Episode 7: Tips, Tricks and Tools to Build an Online Therapy Practice, with Shayla Peterson
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Welcome to the online income for therapists podcast!
what this episode is all about
Shayla Peterson is a Step by Step Course Graduate and has built a successful online therapy practice working with professional women or students balancing work, life, motherhood, being a partner, all of those things in one. Today she shares her tips, tricks, and strategies for starting and growing an online therapy practice. Listen in as we discuss writing copy to speak to your ideal client, abundance mindset, fee setting, connecting with other clinicians, and so much more!
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Introduction: (00:16)
Hey, my friends, I am so glad that you're tuning in today. You're listening to the Online Income for Therapists podcast where we help you learn how to live with more freedom, flexibility, and flow, and we do this by helping you to take your passions and your hard-earned skills and turn them into businesses that live online. Whether it is building an online therapy practice or creating online courses or memberships. We got you. We cover it all here. All the ways that you can create more impact and make more income because we're all about service here with service without the sacrifice. Today we have a really special guest. Shayla Peterson graduated from Step by Step and before she even graduated, she began bringing clients into her online therapy practice. I can't wait for you to hear all of the tips, tricks, and tools she shares in this podcast to help you build your own online therapy practice. So, pop in those earbuds and listening.
Amber: Hey, how are you doing?
Shayla: I'm well, how are you?
Amber: Good! It's so good to see you.
Shayla: You too. I get to see the videos on the online, you know, on Facebook, but a little bit.
Amber: All right, so we're already recording, but we're not live, so I'm just gonna record this and then later I'll upload it to the podcast in the group. And my goal is really for all of the Steps grads to be able to give tips and tricks to, the OTGer’s about how to build their practice and then to share about the course and what was helpful, all that kind of stuff so they know if they want to take it. That's the basic overview. You got to first tell me like, how are you doing and where is your practice at right now?
Where Shayla is at Right Now with Her Practice: (2:18)
Shayla: I'm doing well, of course, busy, but that's to be expected. And so, where the practice is at, I have five regular clients, five weekly clients. And as you know, I started towards the end of the group.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: In terms of pretty much, I guess launching my private practice.
Amber: Yeah. And for people who are listening in, Shayla was in the June-July.
Shayla: Yeah. June, July, eight weeks.
Amber: June, July. Yeah, the June, July. So, the most recent one?
Shayla: Yes, the third cohort.
Amber: Thank you. Thank you.
Shayla: But I know that in my mind that the class was eight weeks, or the course was eight weeks, so I was going to open the private practice in August like
Amber: Got you, got you.
Shayla: Second week of August was my goal. It was, I knew my birthday was coming I was like, “Oh, I'm going to do the” like you suggested about like sharing with your friends what you were doing. So, it was really just like this intro to like, this is this new phase in life, this is what I'm doing. And because I was doing the work, you know, coming to the coaching classes every week when you would share the content, I would do it then. I mean, I was up late, but I knew that this was something that I wanted to do. So, it's no different as if we're in college or we're taking a CEU when we're doing that work and some may apply and some may not, but if you go ahead and do that, it's that step by step. So then when you get to week eight or week six, you really have done all of those things and it preps you for the practice.
Amber: Yes. Yes. And it's so hard to, I've taken a lot of online courses and I know I'm super gung-ho in the beginning I'm like, yeah, I'm doing my work. And then about midway through I'm like, I'm gonna just listen, but I'm not actually gonna do the work. How did you stay motivated to keep putting in the time, week after week?
How Shayla Stayed Motivated
Shayla: What, I mean, and I said before too, it's the coaching call. So that once a week, like I put that on my schedule. I didn't, you know, put any clients during that time. I wasn't out in the field, so I knew Monday at 9:00 AM have my coffee ready and be ready to, you know, connect with your peers and also to hear your feedback. Cause I think I learned a lot by hearing other people’s questions.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: And then also coming with my own questions and update. So, it was just like, Oh, there's some accountability here. Not that anybody was checking for you, but it was more like, okay, I know I asked this question last week, I need to do that work so I can come back and share with my peers what has happened, what worked or what didn't work. So those coaching calls is what kept me on track. I think if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have done anything. It just would have been the money down the drain. I'm not gonna lie.
Amber: Right. Yeah. That's what we're finding with online courses that if you don't have that live component, people just don't get it done. And I get that cause I bought those classes so I've seen the money go down the drain. I always tell myself, well you have lifetime access though, so one day you could change your mind and do the work. I'm not going to do the work.
Shayla: No, life happens. You don't go back to it. But if you do it right then and there and it is that live component, I think that was very helpful.
How Shayla Got Her First Five Clients: (5:27)
Amber: Oh, so how did you get your five peeps? How did that happen?
Shayla: Okay. So, I think I'll talk about it a lot is I had the Instagram, which also feeds into the Facebook. Not that any of those matters, but I think that just kind of kept up with the content and me getting comfortable with putting myself out there. I've utilized, although I did get a client via Instagram.
Amber: What? How did that happen?
Shayla: I guess she's on their home. However, I didn't say like, what were you looking for? She just said, or that person I said they were looking or um, they found me on Instagram and so I was just like, Oh, okay. You know, I didn't really think anything of it, but I do have content. Everything I post, I do have three ways to connect with me, which would be, you know, of course, my website, my email and direct phone number, which is that 888 number. So, I mean, any posts that I have, they can connect to it. So, if it resonates with them, Hey, give me a call. Don't DM me or whatever they call it. Cause I'm not. (laughing) But definitely that. But Psychology Today, which is the go-to and so I do get clients from there. That would be the bulk, is Psychology Today. And then the second one is Therapy For Black Girls. There's definitely a need for African American women and men who are looking for clinicians who look like themselves. So that has definitely been a plus. That would be the other one where I get clients from. I've also signed up with Open Path, not yet. And then who else? Hmmm…
Amber: Do you have an Online Counseling Directory?
Shayla: No, I do not. I need to get that one started. I saw you talk about that one. So Online Counseling look, I'm taking notes too.
Amber: We're doing some coaching right now.
Shayla: That would be, Oh, Therapy Den.
Amber: Therapy Den. Yes. Yes.
Shaya’s Niche: (7:20)
Amber: So, what's your niche? So, for people who are like, all right, we keep hearing about the niche. What's your niche?
Shayla: Okay. So, my niche is professional women or students balancing work, life, motherhood, being a partner, all of those things in one. I think what we've learned is we've gotten this whole mentality of like; I want to do it all, you know, and then even this whole thing, is there a such thing as balance? And I'm not saying yes there is, but what I'm saying is some things are gonna require a little bit more than others. We might spend more time on our career, we might spend a little bit time with our family, but if we have some tools, some techniques, and if our mental wellness is in place, we can do that. And so those are the people that I have seemed to be attracting, and those are the people that I want to work with. And I want to say that it's really clearly stated, in I guess the copy, I'm on my website cause that's literally what I hear. They're like, oh you were speaking to me when you said I was, I'm feeling overwhelmed. You know, like there's just so many things to do when it's not enough hours in a day and my brain is just frazzled. How do I get some skills? How do I get those tools? How do I do this? I can’t keep operating like this.
Amber: Girl! You're the best copywriter I’m telling you. I mean, y'all pause the video or the podcast, however, you're listening to this, and just go back and listen to those words because if you can, when we talk about niche, I think we get lost on like symptoms or maybe it's about the struggle, like what is the struggle our person is facing and their struggle is super unique. And when I read Shayla's copy, even if her niche isn't me, I relate so much to it because of the way she describes it. It's like reading a novel and like, yes, I do empathize with that. Like balance. What does balance it's, it's just writing to the emotion, to the struggle and then your peeps. I mean that is a beautiful elevator pitch that you gave right there, and I doubt that you've ever been like, let me write down my elevator pitch. That was it. If you can talk like that, people will refer to you. If you're talking to a physician or chiropractor, whomever, and you can say, these are the people I help and you're defining very specific struggles, it's gonna hit places in their heads where they're like, oh, I know so and so. That's exactly what they're going through. Do you treat people like that? And then you have a referral.
Shayla: There it is. Bam.
Amber: Your copy is badass. How did you learn to do that?
How Shayla Learned to Talk So Well About Her Niche: (9:51)
Shayla: Okay, well what I've learned is I go there, there's two different, I dunno, two different types of therapists. There's the one, they'll throw out all those symptoms, stuff, you know, like you'll go and run down the whole gamut of what depression is and anxiety is and everything else. And I go, yeah, the folks I'll talk to, they'll know what any of that is.
Amber: Yes.
Shalya: Right? And so, one specific example, and I use this a lot and I go growing up, we'll hear people say, Oh my nerves are bad. And I remember growing up saying like, yeah, my nerves are bad. You hear people saying, I go, you know what? That’s anxiety. There's no such thing as your nerves are bad (inaudible) keyed up and so I really have taken that, and I was just something I learned years ago. I have taken that, and I use that language in the therapy room in our space. When I'm talking to people, I go, yeah, those are just terms that our family use. Right? They didn't say they were depressed. Ooh, I just don't feel like doing anything today. I haven't been feeling like doing anything for the last couple of weeks ever since, and they'll go into whatever story has happened, so I'm getting on their language level and then we'll do education on that. But if I'm sitting here one of the lists of what depression is, I'm sorry, that's just not going to work.
Amber: Right.
Shayla: I'm going to pull them in and that's not going to allow them to feel comfortable in this space.
Amber: Yup. Yup. I remember in grad school, you know, I had been learning all this psychobabble. I was in psychodynamic theory and I was deep in it like I was loving it and then I did my first sessions and I knew what the client was struggling with in psychobabble language, but I didn't know how to translate it because that's how I learned it. I was like, Oh, Oh, but he's not going to care about being a narcissistic appendage for his mother. You know? How do I say this? So, it is interesting if you just use the language of your people, like your clients. I could speak to him, but I was having to kind of like translate it through all the psycho jargon that I had been learning and was so excited to put into practice. And you just intuited that.
Shayla: Yeah.
Amber: Yeah. Your videos, you guys if you’re listening in, you want to check out Shayla's videos because they are badass. They're just exactly right because they speak to her clients like they're just normal people language they're, they're the way that we talk. That's why people come to see you because they're like, Oh, okay, so she's going to get me. I love it.
Where Was Shayla Before She Started the Online Therapy Practice Journey and Where She Hopes to Get: (12:13)
Amber: Where were you before you started the online therapy practice journey and where are you hoping to get?
Shayla: Okay, so before I started online practice, I also, I still work full time too, so I am a clinical consultant for an organization here working with seniors only. And so, I'll go out to the communities and provide mental health services and also kind of manage some of the other clinicians that we have as well. So, pretty busy for about two, three days a week. So then that allows the other two days for my practice and you know, paperwork and you know, money stuff, all that other good things. So that's what I was doing before. Now my hopes with the practice is that it will continue to grow. Only had a number of six for the end of the year. That was my goal. I'm one client away from that, but we know things can change. But it's to do this, have about 15 clients, that would be full time for me. 15, maybe 20 somewhere in between there because I know that I'm also a military spouse. We're going to move again. And so my mission is that when we transfer over that this practice will be able to transfer right along with me and I'll be able to continue to be of service and be able to serve the population and I want to help.
What Are Shayla’s Rates?: 13:31
Amber: That's fantastic. What rate is your rate? Because everybody's to wants to know numbers, but you can tell me if you don't want to share.
Shayla: No, I'm ready to share because you and I've done a lot of money mindset with that cause you remember my original rate and I'll share that too. It's like, oh yeah, I've got to charge $100 you know. You’re like, no Shayla, no ma'am. And I was like, no one's gonna pay that. You're like, no, you come with 16 plus years’ experience, you have this and I thank you for that for kind of planting those seeds and encouraging me in changing my mind mindset around money, because I charge $150 for the assessment, which is a 75 to 90 minute sessions where we're gathering all that information. And then I charge a $135 for 45-50-minute session. So, the hopes of course by the end of the year we're going to boost that up.
Amber: Yes ma'am.
Shayla: Because I know what I'm doing now a little bit.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: It'll turn into $150 for the session and then $165 for an assessment.
Amber: I love it. And I love how clearly you plan things out that you set benchmarks for yourself. You know, you really, you really think it through. So, this idea of I'm going to have six clients before the end of the year and I love how it, Laura Long often says like, let's set goals that you actually have control over. So, since we can't control the sixth client, what can you control to generate more business? What can you be doing to make sure that that sixth client's going to come in before the end of the year?
How Shayla Is Going to Grow Her Business: (15:00)
Shayla: Increase marketing. Definitely that, I would say that. So, I know I see a lot of our peers, the group is doing. YouTube pages, I know that would be very beneficial. I usually do 60-minute little video or 60-second videos, doing something longer or give them more in-depth explaining more of what I do and more about mental health and mental wellness for women. So, I know that would be one. Two, blogging more often because you do see the difference. I do notice when I am blogging regularly, I’m posting regularly and doing little things when we talk about that SEO, I don't know specifically how it all works, but I do know I get more calls during that time. So, something's happening.
Amber: Yup, absolutely.
Shayla: So, I might not be able to do the math on it, but something's going on. So really putting yourself out there. Joining groups, going to mastermind groups, networking with other people, talking about your practice whenever you get a chance, which I do. Anybody who's going to talk to you, you know that I have an online private practice at this point. Yes, I do have one.
Amber: I love it. Don't care about being bold.
Shayla: How would they know what I'm doing, you know? And that I maybe I might not even be a good fit for them, but they might know someone, hey, pass my card along, see how that works.
Amber: Yup. Yep. I just had somebody, Paul and I were at a restaurant, we were sitting at the bar to eat dinner and our, our waitress was fine, she's friendly. At the end of the night, she says like, what do you guys do? And my husband tells her, and I tell her, and she's like, you're a therapist? And I was like, yeah. And she goes, um, could I get your card? Cause I haven't been in therapy in a while and I need to get back in. I'm like, this is, this is bizarre, but this is how you end up making connections as you just talk about what you do. Every contractor that has come to my house has asked me, what do you do? I say I'm a psychologist. Oh, what do you specialize in? I tell them, they say, well, I have a cousin, or I have a sister, or I have a, you know, could you, could you recommend somebody, or could you help them? So, I think being bold is important.
Shayla: Yeah. Yeah. We have to be comfortable with what we do and who we are. And we also know that being clinicians, there's something on our forehead that says, Hey, I'm here to help. Sometimes we wish you can hide it with a hat.
Amber: Right.
Shayla: It is what it is and so if that is just be in it and live in it and you know, help how we can,
Using Temi To Decrease the Amount Of Work You’re Having To Do: (17:20)
Amber: Yeah. You know what I think would probably be helpful for you just to decrease the amount of work you're having to do. There's a, um, the app called Temi, T,E,M,I I think something like that. But it transcribes whatever, audio or video. So, you could just have it transcribe your videos and then you clean it up a little and you could use that in your blog as just content. So just put the transcription up and that way it's just additional content and somebody wants to read instead of watching the video, it's right there, but it just tricks SEO monsters into thinking that you've done some extra work.
Shayla: Sounds like a plan. I like that.
Amber: We like to trick them. You can also add it as captions in your video. Facebook rewards captions and YouTube rewards captions. So, they show videos more often if they are captioned.
Shayla: Okay.
Amber: I can't help but slide into coaching mode a little bit.
Shayla: Of course, of course. I’m taking notes. I know I shouldn't, I should keep that, you know.
Amber: You do it, you do it.
What Made Shayla Decide to Take The Course? (18.25)
Amber: So, let's talk about the course for a minute. What made you decide to take the course? You're very competent. You could have figured everything out on your own. Why did you choose to take the course?
Shayla: So the funny thing is I watched, you had a video, I don't even know if it's still posted, but you have about a 90-minute video that literally explains step by step, almost like of how-to, you know, create your online practice. And I wrote down everything. I have it all in notes and I was like, Oh, this is awesome. This is right up my alley. This is a great way for me to make my career even more portable as being a military spouse and a mom and being more available. And now it’s like, yeah, this is a lot of stuff. And because I am organized and I am a step by step person and then I was like, okay, I'm going to start working on this. And then I saw that you started offering the group that it was, you know you did the soft launch and let people know it's like, oh there's going to be a group for this? I said, oh too easy. I will just go ahead and do the group and that way its step by step and then I'm learning a little bit at a time opposed to, I'm just trying to do all these things. Now I would say because I have been in private practice before, like a brick and mortar with a group, and because I'm the consulting that I do here, a lot of things I already had in place. Like NPI number, you know, having insurance. It wasn't like I'm newly fresh out of, you know, school trying to figure this out. And I think that was helpful because I didn't have to spend time on that.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: Talk about little tasks, but that's what made me take the course. I was just like now there's going to be some guidance. If I have a question I can ask and I won't sound like a nuisance saying Hey Amber, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. You know, I invested so you know, you're gonna feed into us.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: That was it. And when I think about investments and we talk about your return on your investment, right. I have already made my money back.
Amber: Oh wow.
Shalya: From the course that I took with you. So, to me, this is just the plus, you know?
Amber: That's so cool to hear. Thank you for saying that.
Shayla: Yeah.
Amber: That's, that's fun math to do. I usually don't like math, but that's, that's fun math to do. Like, okay. I've already made my money back on that.
Shalya: Yeah.
Amber: Hmm. Yeah. I, you know when you say that because you came in having already done private practice, that that was a leg up for you. I have a lot of people who contact me and say, you know, I've already been doing in-person private practice, am I really going to get enough out of the course? And my answer is always like, you are going to be relieved because it's a lot to learn how to do your private practice and how to do it online. So, the fact that you're already going to have a little bit of this stuff done, I think you're going to be like, cool, then there's a little bit less work for me to do. You've gone through it yourself, so what, what's your take on that?
Already Having an In-Person Practice: (21:06)
Shayla: It's definitely a lot less work to have an online private practice. When I think about meeting, you know, clients at 9:00 AM, I'm not rushing to an office, you know, I've either already dropped off my child and here I am. So, I like that. And then the freedom. So we talk about freedom of having a private practice, when we talk about being in like a brick and mortar where you have to show up at the office, we talk about that being a freedom but not really, cause you have to go be at an office somewhere and you have to stay there. And I dunno if you have it set up like a home, but if you needed a nap or you needed to do something and that's not at your place, you have to leave there. When you're at home, everything is there. You can throw some dishes in real quick, all those things. So, I mean the real flexibility, this is it, you know? I don't know. I think, did I answer the question?
Amber: Yeah. Yeah, you did. And you're making me think like today is my wedding anniversary. I have you guys in the morning and then I have two clients in the afternoon, but the place we're going it’s like two hours away and they have Wi-Fi, so we're gonna drive in between and I'm going to set my little office up there, do my two sessions and then I'm free and clear.
Shayla: Yes
Amber: I love it. I love it. It is so, so nice.
Shayla: Yeah.
Advise for Newbies: (22:25)
Amber: So, let's do a little bit of advice-giving. So for newbies who are thinking about taking the course or even who aren't, who are just going to set this up on their own. What would be some pieces of advice that you would have for them to really get going and to be successful in having an online therapy practice?
Shayla: Really to make sure one is that they had when they're signing up or thinking about sign up, that they could find time for those coaching calls. I think that's gonna really be key. I don't care if you're good at reading and carrying out a task. I think the coaching calls, that peer mentorship, you get in it by, I mean, you've given out the advice and they've taken it or suggestions that's going to be key. Two, checking with your boards already thinking about that, you know, what state that you're in, you know, making sure that, you know, this is something that your board is okay with. You know, I know we're moving towards it, a lot of them are, but just making sure that they're okay with that. Did I write down a note for that one?
Amber: Oh, you're so on top of it. You had notes and everything.
Shayla: I did well cause I know you were gonna ask about money and I wanted to make sure I gave them real numbers because I see in the group people ask about that, you know, when they go, well it's a gross or net and all this. I was like, wow, that I know I have an SCORP and money goes into an account and I pay myself. But what I do know is I can tell you things have doubled from the first.
Amber: Damn.
Shayla: You know, that month when we talk about was that July wasn't supposed to open in July. Opened in July. Things have doubled in August. We'll see what September is like, people cancel, reschedule. Whatever. I'm just hopeful if I can continue to be of service at this, that's where it is. I know it'll probably have to get tightened up later as things go on, but that's where we are.
Talking Money: (24:08)
Amber: Well, let's back up. Let's put the tips and tricks aside for a minute and let's talk money. Walk us through the numbers.
Shayla: Okay. So, in July I had made $600. And then for August, which was last month, I make $1500.
Amber: Damn girl.
Shayla: Yeah. And then so for September already we're at $700 but we still have about another weekend I have, and we're actually at the beginning and so really kind of like two weeks.
Amber: You weren't even supposed to be seeing clients yet.
Shayla: I know. I really wasn’t. So that's why I tell people I do the work, attend the coaching calls. One drawback I would say for me once I was going, it's so you share forms, right? You get them when your part of the group. I literally had like a friend create my forms for me, all pretty with my logo. Like, you know, thanks Edward for this. And then because of the system that I use, you can't just upload those forms. So, you literally have to, and I think a lot of us are kind of ran into that like cutting and pasting, which is fine, but be prepared for that when you're getting your first client, where I wasn't.
Amber: How long did it take you to cut and paste everything in there?
Shayla: Oh, I will say if you kind of block off about an hour or two because you're literally just making those sections. And then I know they give you in Simple Practice there's like you can make it a yes or no, a dropdown. I'm sure mine isn't perfect, but it's just, it's there.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: And so, they can click it and when I see that form, it looks right, I know that they've answered the questions and we can proceed with our session. So that's another thing too. Like once they do start the same time making sure that those things are in place because it's going to reduce your anxiety. That all those forms are done, you know? For me using that system, I can't speak for, you know, iTherapy or Theranest, but I know with Simple Practice, you know, their card is already on file, so you know once they put their card in that they're really serious about their appointment. I remember having like one of my first clients and they didn't have their card in, but I still make myself available. They didn't show. So, I know now if there's not a car and we're not meeting, I'm not even showing up on the system. And you know, you can send out reminders to them to invite them back to the portal for them to fill out everything that they need to fill out. So just little tips, but that would be further along in this course for them.
Connecting with Other Clinicians: (26:38)
Shayla: But doing the work, attending the coaching, connecting with other clinicians, this is such a great time for networking. So, I started doing those virtual coffees, and in my mind, I read this somewhere., I don't know, I cannot find this information anywhere else. Maybe I made it up.
Amber: Maybe.
Shayla: So, I had met some cool people. I mean, you know, Julia, of course, you know, she and I connect, we have a meeting later on today.
Amber: Julia, somebody else who was in the course, you guys.
Shayla: Yes. And then there's Ashley, Kathy, so all these other different people that I make connections with and we're helping each other out, you know, like, Oh, why did you do this? And so now the course is over and we're still talking, we're still connecting. Well, what did you do? Well, how did you do this? Oh, I see how you posted these things, maybe I should try it. Please, by all means, if it works, use it. So, it's such a great support system that you get afterward and that’s just going to be up to, you know them and your personality, how you want to do it. I think it's great because if they're licensed somewhere else and you get a call, you can say, Hey, you know what? I might not be a good fit for you. But I have a friend that's over in New York, a good therapist friend. She'll take care of you. You know, I have one in New Orleans, I have somebody, Florida, whatever it is. I think it's a great time to start a network also why you're building so you don't feel alone. Because we don't talk about how private practice can feel lonely.
Amber: No joke. Yeah. You know, I just on one of the podcasts I was recording yesterday, I was talking about the things that you need for online private practice, and the very first one is community to me. Because we haven't been doing this long enough, most of us to have thought through all the things that we don't know. We just don't know them.
Shayla: Yeah.
Amber: And so, then you run up against something funky and you're like, Oh crap, I don't know. I don't know how to sort this out. If you ask a brick and mortar practice owner, they're not going to be able to give you useful advice. You need to go to people who are also doing this weird thing that you're doing so that they understand all the mechanics and the nuance of it. And you guys are building that peer support right now. Right? Right. Within step-by-step, which I love. It makes me so happy. You're the second cohort to do this where you've created your little group and you've continued meeting after the fact.
Shayla: Yeah. Yeah. Such a great support. Yeah, you can get it on there now when you know, people post them what they're doing and just us cheering them on like, Oh, this is awesome. And really supporting each other. So, I definitely appreciate that. It's been really encouraging just to encourage others and also to get the feedback as well.
Amber: Yeah, yeah. I love that. And that's one of the things that I think is unique to the Step-by-Step group. A, it's so much smaller than OTG, but the fact that during the course and even after you can post stuff like your copy or your Psychology Today profile or your website and get feedback from people who have been through the course so they know what's important and they, you know, they know what mindset stuff to look for and you're getting feedback from people who are in the know who are learning the same things that you are instead of like, you know, when you post something to OTG, nobody's really going to look at it very carefully, but these are your friends. So they're like, Oh yeah, no girl, that third line needs to come out. Bring that out. That's not good.
Shayla: Exactly. Yeah. They're going to give you the real, cause the bond has been formed, you know, we've met, so it's a little different wherein OTG there are the people who want to get into it where we went through the course already.
Amber: Yeah.
Other Tips and Tricks (30:05)
Amber: Any other like tips or tricks that you would offer people who are thinking about building an online practice or maybe who are kind of already in it but are like, how do I fill it? Where are the clients?
Shayla: One I would say I think it's definitely my mindset. So, it's just like whoever needs me, they're going to come to me. But then I'm also gonna make sure my self-available, meaning that you're going to see it in the information that I share. I'm going to connect with other people. But as I'm saying this, something else popped into my mind and I lost it just that quick. Oh, Shayla, why did you get a brain fart? Which happens often, but yes, putting yourself abundance, you know, of course, it's abundance. Like they're going to come to me and that this is going to continue to grow. I talk in that sense that you know, that I'm going to be, you know, successful at this and you know, my mind is like, we're like part of the pioneer groups. I feel like you're one of the first ones who started this online, although there are probably others and they and other people and I just feel like over time we'll be doing the same thing. We'll be letting people know like, okay, you too can have this life where you can serve the people that you want to serve all over your state and other states that you're, you know are licensed in and they'd have to be limited to a 30 minute or hour drive.
Shayla’s Abundance Mindset: (31:30)
Amber: Yep. Yep. You're doing two things there. I want to point it out to people who are listening. One is you're coming with an abundance mindset, which translates into how you talk about things. You're not coming from a, please refer to me. Please refer to me. I just started out. You're coming at it like I'm going to, you know, I have a successful online practice, this is what I do, I may or may not be for you, I'll get you to the person who is, if it's not me, that's a very different presence. And you're not saying I'm abundant behind a closed door. You're going out there and making it easy for people to find you, which is a piece of like, that's opening the door. You can't be abundant behind the door cause you're still scared, you're just talking the talk. But if you open the door and you get out in front of people with that mindset, then you're the magnet.
Shayla: Yes. That is so true. And that's just my attitude. Yeah, definitely that abundance, which also reminded me of what my brain fart was about. So, and I talk about this not just with this group, the online group, but even when you are therapist anyway, we have to sell ourselves kind of sorta and we're not comfortable with it.
Amber: Yeah.
Shayla: We are not, we're not taught that. You know, therapists, you don't do that. And I, and you talk about, you know, putting yourself out there in a non-cheesy kind of way and it's still that same thing, you know. So, when someone calls and they're asking about therapy, I don't talk about price and online first.
Amber: Exactly. Right. Bring it, give us the details. Yes.
What Does Shayla Talk About When She Gets New Inquiries: (32:56)
Shayla: We’re not talking about that and you know, and they'll ask about it beforehand. Like, I can literally just push them away. And I want to say literally out of those that have become clients because I'm listening to what they're talking about, I'm using that language like, Oh really? Is that what's going on? You know that that's how you feel. And we're talking about their problem a little bit. Not too much. We're not making it a therapy session, but I'm gathering information. I'm letting them know what my experience is, how I set things up, and then we go into the online.
Amber: Mm.
Shayla: Then after that, we go into price and then I never tell them that I don't take, and I don't know how people want to take this. I don't say that I don't take insurance, I just let them know that I'm out of network and these are ways that you can utilize this. So, I can provide you with a superbill, which you can talk to your insurance about and you can see if that's something that they reimburse on. So, I'm out of network for insurance. I never say, no, I don't take insurance because you've already turned somebody away. I did telemarketing for two years in high school. So, I learned about the foot in the door technique and then also if they're kind of unsure about that, giving them education on insurance and not using their insurance. And then if they still want to go that route, I give them three referrals. Like literally I say, Hey, do you mind if I email you back? I'm going to look up three referrals for you that I'm going to send to you because if I can't help you, I want to make sure that there's somebody out there that can meet your therapeutic needs and your financial needs immediately and I want you to give them a call. And so that's that. And you know, people go, oh wow, you were just so helpful, you know? And so, what that does that also is planning that you know, even though it wasn't a good match for them, that I might be a good match for somebody in the future. Or they'll share like, Oh, you know what, I spoke with this really nice person who was very helpful, a therapist, you know, maybe you should check her out. It seems like that would be right up your alley. And so that's just kinda my attitude. So, they're not for me, they’re for somebody and I want to get them to that right person.
Amber: Yes, yes, yes. You could write a book on this. So, let's go back and do a little play by play. Cause people are gonna want to know some details here. So, I'm a client, I'm calling you, I'm a potential client. I'm calling you and you say hello, you sound so nice. And I was like, Hey, I'm looking for a therapist. What are your rates?
Shayla: Hi, I'm so happy you called it. What made you, you know, give me a call today?
Amber: You're so good. Okay. And if I were to say, I saw on your website that it's online only. Is that true or am I able to do in person too?
Shayla: You know what? That is a very good question. I would love to learn a little bit more about you and then I can share more about how my practice is set up so we can see if we're a good fit for you.
Amber: I hope you are taking notes!
Shayla: Seriously!
Amber: That's good. That's good. It reminds me of grad school, and we were trained to like if a client's like how old are you? I was in psychodynamic training. You do not answer that question directly, at least in the beginning. So, we had a little side, right?
Shayla: You're like, yeah, let's talk about, you know, what age you are at. You know, you're putting that right back on them. And that's really what it is. Because no matter what your clients are calling for, the real mission is that they need help at that time.
Amber: Yeah. And can we do that for them? That other stuff that's kind of, you know, secondary. We can see if they're going to be a good fit. But really, can I help you with your problem? Cause then I can say, all right, it is online, here are my rates, I do take insurance. But then you sit there, and you tell me all of your reasons for calling and guess what? Oh, I should've referred you for to somebody else. So, all of these are key components in that consultation, which I suggest everybody does consultations, do not just take anyone and have them come in on your schedule. So that's another thing I'll talk about scheduling too. So yeah, the consultations are, you know, really important in the sense that it, it allows you to get an idea of if you can really help them, explain to them what online therapy is and what that will look like for them and all of those little things that come with that. And then, um, also, you know, your price and how you, how therapy is an investment in, how would they like to invest. So that's the consultation.
How Shayla Schedules: (37:09)
Shayla: The other thing is too, I don't have and, everybody might do a different, I don't have it where you can just schedule an appointment with me on my site or anything. You have to email me. So then when you email me, I give back two times. You want to meet at 10:00 AM or you want to meet at 2:00 AM for a 20-minute consultation. They may say, those times don't work, we'll jump to the next day. I guarantee that they'll figure out that 10 am and the 2 pm cause they don't want to wait one more day.
Amber: Right.
Shayla: So, then we talk about how we're going to meet and then we'd meet at that time for phone consultation and then we'll go back to that. So that's how I do it, even for appointments. I make their appointments at the end of our session. Hey, I have this day and this day and then I have 10, I have 2, whatever the times are. And then it just kind of helps them. We're making decisions to oppose to your schedule being wide open. Plus, I don't just have open availability. I'm not just in my office all day long at like a brick and mortar where you can just, you know, squeeze them in. My schedule does require a little bit more planning. So, I just give them two days and that really seems to work.
Amber: I think it's a beautiful thing because number one, it eases, they're overwhelm. They're already overwhelmed. They don't need 18 choices. That's not you being nice that’s you being nervous. And then B, there's a scarcity part of marketing here. If they hear two times, there's part of them that's thinking, Oh shit, there's only two times. Okay, I got pick one and there are more likely to be decisive and pick something. So, on both sides, I think that that works really, really well. And I agree with Shayla, that free consult, not only is it good for you because it's going to keep people out of your practice who are not a good fit for you. And most of your clients are going to come through referrals from your people that you've already seen. So, if you're bringing people into your practice that you are not the best at treating, the treatments aren't gonna go that great, and then they're not gonna refer people to you. So, you might as well fill that spot with somebody that you know, you're really gonna be great at treating and make sure that people are getting the best treatment that they can. It serves you, serves them. And now I'm having a brain fart because there was some other point that I wanted to make sure, but now it's contagious and I can't remember what the hell that point was.
Shayla: I'm taking it back. You don't have to hold onto that.
Amber: Thank you. It's been so cool to watch how successful you've been. I mean, you've really, you've really run at this hard and while being a mom and working and you've just like really committed to making it happen and it's making it happen.
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