Have you noticed gaps in your community where there are needs that require attention? Are you hearing the same or similar pains over and over in the lives of the people around you? This is what happened to Jennifer, and she took the initiative to provide services to those whom she saw needed them the most. 

In this episode, Jennifer and I discuss how she based her new, growing Canadian private practice on the values of cultural awareness, belonging, and identity, and how she is making the transition to solo practice financially stable. 

We also talk about blogs, working with AI, instilling balance, and why adaptability is an important gift that you should give yourself when working in this mental health field. There are many gems to share, so welcome our conversation! 

MEET JENNIFER

Jennifer Bonilla is a Registered Psychotherapist and the founder of Therapy Across Seasons, serving adults and families online across Ontario. She specializes in helping clients understand how attachment and family dynamics shape their confidence, boundaries, and relationships. Guided by compassion and cultural awareness, Jennifer supports people in moving through life's seasons with greater clarity, connection, and resilience. 

Learn more about Jennifer on her practice website, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles. 

In this episode: 

• Why Jennifer decided to become a therapist 

• Starting a private practice

• Centering Culture in Private Practice 

• Financial prep to curb fear 

• Marketing the practice 

• Jennifer's advice for listeners 

Why Jennifer decided to become a therapist 

Jennifer started in the mental health field as a child and youth worker. 

While Jennifer enjoyed working with youth and children in Toronto, she saw gaps in care.

Starting a private practice 

Jennifer appreciated the experience that she had working in other group practices, but she knew that she wanted to start her own practice because she wanted to lay her own foundation.

Apart from wanting to ground her practice on a specific set of goals and values, Jennifer also wanted to live a professional life that had more flexibility to it. She wanted to create her own schedule, rather than follow one from someone or something else.

Centering Culture in Private Practice 

Jennifer noticed that many of her clients kept having the same or similar issues around culture, identity, belonging, and self-assurance. 

These conversations kept coming up, and Jennifer noticed that at the core of some of her clients' anxieties were anxieties around cultural identity. 

Financial prep to curb fear

Jennifer is working in phases. She still has a caseload in the other group private practice, and sees clients on the side in her new, growing private practice. 

She's slowly transitioning out of one and into the other as her income grows to make this change carefully and intentionally, without risking her income and livelihood. 

By taking it slowly, such as building up emergency savings, relying a little on contract work, and slowly transitioning into private practice, Jennifer can keep making her professional choices from a place of intentionality, not fear. 

Marketing the practice 

Jennifer is going full-tilt on marketing her solo practice. When she has the time - or makes the time - she writes blogs, vlogs, and networks to get her business off the ground. 

When it comes to writing blogs, Jennifer does use AI tools to help her with prompts, but is careful to keep her words her own. 

Furthermore, Jennifer is brainstorming about the possibility of hosting workshops from 2026 onwards. 

Jennifer's advice for listeners 

Take a seasonal perspective. Remember that things come and go, times change. What is sustainable overall? How can you adapt throughout the times? 

Connect with me:

Instagram

Website 

Resources mentioned and useful links:

Encore: Affordable Ways to Start a Canadian Private Practice in 2025 | EP 181

Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice

Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice

Jane App (use code FEARLESS2MO for two months free)

Create your website with WordPress! 

Learn more about Jennifer on her practice website, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles 

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