Orli Paling built a group practice out of pandemic-era demand, walked away from an associate who no longer fit her vision, and expanded to in-person services without ever making a decision that felt risky. She called herself risk-averse. She was wrong, and the reframe that replaced that label is one every scaling practice owner needs to hear: good strategy doesn't feel risky. It feels safe.
Orli Paling is the founder and clinical director of OP Counselling Services, a group practice in East Vancouver specializing in addictions and substance use, ADHD, concurrent disorders, and trauma. In practice since 2013, she began her career redesigning an intensive day treatment program for youth before building a team whose clinicians all train in residential addictions treatment. She is also a member of The Practice CEO Circle, where much of the leadership evolution in this episode took shape.
She shares:
- Why her supposed risk aversion was actually a strategy, and how testing a sublease before signing a lease proved it
- How her practice grew from solo to group organically, and why that transition takes years, not one tactic
- Why clients won't book with your associates, and what it really takes to build their reputations
- The shift from acting like a friend to leading like a boss, including the associate she let go
- Why boundaries and expectations are a loving directive, not a risk to your team culture
- The identity shift of claiming the CEO seat: business owner first, clinician by choice
- How planning her calendar a year out changed what time off actually feels like
- The K-shaped market coming for Canadian therapy, and who will thrive in it
(00:00) Intro
(01:42) From Solo to Group Practice: How It Actually Happened
(06:16) Why Clients Won't Book with Your Associates
(09:07) Removing Yourself as the Practice's Entry Point
(11:26) Downloading 13 Years of Knowledge to Your Team
(14:52) Orli's Leadership Evolution: Leading by Example
(18:11) How Her Team Reacted to New Expectations
(20:52) The Identity Shift: Claiming the CEO Seat
(24:31) Your Group Practice Is a Ship, and You're the Captain
(27:13) Owning Your Calendar and Planning Real Time Off
(37:36) Risk Averse or Strategic? The Reframe
(40:46) Proof of Concept: Testing In-Person Before Leasing
(42:32) The K-Shaped Market Coming for Canadian Therapy
(45:29) The Referral Relationships New Grads Are Missing
(55:03) Where to Find Orli
Follow Orli:
Website - https://www.opcounseling.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/orli-paling/
Purpose & Profit: The Sustainable Therapy Practice Podcast:
Cecilia Mannella is a registered clinical counsellor, group practice owner, and business coach for Canadian therapy practice owners. With 25 years in practice and a seven-figure group practice of her own, she created the Sustainable Practice Framework™ to help practice leaders scale with purpose, profit, people, and process intact.
Mentioned in this episode:
Together in Practice: A Leadership Summit for Therapists
Join me and my co-host Stephanie Davis for the first national virtual summit for therapy and wellness practice owners who are serious about the business and leadership of their practice. Two days, October 17 and 18, 2026. All Canadian speakers and live Q&A in every session.
Day 1 covers the business of running your practice, for every practice owner. Day 2 goes deep on scaling to group practice and leading a team. Early bird pricing is open now. Register here: https://www.togetherinpractice.ca/
