanted manageable. And especially for right now in the life, the season that I’m in now, I want it small, but then to have the option of passive income and income diversification. So I can still make the same amount of money that I was making before. But working much fewer hours and being able to spend that time prioritizing what I want to prioritize which is watching my little girl grow up and we do Sesay plays throughout the day, and I get to see every milestone and every smile, which is immeasurable for me. So if this is something that you were looking for in your life, in your practice, it might not be a family and having a baby, it might be spending time with a pet it might be traveling, it might be just being able to come home and have energy to eat a real meal and not just rely on fast food because that’s the only thing you have energy and mental space to think about, let alone cook something. Just know that private practice and entrepreneurship is absolutely an option for you. It is been a game changer in my life. The only thing is, I wish I had done it sooner. I wish that I could go back and tell my younger self that it’s okay to take the leap and invest in yourself that it’s okay to not know what you’re doing and to figure it out as it goes and to try new things and to speak up and advocate for yourself. And if something is not feeling right, to say you know what this is this is maybe not the right place for me anymore, even if it was the right place for you, for sure. So, so long. So if you’ve come across this video, and if you’ve made it all to the end, I’m very impressed. And thank you for listening to my story. I hope that it serves as a little bit of inspiration for what could be possible for you too. And if there’s any way that I can help along the way, by all means reach out, I’ll link in the comments below how you can reach out and work with me if you want to or other resources that I have available so you can make this happen on your own. But regardless, they wish you the best of luck and let me know what your entrepreneurial journey looks like because I would love to hear it. This is my story. I want to know yours. Alright, take care. Bye bye

And then I picked right back up when I decided that I was mentally ready. And I was physically ready because again, I had some medical challenges that occurred afterwards, I was able to restart agency work, they would have wanted me back 12 weeks that would have been at that’s all I would have been able to afford. And to do. But with private practice, I was able to take six months, which is crazy. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. And I started back super, super slow. Because again, holding space for an infant under asleep and then holding space for adults during the day. It’s a lot, it’s a lot. So I was able to gently go back at my speed at my time I had built that nest egg because again, I was getting paid essentially double, if not triple what I was doing at the agency for the same amount of work that I was doing. And able to, to this day, work caseload that prioritizes my life, my family, my friends, my hobbies, my entertainment. So when I do go into session with somebody, I go in feeling refreshed and vibrant, and ready and wanting to help versus feeling like I’m giving them scraps, which is such a change because the flipside was happening when I was working at the agency, I would give all that I had during that, that eight to five, eight to six or seven days, I was working to 7pm at night. And I gave it all to work and then I would come home and be exhausted and my husband won’t want to go out or friends who want to go out and I would just want to rest because I didn’t want to see people I saw people that I spoke to people all day. They don’t want to talk to anybody else. And that was really, really hindering my personal life and I didn’t want that anymore. And that’s not the modeling that I wanted to do for my, my, my baby, my child, I didn’t want that for myself, I didn’t want that for her. I didn’t want that period. So I made the change. And my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. So I kind of lost, I lost my note to the side here, or I think I pretty much covered where I was. And to this day, so we’re talking at the time of this recording, I am still doing my private practice, I have a very small caseload, all of which are out of network, I’ve worked my way down to dropping off as insurance panels and then just doing private pay. I love every client that I’m working with, and hopefully they’re having a similar relationship. If, and I’m, I’m in addition to doing the private practice I’m doing I’m doing this coaching, and I’m doing digital products, and which is a great way to touch and help other therapists and show them different ways that they can build that work life balance, using kind of my experience as kind of mentorship. Not to say that this is the only way to do it. There are other people who have done it a different ways or other people who have built massive practices. I didn’t want massive, I wanted manageable. And especially for right now in the life, the season that I’m in now, I want it small, but then to have the option of passive income and income diversification. So I can still make the same amount of money that I was making before. But working much fewer hours and being able to spend that time prioritizing what I want to prioritize which is watching my little girl grow up and we do Sesay plays throughout the day, and I get to see every milestone and every smile, which is immeasurable for me. So if this is something that you were looking for in your life, in your practice, it might not be a family and having a baby, it might be spending time with a pet it might be traveling, it might be just being able to come home and have energy to eat a real meal and not just rely on fast food because that’s the only thing you have energy and mental space to think about, let alone cook something. Just know that private practice and entrepreneurship is absolutely an option for you. It has been a game changer in my life. The only thing is, I wish I had done it sooner. I wish that I could go back and tell my younger self that it’s okay to take the leap and invest in yourself that it’s okay to not know what you’re doing and to figure it out as it goes and to try new things and to speak up and advocate for yourself. And if something is not feeling right, to say you know what this is this is maybe not the right place for me anymore, even if it was the right place for you, for sure. So, so long. So if you’ve come across this video, and if you’ve made it all to the end, I’m very impressed. And thank you for listening to my story. I hope that it serves as a little bit of inspiration for what could be possible for you too. And if there’s any way that I can help along the way, by all means reach out, I’ll link in the comments below how you can reach out and work with me if you want to or other resources that I have available so you can make this happen on your own. But regardless, they wish you the best of luck and let me know what your entrepreneurial journey looks like because I would love to hear it. This is my story. I want to know yours. Alright, take care. Bye bye.

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Hello, I’m Alexandria Theordor, a life-first business strategies helping therapists create a private practice that prioritizes their personal life and values. My goal is to help you achieve the freedom to focus on what matters most: health, wealth, and relationships. Whether it’s through my consulting services or online resources, I’m here to provide the guidance and support you need to succeed in your business endeavors. My aim is to help you gain the confidence and knowledge necessary to launch your own profitable practice.

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