Holding Space For Therapists

In this episode I sit down with Christine Li, founder of Mentaya, an incredible resource for private pay therapists and their clients! We unpack the superbill out-of-network benefits process and discuss the challenges that both clinicians and their clients can face. Christine provides an answer to all of our problems with Mentaya, an affordable option for therapists to support their clients in instantly checking their benefits and an option that allows clients to rest easy when it comes to reimbursement.  Curious?! I was too, and once I learned how easy it was, this outsourcing was a no-brainer for my business. If you're interested in trying Mentaya for your private practice 30 days risk free, use the code CASSIDY!

In this episode I sit down with Kristie Plantinga, founder of TherapieSEO and Best Therapists Directory to explore the future of marketing for therapists.  With AI becoming more mainstream, I've had a lot of questions about how the marketing landscape for therapists is changing. In this episode Kristie answers our questions about how to future-proof your marketing plan, and when it's time to QUIT marketing your practice!  You can learn more about Kristie's SEO services at www.therapieseo.com and her Best Therapists directory by clicking here! Looking for a self-paced roadmap to building or growing your own modern private practice? Check out my recently re-recorded and updated Crafted Practice course here, or if you're already established and just interested in the modern marketing and diversifying your income lessons check out The Established Therapist Toolkit here or by visiting www.courses.drcassidymft.com!

Today I am so excited to welcome Ann Garland, Ph.D. on to the podcast to talk about pursuing a career in mental health. Dr. Ann Garland is a professor at both USD and UCSD and has taught across disciplines to support students in all areas of mental health. Dr. Garland is also the author of Pursuing a Career in Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Professionals - this book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in pursuing a career in any area of mental health care! We're talking about the different paths to becoming a mental health professional, choosing the right training program, practical considerations for aspiring mental health professionals, job opportunities for mental health providers and how this might shift in the future, surprises reported by therapists and what they wish they had known before they started their career path, and more fantastic insights from Dr. Garland's new book. You can find Dr. Garland's book here! Follow Dr. Garland over on Instagram here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

Is there a book brewing in your heart, and yet you find yourself staring at a blank page with that dreaded blinking cursor... Sound familiar? You're not alone! The process of writing a book is overwhelming! Today, we're talking all about how to co-write a book with published author, psychologist, and my former professor, Dr. Rebecca Williams! In this episode, we're discussing everything from taking your ideas from your brain to the page, publishing with a publisher vs. self-publishing, building an effective working relationship with collaborators, marketing a book, and so much more. If you've ever considered writing a book, you don't want to miss this episode. Dr. Rebecca Williams is an award-winning author and psychologist. For the past 25 years, her work has focused on building resilience and embracing well-being across the lifespan. Rebecca has been an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, a program director at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, and adjunct faculty at the University of San Diego. Along with Marriage and Family Therapist, Julie Kraft, Rebecca is co-author of two popular books that integrate mindfulness with healthy recovery from addiction. The first is, The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress, and Anger that Trigger Addictive Behaviors, 2nd Edition. Their workbook has been translated into Japanese, Hungarian, and Korean! Rebecca and Julie’s second book is a skills-based companion book called The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction. You can continue to follow her work at mindfulnessworkbook.com. Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

SEO-what?! Let's demystify SEO (search engine optimization) together and find out how you can start utilizing this mysterious (but not so mysterious after this episode) SEO stuff to rank high on your ideal client's google search! My guest, Kristie Plantinga, is the founder of TherapieSEO, an SEO agency that helps therapists, coaches, and content creators reach more of their ideal clients on Google. You'll walk away from our episode with a clear understanding of how SEO can support your business as a therapist and with 3 tangible tips for integrating intentional SEO into your business marketing plan today! Links: Join Kristi'es email list! Kristie's Google My Business Bootcamp course --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

The doors to my digital courses for therapists are officially open! This includes The Crafted Practice, The Established Therapist Toolkit and Podcasting for Therapists. You can learn more and join here. The doors only open 3 times a year, so if you're ready, let's do this! Ok fellow coaching dreamers, welcome to the Cassidy and Chasity show! Have you ever wondered if you, as a licensed therapist, could integrate coaching offerings into your business? Well, if the answer is YES you're in the right place! Chasity is a fellow Therapist, wife, mom of two girls, and lover of community building. Quickly after hearing about coaching in a 1:many model, she created a coaching community, Momfully You Academy, where she served over 200 coaching clients in nine months. Decreasing her time seeing 1:1 therapy clients allowed her to experience true time freedom. Now, she is on a mission to pass her expertise on to other Therapists to help them turn their private practice niche into a profitable community by creating and launching a high ticket group coaching program. In this episode we discuss the HOW (how do I offer coaching while keeping it separate from my license), the WHY (why is this a beneficial way to diversify and expand your income), and WHAT (what are the different models of coaching you may consider offering!) Connect with Chasity on Instagram at @chasity.holcomb and learn more about her Therapist coaching program Evolve here. --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

The doors to my digital courses for therapists are officially open! This includes The Crafted Practice, The Established Therapist Toolkit and Podcasting for Therapists. You can learn more and join here. The doors only open 3 times a year, so if you're ready, let's do this! I'm REELY glad you're tuning into this episode, fellow therapists! ;) All puns aside, Instagram's newest feature can be a great way to reach and connect with potential clients. Today's guest, Kelly McKenna is a therapist herself and has a background in business. She completely filled her caseload through Instagram alone!  You'll walk away from this episode with a clear understanding of WHY you as a therapist might want to integrate reels into your marekting plan, steps on how to start creating engaging reels that convert to clients or customers, Kelly offers her 2 top tips for finding reel inspiration, AND we spontaneously walk you through a reel idea using a current trending audio step by step!  You can download Kelly's Guide to Creating Viral Reels here and connect with her on IG here. Want weekly reel ideas direct from Kelly?! She has a Reels Membership for Therapists, and with the code DRCASSIDY you can get 50% off your first month! I just joined today and I already have ideas for my next 3 reels. Seriously! She basically does the work for you. She shares relevant trending audios and offers a video/text template that you can apply to your audience.  To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

In today's episode we are exploring ways that YOU, as a therapist, can begin to embrace that inner entrepreneur.  I've invited Dr. Christie Kederian onto the podcast to share how you can begin to develop your "CEO-rientation" as a "therapreneur" as well as creative ways that a therapist can begin to create passive forms of income. Dr. Kederian is a nationally renowed relationship expert, radio host, and has been a featured expert in ABC, NBC, KTLA, the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan and many more. She is also a professional speaker and provides trainings with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. You can follow along Dr. Kederian's journey here! - To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

Have you been wondering how you could become a guest on a podcast as a therapist? Occasionally, someone might come to you directly and ASK, but other times you might need to pitch yourself as a potential guest. If that feels a bit scary and you're a bit unsure of where to even start, this is the episode for you! Today I'm joined by licensed psychologist and copy coach, Dr. Michaela Buccianeri, and we are talking about pitching yourself to be a guest on a podcast! We talk about why therapists make incredible podcasts guests, some reasons that being a podcast guest might be a great marketing tool or meaningful experience for you, we offer some tangible tips on how to pitch yourself and tips and tools you'll need for that FIRST episode! Want to download Dr. Michaela's free podcast guest prep training or access some of her other resources? Click here: https://www.drmichaela.com/cassidy --- Ready to start your own podcast? My Crafted Practice courses (including my Podcasting for Therapists course) open for enrollment September 28th-October 5th! My Podcasting for Therapists course is a mini, but comprehensive course that walks you through everything you need to do to start your own podcast! Those who enroll in the Crafted Practice or Established Therapist Toolkit course on the 28th will gain access to our Social Media Support Session and those who enroll anytime before October 5th will receive access to the workshop on how to host live workshops as a therapist! You can learn more and join the wait-list here: https://cassidyfreitas.mykajabi.com/ To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by money management as a therapist, today's episode is for you! It's understandable. There's all the nitty gritty logistics of managing money like preparing for taxes, budgeting, opening a business bank account, and tracking your expenses. There's also all the emotions and experiences we have related to money that impact the way that we may run our businesses and manage our money as therapists. In today's episode I am joined by therapist turned money coach, Linzy Bonham of @moneynutsandbolts. What I really appreciate about this episode is not only how Linzy demystifies and simplifies a lot of the money management logistics for therapists, but also for how validating Linzy is of all the different emotions and experiences therapists often have when it comes to money. In this episode Linzy drops several tangible tips to help you manage your money as a therapist and we cover the different mindset blocks that therapists often experience when it comes to money. I hope you gain as much from the conversation as I did! If you would like to learn more about Linzy and access her free resources you can do so here: http://moneynutsandbolts.com/links/ You also can check out the taxes workshop Linzy mentions by clicking here: https://taxworkshop.moneyskillsfortherapists.com/ --- Because I know some of you are going to ask :) the bookkeeping company I mention that I work with in this episode is Financial Visions! To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

In this episode I am joined by fellow private practice owner and new mama, Mary Beth Somich from @yourjourneythrough! Mary Beth just recently had her first baby and today we're talking about her transition into motherhood as a business owner and therapist. We explore how she disclosed her pregnancy with clients, how she prepared for maternity leave as a private practice owner, and the logistical and emotional transition back to work after baby. Mary Beth and I share some of our personal experiences with maternity leave as therapists and we both offer our own tangible tips for anyone else who is preparing to do the same or in the thick of it. This episode is a combination of two of the things I am most passionate about (supporting mamas and supporting therapists) and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. To learn more from Mary Beth and access her resources you can visit her Instagram at @yourjourneythrough. To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

For many therapists in private practice, we start setting our fee based on outside data...what are other therapists charging in my area?? Or, what are clients going to be willing to pay for my services?? While this information can be helpful, we also have to be able to first and foremost look INWARD when setting our fee. We need to determine our own needs, the needs of our business, and to consider the incredible value that we bring to our client's lives. I am so excited to share this conversation I had with fellow therapist, Josie Rosario. Josie is a LMSW and business coach and we are exploring some things you want to consider when setting your fee in private practice. We also talk about different business models and how to know whether things like sliding scale or accepting insurance is the right fit for you and your business. We also explore how to remain accessible while also having a healthy and thriving business.  You can learn more about Josie and access her resources at @thehealingstrategy and @josierosarionyc --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

...any other recovering perfectionists here? I know I am! Perfectionism has had a way of coming up in many different aspects of my life...education, motherhood, etc. But, I have also found it to be incredibly prevalent when it comes to my work as a therapist and my life as an entrepreneur.   As we know, our work as therapists can be incredibly nuanced, ambiguous at times, and messy. These are all things that our friend Perfectionism is not too fond of. Perfectionism wants to find control. It wants things to feel linear. And, our inner perfectionist wants that gold star at the end of a good session with a client. But unfortunately, that often isn't how it works in our field or in entrepreneurship.   That's why this week I'm having Dr. Jen Douglas come onto the podcast to talk about how we can create a new relationship with perfectionism. In this episode we talk about the impact of perfectionism as therapists and business owners. We talk about the impact of comparison and the curated highlight reel on social media. And, Dr. Jen shares with us ways in which we can better connect with our true values, how we can embrace our imperfection, and how we can use perfectionism to help us identify what is really important to us.  You can learn more about Dr. Jen and utilize her resources at her Instagram account @drjensf! ---- is perfectionism holding you back and making you feel stuck when it comes to starting or growing your private practice? This week I am opening the doors to my three therapist courses! Each of these courses offers you a comprehensive roadmap to building or growing your private practice (or, starting a podcast!) in a way that prioritizes your unique values and goals. The doors open TODAY, May 19th so click here to learn more and join the community: https://cassidyfreitas.mykajabi.com/ --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

Imposter Syndrome is bound to come up at different stages of our careers as therapists. It definitely has a tendency to come up when we're new therapists and just starting out, but these feelings and fears can show up even further down the road. Maybe you're starting your private practice or maybe you're creating a brand new offering...anytime we're feeling new and inexperienced with something, in comes our friend Imposter Syndrome. There's no one else I would love to explore this topic with more than Dr. Kelly Vincent. Kelly is a licensed psychologist and the creator on her popular Instagram account, @dr.kellyvincent, where she focuses a lot of her content and psychoeducation on Imposter Syndrome. In this episode we explore the origins of imposter syndrome and what impact it can have on therapists throughout their careers. In addition, Kelly shares tips and ways in which we can reframe and form a different relationship with imposter syndrome.  You can learn more about Kelly at her website: http://drkellyvincent.com/ --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

Do you struggle with your mindset around money as a therapist? Do you find it hard to feel confident in your rates and financial management of your practice? If so, this episode will be for you! Each of us has a story and a history when it comes to our relationship with money. We see this often with our clients, but we tend to underestimate just how much our own relationship with money can impact our lives as therapists, humans, and business owners. This week I am excited to welcome Lindsay Bryan-Podvin onto the podcast. Lindsay is an LMSW and Financial Therapist. Together we explore the different myths and messages therapists receive and internalize about money, how we can honor our financial needs as humans and business owners while still remaining accessible, and Lindsay offers tangible tips on how to ensure your finances reflect the type of life you want to have with your private practice. You can learn more about Lindsay by visiting her Instagram profile @mindmoneybalance with links to her website and podcast! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

In this episode I am joined by my attorney Kate Santon! In our conversation we talk about the important steps you can take as a business owner to protect your business. This can be scary and overwhelming since many therapists did not learn any of this in school, but I'm hoping this episode will help you feel more confident when it comes to protecting your business. To learn more about Kate you can visit http://www.sgclegal.com/ or contact her at kate.santon@sgclegal.com or via phone at (949) 396-1040. --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

In this episode I share my conversation with Monica Kovach, former Art Therapist and Counselor turned Web Designer. Monica shares why a website is so important when it comes to marketing, what our websites communicate to clients, how we can incorporate our personality into our branding, and offers some tangible branding and design tips for therapists. No matter what stage of branding or web design you're in, you'll find great takeaways in this episode. You can connect with Monica at @holdspacecreative and https://www.holdspacecreative.com/.  --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com 

In this episode I share my conversation with Stephanie of @therapyuntangled. We discuss the steps she took to build meaningful content through digital marketing on instagram that has filled her private practice with her dream clients. We explore ways to connect with your audience and the vulnerable experience of "showing up" in the public digital arena. In these uncertain times (with the current COVID-19 crisis) many therapists are moving their businesses online. While many of us have taken the steps to move our current clients online, Stephanie offers tangible ways we can authentically build meaningful bridges through digital platforms to help future clients find us. The doors to The Crafted Practice and Podcasting for Therapists the e-course close this Friday April 3, 2020 at 4 pm PST! Click here to learn more or enroll. Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

In this part 2 conversation with Dr. Miriam Kirmayer, we discuss steps she took and that I am currently taking to prepare for maternity leave. You can continue to follow Miriam's work by visiting her website here or on social media @miriamkirmayer. --- To learn more about Dr. Cassidy's step-by-step private courses for therapists including The Crafted Practice, Established Therapist Toolkit, and Podcasting for Therapists click here. For free resources such as the Private Practice Start-Up Guide and to learn more about working one-on-one with Dr. Cassidy, click here! Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com

In this part 1 of my conversation with Dr. Miriam Kirmayer, we discuss steps therapists can take to build a strong referral network to support your business and to know where to send clients or community members when needed. We also discuss the experience of comparison to other therapists who share your zip codes and specialities. You can continue to follow Miriam's work by visiting her website here or on social media @miriamkirmayer. In light of the recent COVID-19 crisis, I'll be hosting two live webinars this week for therapists in private practice who are navigating moving their businesses online and supporting their clients (and themselves). For more information and to register for the webinars, click here. Modern Therapist Academy and Podcasting for Therapists the e-courses open this week as well (March 25th 2020 to be exact!) For more information on both, visit here. Connect with Dr. Cassidy at www.drcassidymft.com