Social workers are trained to fight capitalism and poverty—so what happens when you decide to open a private practice and charge for your services? April Griffin, MSW and group practice owner, gets brutally honest about the identity crisis, money shame, and values conflict that social workers face in the private sector. This conversation tackles the elephant in the room that nobody in social work education wants to discuss.
What You'll Learn:
+ Why social workers struggle more than other therapists with the transition to private practice
+ The values conflict: anti-capitalist training meets the reality of needing income to survive
+ How social work education fails to prepare practitioners for private practice (or even acknowledge it exists)
+ Why private practice social workers aren't winning "Social Worker of the Year" awards
+ The scarcity mentality that prevents social workers from investing in their practice growth
+ How April built a 400-member Facebook group for BC social workers in private practice
+ What it takes to reconcile social work values with running a profitable business
+ Why "I just wanted to help people for free" is an unsustainable business model
Key Topics Discussed:
April's journey: Ukraine volunteer work at 18, Downtown Eastside, addiction/trauma/domestic violence work
+ Transition from Fraser Health (Maxine Wright Centre) to private practice during COVID
+ Starting in 2020: offering in-person therapy when everyone else was virtual only
+ The slow-and-steady build: hourly rental → sublet → own space → group practice (3 associates)
+ Social work's "client first" values that leave no room for practitioner sustainability
+ The cousin nobody talks about: private practice as the ignored sector in social work
+ Money shame: the discomfort of making money from people's pain
+ The values contradiction: being praised as a saint in healthcare but judged in private practice
+ How having three kids and a partner in school forced a mindset shift about money
+ Creating the BC Social Workers in Private Practice Facebook group (started from zero, now 400members)
Mentioned in This Episode:
+ April Griffin's Group Practice - Emotion Wise Counselling, 3 associates, started ~3 years ago
+ BC Social Workers in Private Practice Facebook Group - 400 members, co-created with Dorcas -https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1B8H5Twurm/
+ Fraser Health - Maxine Wright Community Health Centre (pregnant/parenting moms, substance use, trauma, domestic violence)
+ LinkedIn Strategy - April manually messaged social workers to build community
+ Social Work Education - MSW programs that don't teach business or acknowledge private practice
+ Anti-Oppressive Values - How they help clinical work but create friction with money
+ The COVID Bubble - In-person therapy demand during isolation
+ Slow Recovery - April's own journey from "I want to see people for free" to sustainable pricing
The Social Work Values Conflict:
+ What Helps: Anti-oppressive lens, understanding social injustice, systemic awareness, trauma-informed care
+ What Hurts: Money shame, self-sacrifice narrative, capitalism guilt, scarcity mentality
+ The Paradox: Same salary in healthcare = saint; same salary in private = selfish
+ The Reality: "This is my only income now. I have three children. I had a partner at school for two years not working."
+ The Betrayal Feeling: Moving to private sector feels like abandoning social work's anti-capitalist roots
Building Community from Nothing:
April didn't wait for someone else to create resources for social workers. She took action:
+ Co-created BC Social Workers in Private Practice Facebook group
+ Manually added social workers from LinkedIn one by one
+ Privately messaged each person to join
+ Posted everywhere to gain momentum
+ Built to 400 members through intentional effort, not organic growth
+ Created the community she wished existed when she started
The Money Conversation:
"I opened a private practice so I could potentially see people for free. Of course I'm struggling with this."
April's turning point came from necessity—not ideology. When her practice became her only income, supporting three kids and a partner in school, she had to examine the values that were keeping her from sustainable pricing. The shift wasn't about abandoning social work principles—it was about recognizing that sustainable work requires sustainable income.
Key Quotes:
"There's zero resources for social workers in private practice in BC. I was the first of all my peers to start their private practice."
"I don't see many private practice owners getting these social worker of the year awards."
"It's fine when you're in healthcare—you're a saint. But when you're in private practice, there's something very self-serving about it."
"I think sometimes people are juggling multiple jobs, maybe they're still in healthcare. And so they say, well, this is kind of a way to help people. But it is how I have to survive."
"People don't necessarily see the excitement of building a practice, so they're investing less in it—less marketing time, fewer necessary funds."
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ABOUT YOUR HOST:
Cecilia Mannella is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and leadership coach for therapists with 25 years as a mental health practitioner and 17+ years building her group practice from solo therapist to seven-figure success.
She's been navigating the social worker identity crisis in private practice for nearly two decades.
Connect with Cecilia:
Website: https://www.ceciliamannella.com/
This Episode: https://www.ceciliamannella.com/purpose-and-profit-podcast
ABOUT THE GUEST:
April Griffin is a seasoned social worker, trauma therapist, and group practice owner of Emotion WiseCounselling—a practice focused on helping people with complex trauma and emotion regulation find support and wellness. She is an adventurer and healer who has lived her life on both coasts of Canada, as well as internationally and loves new opportunities to connect and learn from and with others. She is also an avid soccer player and mom to 3 wonderful girls.
Connect with April:
Website: https://www.emotionwise.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-griffin-390135117/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emotionwisecounselling/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emotionwise/
BC Social Workers in Private Practice Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1B8H5Twurm/
LOVED THIS EPISODE?
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