The Practice of Therapy Podcast

Can you really build a successful private practice right out of grad school? In this episode of The Practice of Therapy Podcast, I talk with Jarrod Hoffman about building a private practice right out of grad school and the lessons he has learned in those early years of practice ownership. Jarrod shares his experience of stepping into private practice, navigating pricing, working through imposter syndrome, and learning how to communicate the value of the work he does. We also talk about why niching matters, how our own stories often shape the clients we feel called to serve, and why private practice requires both strategy and internal growth. This conversation is a great reminder that building a sustainable private practice is not just about getting more clients. It is about knowing your value, understanding the transformation you offer, and creating a practice with intention and purpose. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Subscribe to YouTube Read the show notes here Watch on YouTube Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Follow us on Instagram Meet Jarrod Hoffman LPC-MHSP, RPT Jarrod Hoffman is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider Temp who works with teens, adults, and families navigating anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and life transitions. Before becoming a counselor, Jarrod graduated from Covenant College and worked in youth ministry. His own experiences with grief, anxiety, depression, addiction, job loss, and isolation have shaped his passion for helping others find healing and transformation. Jarrod loves walking alongside clients as they grow healthier, feel more empowered, and begin to move through life with greater freedom and hope. Originally from Florida, Jarrod now calls Memphis home. He is married to Katie and enjoys jiu-jitsu, soccer, reading, coffee on rainy days, and bike rides on sunny ones. LinkedIn Website

Are you charging enough in private practice, or does guilt keep getting in the way? In this episode, Gordon is joined by Bianca Hughes, LPC, therapist, speaker, mentor, and founder of Authentically BU and the Soulful Clinician Collective. Bianca shares how she moved from hospital work into private practice and the mindset shifts that helped her build a career that feels aligned, sustainable, and authentic. Gordon and Bianca talk about money mindset, imposter syndrome, marketing, confidence, and why therapists need to see themselves as both clinicians and business owners. Bianca also shares why it's important to respect the value of your license, ask for help, find community, and do your own personal work along the way. If you've ever struggled with charging your worth, owning your value, or building a private practice without burning out, this conversation is for you. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Subscribe to YouTube Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Follow us on Instagram Meet Bianca Hughes Bianca Hughes, LPC is a therapist, speaker, mentor, and founder of Authentically BU and the Soulful Clinician Collective. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia with more than 10 years of experience, Bianca is passionate about helping ambitious mental health clinicians build careers that feel aligned, authentic, and sustainable. Known as a "Soul Aligner," Bianca guides newer clinicians through the challenges of licensure, job searches, salary negotiation, confidence, and career clarity. Through heart-centered community and mentorship, she helps therapists move beyond uncertainty and create a path that honors both their professional goals and their true selves. Bianca has built a thriving private practice rooted in her values, proving that clinicians do not have to chase hustle culture to be successful. Her work has earned recognition, including Richmont Graduate University's 2024 Alumni of the Year award, and she has spoken for conferences and organizations, including Amazon. She has also hosted two podcasts and appeared on more than 37 podcasts as a trusted voice in the mental health field. Therapy Website Instagram LinkedIn Threads Soulful Clinician Collective Website Threads Instagram YouTube Free Quiz

Private practice has changed a LOT over the last few years… and therapists are still trying to figure out what comes next. In this episode, Gordon talks with Lex E. Santi about the evolution of therapy after telehealth, online platforms, insurance shifts, and changing client expectations. They dive into why more clinicians are entering private practice, why clients still crave in-person connection, and how companies like BetterHelp, Alma, and Headway are reshaping the profession. They also explore the pressure therapists feel to market themselves, build niches, and create an online presence in a rapidly changing industry. Toward the end of the conversation, Lex shares how writing, narrative therapy, mindfulness, and storytelling intersect in his clinical work and creative life. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Subscribe to YouTube Read the show notes here Watch on YouTube Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Follow us on Instagram Meet Lex E Santí Lex Enrico Santí is a therapist, clinical supervisor, and the founder of A Key Therapy PLLC, where he works at the intersection of evidence-based practice and the deeper human questions that bring people into therapy in the first place. Trained as a licensed clinical social worker and currently completing his doctorate at the University of Kentucky, Lex brings a grounded, integrative approach to his work — drawing on modalities like CBT, ACT, and mindfulness alongside his own framework for healing he calls the AMI model. The son of Cuban immigrants and a former Peace Corps volunteer in Romania, Lex carries a lifelong fluency in crossing cultures — literally and emotionally. He speaks three languages and brings that same attunement to difference, displacement, and belonging into his clinical work. In the therapy room, he holds space for individuals navigating anxiety, identity, and the transitions that quietly reshape a life. He also supervises emerging clinicians, teaches workshops on meditation and understanding anxiety, and is building A Key Therapy into a group practice rooted in presence, curiosity, and care. He believes that good therapy — like good writing — is about learning to tell a truer story about yourself. Beyond the therapy room, Lex is a published author with an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University — the author of four books of poetry and a collection of short stories and essays. A meditator and someone who thinks seriously about the spiritual dimensions of mental health, he lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York with his family. He is a proud husband, father, and has another child on the way. Website Facebook LinkedIn The Song of the Midnight Rider

If you've ever thought, "There has to be a way to make money in my private practice besides just seeing more clients," this episode is for you. In this conversation, I'm joined by Jenny Melrose, host of the Practice to Profit podcast, and we dive into what it really looks like to diversify your income as a therapist. We talk about moving from one-to-one work into one-to-many offers, creating resources based on the same questions your clients ask over and over, and building income streams that do not require you to be in the therapy room 40 hours a week. Jenny shares practical ideas like workshops, group programs, retreats, train-the-trainer models, and digital products. We also talk about the importance of growing an email list, using SEO the right way, and how AI can help you create content faster without losing your voice. If you are curious about passive income, scaling your expertise, or simply building a private practice that works for your life instead of running it, you will get a lot out of this one. I'm excited for you to meet Jenny and start thinking differently about what is possible in your practice. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Watch on YouTube Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Meet Jenny Melrose Jenny Melrose helps entrepreneurs stop spinning their wheels and start building profitable, sustainable businesses. As the host of the Practice to Profit podcast, she teaches business owners how to shift from busy work to strategic action using clear plans, simple metrics, and CEO-level decision making. Her work focuses on turning effort into results, without overwhelm or hustle culture. Website Strategic Growth Plan

What if chronic pain isn't a sign that your body is broken—but that your nervous system is trying to protect you? In this episode, Dr. Melissa Tiessen, a clinical psychologist and neuroplastic pain specialist, joins the show to unpack a paradigm-shifting way of understanding chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms. Drawing on neuroscience, trauma-informed therapy, and real-world clinical experience, Melissa explains how pain can exist without tissue damage—and why that realization can actually be good news. You'll learn how neuroplastic pain develops, why symptoms can move, change, or intensify without a clear medical cause, and how fear, emotional suppression, and learned nervous system patterns can keep people stuck in cycles of pain and distress. Melissa also shares her own experience with neuroplastic pain, making this conversation deeply human, accessible, and hopeful. Whether you're a therapist, a practice owner, or someone who's been told "you'll just have to live with it," this episode offers a compassionate and science-backed framework for understanding pain, anxiety, and the body's threat response—and what it really means to get unstuck. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Meet Dr. Melissa Tiessen Dr. Melissa Tiessen is a clinical psychologist in private practice, serving clients virtually throughout Ontario, Canada. Her practice focuses on the treatment of chronic pain and other chronic neuroplastic symptoms. She is passionate about health professional education and well-being, and is also the co-founder of Intentional Therapist, a continuing education initiative designed to support mental health therapists in protecting and reclaiming their own well-being. She co-hosts the podcast Putting You In Your Schedule and can be found on LinkedIn quietly creating a self-care revolution. Learn more about Dr. Tiessen: https://linktr.ee/drmelissatiessen

In today's episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Tobin Richardson, the founder of a platform called Save the Therapist. When I first learned about what Tobin is building, I knew this was something many of you would want to hear about. Continuing education is a requirement for all of us, but let's be honest. It can be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes hard to fit into an already full schedule. Tobin saw that problem firsthand and decided to do something about it. He created a platform that offers high-quality, accredited continuing education for therapists that is completely free. In this conversation, Tobin shares his background in counselor education, what led him to start Save the Therapist, and how the platform works. We talk about why the podcast format is such a powerful way to learn, how therapists can earn CE credits without added financial pressure, and why accessibility in education matters now more than ever. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the cost or logistics of earning CE credits, or if you're simply looking for a more practical and user-friendly way to keep learning as a clinician, I think you'll really enjoy this episode. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Profit First for Therapists Workbook Ten Sessions Meet Tobin Richardson, EdD, NCC Tobin Richardson, EdD, NCC, is a counselor educator with a decade of experience building and delivering innovative educational resources to therapists in both community mental health and large VC-backed provider organizations. Since launching in early 2025, his NPR-style CE platform, Save the Therapist, has garnered over 4,000 therapist registrants and more than 7,000 course completions. Website Instagram

If you've ever found yourself thinking, "Why is this client so hard to reach?" or "Why does every conversation turn into a power struggle?" this episode is for you. Today, I'm joined by Dr. Anthony Mazzella, a psychoanalyst who specializes in working with narcissistic dynamics. We go far beyond surface-level conversations about narcissism. This isn't about labels, buzzwords, or quick fixes. It's about what's actually happening underneath the behavior and what truly helps. We talk about why arguing over "reality" never works, why confrontation often backfires, and how curiosity, containment, and staying with the process can completely change the way therapists work with narcissistic clients and how partners survive narcissistic relationships. Whether you're a therapist sitting with these dynamics in the room, a supervisor guiding clinicians through complex cases, or someone trying to understand a relationship that feels confusing and exhausting, this conversation offers a grounded and compassionate framework for understanding narcissism. This is one of those episodes that stays with you, and I'm really glad to share it with you today. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Read the show notes here Watch on YouTube Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Profit First for Therapists Workbook Meet Dr. Mazzella As a leader and expert in the field, Dr. Mazzella holds various clinical positions, including, but not limited to, treating patients in his private practice, training professionals at two post-graduate training institutes, conducting research, and lecturing across the country. While his focus with his patients is psychodynamic in nature, his main goals are to build a trusting relationship and help each patient reduce the frequency and intensity of their emotionally painful thoughts and suffering. He helps his patients overcome both acute and long-standing problems that may be more embedded in their personality. Website Instagram Podcast Facebook LinkedIn YouTube

I am so excited for today's episode because we're diving into one of the most transformative tools in private practice right now: AI. And joining me is someone who has been living at the intersection of mental health, creativity, and digital marketing for nearly two decades—Greg Goodman of Goodman Creatives. Greg isn't a therapist, but his story is rooted deeply in the world of mental health. Inspired by his father's work as a clinician, he built a career helping therapists share their voice, grow their practices, and create meaningful impact through smart, authentic marketing. Today, he runs an international creative agency that exists to support helpers—and now he's leaning all the way into how AI can make marketing more accessible than ever. In our conversation, Greg and I talk about the real, practical ways therapists can use AI to save time, generate powerful copy, create content with confidence, and stand out in a growing field. We also explore the ethical concerns around AI, the importance of keeping our humanity in the process, and how to train AI to actually sound like you. If you've been curious—or even hesitant—about how AI fits into your private practice, this episode is going to open your eyes to what's possible. Greg brings a blend of heart, tech wisdom, and decades of industry experience, and I can't wait for you to learn from him. Resources Mentioned In This Episode Read the show notes here Watch on YouTube Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free Consulting with Gordon The PsychCraft Network Profit First for Therapists Workbook Meet Greg Goodman Greg Goodman is a marketing and web design expert with two decades of experience helping therapists grow thriving practices. With a deep understanding of the mental health industry, Greg specializes in creating authentic, client-centered marketing strategies that resonate with both therapists and the people they serve. His passion for visual storytelling plays a key role in his work, as he believes powerful imagery can make a therapist's message more relatable and emotionally impactful. Driven by a calling to "help the helpers," Greg's dream is to positively impact the mental health of more than 1,000,000 people around the world. As the founder of Goodman Creatives, he combines artistry and strategy through thoughtful web design, empathetic copywriting, ethical AI, and photographic storytelling—helping therapists feel confident, reduce overwhelm, and build practices that thrive long term. Website Facebook Instagram