Adventures In Private Practice: Trauma Specialist Leticia Reed, LCSW

Less than one year ago Leticia Reed, LCSW opened her private practice in Long Beach, CA. Find out what resources and tools have helped Ms. Reed muster the courage to open her own practice, what she's learned from clients, and how she manages her roles as "therapist" and "business owner".

Tell me about your private practice...

I opened Reed Behavioral Solution in March of 2012. My practice mission is: "Helping individuals, couples and families achieve hope, healing, wellness and freedom. Empowering my clients to leave better than they arrived is what drives me to provide the best and most effective services. I specialize in women's empowerment and trauma, although I provide a wide range of services to other populations in my practice. I also offer Christian counseling for those seeking spiritual connectedness as a means of coping and regaining a sense of purpose and hope.

Why did you decide to open a private practice?

I began my practice after leaving employment with the County of Los Angeles and feeling like individuals were being failed by the system as they were only treated as a number that became lost in a revolving door. I felt like opening my practice provided me with an opportunity to make a significant impact, one with real rehabilitation and healing.

Clients that therapists find to be the most “difficult” are sometimes the ones who can teach them the most. What have you learned from your toughest clients?

I agree that "difficult" clients provide the most meaningful learning experiences. Through my more challenging cases, I have learned the importance of patience, tolerance, unconditional positive regard as well as the real importance of "starting where the client is" to guide them towards healing. The technique- Motivational interviewing has been the principle that I have incorporated to achieve this while increasing motivation.

What’s your biggest pet peeve about private practice?

One of my biggest pet peeve would be the amount of documentation required as it takes away from my time spent in direct contact with my clients. However, it's necessary as it also provides me with a blueprint and framework that guides my treatment and goals.

How did you discover or develop your practice “niche”?

My niche sort of evolved as the majority of my clientele seeking services has been women with self-esteem and trauma related issues.

What resource (book, website, person) helped you the most when setting up your private practice?

The various resources that have aided me in starting my private practice has been the following: Nakeya Fields of Fields Family Counseling who offers a workshop geared towards assisting individuals starts their private practice, while providing lifelong networking and consultation with other group members. I also used and received a wealth of information from Ofer Zur Institute Practice Handbook for HIPAA friendly forms and regulations. My mentor Cynthia G. Langely, my prior clinical supervisor who has many years in the field serving in various positions, including on the CA BBS panel when the Oral examinations were required, has continued to provide me with a wealth of information and support. Lastly, The various Facebook groups I am currently in, including Julie Hanks’s Private Practice Facebook group have also increased my knowledge that has been instrumental in keeping me current in the field.

What has surprised you most about being in private practice?

The things that have surprised me the most about building a private practice has to be the amount of work it takes to stay afloat and monetary resources needed to build and maintain operation. Another surprise has to do with the number of people hurting and in search of HOPE, some of which are fellow colleagues.

Has your private practice helped you grow professionally?

My private has influenced my growth professionally in the sense that it has taught me the importance of being organized, detailed oriented, punctual, and the importance of networking/collaboration.

Has it helped you grow personally, too?

On a personal level it has made me to be more grateful and attuned to the world and my purpose in it, helping me to not take anything for granted.

Being a therapist can be emotionally exhausting. What do you do to care for your own emotional and psychological health?  

Self-care is extremely important to me. I love pampering myself, traveling and engaging in church activities, reading my bible and praying. I also make it a point to surround myself with positive people that are encouraging and uplifting.

How do you cope with the inevitable stressors involved with being your own boss?

I cope with the stressors of being my own boss by consulting with colleagues in practice and digging my heels in the sand and "just doing it". My tenacious spirit and optimistic personality as well as my strong Faith in God has assisted me in my success in this short amount of time I have been practice. Colleagues that know when I began have commented on my rapid success. I am a very blessed woman and I am looking forward to even more expansion in 2013 and beyond.

Find out more about Leticia Reed's private practice at www.reedbsolutions.com

Can I Feature Your Private Practice? Content Creation Opportunities on Toolbox

Talk to thousands about your practice by submitting content for Private Practice Toolbox.

I've written a lot about the importance of content creation in building a professional online presence, creating value for website visitors and social media followers, and establishing yourself as an expert in your specialty area.

Incoming links to your practice website boost SEO, boost traffic, and establish credibility. It's always better to create content for larger websites. Well, here's your chance to shine. I want to feature you on THIS blog in 2013! Here are 4 ways you can be featured:

1) Pitch a guest blog 

I'm always looking for guest posts from qualified individuals from a variety of fields who can share insights about how to run, manage, market, and thrive in private practice. I recently started working on my PhD and I'm not able to blog as often as I used to. I'm open to posts from professionals outside the mental health field as well. Attorneys, accountants, SEO experts, marketing, website design, interior design...If your expertise can help private mental health practitioners build successful businesses, pitch away!

2) Be featured in my"Adventures in Private Practice" series

Answer the following questions and submit them with a photo, a brief summary of your practice and a link to your website here.

• Tell me a little about your practice…
• Why did you decide to open a private practice?
• Clients that therapists find to be the most “difficult” are sometimes the ones who can teach them the most. What have you learned from your toughest clients?
• What’s your biggest pet peeve about private practice?
• How did you discover or develop your practice “niche”?
• What resource (book, website, person) helped you the most when setting up your private practice?
• What has surprised you most about being in private practice?
• Has your private practice helped you grow professionally? How so…
• Has it helped you grow personally, too? How so…
• Being a therapist can be emotionally exhausting. What do you do to care for your own emotional and psychological health?
• How do you cope with the inevitable stressors involved with being your own boss?
• What personal strengths have helped you succeed in private practice?

3) Be Featured in a "A Day In The Life" Series 

How do private practitioners spend their time? What does it take to create a thriving practice? Track your private practice activities for one day. Submit a word doc, photo, practice summary, and link to your practice here.

4) Be feature in my "Virtual Office Tour" series

Submit a video tour of your office space and I'll feature it on this blog! Submit you information here. Peek inside other therapist's offices.

Other ways to connect with private practice resources:

Join the Private Practice Toolbox Facebook Group

Join the Twitter conversation using hashtag #practicetoolbox (I'm @julie_hanks)

Join the 2013 Therapist Blog Challenge for help creating regular content on your private practice website.

Martin Fisch via Compfight

Adventures In Private Practice: Parenting Expert Dr. John Duffy

When it comes to parenting and family relationships, particularly during the tween and teen years, Clinical Psychologist Dr. John Duffy has become the go-to expert. Not only does he have a thriving private practice in the Chicago area, he also published a book last year called The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens (2011), and blogs regularly for The Huffington Post on relationship topics.

Learn more about how Dr. Duffy parenting niche found him, how he manages the stress of being "the boss" and how he's built a thriving private practice.

Why did you decide to open a private practice?

From the day I began grad school, I knew I wanted a private practice. To be honest, it started much earlier as I idealized characters played by Bob Newhart and Judd Nelson. Later, I realized it was the model I could thrive in. I had spent many years in a VERY corporate environment working for other people, and I knew I wanted to work for myself.

Clients that therapists find to be the most "difficult" are sometimes the ones who can teach them the most. What have you learned from your toughest clients?

I’ve learned patience, empathy, and compassion form my toughest clients. I’ve also learned that, once you familiarize yourself with another person’s back-story, it becomes very difficult to demonize them, and much easier to relate to them. I frequently tap this skill in my private life as well.

What's your biggest pet peeve about private practice?

I miss the camaraderie and dynamics of a group. I have a number of friends in group practice, and I find the idea of a staff meeting to hold some appeal on occasion.

How did you discover or develop your practice "niche"?

My niche actually discovered me. As I began my practice, I became friendly with a number of social workers at area high schools. Teens, tweens and parents became my demographic, and I’m so grateful to discover that I have a great deal of passion for working with families. I’ve been lucky enough to have a waiting list for the past several years.

What resource (book, website, person) helped you the most when setting up your private private?

I learned most from colleagues already in practice, willing to share their stories and struggles. I’m very lucky to have had their help early on.

What has surprised you most about being in private practice?

I’m most surprised by the opportunity that private practice presents. Not only do I see about 40 clinical clients a week, but I do a great deal of public speaking, mostly to parents, I published my first book this year, I’ve done TV, radio, print and other media, and blog on the Huffington Post. None of this would have been possible is I did not have the experience of my practice to rely on.

Has your private practice helped you grow professionally? How so?

Along with the above, I’ve learned more about how to live life from my clients than almost anyone else in my life. I’ll never forget the young man who decided to write the “better story” every day of his life. I think about that mantra most every day.

Has it helped you grow personally, too? How so?

I live that advice, and being in practice also keeps me far more aware of the ways in which I choose to live my life, and when my choices are maladaptive. Hopefully, I have pretty good advice for myself on how to implement change!

Being a therapist can be emotionally exhausting. What do you do to care for your own emotional and psychological health?

I work out regularly. I consult with a few close colleagues. I stop for a while to strum my guitar. And I laugh with my family, every day.

How do you cope with the inevitable stressors involved with being your own boss?

I remind myself of the freedom my practice affords me. I make my own schedule. I work hard Monday through Thursday, protecting Fridays for writing and other activities. I limit the amount of paperwork I do, as best I can. I stay organized as well. My iPhone is my virtual office.

What personal strengths have helped you succeed in private practice?

I’m an empathic, patient guy. I’m a pretty good listener, and my attitude is typically quite positive. I also feel that I have the patience to draw answers from my clients, instead of throwing out my solutions to their problems which, in the end, may not be useful at all. I truly do find that the less I think I know for sure, the more effective a therapist I am.

It's great to connect with and to be inspired by other therapists in private practice!

To find out more about Dr. John Duffy's clinical practice and book visit DrJohnDuffy.com.

Adventures in Private Practice: Psychotherapist Diane Spear, LCSW

Get to know New York City licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist Diane Spear, LCSW-R.

Tell us a little about your practice...

I’m a licensed clinical social worker in private practice over sixteen years. I treat people from older adolescents to senior citizens, in individual and couples sessions.  My practice approach can be described as psychodynamic, interactive, and reality-based, so I’m dealing with how a patient’s formative years affect his/her current conscious and unconscious attitudes about love, work, and play, so that they can build on what works and rethink what doesn’t in order to have a more satisfying life going forward.

Why did you decide to open a private practice?

I decided to open a private practice because I like the flexibility and autonomy of working when I want, setting my own fees, working with a theoretical orientation I find helpful, and choosing a supervisor whose way of working is compatible with mine.

What have you learned from your toughest clients?

What I’ve learned from my toughest patients—and my wonderful supervisor, Dr. Ed Campbell—is that they get to be crazy till they’re ready to listen, and that my responsibility is to “put it out there” consistently and to work hard at doing that, but that I’m not responsible for whether or not they are willing to take it in and use it consistently or at all.  That was enormously freeing!  And a great way to avoid burnout.

Some of my toughest patients are what my supervisor calls “help-rejecting complainers.”  Realizing that they have every right to reject my help, and learning to not take that personally—“You’re not listening to the great Diane Spear????!!!!”—has been really important!

What's your biggest pet peeve about private practice?

My biggest pet peeve (and it’s not very big at all, frankly) about private practice is that I don’t get paid sick days and vacation days.  But it’s a small trade-off for the autonomy I value.  Actually the worst deal is having to pay for my own health insurance.

How did you discover or develop your practice "niche"?

In terms of a niche, I originally worked with a lot of actors, artists, and writers, probably because I had an arts background.  Now I have patients from all walks of life, and I enjoy that variety.  My practice is a general one, and I enjoy that.

What resource (book, website, person) helped you the most when setting up your private practice?

The resources that have helped me the most in setting up my private practice have been my wonderful therapist, Nancy Becker, LCSW-R, and my tough-love supervisor, Ed Campbell, Ph.D., because they told me and modeled for me that if you want to have a successful practice, you have to treat it like a business and market it, and set it up in a way that’s fair to me.  This was a very different approach than what I learned in social work school, where it was politically incorrect to mention aspirations for a private practice.

What has surprised you most about being in private practice?

What has surprised me most about being in private practice was that my therapist and supervisor were right:  with hard work, a business attitude, and a commitment to learning theory and technique I could have a successful business, as they do.  In other words, their success wasn’t based on luck; if I wanted their results, I needed to put in the hard work they did and I could have a great business that I enjoy.

Has your private practice helped you grow professionally? How so?

My private practice has helped me grow professionally because there can be room for laziness at some agencies, without too many repercussions.   But if I’m lazy about learning theory and/or technique, or marketing, I will see the results in a failing practice, so having to be responsible to myself has forced me to have a better work ethic.

Has it helped you grow personally, too? How so?

Private practice has helped me grow personally, too, because I’m forced to confront my own narcissism on a daily basis with my patients, to know the limits of what I can do—I can’t change anyone except myself, though I can work with someone and help them change if they want to change.  And let’s face it:  anything that makes us confront our narcissism on a daily basis is going to help in every aspect of our lives!

Being a therapist can be emotionally exhausting. What do you do to care for your own emotional and psychological health?

I avoid burnout by getting lots of treatment from my long-time therapist, and participating in a weekly supervision/study group.  What also helps is, once again, knowing that I can’t change anyone—all I can do is put it out there, and the patient is responsible for using it or not.

How do you cope with the inevitable stressors involved with being your own boss?

I cope with the stresses of being my own boss by setting up my business in a way that is fair to me, so that I don’t resent my patients.  When I started out, I paid $12 an hour for office space and my first patient paid me $20 per session.  I built from there, but had not learned to set it up yet in a way that was fair to me.  So when a patient cancelled on me, I rescheduled sessions, which meant that I had to pay $24 for office rent ($12 for the cancelled session and $12 for the make-up session), but just get paid $20 for the session.  No small surprise that I wound up resenting my patients!  My supervisor helped me set it up to be fair to myself with time and money.

What personal strengths have helped you succeed in private practice?

Creativity and a good sense of humor have worked well for me in private practice.  I enjoy coming up with analogies that will fit a particular patient’s situation or to explain a complex concept.  I’ve also found that humor can be a great way past a patient’s defenses.

To learn more about Diane Spear, LCSW-R visit her website

Adventures In Private Practice: Healthy Eating Expert Karen R. Koenig, LCSW

When I launched this blog in July I had no idea that one of the perks would be connecting with so many amazing therapists who've created successful practices. I've been inspired by shrinks around the globe who demonstrate the varied ways to make a living, and make a difference with their clients and I thought you'd be too.

I'm thrilled to interview Karen R. Koenig, LCSW for the first in an ongoing series "Adventures In Private Practice" so you can learn from her experiences to improve your practice. I first learned of Karen's work when I bought her  "Food and Feelings" workbook that I used with several of my eating disordered clients.

I've been impressed by Karen's passion for helping clients struggling with food issues, while writing to raise public awareness of how to relate with food in a healthy way, and maintaining excellent self-care.

Tell us a little about your practice...

Although I have been doing general psychotherapy for 30+ years, my expertise is in the psychology of eating--the why and how, not the what of it.  I teach troubled eaters the life and appetite skills they need to eat "normally" and attain and maintain a healthy weight for life without dieting.  I also do Skype and telephone coaching on eating and weight concerns.

Why did you decide to open a private practice?

After graduating social work school and working at a methadone clinic for six years in MA, I decided I wanted more time to try my hand at writing fiction, which meant working for myself.  I applied to be a provider on insurance plans, joined the MA social work chapter’s private practice support group (and learned a lot), and was fortunate to find a peer consultation group that fit my needs.

Clients that therapists find to be the most "difficult" are sometimes the ones who can teach them the most. What have you learned from your toughest clients?

I learned to, as my second year internship supervisor advised, “get my wind out of their sails.”  I think we try to control our most difficult clients more than easier ones which only creates more of a backlash.  Through them I’ve learned patience and to expect as much work from them as other clients.  My biggest shock has been working with clients who in many ways aren’t awfully functional, only to find they’re way ahead of me on a thorny issue.  I always get a kick out of that.

What's your biggest pet peeve about private practice?

Working with numbers.  I’m pretty pathetic when forced to do math and have anxiety about even filling out forms for my accountant at tax time.  I just know I’m putting in the wrong figures.  Also keeping up with my license fee, social work dues, malpractice and commercial insurance payments.

How did you discover or develop your practice "niche"?

After recovering from my own binge-eating problems, I taught in a training program for troubled eaters.  After class, students would ask to meet with me privately and I soon had a small practice.  That’s when I realized that if I was going to do therapy, I needed more training and returned to pursue an MSW.  Shortly after that, I started writing books about eating and weight and teaching my own workshops.  After many decades and books and clients, I became an expert.

What resource (book, website, person) helped you the most when setting up your private practice?

I can’t say there was one thing.  To start a practice in MA, I took a class on opening/running a private practice and that was useful for the basics, and also talked with other practitioners.  One in particular was very generous with her time and let me call her when I had questions.  I think the NASW private practice group was enormously helpful with financial and ethical concerns.  When I moved to FL six years ago, I started all over again.  I decided to take only self-pay clients, which meant lots of marketing work was ahead.  I joined the local social work chapter (unimpressed, I dropped out fairly quickly), but networked with therapists I met here and there, especially in the field of eating disorders.  I volunteered to do talks on eating and did as many book signings as possible.  Slowly my practice grew and continues to flourish.

What has surprised you most about being in private practice?

I've been surprised at how my client load stays fairly steady. I do a tremendous amount of marketing—such as answering requests like this one, hiring someone to manage my social media and pr, doing talks, running a message board, blogging twice weekly, expanding my therapy practice to worldwide eating coach via Skype and the telephone, writing online articles.

Has your private practice helped you grow professionally? How so…

My books, articles, and talks on eating and weight feed (pardon the pun) my practice and my practice boosts my book sales.

Has it helped you grow personally, too? How so…

Well, it’s made me face this I’m-bad-with-numbers perception I have.  I still do get anxious, but I’m pretty on top of things.  When I’m really in a panic, I ask my husband (the math guy) for help.  I love being responsible for my own schedule. I’ve learned to manage time well and to balance work and play.

Being a therapist can be emotionally exhausting. What do you do to care for your own emotional and psychological health?

I now don’t treat clients on Fridays.  At 65, though, I can’t imagine retiring any time soon.  I get energized from my work and rarely feel emotionally exhausted because I no longer see back-to-back clients every day.  Instead, I teach occasionally, write articles, am in the middle of writing two eating manuscripts, and am working with an agency to develop a Facebook eating app.  Switching gears and not having only a private practice keeps me feeling creative.

How do you cope with the inevitable stressors involved with being your own boss?

I don’t feel that stressed except if I have more than three clients in a row.  As I said, I’m fortunate that I don’t need to have a large caseload because I make money other ways.  But I set up my life this way because I didn’t want to be drained and there were other things I wanted to do.  I’m very good about managing my time, though I work many hours and often through the weekend on projects I enjoy (I’m starting to write songs suddenly—lyrics and melody!).  I only wish I could clone myself to do all I want to do which would include a bit more down time.

What personal strengths have helped you succeed in private practice?

I had two neurotically organized parents so I inherited that strength.  I am good at starting and ending sessions on time, maintaining email contact with clients between sessions at a pace I can tolerate and which meets their needs.  I like things easy and accessible so I work at home and have a separate wing of my house for my office and a client bathroom.  Every day I follow a routine of blog writing, checking emails and my message board, then exercising, and getting ready for the day.  I work during the hours I have the most energy 12:15-7:15p, turning away morning clients or those who need appointments at night.  Because I get to meet my needs, I don’t feel resentful.  My biggest strength is taking excellent care of myself and picking a husband who is extremely supportive of all I do.

To learn more about Karen's work and practice visit EatingNormal.com.

If you'd like to be interviewed and featured in "Adventures In Private Practice" contact me here.