The Money Sessions

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free   In this episode, we’re following up with Audrey Schoen, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in California.   We first had Audrey on our show in 2021, where she shared her journey going from charging $80 to $200 per session. In today’s episode, she shares how life has been since then and how she’s continued to grow after her initial foray into charging premium fees.   Since her last time on The Money Sessions, Audrey has increased her fee to $375. She gets real about the financial wake-up call that forced her to reassess her fees and what she actually needed to charge to support herself and her family.  Whether you’re still ramping up to your first fee raise or already on your tenth, this episode is a must-listen.   In this episode, Audrey shares:  How she went from $80 to $375/session;  How to make a plan to raise your fees based on your risk tolerance profile;   How being a premium fee therapist has allowed her to do a deeper level of personal growth which, in turn, has allowed her to facilitate deeper growth in her clients;  Her experience stepping into “side hustle” coaching culture and her honest observations around how it can be used as a method of avoiding doing the harder work in your premium fee practice;   Her #1 strategy for becoming a premium fee therapist;  How stepping up financially creates more responsibility and more possibility for therapists, and especially women, in private practice.    Resources mentioned:  LIMB Academy  FWF Calculator  Audrey’s First Episode  Audrey’s Website  Audrey’s Instagram  More about Audrey:  Audrey Schoen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in CA working with adults and couples seeking to create a more connected and congruent life. She especially enjoys supporting anxious overachievers, entrepreneurs, and spouses of law enforcement officers. Audrey also provides business coaching support to therapists helping them design a private practice that supports the life they and their families deserve.  Find out more at audreylmft.com. 

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free   In this episode, Tiffany challenges therapists to confront an uncomfortable truth: undercharging for services doesn’t just impact your own financial wellbeing — it forces your children to subsidize your client’s therapy.   Through real-world examples and calculations, Tiffany demonstrates how the seemingly noble act of keeping fees low can perpetuate generational patterns of financial sacrifice.    In this episode, Tiffany covers:  The Hidden Cost of Undercharging: How the lost income from charging less directly impacts your children’s financial future;   The Martyr Mindset: Breaking down the self-sacrificing mentality that leads therapists to prioritize client affordability over their own family’s financial security;  Reframing Fee Increases: Why raising your rates isn’t about greed, but about creating policies that demonstrate to your children that their financial future matters;  Creating Generational Change: How setting appropriate fees can break the cycle of financial martyrdom and teach your children to value themselves.   Resources Mentioned:  Fun with Fees Calculator

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free   In this episode, we’re speaking with Marissa Esquibel, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in California.  When Marissa joined LIMB in 2020, she was underpaid and overworked at her Community Mental Health job.   When she joined us for her first episode of The Money Sessions in 2021, she had successfully built a premium fee private practice charging $350/session in less than 12 months — during a global pandemic.  And if you think that’s impressive, just wait until you hear about the marketing strategy she’s used to raise her fee to as high as $500/session.   Whether you’re still dreaming of opening your own private practice or already confidently charging premium fees, you won’t want to miss this eye-opening episode.    In this episode, Marissa shares:  How she went from working three jobs to confidently charging up to $500 per session;  How she persisted in the face of rejection after rejection when raising her fees;  The marketing strategies and tactics she tried and what she ultimately landed on; How she created therapy packages that allow clients to pay up front for up to 12 weeks of work with her;  How being intentional about building the skills and taking the steps needed to bring her life vision into fruition has allowed her to show up differently as a mother;  The biggest mindset shift that allowed Marissa to go from a life of overwhelm and being thrown off by external circumstances to a life where she can confidently and successfully navigate anything that comes her way.   Resources mentioned:  LIMB Academy  FWF Calculator  The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Podcast  The Codependummy Podcast, hosted by Marissa  Marissa’s Website  Marissa’s Instagram  Marissa’s First Episode More about Marissa:  Marissa Esquibel is an LMFT, podcaster, and coach based in California. Her specialty is working with codependents—patients, coaching clients, and listeners alike—and she's on a mission to empower young women to stop playing small and start taking up space!  Learn more at therapywithmarissa.com or visit Marissa on Instagram @therapywithmarissa

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free    In this episode, Tiffany talks about the implications of the 2024 election results on our therapy practices, on our marketing practices, and on establishing the value of what we do.   Tiffany will challenge us to get crystal clear on where we stand with values like integrity, insight, and compassion in a time when it seems like a premium is being placed on behaviors like lying, manipulation, and preying on the vulnerable.   We can recognize our desire to be rescued, but it is vital that we don’t succumb to it.    Resources Mentioned:  Fun with Fees Calculator

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free     In this episode, we’re speaking with Jamal Jones, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in California, to discuss his journey from reaching what he believed was the pinnacle of his career—a W2 employee with steady income—to facing the devastating reality of extreme burnout and being let go. Jamal opens up about the intense sense of failure and shame he felt as a black man and Christian, worried about letting his family down.   After discovering LIMB and putting in the work, Jamal rose from these challenges and now offers $7500 therapy packages at his private practice.   This inspiring and uplifting conversation is a must-listen for anyone struggling with stepping into their premium fee.   In this episode, Jamal will share:   His journey from experiencing severe burnout and losing his stable W2 job to now offering $7500 therapy packages at his private practice;  Why he chose to work with therapy platform tech when first starting his practice and how that supported his next steps;  How your earnings as a therapist are affected by your Self-Concept level of income;  How his Christian background and ministry work impacted his money mindset.   Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy   FWF Calculator   Jamal's Website    More about Jamal: Jamal Jones, LMFT is a therapist, speaker, and Growth Coach for Therapists in Private Practice based in Fresno, California. He helps entrepreneurs scaling their business from 6 - 7 figures and beyond take inspired action with clarity, confidence, and courage.  Learn more at centralvalleychristiancounsel.com.

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free   Here’s a question to start us off today: What if I told you that the constant push to make therapy more affordable is actually hurting both therapists and clients? I know, it sounds counterintuitive. We’re in a helping profession, right?  So making therapy affordable should be the goal.  I’m sure many of you read the New York Times article, which was headlined “Therapy Can Be a Financial Burden. Try Telling Your Therapist That.” and, if you’re anything like some of the therapists I heard from, you didn’t feel great about how cash pay therapists were portrayed. But what if this whole narrative around affordability is backfiring? What if, in our attempts to keep therapy accessible, we’re not only devaluing mental health, but also providing less-than-ideal care to our clients?  Today, we’re going to flip this conversation on its head and explore how the pursuit of 'affordable therapy' is leading us down a path of burnout and financial stress, and ultimately—less effective therapy for clients.  In this episode, Tiffany shares:  Where the push for affordable therapy comes from and its consequences on therapists;  Why “affordable therapy” isn’t a sustainable solution for therapists OR clients;  A new way to think about fees and accessibility;  The power of charging what you need.  Resources Mentioned: Fun with Fees Calculator  

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free  In this episode, we’re speaking with Meredith Blumenthal, a registered dietician nutritionist based in Washington state.  One of our first non-therapist LIMB grads, Meredith discusses going from earning 63k per year working at a clinic to having her own premium fee practice where she charges $225 per session.   If you’re struggling with the ethics of charging premium fees, you’ll definitely want to tune in — we’ll be talking about how Meredith’s feminist and social justice lens reinforced her commitment to charging premium fees.   In this episode, Meredith shares:  The three signs that helped her realize she was burning out in her W2 clinic position;  Her decision to not take insurance at her private practice from the outset (Her reasons might surprise you!);  How getting clear about what she wanted to earn and how she wanted to take care of herself led to her doing improved clinical work and coming into a massive clinical insight when working with one particular client;   What happened when a client was pissed about her premium fee raise and how she handled it;  How dieticians and therapists should be working together to provide excellent clinical care;  Two pieces of strategic advice you can implement right now to start charging premium fees.   Resources mentioned:  LIMB Academy FWF Calculator   Meredith’s Website  Meredith’s Instagram More about Meredith: Meredith Blumenthal, MS, RDN, CD (she/her) is a Nutrition Therapist and Body Image Coach who has made it her mission to help women stop dieting and start living life on their own terms. Meredith believes that our “lack of self-control” and willpower is not the problem. Instead, she teaches her clients why dieting is harmful to their mental and physical health, and how to find wholehearted wellness without depriving themselves of the foods they love or jeopardizing their physical health. For clinical consultation or for your own work, contact Meredith at meredith@nutritionwithmeredith.com.   

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free In this episode, we dive in to answer a listener question from Leah. She asks, how can I build a sustainable, cash pay practice when the expectation in my town is that therapists see 35-40 clients/week and pay very little?  Many therapists we’ve worked with in LIMB have had an internal conflict around the desire to 1) continue serving clients who cannot pay a higher fee and 2) earn enough to take care of themselves and their families.  So, can you have the best of both worlds?!  If you’re looking for the reality-based resolution, you won’t want to miss today’s episode.   In this episode, we’ll discuss:   How industry-specific professional norms unconsciously frame the internal and external fee raise discussion against your best interests;   How location-based cultural norms bias your beliefs about what’s possible for your practice;   Why making decisions about your future caseload based on your current caseload is rooted in cognitive present bias;  The #1 action step Leah needs to take right now to move towards her $150/session, cash pay practice. Resources mentioned:  Fun with Fees Calculator

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free  In this episode, we’re speaking with Nick Bognar, LMFT, a premium fee cash pay therapist in private practice. A former LIMB Academy student and three-time guest on The Money Sessions, Nick now teaches premium fee therapists how to successfully use networking to build their caseload.   Nick and Tiffany have a blast in this episode and struggle to keep from filling the entire episode with quick-witted mirth. If you love to laugh AND you love to strategically earn more in your practice, definitely tune in. Don’t forget to share this episode with that one therapist friend who needs to hear it. You know who we’re talkin’ about. In this episode, Nick will share: Three signs that indicated he was at his max client capacity; The number one key to hiring associates for your practice;  The most important thing to keep in mind to successfully raise fees with existing clients;  His path from a 1:1 premium fee practice to creating an online course business;  The biggest challenge he is currently facing when it comes to learning how to build and scale his online course business;  Three signs that you’re “not doing it right” when it comes to networking.   Resources mentioned:  LIMB Academy FWF Calculator  Nick’s Last Episode  Action Practice Building, Nick’s Consulting for Premium Fee Therapists  Nick’s Website  Nick’s Podcast More about Nick: Nick Bognar, LMFT, is the founder of Nick Bognar Coaching, LLC, and a Private Practice Growth Coach for therapists who want to build their dream practices. Everyone who's ever gone into private practice has lamented the lack of business training in graduate programs. Spurred by this desperation, Nick used skills he'd picked up in three careers — business, hospitality, and therapy — to create Action Practice Building. This 12-week program teaches therapists specific skills and action steps to confidently build a bustling practice.   Learn more at nickbognartherapy.com.   

In this episode, Tiffany talks about how to actually finish what you’ve started.  It’s so inspiring to start a new program or course — we have all of our dreams, we’re motivated and ready to take action — and then what happens?  We fall off. We ghost the program. Maybe we even convince ourselves that it’s “just a break” or we’ll “come back later.”  And then we lose confidence in our own ability to follow through. We lose faith in the possibility that we can impact our own future.  Tiffany doesn’t want that for you!   Grab your pen, grab your notebook, and let’s dive in.   In this episode, Tiffany shares:   What Course Dropout Syndrome is;  How we avoid Course Dropout Syndrome in The Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy;  The three steps you can take right now to move beyond your Course Dropout Syndrome:   Step #1: Historical Lens;  Step #2: Pre-Mortem  Step #3: Building Up Guardrails.   Resources Mentioned:  Fun with Fees Calculator  

Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free   In this episode, we’re speaking with Jelisha Gatling, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and LIMB Grad.   Jelisha was our very first guest on The Money Sessions, and we are thrilled to have her back.   In her first episode, Jelisha shared how she went from $80/session to $210/session. Now, she is easefully charging $350/session, her practice is always full, and she lives in her own condo on the beach.   If you want to know how Jelisha went from struggling between three jobs and living with roommates in NYC to bringing everything on her vision board into fruition, you won’t want to miss this episode.   In this episode, Jelisha shares:  How a dare from Tiffany led to her increasing her fee to $350/session;  How raising her fee gave her the time and spaciousness to do internal work she had been avoiding by staying in scarcity and stress;  The internal work she had to do before stepping into a $350 full fee and how that changed how she showed up in professional and personal relationships;   Three clear tips and practical strategies for those who are currently struggling with charging low fees or feeling insecure about their lack of financial security in private practice;  How working with LIMB changed her life.   Resources mentioned:  LIMB Academy  FWF Calculator  Money Skills for Therapists with Linzy Bonham  Jelisha’s First Episode  Jelisha’s Website → Check out her Coaching for Therapists  Jelisha’s Instagram More about Jelisha: Jelisha Gatling (she/her), LMFT is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist & Private Practice Strategist. She’s an unapologetic boundary enthusiast, who in her off time, indulges in beach naps & reading. Learn more about how you can work with Jelisha at savingthesaver.com.

The Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy is open for enrollment! Click here to join today. In this episode, Tiffany lays out the two obstacles she’s seen therapists in private practice encounter over and over again that keep them from hitting their six-figure year, while seeing 10-12 clients (MAX) each week.  And after seven years of working with therapists around fee strategy in their private practice — including thousands of workshop attendees and over 800 LIMB Academy grads — we’d say Tiffany knows a thing or two about what’s keeping you from hitting six figures in your private practice.  You won’t want to miss this.  In this episode, Tiffany shares:  The two obstacles that are keeping you from hitting six figures in your cash pay private practice, including:  #1: Your community is working against you.   We identify three types of clinicians who are likely holding you back — the Skeptics, the Shame-shillers, and the BFLs.   #2: Even when you find therapists who support your vision and your dream, you (and your group) are unable to actually make forward progress.   Let’s talk about why.  Are you looking for a community to have your back and the framework to make it happen? The Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy is open for enrollment!  In this program, you will get access to the six-figure community and the step by step framework to not only develop a six-figure therapist mindset, but also take the ACTIONS to achieve your cash pay, premium fee private practice.  

How to Charge Like a Six Figure Therapist Live Event  https://learn.leaninmakebank.com/how-to-charge-like-a-six-figure-therapist-live/ In this live online training event, you’ll get crystal clear about how to talk fees ethically and fairly - in a way that honors you and your clients - as we head into your Fall Fee Raise conversations.  In this episode, we're speaking with Emily, a licensed clinical psychologist out of Indiana, who specializes in working with highly successful adults of emotionally immature parents. Emily made a remarkable shift from earning $50K annually at a prestigious university job to charging $350 per session in her private practice, earning many times her previous salary while working fewer hours. These changes have allowed Emily to experience more spaciousness and ease in her life, allowing her to show up more presently as a mom. She is modeling what it looks like to be a mother and primary breadwinner, despite her early childhood messaging that women should be seen and not heard. Tune in to hear Emily's inspiring journey and how she overcame societal expectations to build a successful and fulfilling career. In this episode, Emily will share: How she went from 50k a year to as high as $350 per session in her premium fee practice; Why she made the decision to leave insurance panels and how she did it step by step; What terrified her about leaving insurance panels in order to go private pay; How building her own premium fee practice led to her own personal and professional growth; How she overcame cultural and societal expectations that she will never amount to much as a woman.   Resources mentioned: The Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy The Fun with Fees Calculator Emily’s Website: https://www.silvermaplepsychology.com  Emily’s Email: ewilliams@silvermaplepsychology.com  More about Emily:  Dr. Emily Williams is a clinical psychologist and owner of Silver Maple Psychology, a private practice near Indianapolis, IN.  There, she helps anxious, overachieving professionals set boundaries with their emotionally immature parents, as well as helping people pleasers, adults with ADHD, children of narcissists, and the LGBTQ+ community meet their goals and reclaim joy.  Dr. Williams is known for her expertise, humor, and love of learning.

Surround yourself with a community that supports your vision. Join our FREE live event: How to Charge like a Six-Figure Therapist: September 2024.   In today’s episode, Tiffany talks about how you can identify if your friends and colleagues are helping or hurting when it comes to achieving your private practice goals.   We talk to a lot of therapists, and we’ve been noticing a pattern: therapists who have been wanting to leave insurance panels or raise fees for months or years, but haven’t yet taken the plunge.  Our question: why? What’s keeping these therapists in a situation that doesn’t work for them, that they don’t ultimately want? Why not change?  There are lots of answers to this question, but here’s one that keeps popping up: an important person (or people) discouraging the therapist from taking action.  Let’s talk about it.   In this episode, Tiffany shares:  How to distinguish between advice that’s meant to further your private practice goals versus advice that’s meant to deter you;  How to keep your respected colleagues and loved ones close without falling prey to their limiting beliefs about what’s possible for you;  The real reason your peers are discouraging you from leaving insurance panels or raising your fees;  The number one thing you need to do to make your next big professional leap.  Looking for a community to go forward with you? Join our FREE live event: How to Charge like a Six-Figure Therapist: September 2024.

How to Charge Like a Six Figure Therapist Live Event  https://learn.leaninmakebank.com/how-to-charge-like-a-six-figure-therapist-live/ In this live online training event, you’ll get crystal clear about how to talk fees ethically and fairly - in a way that honors you and your clients - as we head into your Fall Fee Raise conversations.  In this episode, we're speaking with Lauren Pass Erickson, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Dance/Movement Therapist out of Colorado. After receiving a financial wake-up call, she was left with no choice but to get crystal clear about her financial situation and reevaluate her fee structure. By becoming very honest about her financial needs, Lauren not only improved her therapy practice but also set better boundaries in her clinical work and personal relationships.  Stay until the end because Lauren and Tiffany stumbled upon an insight that gave both of them goosebumps. In this episode, Lauren will share: How she went from charging as low as $30 per session to $260 per session; Getting hit with an unexpected $10,000 tax penalty forced her to take a reality based look at her fee structure; How it felt to charge premium fees for the first time; Her clinical work becoming exponentially better as she addressed her own  money mindset; Three pieces of strategic advice that will help you go from struggling to set your fees to confidently charging premium fees.   Resources mentioned: The Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy The Fun with Fees Calculator Lauren's Website: www.naturalembodiment.org  More about Lauren:  Lauren Pass Erickson MA, LPC, R-DMT (she/her) is a somatic and dance/movement therapist who has been in private practice in Boulder, CO since 2020. Specializing in Complex PTSD and Queer Identity, Lauren helps LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse adults reconnect with their bodies after trauma, and embrace their most authentic selves with joy and confidence.