Have you felt a pull to starting and running your group private practice? Are you ready to trade the security of being an employee for someone else’s business for the freedom of being your own boss?

In today’s episode, I speak with Dakota about why (and how) she stopped working for other people and started working for herself. She enjoyed being in a group private practice so much that she wanted to start her own!

Join us today to hear more about how she made the transition, how it’s going now, and about an easy trick you can use to boost your Psychology Today profile ranking online!

MEET DAKOTA

Dakota (she/her) is a registered social worker with a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology who owns Down to Earth Counselling and Consultation in London, Ontario. As a neurodivergent, queer, cisgender woman and White settler based in London, Ontario, she offers relational, client-centered psychotherapy to children, youth, young adults, and couples. Dakota values authenticity and connection, showing up as a human first and a therapist second. Her work focuses on fostering meaningful therapeutic relationships and supporting clients in deepening their connections with themselves and others.

Learn more about Dakota on her practice website, LinkedIn, Psychology Today, and Instagram profiles.

In this episode:

• Becoming a therapist

• Opening her own private practice

• Peer consulting with other therapists

• How to boost your Psychology Today profile

• Dakota’s advice for listeners

Becoming a therapist

Once Dakota realized that she wanted to spend more time working in a clinical setting, she went back to school to become a therapist.

Opening her own private practice

Now, Dakota has launched her private practice and intends to expand it into a group practice. Dakota has surprised herself with enjoying the business side of running a private practice more than she thought she would.

This aspect of being a private practice owner, the fact that you can do multiple things throughout the week, makes it more interesting, nuanced, and diverse.

‘It’s nice to do therapy for a bit, run the business for a bit, the podcast for a bit, mix it up!’ - Jules Smith

Peer consulting with other therapists

One of Dakota’s values, upon which she founded her Canadian private practice, is connection, and that includes the connection she has with her clients and also with her fellow clinicians and practice owners.

Dakota uses Instagram mostly to connect with other therapists, and also for her marketing efforts.

How to boost your Psychology Today profile

About once a week, Dakota will edit something small on her Psychology Today profile, which boosts it on webpage searches.

It’s not the only thing you need to do to get your marketing schedule working well! However, when you often edit and update your socials, it shows Google and other platforms that your website or listing is active, and Google favours that.

When client conversions are slow, Dakota will take the time that she would have spent seeing clients into marketing her practice, broadening its reach, and increasing her efforts to find new clients in the upcoming days or weeks.

Dakota’s advice for listeners

The growth that comes with starting a private practice often requires embracing uncertainty and learning curves! Reflect on these hurdles in the road, and know that they are part of the journey. So, keep going!

Connect with me:

Instagram

Website

Resources mentioned and useful links:

Ep 167: Ali Joy Richardson and Neil Silcox: Running a Successful Practice as a Couple | EP 167

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 FEARLESS for one month free)

Get some help and freebies on your website with WordPress!

Learn more about Dakota on her practice website, LinkedIn, Psychology Today, and Instagram profiles

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