Self-Care for Therapists: Balancing Mental Health and Personal Life with Private Practice
You dedicate your entire career to helping others, but don’t forget about yourself! In this latest episode of The Private Practice Pro Podcast, I connect with Bilingual Licensed Clinical Therapist, Jacqueline Garcia, to provide you with valuable insights and actionable tips regarding your own wellbeing as a therapist running a private practice.
You dedicate your entire career to helping others, but don’t forget about yourself!
In this latest episode of The Private Practice Pro Podcast, I connect with Bilingual Licensed Clinical Therapist, Jacqueline Garcia, to provide you with valuable insights and actionable tips regarding your own wellbeing as a therapist in private practice.
As someone who is committed to helping others, it’s easy to neglect your own needs. One of the most important themes of this episode is maintaining your mental health while thriving in your therapy practice career.
Jacqueline shares her insights on how to create a healthy work-life balance, manage burnout, and prioritize self-care.
She also uses tales from her own career trajectory to offer practical advice for individuals who are starting out in private practice or looking to build a successful career in this field.
But that’s not all – we also explore the impact of social media on the therapy and mental health world.
Jacqueline openly discusses how Instagram specifically influenced her decision to create her private practice,Therapy Lux, and how it can be a powerful tool for connecting with your ideal clients.
We’ll touch on the pros and cons of social media, and how to use it effectively while minimizing its potential negative effects on your mental health.
If you’re in need of some inspiration, look no further.
This episode is packed with little nuggets that will encourage you to take your career to the next level by following your intuition, making your own needs a priority, and owning your strengths. So let’s dive in!
Website: therapylux.org
The Therapist’s Guide to Building a Successful Private Practice
Starting a private therapy practice is one of the most empowering and life-changing decisions a therapist can make. For many clinicians, it’s not just about freedom from bureaucracy; it's about redefining what success looks like in mental health. But while the idea of running a solo therapy practice or a group therapy business can feel exciting, it’s often riddled with confusion about how to start, grow, and sustain it, especially while preserving your own mental wellness.
In this blog, we explore insights from therapist Kelly McKenna, who shares her journey from nonprofit burnout to launching a cash-pay therapy practice and growing a community through Instagram. Whether you’re planning a holiday in private practice or gearing up to go full-time, this roadmap will guide you through smart, sustainable growth.
Start Your Private Practice with a Clear Vision
Launching a private practice starts with intentional planning, not guesswork. While most therapists aren't trained in business during graduate school, understanding the basics like business licenses, EINs, legal structure, and practice tools is essential.
Kelly McKenna emphasized that her dual degree in MSW and MBA gave her an early edge, but even with that foundation, transitioning from nonprofit administration to therapy practice required clarity on values and vision. She built a cash-pay therapy practice because she didn’t want to replicate the burnout she experienced in her nonprofit role.
➡️ Pro Tip: Create a private practice roadmap. Define who you want to serve, what your therapy office (or virtual setup) looks like, and how your personal life fits into your business.
Niche Down and Build a Brand
One of the key mistakes many therapists make is trying to appeal to everyone. Instead, McKenna’s success came from identifying a niche: anxious millennial women. This allowed her to craft content, services, and messaging that resonated with a specific audience, leading to her first private pay therapy client within months of launching her Instagram.
➡️ Pro Tip: Use a therapist-approved marketing strategy: Pick a niche, create a few client avatars, and tailor all your content and services toward solving their specific pain points.
Marketing for Therapists: Use Social Media Wisely
If you’re wondering how to market your therapy private practice, you’re not alone. McKenna built an Instagram account called Sit with Kelly and later expanded into Business of Therapy. By focusing on authentic, educational, and engaging content, she attracted a loyal following and generated 100% of her therapy referrals through social media, either directly or via professional connections.
And it’s not just about dancing reels. It's about building trust.
➡️ Marketing Ideas for Therapists:
Share tips related to your niche
Use Instagram Reels to boost reach
Build relationships with other providers (they’ll refer clients!)
Create an email newsletter for your caseload
Cash-Pay vs. Insurance: Make a Conscious Choice
One of the most impactful decisions you’ll make is how to get paid. While many therapists rely on insurance panels, cash-pay therapy provides more freedom, fewer administrative hassles, and higher earnings per session.
McKenna’s advice? Transition intentionally. She stopped taking new insurance clients and started attracting private pay clients via content. Her first session was $250, proving that with the right strategy, therapists can charge premium rates while delivering real value.
➡️ Sliding Scale Therapy Fees: McKenna recommends offering a limited number of reduced-rate sessions, but only if it's sustainable and structured. Doing so makes therapy accessible without compromising your business model.
Set Up the Right Tools for Private Practice Therapists
Having the right tools makes all the difference. Systems like Simple Practice can simplify scheduling, billing, documentation (like SOAP notes), and client communication. Whether you're solo or building a group therapy practice, investing in systems will reduce burnout and allow more time for clients or holidays in private practice.
➡️ Private Practice Tools for Therapists:
EHR (electronic health record) system
Business bank account
Bookkeeping software
Secure telehealth platform
Professional liability insurance
Beware of Mental Health Tech Apps
McKenna and other therapists have grown increasingly vocal about ethical issues with tech apps. Many claim to make therapy more accessible but often underpay clinicians and compromise on clinical quality and privacy.
➡️ Instead of settling for low pay, therapists can:
Join platforms like Open Path for affordable client referrals
Partner with services like Alma or Headway that facilitate insurance billing more fairly
Use online marketing for therapists to directly connect with ideal clients
Grow Your Therapy Practice at Your Own Pace
Whether you're starting a solo therapy practice or scaling into a group therapy practice, your growth should align with your values. Avoid the temptation to do everything at once. Instead, pick one marketing strategy and one business goal, and go all in.
➡️ Example Goals:
Fill 10 client spots in 3 months
Create an onboarding workflow
Launch a website with SEO
McKenna emphasizes, “Therapists often feel like they need to be on every platform. But the magic happens when you focus.”
Prioritize Self-Care Seriously
Success isn’t just about income; it’s about energy, balance, and integrity. Whether you’re taking a holiday in private practice or adjusting your hours to avoid burnout, self-care needs to be central.
By setting clear fees, choosing aligned clients, and protecting your schedule, you create room to be both a present therapist and a thriving human being.
➡️ McKenna’s takeaway? You can earn well, help people, and still take weekends off.
Your Guide to Long-Term Success
Therapists can and should build practices that support their lives, not consume them. Whether you're navigating out-of-network therapy, transitioning to private pay therapy, or seeking a marketing guide for therapists, the biggest truth is this:
You can grow your private practice, serve ethically, market authentically, and still make money.
You’re not a sellout for wanting financial security. You’re a professional. Let your business reflect that.
Final Thoughts: The Private Practice Roadmap
From SOAP notes to Instagram content, therapy fees to referral networks, your private practice journey will be unique, but you don’t have to navigate it alone.
Use resources like the Private Practice Roadmap, coaching, and therapist-centered communities to stay grounded and connected. Let your values guide your business, and trust that success doesn’t require burnout.