Building an "Outside the Box" Practice to Avoid Burnout
When I was a baby therapist trainee, I stood at a crossroads. I could either go down the agency route as I saw some of my older peers do before me or I could go into a private-practice model internship where I would be responsible for getting all of my own clients.
Choosing the former sounds like a smart choice on paper:
Accrue hours for licensure quickly
Have a consistent paycheck
Not have to worry about client referrals or marketing
The latter choice felt very risky:
Uncertainty the timeline for gaining hours
Unpredictable income
Figure out how to market and attract clients to my practice
Choosing the agency route seems like the best choice for someone who gets easily overwhelmed and doesn’t do well with surprises, but deep down my gut was emphatically screaming “NO!”. I knew I would get burned out as I had seen other therapists before me.
Even as a baby therapist, I was already seeing amazing therapist friends need to leave the field due to compassion fatigue and frustration. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain my energy and health seeing so many clients and dealing with all the paperwork requirements. So I made the big, scary decision to go into a private practice-model internship while working a part-time admin job on the side until I built up my caseload and got licensed.
Honestly, it was THE best decision I ever made in my whole career. Although the first few months were filled with beginner's mind, learning one new task after another, and anxiety about gaining new clients, I slowly but surely made progress. First I made a website and researched about SEO, then I added on social media, then after awhile I started blogging, and eventually I started volunteering to help out with HSP events. I got to know people through therapist Facebook groups, in-person trainings, and the occasional cup of tea with a new colleague.
Build Your Practice at Your Own Pace
At times the slow pace of building a therapy practice as an HSP was agonizing. This was only because I was looking outward to compare myself to what everyone else was doing, to how they were defining success as a therapist. I saw people seeing 10 clients per day, networking a few times per week, going to all the trainings. I couldn’t keep up with that pace and honestly didn’t want to, but I felt like I should. For a moment, I thought that’s what a successful therapist had to be. Slowly as I surrounded myself with my HST community, I reoriented back inward to what I needed and wanted, to what felt sustainable.
For me, that was a streamlined practice seeing no more than 10 private pay clients per week (no couples, no kids, no families, no insurance paperwork, just Highly Sensitive Introvert adults wanting depth therapy). After a few years my practice felt established so I began my small consultation business. Here I am able to nurture other parts of myself while making additional income (community building through workshops and group programs, geeking out on systems and support through consultation).
Having started blogging a few years ago, I have slowly received more opportunities to write guest posts and have multiple books published. All these different pieces have taken time to put into place, but are right on time for my HSP needs. Slowly but steady, quality over quantity tends to suit our temperament best.
Build Your Practice On Your Own Terms
Although your story will be different from mine, what I hope you can take away from my experience is this:
Instead of looking outward at what every other therapist else is doing, build your practice on your own terms. Insurance or no insurance, 10 clients or 20 clients per week, just see clients or only see a few while adding in other income streams, choose what will feel sustainable and fulfilling for you. There’s no one right way.
Build your practice at your own pace. As Sensitive people, we’re wired to process, to get it done right the first time. Give yourself time to reflect and grow into what would feel right for you.
Only you can define what a “full” practice is. For me that’s 10 clients per week, for you that might be 5 or 25. The majority of HSTs prefer 10-12 clients per week or less when finances aren’t a limiting factor.
