We got into this field to help people.
But, no one told us how much of our own lives we’d have give away to do it.
Low Pay.
High Responsibility
We started out with so much hope and grit.
We went into this field to help others, but at what cost to ourselves? Our families? We are working hard, but we still struggle to pay mortgages and mortgage sized student loans.
Long Commutes.
Short Weekends.
We thought, “If we just do good work, the rest will follow".
We want to do great things, but between the commute, the bureaucracy, and the paperwork we’re too busy writing notes to write the books we dreamed of.
at the office so much.
Hardly ever home.
We preach self care, but have little time to live it.
We miss our kids, our partners and our alone time. We miss our favorite chair and favorite books. We miss our dreams of travel. We preach self care, but have little time to live it.
Do you ever wonder, “Will things ever get easier?”
They can.
Online therapy is your magic elixir, friend.
I found I could make more impact with my clients, make more income for myself, and work fewer hours than I ever had before - working ALL ONLINE.
I serve clients in a way that is convenient to them AND to me. I ditched the commute, lowered my overhead, work fewer hours, and engage more meaningfully in my LIFE and my practice.
From home. In my pajama pants.
Listen Friend, you can too.
You can do the clinical work you love.
You can make the money you want.
You can live the life you’ve longed for.
…legally, ethically, and competently.
Building an online therapy practice allows you to do what you love, make the money you want, and live the life you’ve longed for.
Step by Step to SET UP teaches you how.
Step by Step to SET UP
An all-the-things startup course for your online therapy practice will take you from overwhelmed and clueless to client ready and competent in just eight weeks.
You want to feel truly READY for an online therapy practice, but the details can get totally overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be so hard.…
In Step by Step to SET UP, I walk you through EVERY SINGLE DECISION POINT so that you can feel confident that you’ve covered all of your bases ethically, legally and practically. You will know what you are doing, why and how to do it well.
Here are some things that we cover:
Choosing the right products for your online practice
Deciding to piecemeal together your products or purchase them in a package
Using best practices in telemental health
Navigating business licensing, liability insurance choices, and incorporation
Practicing telemental health ethically
Building your practice and your procedures legally
Keeping your clients and your business safe (risk management)
Informed consent, privacy policies, billing consents, releases of information all specific to YOUR practice, your state law, and your ethics code
Maintaining security and confidentiality in an online practice
What to say and how to say it to convert in person clients to online clients
How to get clients
Learning the language that BUILDS instead of undermines your practice in your website copy, psychology today profile, paperwork, and consultations
Learning what to do to build your caseload, starting before you even open your waiting room doors so that you can start helping clients and living your dream life, quickly
What to say and how to say it to convert free consultations into paying online clients
What to say and how to say it in an intake, therapy session, and when referring out
Determining who to accept into your online practice, and how to refer out
Creating your scope of practice, policies, and procedures
Nailing down the details that matter (e.g. verifying your clients identity, location, access to emergency response plans, making deep connections via video)
I know it can feel totally overwhelming to Build your online practice alone.
I know, I’ve been there.
It can make you feel like giving up before you even start. With all that you’re currently juggling in your life and career, it’s hard to imagine where you could even begin to take on the task of learning all the things you need to know.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if someone could walk you through building your online therapy practice Step by Step so that you could come out on the other side ready to go?
You want to start your Online Therapy Practice feeling sure you’ve covered all of your bases, confident in the products you’ve chosen, and ready for that first consultation, first intake session, and first follow up appointment.
You’d so much rather focus on your clinical work, growing your business, and having a successful practice - but, instead, you are stuck on all of the steps that come before that.
The steps to getting to that first client feel like too many and it’s leaving you paralyzed, unable to take that leap to start you on a life of more ease, more freedom, more income, and more time with your family, friends, hobbies and SELF.
So Here You Are…
Everytime you take a step forward, you get stumped by the twenty other things you need to figure out, forms you need to create, people you need to consult, equipment you need to review. You think, “It’s too damn much and I don’t even know if it will work.” And you go back to doing what’s familiar.
It doesn’t have to be so hard.
It doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. You can feel ease, security, and certainty that you’ve taken all the right steps.
You can build a strong and successful Online Therapy Practice, and in a spirit of ease and spaciousness.
Step by Step to SET UP
an 8 week program that will take you from
“I don’t have a clue” to “celebrating a dream life and practice”.
We will go through each decision point TOGETHER and you’ll finish each week with a foundational piece of your therapy practice completed with confidence.
Join me in Step by Step to SET UP
So that you can…
Feel confident that you’ve covered all of your bases
Feel totally prepared for that first consultation, first intake, and first session
Feel excited, not anxious, when prospective clients call
Spend more time on what you love - your clinical work, and less time searching for answers
Enjoy more flexibility and freedom in your practice
Build relationships with therapists in the course, who share your dreams and goals
Rest assured that your paperwork and policies are on point
Become energized to take action, instead of staying stuck
Be clear on a marketing plan to fill your practice
Be READY to open your virtual waiting room doors, and the doors to a better life
“This course will get you up and running ! Amber’s enthusiasm is motivating AF! Compared to programs like Zur Institute, this is more personalized and the content is more practical. Amber actually gives you the steps to create your practice from the ground up.”
Laura Spinelli - Step by Step Graduate
Clueless to Celebrating success
What if you didn’t have to find your way on your own?
What if you had a guide? Someone who's been here before and gotten where you want to be? You don’t have to do it all by yourself; and things go so much faster when you’re not overwhelmed and searching in the dark.
I created this program because I am sick of the myth that therapists can’t serve well AND sacrifice LESS. I was working 40 - 50 hours a week, commuting another 10 hours, and barely had time to breathe - much less do the things I preached to my clients, like working out, meditating, taking long walks, spending quality time with friends and family, or just reading a good book. It didn’t make sense to me that I was helping others to live their better lives while not doing the same myself. Online therapy gave me a chance to do the work I LOVE to do, while living the life I longed to have. I HAVE to share that with other therapists. I HAVE TO. You can do amazing work AND live an amazing life.
Here’s how it will go down ->
You’ll get weekly task oriented trainings teaching you how to complete the next step in your practice.
You’ll receive video trainings, homework assignments, and customized content related to each need in your business.
You’ll set aside time to do the homework associated with each lesson and you’ll be part of a private small community where you’ll be able to talk through the work as you do it.
You’ll be invited to live Q & A sessions weekly for direct help with your homework.
MONDAY MORNINGS- You'll receive an email from me with your training for the week. Each week we cover another foundational piece of building your practice.
FOUR HOURS A WEEK- You'll need to set aside four hours a week to review the trainings, do the homework of building your practice, and get support from me and the group to complete everything in eight weeks. Or, take your time.
LIVE Q & As- Each week we'll go live in our private facebook group where we'll share in accountability, provide support, and I'll answer all of your questions so that you can take the lessons and apply them to your dream practice.
LIFETIME ACCESS- Look, life can get in the way even when we have all the intentions to finish the course live. For that reason, you will have lifetime access to the course materials.
RETAKE THE COURSE- I'm a recovering perfectionist. Telling myself that each creation is just a draft that I can go back and buff things up later, helps. So, if you want to go all in on one week of the training, but skate by on the next....it's okay. You can take the course as many times as I offer it - at no extra charge - buffing up some new section each time.
UPGRADE ACCESS- I make this course better each and every time I offer it. When you buy this course, you are buying every upgrade I ever add to it. Yup. That's right :)
You’ve realized that an Online Therapy Practice will allow you to do the work you LOVE, while living life you WANT.
When can I enroll?
Step by Step is a self-guided course and you can sign up now! There will be monthly live Q&A’s. I waited ten years from the first time I considered building an online practice to when I launched mine. I don’t want YOU to miss out on ten years of better living. You can do this, with a guide right beside you.
Next Steps?
want to learn more and join step by step now?
Want to Start Now?
Are you chomping at the bit and want to start taking action now? You can gain instant access to all the course materials. AND, you will be able to join monthly live Q&A sessions.
“Online psychotherapy IS legitimate and an excellent way to help others. While the novelty can feel overwhelming, it actually has the potential to be so much easier and effective than a brick and mortar practice. This course gives you all the tools (and a cheerleader by your side) to make it happen!”
Nicole Byrne - Step by Step Graduate
Step by Step to SET UP will give you the tools to set up your ONLINE practice
(Whether you’ve never had a practice, or you have an established brick and mortar)
this program is for you If:
You are committed to an online practice but feel stuck with getting the building blocks in place.
You have the money to invest in the products you’ll need
You can find four hours a week to dedicate to working on your business, or are okay catching up later
You know a bit about who you want to serve and how you serve them
This program is not for you if:
You’re all or mostly set up and know you can go it on your own
You’re not willing to do the work
You already have an online practice, you just want more clients
You really don’t have the time right now to devote 2- 4 hours a week to building your dream life
You are looking primarily for marketing training.
My enthusiasm and get-it-done attitude turns you off
Hi there, I’m Amber Lyda!
Surely, you feel you know me by now. I’ve been yammering on now for a loonng webpage! Just in case you want to know some more…
I’m a clinical psychologist who worked for a decade in University Counseling Centers, and a previous decade in various community mental health agencies. I LOVE what I do for a living, and I love the way that I’m now able to LIVE more fully. And it’s because I took a leap towards that better life.
Now I help other people enjoy the same freedom and fulfillment that I do.
Let me take you through everything you need to do to turn your dream into a reality.
STEP BY STEP.
“This course helps you identify your dream online private practice so that you can create your ideal life. The course gives you the exact steps that you need to take to set up your online private practice. I was able to start seeing my first online private practice client while I was taking the course and Amber guided me throughout the process. Amber makes you accountable and challenges you to identify your obstacles and take steps to overcome these.”
Glorianne Vazquez - Step by Step Graduate
I’m going to get a little personal here.
I had alot of fears about starting an online therapy practice.
I worried that I was deciding to move online selfishly, and that it really wouldn’t be as good for my clients. I remember worrying that therapy just wouldn’t feel the same online.
I tried online therapy first, for myself, to see if it was as effect on me as I hoped it would be for my clients. My therapist was amazing. AND, so was being able to receive therapy in the comfort of my own home, with MY favorite tissues (lotion in them, please) and my dogs by my side.
When my first online therapy client and I connected so strongly in the very first session - I knew that this modality would work GREAT for me and for my clients. (Also, I could dip into the pool between sessions which was pretty amazing.)
Maybe you worry, like I did, that there’s just no “sure fire” way to make it secure. What if the client becomes suicidal? What if the disconnect the call? What if, what if, what if…?
You’ll be glad to know that I’m EXACTLY the sort of person what would “what if” online therapy before starting.
I mean, I “what iffed” it to the GROUND! If MY neurosis felt assured, yours will too.
I can’t wait to cover all those details with you in the course!
Frequently Asked Questions
—>I HAVE A SUCCESSFUL IN PERSON PRACTICE BUT I WANT TO MOVE IT ONLINE. IS THIS COURSE FOR ME?
YES!! You’ll have a head start on small things like “get a business license” but you still have alot to learn about how to provide online therapy legally, ethically, and competently. We still need to adapt your paperwork, your spiel to new clients, hook you up with the right tech, and lots more.
—>I ALREADY HAVE AN ONLINE THERAPY PRACTICE. I JUST CAN’T SEEM TO GET ENOUGH CLIENTS. IS THIS FOR ME?
Probably not. Unless you are wanting to check your systems and upgrade your practice, you’d be better setting up some coaching calls with me. While we do cover marketing in this course, we’ll also cover much more material you likely already know. Let’s meet one on one instead, and I’ll help you find your marketing mojo.
—>DO I HAVE TO ATTEND ANYTHING LIVE?
Nope! Everything is available on replay!
—>IS THERE ARE PAYMENT PLAN?
Absolutely!
—>WHAT IS YOUR REFUND POLICY?
If you have any reservations about the course, please talk with me before signing up. I want you to find out about fit before signing up, not after. Refunds are available one week after our start date.
—>WHAT IF I’M STILL NOT SURE?
It’s totally okay if you still have questions! Email me!! dr.amberlyda@gmail.com Let’s see if this is right for you!
“Every single week we were provided another essential and useful step in building our own tele-mental health practice. If you follow Amber's instructions, utilize her knowledge, and stay focused there is no way you cannot gain the tools necessary to build your practice. Each week when self doubt would creep in, Amber would be there to lift you up and explain away your fears.”
Gabriele Cash - Step by Step Graduate
An ONLINE therapy practice is not a flash-in-the-pan trend.
It's the future.
It's your future.
Do the work you love, and live with more ease, freedom, flexibility, and financial security.