It's natural to be anxious when setting up and running a private practice - it's both a sign of being passionate about helping people and a reflection of the roller coaster ride of self-employment. In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Knight of See Clear Anxiety Counselling, who shares how she's learned to manage and move beyond anxiety, and how that experience now shapes the way she runs her successful practice.

Laura talks about letting go of perfectionism, staying grounded in uncertain times, and how she has built a business that works for her - all while supporting clients with anxiety too.

Whether you're in the early stages of private practice, or facing a wobble, this episode is full of calm, practical encouragement.

Takeaways:

• How to transition from a part-time to a full-time practice
• Staying steady when client numbers dip
• The value of focusing on what's within your control
• Using live videos to build trust and visibility
• How to move from anxiety to confidence as a therapist
• Financial planning to ride out the quieter sessions

Fee Calculator: access the Fee Calculator mentioned in the episode HERE

Connect with Laura Knight:

🌐 Website: https://www.seeclearcounselling.co.uk

📘 Facebook: See Clear Counselling – Anxiety Specialist

📸 Instagram: @seeclearcounselling

📧 Email: laura@seeclearcounselling.co.uk

👥 Dorset Counsellors Network: Facebook Group or email Laura to join

Setting up in private practice? Download my free checklist HERE

Need ideas for how to get clients? Download my free handout 21 Ways for Counsellors to Attract New Clients HERE

You can also find me here:

The Good Enough Counsellors Facebook Group

Josephine Hughes on Facebook

Josephine Hughes on YouTube

My website: josephinehughes.com

Keywords

private practice, growing private practice, counselling directory, marketing for therapists, private practice tips, online counselling, video marketing for therapists, self-care for therapists, counselling business strategies, overcoming anxiety in business, financial management for therapists, establishing a counselling practice, networking for therapists, private practice success

Laura: 00:00:01

So let's bring it back to the here and now. And what are the things that I do have control of right now?

And what I do have control of is perhaps doing another video and putting it out so that other people can see me.

What I do have control of is I haven't got a client today, so I can sit and write a blog in that 50 minutes rather than twiddle my thumbs for those 50 minutes, I can go and update my website, put a new photo on, maybe put a new profile picture on my counseling directory profile. So it's all about bringing it back to what can I do now?

Josephine: 00:00:38

So welcome to the Good Enough Counsellors Podcast, which is all about growing our private practice without needing to be perfect. I'm Josephine Hughes, counsellor and founder of Therapy Growth Group, helping you to get the clients you want.

nown Laura now since probably: 2020

It's been fantastic to watch her turn her fledgling practice into something that's really well established. So welcome, Laura. I'm delighted to have you here today.

Laura: 00:01:18

Thank you, Josephine. Thank you for inviting me.

Josephine: 00:01:20

Yeah. So have I got that right? Is it five years that you've been in private practice now?

Laura: 00:01:25

I've been in private practice for eight years.

Josephine: 00:01:28

Eight years. Oh, wow.

Laura: 00:01:29

But I started part time and then I moved myself into full time practice and that would be five years in full time practice. Yeah.

Josephine: 00:01:38

So that was about the start of the pandemic, was it?

Laura: 00:01:42

ime corporate job in December: 2019

Josephine: 00:01:50

Oh, wow.

Laura: 00:01:51

e private practice in January: 2020

Josephine: 00:02:05

But you're nodding because luckily it all.

Laura: 00:02:09

Worked out absolutely fine. Yeah, yeah. Everything's gone swimmingly. Really?

Josephine: 00:02:14

Yeah. I mean, what a baptism of fire to, you know, have left your corporate job and then go straight into. Almost straight into the pandemic. I know, yeah.

Did you find that your numbers sort of really dipped during that time or.

Laura: 00:02:26

It was really interesting actually.

Cause I'd kind of built up through my private practice and when I decided to go full time, I had about 20 clients on my books, so it was a good space. And I went, yeah, I'm ready. And I Think we kind of knew that things were gonna happen with the lockdown.

And so I had actually spoken with all of my clients and said, you know, if it happens, maybe we can try. And I actually did do the counseling, tutor, online training just to prepare myself for that as well.

Josephine: 00:02:59

Wow.

Laura: 00:02:59

Yeah, so that was helpful. And yeah, most of my clients, I would say out of those 20, I think 14 of them said yes, they were happy to go online.

So I actually did start full time with 14 clients. So it was, I suppose that my practice didn't grow in that time because people really didn't know what to do, did they then?

And we inquiries were really low, but I had a base of like 14 clients to work with, which was a relief, to say the least.

Josephine: 00:03:34

Kept you going.

Laura: 00:03:35

Yeah.

Josephine: 00:03:36

So tell us a bit about that combination between your full time job and your private practice. How did you manage that? Because a lot of people, you know, it's really difficult to know, you know, should I give up work?

Tell us how, how you did it.

Laura: 00:03:48

Yeah, I think I knew almost from when I finished training that I wanted to go into private practice. So I'd kind of got my mind set into that's where I'm going to go.

I carried on doing my agency work that I'd had my placement in and I did that for a couple more years. But through that time I was thinking about going into private practice.

And so I decided I was going to do one evening a week to try it out and see how it goes. And interestingly, I was kind of looking around, working out whether I put in some profiles on the directories and all that sort of thing.

And then I, as I was kind of doing the search, I came across something called Bark, which I know some people don't like, but it kind of popped up and said, you know, someone's looking for counseling. And I read through what she was wanting and thought, you know what, I can work with her.

And so I bought these credits and used some credits to contact her and she said yes.

Josephine: 00:04:46

Fantastic. Yeah.

Laura: 00:04:47

And then I was like, oh, what do I do now? Because I wasn't really ready. It was just like, oh, there's someone and I think I can work with her, so I'll see what happens.

And then it was like, okay.

So I was going to set up my spare room in my home as my counseling room that still had all the junk and everything in it because I hadn't started clearing it out, hadn't thought about a contract, tracked quickly got myself with an insurance company because my placement they'd insured me. So then. So, yeah, it was all a kind of quick, oh, what do I do?

And actually, I saw her in my dining room because that was about the only kind of private, decent space that I had. So, yeah, she came and it was going well. And through bark, I got about three or four more clients.

So all of them were seen in my dining room as I started to clear up.

Josephine: 00:05:46

Clear your junk, drink.

Laura: 00:05:47

Absolutely. And finally get a room that was kind of, you know, I pulled out furniture from here, there and everywhere to cobble together a counseling room.

Josephine: 00:05:57

Yeah.

Laura: 00:05:57

Which has changed phenomenally over the years. But, yeah, it was a start. And I think you quite often say, you know, just make that first step.

And once you've got the clients, it just kind of all starts to roll for you then, I think. And it really did.

Josephine: 00:06:14

It's really interesting to hear you say that, Laura. I mean, one. Because of bark, because I do know people who find it quite helpful.

And it's interesting to hear your viewpoint of it as well, because a lot of people don't like bark, do they? But obviously you. You made it work for you. Was there anything. Have you got any tips on how you can make bark work for you?

I don't suppose you use them anymore, but. No, I don't. Yeah.

Laura: 00:06:38

Yeah, I. I mean, it may well have changed. I mean, that was, as I say, eight years ago.

So I don't know, really, as you say, I don't really need to use it anymore, but I think it was just kind of responding to people straight away. Yeah. And I think even now with what I do in my responses to inquiries is to make it personal to each inquiry. So pick up what.

What they're saying within their emails or their request, and then picking up on those things and saying, oh, you know, that sounds really difficult.

And I can hear how you've been struggling and, you know, maybe that I've worked with something similar, and I did that in the first one because I'd worked in the agency and I had some experience. And I said, you know, I've worked with similar things with some fairly good results, so I think that I could help you in that area.

And so I think it's just that. Make it personal and answer as quickly as possible.

Josephine: 00:07:32

Yeah, brilliant. Thank you.

And I think there's just that sense of you empathizing with the client, showing them your understanding, and then showing how you match what they need, which I think is really helpful, isn't it? Actually, you've really surprised me, actually, because I Read your post this morning around anxiety and how.

Because you work with anxiety, that's your main thing working with, isn't it?

And I think it was really noticeable in your lovely post that you did this morning, which was all about how you were going to a performance in London and you made sure you got there early and just didn't want to miss it. So you were putting all these things in place to manage your anxiety.

And so to hear that you just started just like that was actually quite surprising to me.

Laura: 00:08:16

Really. Yeah, yeah. And I think that kind of almost helps with the anxiety, doesn't it? Because, you know, you can.

I had vague ideas, but, you know, you can do so much planning and if you keep looking ahead and. And that is what happens with anxiety, isn't it?

You know, you just keep looking ahead and you're always kind of thinking about what will happen ahead of time in the future and usually you're thinking about what the worst thing is that can happen, all the things that can go wrong. So actually, just by starting, you're not going into that anxiety space. You're not getting.

I call it getting into your time machine and going to the future and kind of living in the future in a. Most people with anxiety in a place where it's all disaster and nothing's going to go right for you.

Josephine: 00:09:05

Yeah.

Laura: 00:09:06

Whereas actually it's all about being in that here and now and just kind of suddenly being thrown into it. You deal with it. And I do quite often say to people that have high anxiety when there's an emergency or things need doing there.

And then people with anxiety are really good at that because they've already prepared themselves for that. Their fight or flight knows exactly what to do in an emergency. It's just. It doesn't know what to do when there isn't an emergency.

Josephine: 00:09:32

Yeah.

But I'd be really interested to explore, you know, what it's like as someone who has lived with anxiety in the past, to embark on private practice and to run a private practice and to cope with, you know, the thought that there might be fewer clients. And, you know, it's so easy to go on the counseling forums and people are panicking because they haven't got clients.

How do you sort of manage that within yourself as a business owner?

Laura: 00:09:58

I think for me, I've kind of been through that journey of trying to manage and reduce my anxiety.

So if I'd started up my private practice in my 30s when my anxiety was very high or kind of even from anywhere from my teenage years up to my 30s, if I tried to start something like that, then, yeah, my anxiety probably would have got the better of me. And yeah, I would have probably kind of avoided the typical avoidance that you do with anxiety.

But because I've been through my own counseling and also through my counseling training, kind of got myself to a better place, I've actually started to manage that anxiety much more. I haven't got rid of it.

It obviously raises his head and all those what if CR questions come along like I put in my post, but it's then about just bringing yourself back into the moment and saying, well, what's happening right now and what can I do right now? And that was almost like with that first client. Well, my room's not ready. What can I do right now? Dining room's there. Yeah, let's use that.

So it's just about stop going into that future place. Just bring yourself back to what's going on now and do what's happening now.

And I think with the pandemic, that's what I kind of did, you know, where are my clients now? They're Face to face. We'll carry on working for Face to Face until we. We can't. Perhaps we don't know what's happening.

Josephine: 00:11:20

Yeah.

Laura: 00:11:20

But kind of had the conversation. Would you be interested in going online if we needed to and yes. Okay.

So we'll carry on as we are now, but if it comes to the point where we have to change it, then we'll look at changing it then.

Josephine: 00:11:34

Yeah.

Laura: 00:11:34

Rather than getting into that place of, oh, it's all going to go wrong and we won't be able to do this and we won't be able to do that.

Josephine: 00:11:40

Yeah.

Laura: 00:11:41

It's just about, let's carry on where we are, but we've got a plan for where we're going to go if we need to and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Josephine: 00:11:49

Yeah. So really trying to stay in the here and now and not worry about the future, but have a plan as well, which is.

Laura: 00:11:56

Yeah, but of course your mind always takes you to that future and those what if questions come along and you ask them of yourself, whereas before I would have got into that what if spiral that people know and you know, it gets worse and worse and worse because you keep adding on extra things that could go wrong, whereas you go the first. What if you kind of go, okay, I hear you. Come back to what I can do now.

Josephine: 00:12:18

Yeah. So it'd be really interesting to know what do you do?

Say you've Sort of got this thought, oh, you know, I've had a few cancellations or I've got a few endings coming up. So you know, the anxiety would say, well, what's going to happen to your private practice?

So what are your sort of go to's, you know, if you've got like gaps in your schedule and that sort of stuff.

Laura: 00:12:43

So private practice I've kind of taught myself over the years isn't just about clients, private practice is so much more. So the clients obviously are what bring our money in and are the what we came into doing this job for.

You know, that that's what gives us the passion and the love of the job. But private practice is about marketing yourself, about doing your admin, about getting things, you know, the day to day stuff done.

So actually it's quite nice sometimes when you've got a bit of a quiet period because you've probably forgotten about your admin while you've got the clients coming in. So, oh, I haven't got a client. Good.

I can do a bit of admin or oh, I haven't looked at my website for a while, I haven't got a client or I can just update my website. So I think it's about knowing that actually running a private practice isn't just about clients, it's about everything else that you do.

And so those quiet moments are actually quite nice to have. The other thing as well, I think is over time, probably not at the beginning there is that little bit of, oh, what's going to happen?

But over time there's that facts and evidence that you can go back to. And I, I know over the last eight years that I have never had a time where I've struggled.

I might have less clients for a few months but I know at the end of the year, every year it's always worked out and I've earned enough money and I've been able to pay the bills and I've been able to keep going and actually each year my income has increased year on year.

So I think it's then just going back to that saying, yeah, there's those ups and downs that we have, you know, after Christmas, in the summer, the school holidays, all those sort of things. But if we look at the year as a whole.

Josephine: 00:14:33

Yeah.

Laura: 00:14:34

Actually it all works out.

Josephine: 00:14:36

Yeah. Yep. So sort of take that, that bird's eye view of the bigger picture. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you find, because I know you've, you've cut, you said you've come from a corporate background. Do you think that's helped you in that sense sort of deal with more of the sort of ups and downs of business and the way it works or.

Laura: 00:14:54

Yeah, yeah, I think so. And, you know, I was in sales, so for me, about. I think one of the big things for people is that fear of selling themselves.

Josephine: 00:15:05

Yeah.

Laura: 00:15:06

That fear of putting themselves out there. Now, anxiety can also give you that fear. But because I'd had kind of lots of work around doing that, I think that helped me.

And that part of saying, you know, I mean, I had sales targets to hit every year, you know, get the commission and the bonuses, so I had to push myself to do things and achieve. So I suppose that part part is in me.

Josephine: 00:15:31

Yeah.

Laura: 00:15:31

If I don't. If I don't put myself out there and don't push myself, well, am I going to achieve? So I think that really helped.

And not that fear of saying, well, you know, if I want to find clients, I've got to be the one that goes out there and finds them. They're essentially not going to come and find me. I don't just sit here and wait for people to come along and say, oh, you work with anxiety.

Can I work with you, please? You've got to let people know that that's what you do and find those people that you.

Yeah, and I think that sales background really helped me to do that.

Josephine: 00:16:06

Do you have sort of goals and aims? You know, do you sort of say, set out the start of the year and think, well, I want to.

In the same way that you would have sales targets set for yourself, think to yourself, you know, I want to be having this many clients coming in and. And how do I do it? Is. Is that how you work?

Laura: 00:16:20

Yeah, absolutely.

And again, you know, there's that forward thinking and not going too far into all the disasters, but do the forward thinking in a way that, you know, you're setting the stall for what you need to do. Right now I kind of go at the beginning of the year. Well, I've got this many clients, so next year I'd like to have this many more clients.

And I also thought of when I was doing, when I was part time and I did the one evening and oh, now I've got enough clients, I could probably fill up a Saturday. So why don't I try that and see where that goes. Oh, that works.

So now I can go to work and ask if I can go part time so then I can have two extra days and let's see if we can fill those. Look, I filled those. Now I Can go to work and ask if I can actually leave and set up my private practice. Yeah.

So, yeah, I think just setting those goals for you. I mean, in corporate we had to do business plans every year and yeah, I hated it.

It was kind of like from January through to April, they're just doing all these business plans and all these figures and everything. And I thought, I don't want to get involved in all of that again. I've had enough of that.

Josephine: 00:17:32

Yeah.

Laura: 00:17:33

But I just kind of do five key points, five action point points for the year.

So that's about how many clients I'm going to get, how I'm going to promote myself and market myself, what other things I might like to be doing, training and things like, you know, I've introduced now I'm a supervisor, so I've started that. So one year I kind of said, yeah, I'll move into supervisor provision. So just setting those smaller targets myself.

Not big things, but just those things that keep me moving forward.

Josephine: 00:18:03

Yeah, yeah. So that was three. So that was.

Laura: 00:18:10

Have to look them up.

Josephine: 00:18:14

Really wanting to know Laura.

Laura: 00:18:17

So: 2025

Over reduction. So I looked at the hours I was working and I set my hours for each day for the coming year. So I put how many clients I'd have on each day.

Then I've got the Dorset counsellors group. So I put look at promoting that and doing more work with that. If it doesn't get the traction I need, then abandon it.

Josephine: 00:18:54

Yeah. Just let it go.

Laura: 00:18:55

Yeah, yeah. And then this year, look at starting up supervision groups or an OCD group. I haven't done that yet and I probably won't this year.

Josephine: 00:19:04

I was gonna say you have got a new polyvagal training evenings.

Laura: 00:19:08

Yeah. That hasn't really taken off, though. So that was my kind of venture into doing kind of groups and things.

I kind of play around with ideas and I've had quite a few ideas over the years and then I've kind of gone. I've played around with that. I don't really like that. It's not really working for me. So I kind of go, we'll ditch that and we'll go somewhere else.

Josephine: 00:19:30

Yeah. Sort of confident enough to be flexible in a sense. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I was really struck then by what you said, that you set the client Number of clients that you want to see in each day.

Because I think that can be a really difficult thing, especially when you're just starting out, is that you can end up thinking, oh, so and so wants to see me on a Tuesday evening, and, oh, I'll say yes, because I don't want to lose the client. And yet it sounds like you're very structured, you know, you look after yourself. You, you just have a certain number of people on each day.

Laura: 00:20:03

And that was really important this year because I had been in that phase, you know. Yeah. Coming up to five years and you do. You're kind of like, I think when you first start, it's about. Yes.

Seeing as many clients as possible, getting all those clients in.

I think one of the mistakes that we make when we first start, and I was certainly guilty of that, is that we set our fe as low as we possibly can because, oh, we're new and we're only just starting and no one will want us to pay that because, you know, all those experienced counsellors out there are charging more.

Now when I supervise and work with the new counsellors going into private practice, I kind of say, well, you've done the training, you've done your placement hours, you know, this is. Now you're qualified and you, you, you can charge. Yeah, the same as someone else.

Josephine: 00:20:51

Yeah.

Laura: 00:20:51

But, yeah, when I started, I think I started at 35 pounds an hour. And I look back at that now and go, oh, my goodness me, what was I doing to myself? Because if you're charging that, you've got to have more clients.

I've got a mortgage to pay, I've got bills to pay. So, you know, I think you do.

Josephine: 00:21:11

The, like a fee calculator.

Laura: 00:21:13

Calculator now, isn't it? And I think that's a great way. Work backwards and say, what do you need coming in? And then work backwards.

So I've increased my fees year on year every year, but when I got to about 50, I was, okay, I'm now for 60. But that's also, you know, then I was at a pace where, well, actually I don't need to work as many hours because I'm kind of charging my worth here.

Josephine: 00:21:36

Yeah.

Laura: 00:21:37

So I think that really helps.

Josephine: 00:21:40

If you're listening to this and thinking, like me, snap, I haven't been valuing myself enough. Maybe it's time to take a look at your fees and I've got a couple of resources that could help.

First is my fee calculator to give you an idea of what you could charge to make your practice sustainable. The link is in the show notes. And if you'd like to learn more about fees, how about listening to episode 50? Are you charging enough as a therapist?

But if money and organizing your practice feels overwhelming, you can also join Therapy Growth group where there's help and training available on things like managing your income over the year. What might be getting in the way of your self worth with regard to money and support to raise your fees.

There's also weekly coaching calls where you can get the help you need to feel brave. Just go to josephinehughes.com therapy growth offer to find out more. And now back to Laura.

Laura: 00:22:46

But also, I think Covid was a big thing for me because when I started my private practice and when I was part time, I had all these big ideas of all those things I was going to do when I was full time.

And I say all those ideas that I had about all might do this, might do that, do training, go in corporate and do training in the corporate world and all these sort of things. And then Covid came, didn't have the new clients coming through and had those few clients that I did have. I was very lucky to have a good Covid.

I live on my own. I started the practice and I could work the hours that I wanted to around that I went out and took my hours walk every day.

I kind of had quite a lot of control about what was going on for me. Thankfully that made me realize how much I did want to slow down.

Josephine: 00:23:35

Oh, interesting. Yeah.

Laura: 00:23:36

I've been working corporate all those years.

Josephine: 00:23:39

Yeah.

Laura: 00:23:39

I mean I didn't have set working hours when I was corporate.

I might leave the house at six in the morning to get to Cornwall from Dorset and then do a day's work and then leave Cornwall at 5:00 and get home at 8:00.

Josephine: 00:23:53

Yeah.

Laura: 00:23:53

And then sit on my computer in the evening doing all my admin and you know, and pushing to get my targets and things. And I suddenly realized why do I want to carry on doing all that when I'm running my own business?

And so actually as I slowed down in Covid, I went, this is what I want to do.

Josephine: 00:24:12

Yeah. And.

Laura: 00:24:13

And right at the.

Well in the middle of COVID my first grandchild, we were going through the process of my first grandchild coming and it was like, actually I can have time with my family, with my grandchild. So I stopped working Fridays so I could look after my grandchild on the Fridays and it was like, okay, I'm going to Slow down now.

Now that means that you have to be strict with your diary.

Josephine: 00:24:37

Yeah.

Laura: 00:24:38

So I put at the back of my diary what spaces I've got for clients on which days and then I put the names of the clients that goes into those slots and what I'm started to do as well, if they're on holiday or some of them are fortnightly or whatever, I block those out on my diary, on my calendar, on my website so that people can't book into those spaces. And then I'm like, oh well, I can do an introductory and then I'll try and find a space for you. Which is what I was doing a lot of.

Whereas now it's all blocked out. I know exactly where I am, I know how many hours I'm working each day. Always have a two hour lunch break as well.

Josephine: 00:25:20

Fantastic. Tell us about your two hour lunch break then. It just really gives you decompression time.

Laura: 00:25:25

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That. That hour's walk that I was doing during COVID Yeah, loved it.

Josephine: 00:25:31

Yeah.

Laura: 00:25:31

Especially in the middle of the day, as you say, just to decompress, kind of get myself back grounded and things. So now I kind of go out for a walk for an hour, come back and have some lunch, actually go out for a walk. That's also moved into the gym now.

Not that I'm enjoying it but. But playing football with my grandson, I kind of thought, yeah, I need to do a bit more than just walking.

So sometimes it's a walk, sometimes it's going to the gym and then having my lunch. But it's just that time to myself in the middle of the day and then, yeah, get back into work after lunch.

Josephine: 00:26:06

Fantastic.

So tell us about fitting in the fortnightly clients then because do you have sort of like say you wanted 20 clients a week, would you allow yourself say 25 hours or something so that. Yes, you can fit everybody in?

Laura: 00:26:20

Yeah, yeah. I generally, on the whole, I usually have between 25 and 27 clients on my books that I'll be working with about 15 to 16 a week.

Josephine: 00:26:31

Yeah, yeah. Because some will be fortnightly and popping.

Laura: 00:26:35

In and usually I try and put my fortnightly clients into each other's spaces. So if I've got one, then someone will fit into the next one and I'll talk to them about that.

If they start and they want fight fortnightly, we'll talk about that.

Does sometimes mean that if we have holidays or bank holidays and things like that, there might be a month before they'll see me Next we have a chat about that. Usually when they've been working with me for a while, that's okay.

Early doors, perhaps it's not, but there's always a space somewhere that you can kind of fit them in. Someone's on holiday or, you know, they're not coming that week.

Josephine: 00:27:13

Yeah. So you find that works out. Yeah, brilliant. So one of the things you talked about was making see clear anxiety, the go to anxiety service in Dorset.

So tell us a bit about how you've tried to make that happen. What are the ways in which you market yourself?

Laura: 00:27:31

Well, one of the big things.

And you started that for me, Josephine, when I came to your training at the beginning of COVID to do videos and that has become a big part of my social media marketing. So every week I do a little video, just a kind of hint and tip on how you can manage your anxiety.

Grounding techniques or breathing techniques or various different things. And then I then share those on all of the local community groups that there are.

Josephine: 00:28:05

Right, so you actually share your live videos around and about. Yeah, yeah.

Laura: 00:28:09

So I've joined as many local community groups as I can, as many business groups as I can and share them on those. Some allow you, some don't, some have a certain day, I always forget.

So yeah, I get quite a few thrown back at me because I've put it on the wrong day. But it's, you know, you put out and then some will land, won't they?

And it's been interesting for me how many people who have inquired and started work with me have said to me, oh, I've been watching your videos for about the last year or so.

Josephine: 00:28:42

Oh really?

Laura: 00:28:43

So, yeah, now I've decided to do something about my anxiety. So it shows how long people will actually follow you.

Josephine: 00:28:53

Yeah. Before they actually contact you, they do something.

Laura: 00:28:57

So that's really helped me locally. I've joined a lovely little networking group locally, some other other small businesses, just sole traders and things.

So that's nice and that's nice and comfortable for me. And they do some.

They're mostly craft people and they have some little craft fairs and things but I've gone along to those and put a stand there and kind of, you know, been there to talk to people about anxiety.

And interestingly, the first one I did, I spent the time to go around and talk to everybody else who had a stall and gave out my business card to everyone. I picked up five clients from that first one.

Josephine: 00:29:34

Wow, amazing.

Laura: 00:29:36

Yeah, I've got a friend who'd be interested and friends of friends.

Josephine: 00:29:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And imagine the fact that you go regularly as well means, oh, hello, Laura, how are you? And they get to know you and you're.

You're sort of memorable to them so that if they do happen to be talking to anybody, they. They can refer you on. And you've got, like, little. You shared a photo of some of the stuff you do at the craft fair. So you have sort of leaflets.

What sort of things do you give out?

Laura: 00:30:01

So I started off by giving out free worksheets and leaflets and things.

And then I thought, you know, people almost walk by you because you might want to talk to them about their anxiety or you might want to talk to them about counseling. And I don't want to do that.

Josephine: 00:30:14

Yeah.

Laura: 00:30:15

So I thought everyone else is selling things and I'm not. And people have come ready, prepared to spend their money, haven't they? And I need to compete with these other crafters in a way.

So what I've put together is what I call a comfort box and so just gone on TEMU and bought little cheap things, keyrings, stress balls, affirmation cards, those little bits and pieces, and then put together some worksheets and put them all into a little box. And I did one last weekend and I sold five of those boxes. So again, it's just something to get the people to come and look and. Oh, what are these?

Josephine: 00:30:52

Yeah. And then obviously you've got all your details in there, so if they want to take it further, they can do so. Absolutely, yeah.

Laura: 00:30:58

And interestingly, most of the people that bought the comfort boxes, they bought them for people that they knew that they thought they would be useful for them. They didn't buy them for themselves. Oh, my son could really like that. Or my granddaughter. That would be good for her.

Josephine: 00:31:13

Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So it helps to spread your name and it helps people who aren't there who might need you find out about you.

Laura: 00:31:21

Yeah. And. And being in that little kind of business, networking, you know, we all put things on Facebook, so therefore I've got more followers.

And because they're following me and they comment on my post, that takes it out to a different audience. And quite often in local community groups, someone will say, I'm looking for a counselor.

And all of those people that I've connected with, they will actually mention me so I don't have to go in and say, oh, I might be a good counsellor. Those people are going, oh, you should get hold of Laura from seclear Counselling. She's really good.

So that's nice as well, because it's not coming directly from me, it's other people recommending.

Josephine: 00:32:00

Yeah. People really trust other people's recommendations rather than us saying, hello.

Laura: 00:32:05

Yes.

Josephine: 00:32:05

It's one of those things, isn't it? You know, if somebody else says it, it's inherently sort of like a trustworthy referral.

Laura: 00:32:13

ng group that I started up in: 2019

And of course, you know, you then go to the networking and we all know then what our specialities are and who can be better for working with particular clients. So that as well, really helped.

Josephine: 00:32:51

Yeah, yeah. So what advice would you give to therapists who were just starting out in private practice and maybe feeling a bit overwhelmed or uncertain?

Laura: 00:32:59

Firstly, that's okay.

It's okay to feel overwhelmed and uncertain because, you know, you're entering into something new and unknown and everybody feels unsure and uncertain about the unknown. So you're bound to have a bit of nervousness and anxiety and that's okay. But it's about having belief in yourself.

I don't think there was ever a moment when I didn't have a belief that I was going to build a successful private practice. So that belief, I think, goes a long way. You know, if you're.

If you're connecting with other people or you're putting your profile out or you're writing a website, and also when you're responding to inquiries, I think if that uncertainty is in you, that kind of comes across in everything that you do. Whereas if you have a really strong belief in yourself, you'll put that forward and, you know, you'll project that out to other people.

So have that really strong belief in yourself.

Josephine: 00:33:58

Do you think there's a way of developing that strong belief in yourself?

Laura: 00:34:03

It's quite a hard one, I think.

Yes, it probably is, but I think, you know, I mean, we've all done the training, we've gone through it, and I think that part of niching, if you have something that, you know, I work really well with these type of clients or this type of area, I found that I've had really good results from, that's Going to give you more belief in yourself, isn't it?

And so when you're connecting or you're talking about what you do, that allows you to talk with more passion about it and more belief in yourself that you can give the results that people are looking for. So I know that lots of people say, oh, don't like niching. If we niche down, we'll kind of, you know, won't be able to get as many clients.

Actually, if you're going out and projecting that passion and that belief in yourself because you know that you've got a strong belief in what you've done with other clients in that area, that makes it stronger message that you're giving out to people, doesn't it?

Josephine: 00:35:04

Yeah, that's a fantastic insight, I think, which will really help people because I think it's something I try and encourage people with all the time. Let's have a look and see what you really sort of are passionate about and what you enjoy working with.

Because that's often the key to knowing how to market yourself, I think. So. It's so good to hear you say that.

Did you sort of feel any doubt about working with anxiety because you were somebody who'd, you know, experienced anxiety in the past? Because sometimes that can get in the way, can't it?

People can think, oh, you know, I can't work with something that's too close to my personal experience.

Laura: 00:35:39

Yeah, no, I didn't have any doubt. I think I kind of knew that that's where I was going to go. I mean, I fell into counselling quite by accident, really, because I joined my original.

I went to a. I don't know, an hour's workshop or something on listening skills.

Josephine: 00:35:57

Yeah, yeah.

Laura: 00:35:58

I did that to improve my sales career. I thought, I can listen better, I can sell better. So I. I kind of went to that first one and loved it. And so then I signed up for level two.

And then the rest, as they say, is history because I just fell in love with it and carried going.

Josephine: 00:36:15

Yeah.

Laura: 00:36:16

And until I finished my level for. And all the way through, I was thinking, you know, I knew how much counseling had helped me.

I am now training to be able to give the same back to someone else. I'd also lived with a mother who had clinical depression and anxiety all of her life. And so we'd lived through what that meant.

And I think as I went through my training and realized how much those childhood experience contribute to where we are in our adult life, it was like, why wouldn't I want to be Able to give back to people who have lived in that environment of anxiety and almost kind of started creating that anxiety for themselves from that environment. And then things kind of happen in life and kind of build on that.

So I think I knew straight away when I kind of came out that's where I'm going to focus because I know that counselling can make a difference. I know it made a difference for me.

It didn't make a difference for my mum because she always thought, well, why do I want to talk about my childhood and why do I want to talk about all this stuff in counseling? And I kind of thought, oh, if only my mum had done that, how much different her life would have been. So, yeah, I knew straight away.

And actually I think my own experience, as long as I'm kind of careful about where I share that, I think it helps. But I'm okay about sharing, you know, my bullying at school and how that led to my anxiety and how those what ifs came along.

Like I said in that post the other day, actually, there are still parts of that that are there, but now I know how to manage that and it means that I'm enjoying life and I'm doing all those things that perhaps I stopped myself from doing before. So why wouldn't I share some of that with other people?

Josephine: 00:38:06

Yeah, it feels like such a heartfelt. It's coming from such a heartfelt place for you, isn't it?

Like, it's almost like a real mission for you to actually, you know, really help people and make a difference and have that impact that counseling had on your life as well.

Laura: 00:38:22

Yeah, absolutely.

Josephine: 00:38:23

That must give you a lot of courage and strength, really. Like we were saying, you know, that. That self belief that you just want to go out there and make a difference to people's lives.

Laura: 00:38:33

Yeah, yeah.

And if you've got that, you know, if I'm saying, oh, well, I'll put myself out there, but I'm not sure if I can help people and I'm not sure if I can do that. And will I be the right counsellor for them and will they come to me and will I be able to give them what they want?

We're kind of giving that back out, aren't we? Whereas if we're saying those people come to me, absolutely, I can make a difference. I know what it feels like and I can do that for other people.

You're going to project that out?

Josephine: 00:39:01

Yeah, yeah. Make a real difference. Yeah.

So do you find going back to the sort of anxiety, you know, doing things like your live feeds was that sort of like, you know, do you have moments where that makes you feel anxious?

Laura: 00:39:14

That was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. I mean, why I went for your initial workshop as it was in the first place, I really don't know.

I think I must have been bored in Covid and went, oh, yeah, there's something to do.

Josephine: 00:39:29

Yeah.

Laura: 00:39:30

And then. And then we had to do all these videos and share them with each other. And I'm thinking, oh, my goodness, what am I doing?

But over that week, we all started to get a bit more confidence and everyone was supporting everyone else and it was like, okay, this is a possibility. And then I remember the very first one that I did. Oh, I was shaking like a leaf and you could hear it in my voice.

And the fear of, you know, that initial setting it up and everything, still that fear every time it's all going to go wrong.

Josephine: 00:39:58

Yeah.

Laura: 00:39:59

But, yeah, I look back now on that first one and thought, this was terrible. Why would anyone have watched that? And what on earth would they got from that?

But I kept going, and through Covid, they were actually quite long videos that I did, and I did them live and people came on and I kind of made them much more interactive.

I kind of moved away from that now because I don't really have the time and things, but I kind of realized that people were interested and people were interacting and people wanted this. So I think over time, you then get through that. And actually, now I've done so many of them because I do them more or less every week.

I have done for the last five years.

Josephine: 00:40:41

So you've done about 250, probably, yes.

Laura: 00:40:45

My goodness. But now it's kind of almost just say, okay. I kind of think about what I want to say.

I do a little practice in front of the mirror, just hoping that I've kind of got my words right around what I want to say, and then it's just, right, let's just go on and do it. And so, yeah, it's. It's like all things, you know, it's what I say to all my clients.

You know, the fear of doing something is much worse than actually doing it.

Josephine: 00:41:10

Yeah. Yeah. And it's proved to be so sort of helpful as well, hasn't it? Yeah. Have you had ever any times where things haven't gone as planned?

Maybe either on a live feed or something to do with your business? And how did you handle it?

Laura: 00:41:27

Live feeds? Definitely. Yeah. You know, stopping halfway through and then you kind of like.

And then it goes out live and it Stopped you halfway through and you're like, okay, well, just delete that then do another one. Somewhere I've been sitting there and I've chatted away and then gone to put it out live. And for some reason it's not there.

Yeah, no, where did it go? What happened to that? So again, okay, I'll either do another one or it's like, oh, well, we'll just miss this week.

I haven't got time to do another one sort of thing.

Josephine: 00:41:59

Yeah, yeah.

Laura: 00:42:01

So certainly in that. And I think in business, well, there's all sorts of things that can go wrong with business, isn't there?

But I don't think we'll ever have things that are just so terrible that we can't find our way back from them. I mean, there's various clients that I've had that I look back on now and think, okay, yeah, I didn't quite do that right with them.

Probably had a few sessions and then they've left and you're going, why have they left? And then you look back on it and you go, oh, well, I know why they left us.

Josephine: 00:42:34

I can understand it now.

Laura: 00:42:36

Yeah.

Josephine: 00:42:37

With a bit of distance. Yeah, you can see.

Laura: 00:42:39

But I don't think we can beat ourselves up about those things. We're all human, aren't we? Again, that's something I've learned over the years in the past. Well, that would have been an absolute disaster.

And I'm never going to go and put myself in that space again because it's never going to work out.

Whereas over time, being able to manage my anxiety more about, okay, well, where's all the facts and evidence of what happened before that and what's happened since that?

And, you know, from a CBT point of view, it's always about gathering those facts and evidence and bringing yourself back to the here and now, rather than, you know, oh, that went wrong that time. So that means everything that I've ever done like that has gone wrong.

And then you look back and go, well, no, actually all of these times before, it all went well, didn't it? That was the one that didn't quite go the way I wanted it to. Showing the, you know, the ratio of what. What goes well versus what goes wrong.

Josephine: 00:43:40

Yeah, absolutely. It is about noticing that, isn't it?

I think a lot of the time, like you say, the facts and the evidence, and it's so easy to go down that path of thinking, oh, you know, I haven't got any new clients. And then maybe you look back and you think, well, Actually, I've had five new clients this month. Or, you know, that sort of thing, isn't it?

You do need to actually look and correct your brain sometimes because it wants to go down that path of anxiety, doesn't it, so.

Laura: 00:44:02

Oh, definitely, yeah. I mean, that's the natural path that our brain takes, isn't it?

You know, we know that our brain is made for survival, so it's always going down the survival path.

Josephine: 00:44:13

Yeah.

Laura: 00:44:14

And of course, when things go well, our brain doesn't have to hold on to that because we're surviving and things are going well.

Josephine: 00:44:20

Yeah.

Laura: 00:44:21

But, you know, when things go wrong, that's when our survival could be at risk. So our brain kind of, you know, latches onto it. Yes.

Soaks that up and then that's the bit that we bring to mind each time because, yeah, survival is at risk. That threat to us is so scary.

But, yeah, we just have to remind ourselves that our brain hasn't held on to all the good things, so we've got to take ourselves to that place.

Josephine: 00:44:45

Yeah. So how would you apply that to sort of like looking at the success of your private practice, do you think?

How do you almost sort of course correct your brain if it's going down that way? What will you do?

Laura: 00:44:58

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, that, that typical one when you know you haven't got enough clients and you think you're never going to get any clients and you know it's all going to go wrong. Now in your private practice, what was the point of starting private practice? Because you can't, you can't get the clients.

Whereas actually, actually just give yourself time and they do come, you know, and it does work out. So, yeah, don't go into that catastrophizing, as we call it, you know.

Josephine: 00:45:26

Yeah.

Laura: 00:45:27

So, yeah, just kind of keep doing what you know you can do.

Josephine: 00:45:32

Yeah.

Laura: 00:45:32

You know, just keep putting yourself out there. I heard you say recently about rewriting your profile because. Yeah. How often do we write a profile and then just completely forget about it?

But actually they're the things that we can go. That can go into and update and keep us going. My website, you know, doing blogs.

I haven't done some for a little while, but I know I've got to do some more because again, that keeps your website being seen, doesn't it? So there's always something that you can move to that you can do that will help you to be seen.

Josephine: 00:46:11

Yeah.

Laura: 00:46:11

And it's not going into that panic and thinking, no one's going to be able to find me. It's about, well, how do I now move into a space that will help other people find me?

Josephine: 00:46:26

Absolutely.

Laura: 00:46:27

What are the extra things that I can do that I'm not doing right now?

Josephine: 00:46:32

And there's something around the regulation of your emotions around that I think isn't there to actually.

And it's interesting what you said earlier, just going back to, oh, now I welcome having a bit of a quiet space because I think I see my private practice as a whole and I can get on because I think we go into that panic state and then our brain just freezes really, doesn't it?

And I think there's something around being able to bring ourselves back to regulate ourselves in that quiet space so that we can then say, oh, yeah, I could do some work on my website or I could go out and meet someone or whatever. Yeah.

Laura: 00:47:05

And that's all that grounding that we do, isn't it?

That's that bit about bringing yourself back into the here and now because, you know, anxiety, as I say, will take you to the future and it will say all these terrible things. If I don't do this, this is what's going to happen over here. And so again, it's that bit about grounding yourself in the here and now.

Okay, so what's happening right now and what can I do right now? What are the things that I have control of that I can do right now?

I don't have control of what might happen in the future and what could maybe what if might happen in the future don't have control over that. So let's bring it back to the here and now and what are the things that I do have control of right now?

And what I do have control of is perhaps doing another video and putting it out so that other people can see me.

But I do have control of is I haven't got a client today, so I can sit and write a blog in that 50 minutes rather than twiddle my thumbs for those 50 minutes. Yeah, I can go and update my website, put a new photo on, maybe put a new profile picture on my counseling directory profile.

So it's all about bringing it back to what can I do now? And maybe just grounding yourself, doing some breathing, just balance, you know, just.

Just kind of getting yourself back into this moment and then say, okay, so what do I have control of right now that I can do that's going to be helpful to me rather than panicking that it's all going to go wrong?

Josephine: 00:48:35

Yeah, it's brilliant. Thank you, Laura. Can I Just sort of go back a little bit.

Actually, there's something else I was going to ask you because you were saying about managing. When you look over the whole year and you can see, actually, yeah, you know, I have my. My income's actually increased each year.

I can manage the quiet periods as well as the busy periods. What do you do about managing your finances across that time? Because, you know, you mentioned about having a mortgage.

Obviously the mortgage comes in every month. So how do you manage your finances across the year? You know, with the busy and the quieter times, I think people would find that useful to hear.

Laura: 00:49:09

I think first of all is not going into that panic space and saying, you know, what's going on right now.

The other thing for me is I did over when I was setting up my business, so I went part time and did that and then kind of went full time into my PP over that period. I did put away savings each month and had a rainy day fund. So I kind of put that behind me. So that that was there.

Actually, interestingly, I've never dipped into it, which is really nice to know. So it's still sitting there just in case something goes wrong. I thought in Covid I would have to move into it, but it actually all worked out.

The other thing is I don't get as much interest by doing this. So some people who want the higher interest on their money maybe don't want to do this. But for me it's about putting my money into different pots.

So I've got a pot for my income tax and my national insurance. So each month I'll take percentage and put that into a pot.

I've got a pot for holiday money, so I put away some amount every month for holiday I've got a pot for my car, just in case, you know, because cars are expensive, aren't they? So, you know, got a little pot of money.

So each month I just take little bits of money and put them into the different pots so that I know I've got money for those things that come along. And do you know what?

If I'm having a quieter month, then maybe my car car pot won't get some money that month or my holiday pot won't get some money that month. But overall I'm kind of keeping those little bits going. So I think it's just about kind of, you know, do I want to say it's just about having.

I suppose it's that belief again, isn't it, that it's all going to be all right and if I just Keep my pots of money there that if I need to, I've got different pots to dip into if I have to. But overall, I know the basics is kind of. Yeah.

So I know that at the end of each month, I'm going to transfer so much money into my personal account to cover the bills and my mortgage and things. And if. If at the end of the month, that's all I've got. Well, that means that I don't go out for the meals and I don't.

I don't kind of go and buy a new dress or a new pair of shoes.

Josephine: 00:51:29

Yeah. Yes. You just manage it across the month and manage it across the year.

Because I think that's one of the things that people worry about so much is the cyclical nature of how private practice can be with the quieter times over the summer and the Christmas holidays, that sort of thing. So it's helpful to hear how you manage it.

Laura: 00:51:44

Thank you. But I must say, in the eight years, I've never been in a space where I thought, it's just not going to happen this month.

And if it's a slow month, it will. I'll catch it up the next month.

Josephine: 00:51:57

Yeah. Yeah.

Laura: 00:51:58

Because maybe I'll get a few more clients and I might just have to work. I might have to open up a slot, maybe have an hour lunch break one day a week just to open up that extra slot to make up that additional that I need.

Josephine: 00:52:09

Yeah.

Nora, we're sort of running out of time now, so just want to say, oh, it's been just so great to hear how you run your practice, and I'm sure it's going to really help a lot of people, especially those, the listeners who do panic a bit about numbers and whether or not they're going to be able to make it work. And it's so reassuring to hear you describe how you've made it work and how you cope with the inevitable ups and downs that we encounter.

So it's been brilliant. Thank you so much.

Laura: 00:52:38

Thank you. And I suppose the final message is. Yeah. Don't let anxiety get the better of you. Don't keep hopping forward to the worst case scenario in the future.

Just. Just keep bringing yourself back to the here and now and what can you do right now?

Josephine: 00:52:51

Brilliant. That's a fantastic, really helpful thing to say. Thank you. Oh, before we finish, though, Laura, how could people find you?

Laura: 00:52:58

So, my website is seeclear Counselling, so search for seeclear Counselling. I'm on Facebook, and again, that's seeclear Counseling. Anxiety specialist. I'm on Instagram. Seeclearcounselling.

Yeah, they're the main places that people can find me. And if people are in Dorset and want to join the Dorset Counsellors Network, then we've got a Facebook group. Look up Dorset Counsellors Network.

Or just send me an email to Laura Seclear Counselling and I'll let you know how they can join the group because we do coffee mornings, we do social events, and we've just started up quite a nice CPD program as well, where other counsellors in the area are giving their service to train in their specialties. Brilliant as well.

Josephine: 00:53:47

Fantastic. Thank you. Oh, thanks very much for coming, Laura. I really appreciate it.

I think many of us are aware that running your private practice can feel like a roller coaster at times. One week you're full, the next you have cancellations and endings. But I loved Laura's thoughts about looking at the evidence over time. Her approach.

To see your private practice as more than just clients and to use your time on things that you can actually control, such as your marketing, is something I really agree with. Now, I also know that mirroring and connection can be something that really helps us to ground ourselves.

And this is why I offer support in therapy growth group. You don't have to do private practice on your own.

And my group coaching calls are often a wonderful opportunity to ground yourself by talking with other therapists and getting support when you're going through a difficult phase.

I'd love to help you with your private practice, so do get in touch with me via my website, josephinehughes.com if you'd like some more information about how I can help, thanks for listening. Do come and join my Facebook community. Good enough counsellors.

And for more information about how I can help you develop your private practice, please Visit my website, JosephineHughes.com if you found this episode helpful, I'd love it if you could share it with a fellow therapist or leave a review of on your podcast app. And in closing, I'd love to remind you that every single step you make gets you closer to your dream. I really believe you can do it.