The Bad Therapist Show

Can you hire a 1099 therapist just because it seems simpler and cheaper than putting someone on payroll? If you're growing a group practice, that assumption is worth questioning before you offer someone a contract.In today's episode, I'm joined by Lauren Phillips, accountant and owner of Private Practice CPA, to unpack the difference between a 1099 contractor and a W-2 employee. We talk about what your schedules, rates, and intake process reveal about the working relationship, why a signed agreement isn't the whole story, and where supervision adds another layer.Then we get into the money. Covering a clinician's pay is only part of what makes a hire financially viable. Lauren explains the other costs to plan for while I share why being able to fill your own caseload doesn't automatically mean you can fill someone else's.Already wondering whether you've classified someone incorrectly? We also discuss a possible path to correcting it. You'll leave with clearer questions to bring to your accountant before your next hire or your next payroll decision.Topics covered on Hiring a 1099 Therapist:The day-to-day details that matter more than a signed contractor agreementWhat a W-2 clinician can cost beyond their pay, including state-specific requirementsThe caseload, overhead, and cash reserves to consider before committing to a hireWhy pre-licensed clinicians and supervision need a closer look before using a 1099What the IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program may offer practice owners who've misclassified cliniciansWhen getting help with the numbers can reveal that your practice isn't ready to hire yetResources from this episode:Book a free discovery call with Private Practice CPA. As a Bad Therapist Show listener, you’ll receive free 2026 bookkeeping catch-up when you sign up before December 1st.Connect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachQuote:“If the math doesn't work, change the pay structure, not the classification.” - Lauren Phillips

At some point you stopped saying the big goal out loud. The results were slower than you needed, the gap between here and there started to hurt, and the dream became heavy to hold, so you traded it for smaller goals that felt safer. The relief was real, and so was the cost.In today's episode, I'm talking about why the size of your goals is a business decision, what happens to your growth when you stop feeding the dream, and how to grow your private practice around a vision you actually keep.The therapists I've watched move fastest were unapologetic about wanting wealth, freedom, and travel before the results showed up. What they never did was let the dream go quiet. I'll show you why it happens, the good therapist conditioning you're up against, and the habits that keep a big vision alive while the results are still coming.Your dream isn't a nice-to-have. It's the fuel that gets you through the hard parts, and picking it back up is this week's work.Topics covered on Growing Your Private Practice:What happens when the dream goes quiet and playing it safe becomes the planGood therapist conditioning and the myth that wanting money, freedom, and travel is selfishWhy saying your dream out loud keeps you honest without locking you inHow to look for evidence that it's already working without pretending everything is fineHow to pair a crystallized vision with real action steps, so you stop wishing or grinding your way thereWhat an unapologetic dream does to your charisma, your marketing, and your salesConnect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachRelated episodes:How to Make More Money as a Therapist: One Therapist's $35K Month [Ep 187]Quote:“If you don't have something that's really, really inspiring, you will not have the energy that you need to go through the really hard bits.” - Felicia

Think there’s a cap on your income as a solo therapist? Think again. If you're wondering how to make more money as a therapist without giving up the life you're building the practice for, I want you to meet Sandra Killebrew, my one-on-one coaching client who hit her first $35,000 while working together.In today's episode, Sandra shares how she reshaped her solo private practice serving high-conflict couples. She raised her fees, changed her cancellation policy, and created half-hour gaps between sessions. She also stopped offering free consult calls, a decision that made sense for the demand she'd already built.But Sandra's story starts before we ever worked together. After listening to this podcast, she made changes that meant fewer hours with clients and less scheduling chaos. We talk about why investing in your clinical skills can only take your business so far, and what happens when you start taking marketing and sales just as seriously.If your practice is already established and you want more room to earn, rest, and travel, this conversation will help you think through what your solo practice actually needs.More about Sandra Killebrew:Sandra Killebrew, LMFT, is a couples therapist who specializes in high-conflict couples. She owns the Center for Excellence in Marriage and Family Therapy.Topics covered on How to Make More Money as a Therapist:Why clinical skill alone wasn't enough for Sandra's next income goalHow getting too clinical keeps you from being bold enough in your marketingHigher fees, longer sessions, and the half-hour gaps that changed her workdayThe website messaging and client demand behind her decision to stop free consult callsGetting paid while you and a new client work out whether you're a fitHow Sandra assessed the financial risk of extended time off rather than relying on confidence aloneSix weeks off in India and a $35K month right after: the foundation that made the leap safeResources from this episode:The Entrepreneurial Podcast EP 153: Your Cancellation Policy is Losing You Money with The Bad Therapist, Felicia Keller- BoyleConnect with Sandra Killebrew:Website: centerforexcellencemft.comInstagram: @sandra.killebrew.lmftConnect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachRelated episodes:The Anatomy of a $20K Month for Solo Therapists (It's Simpler Than You Think) [Ep 149]SEO Blogging for Therapists: How Long It Really Takes to Get More Traffic and Inquiries [Ep 153]Quote:“Be an above-average therapist, and then move on. Develop your business skills. Develop your marketing skills. Be able to talk about what you do in a way that people understand.” - Sandra Killebrew

There's a moment when someone is finally ready to ask for help. They know the problem is bad enough, they've stopped telling themselves to wait, and they start looking for a therapist. That's peak motivation, and it doesn't last. If your therapist website doesn't quickly show that you understand what they're going through, it can fade before they reach your contact page.In today's episode, I'm making the case that every specialty in your practice deserves its own page, and I'm walking you through the beats that make therapy website specialty pages convert. The therapist who books the client isn't the most credentialed one in town. It's the one who becomes the obvious choice on the page.I'll show you how to describe the problem in the language of your client's actual day, why the steps you find obvious aren't obvious to someone in crisis, and where your call to action belongs.You don't have to rebuild your whole site. Start with the one specialty you're most excited to talk about, and turn that page into the one that keeps a motivated visitor from leaving.Topics covered on Therapist Website:Why a specialty that lives only as a bullet on your homepage can cost you a client who was already ready to bookHow to describe your ideal client's problem from the outside in, so they recognize their own life on the pageWhy every specialty page needs its own introduction, even though you already have an About pageWhat has to be spelled out before a client will take the next step, and why it feels obvious to you but not to themWhere your call to action belongs on a service page, and why repeating it helps the client rather than turning you pushyHow to build a specialty page FAQ from Google's People Also Ask to support your SEO and AI searchResources from this episode:Liberated Business, my signature group coaching program for therapists who want to build a multi-six-figure private practiceConnect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachRelated episodes:4 Things Every Therapist Website Homepage Needs to Fill Your Private Practice [Ep 159]: what belongs on your homepage before a visitor clicks through to a specialty pageHow to Find Your Niche as a Therapist [Ep 183]: choosing the specialty you are most excited to build a page forQuote:“Vague language costs you clients. The therapists who are converting aren't the ones who are the most credentialed or the most experienced.” - Felicia

You finally get the marketing to work, then the inbox becomes a full-time job. More inquiries, higher fees, fewer people on your caseload, and your best hours disappearing into emails from people who were never going to book.In this replay episode, I'm walking you through marketing for therapists for when you're done guessing: a defined strategy I understand well enough to turn up or ease off, and a fast way to sort who is genuinely right for your practice.Here's the thing: you can delegate this, and you probably should. Someone else can screen for you, and it really spares your energy so you can focus on the work that only you can do. You don't have to see more clients, work long hours, or cross your boundaries. Tune in!Topics covered on How to Double Your Practice Revenue Without Adding More Clients:Why a good reputation, a long career, and a full caseload stop carrying you at the income ceilingWhat a defined marketing strategy looks like in practice, and how to tell when to turn it up or ease offWhy a flood of inquiries from people who are not a fit is a delegation problem rather than a marketing failureQualifying on your own inquiry form, and the trade-off in every barrier you addWhy delegating the inbox actually good, and how to set it up so you still see what mattersWhat a defined marketing strategy actually looks like, and how you know which part to adjust when it slows downResources from this episode:Liberated Business, my signature group coaching program for therapists who want to build a multi-six-figure private practiceConnect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachRelated episodes:Marketing for Established Therapists: From Getting Found to Getting Known [Ep 173]: building visibility when reputation alone stops being enoughThe Private Practice Marketing Strategy I'd Use to Scale to Multi-6 Figures From Scratch [Ep 162]: the strategy behind consistent income instead of random good monthsQuote:“You need a marketing system that works when you need it, lets you relax when you want to, and brings you the right kind of clients." - Felicia