The Gift of a Supportive + Sustainable Practice
Last Wednesday I was wrapping up a day of seeing clients - my notes were complete, laptop shut down, my weighted lap blanket folded up, you know the drill. As I went to put everything away for the night, I remembered that I was done with video sessions for the week and had a wave of gratitude wash over me. I was grateful to be able to set up my practice in a way that fully supports my sensitive needs - a scenario that took years of inner reflection, trial and error, and setting difficult boundaries to reach. Mainly, I was grateful to myself for listening to those needs, not being swayed by the “shoulds” of what private practice is supposed to look like.
Not too long ago, I decided to give myself permission to only offer phone sessions on Thursdays. Since I am a private pay clinician in a solo practice who works well over the phone, why not do this? Even though this made sense, I still had a hint of internal resistance creeping in:
“You have to offer video sessions every day you see clients.”
“No one wants phone sessions all the time.”
“New clients won’t choose to mainly have phone sessions.”
I took a step back to evaluate the validity of these limiting beliefs. The reality is that I work with introverted highly sensitive people, most of whom feel overstimulated by too much time on video and are already doing more video meetings than preferred. I made the switch and you know what? My Thursdays have stayed full ever since with existing and new clients who actually prefer phone sessions. All those limiting beliefs have turned out to be false.
The benefit of having one working day per week where I can offer services but not have to be on video frees up so much energy. I can be in my comfiest clothes (let’s be honest, my work attire is already in the comfort category) and not worry about being video ready. I can skip setting up my backdrop since I live in a tiny house and don’t have a dedicated office space. I also benefit from being able to walk and/or be outside during the sessions if needed. Being able to feel the sun or move my body instead of being stuck in front of the computer is a welcome break. I’ve also found that I can be more present, regulated, and grounded during difficult sessions when I can move around, either in the house or outside in my back yard.
Thinking about the phone session switch led me to reflect on all the ways I have set up my practice to be HSP-friendly and sustainable. There are many, but here are a few highlights that you may want to consider for yourself:
30-Minute Breaks
A longer break gives me enough time to decompress, write a note and process the previous session, and then prepare for the next session. I have found this to be essential to keep the overwhelm and burnout away. For more on how to set up a sustainable and financially viable schedule, click here to explore my Burnout to Balanced course.
Self-Care Fridays
This is a buffer between client days and the weekend to decompress and recharge before heading into the busyness of running errands, doing house chores, and catching up with loved ones. It can also be helpful to have a buffer in the middle of the week, if that works better for your schedule.
No Cold Calls + An Automated Intake Process
Recently I took my work number off my website and increased the number of contact forms to make it easier for prospective clients to reach out. Personally, I like to have time to prepare so answering calls or returning voicemails can be difficult. I’d rather have a small sense of what to expect on the call. Also, if it’s clearly not a good fit from the start I can refer the client out via email before ever getting to the phone call. Since my ideal client is introverted, they also prefer email over phone as the initial contact so it’s a win-win.
Predictable Scheduling
We all know how stressful the back and forth of scheduling is or the frustration of having a bunch of sessions in a row or too long of a break in the middle of the day. I corrected this problem by making all my appointments start at the same time on every day that I see clients. For example, my sessions start at 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 5pm. This allows my nervous system to acclimate to a predictable rhythm and helps me maintain boundaries with clients.
As a Sensitive Therapist, it’s important to think outside the box when setting up your practice. Don’t worry about what you should do or what everyone else is doing, but what would feel supportive and sustainable to you. What are some small (or big) ways you could make your practice more customized to your needs?
