Building Private Practice Community as a Therapist Mom
This episode of The Therapist Mom Podcast is packed with honest, practical insights to help you grow your private practice while navigating the real-life challenges of motherhood. If you’ve ever felt alone trying to juggle client work, family responsibilities, and the demands of running a business—or if you’ve wondered how to find community and support, this episode is exactly what you need.
As someone who’s lived the therapist mom experience firsthand—pivoting schedules on a dime when school closures pop up, and running my practice in the quiet moments between the needs of my family—I know how isolating this journey can feel. This episode is all about naming those challenges and sharing the strategies I’ve found essential for building real community, finding clarity, and giving ourselves permission to do things differently.
Whether you’re a private practice therapist, a mom, or both, this conversation is designed to validate your experience and help you uncover the supportive connections you actually need. Let’s dive in—with a little story about school snow days that I know you’ll relate to!
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
The Unspoken Isolation of Private Practice as a Mom: Why most business advice feels out of touch for therapist moms, and why you’re not doing anything wrong if your reality doesn’t fit the “standard” mold.
How to Build Genuine Community (And Why You Need It): Ways to connect with like-minded therapist moms, normalize your experience, and access the peer-based support that makes everything feel a little lighter.
Letting Go of Unhelpful Expectations: How honoring your real life—in all its unpredictable messiness—creates space for clarity, confidence, and the kind of growth that actually feels sustainable.
Episode Timestamps
00:02: Introduction—why therapy moms building private practice need a new kind of conversation.
01:31: Naming the real challenges: Unpredictable schedules, isolation, and how typical advice misses the mark.
04:58: How community shifts the journey by normalizing your reality and providing actionable support.
09:12: Creating therapist mom-specific spaces—why generic business groups and therapist communities aren’t enough.
11:19: Why I created The Therapist Mom Hangout: details, sign up, and what you’ll get from joining.
Top Takeaways on Community for Therapist Moms in Private Practice
You’re Not Alone—And You’re Not Doing It Wrong
Let’s break this down: So much private practice advice assumes predictable work hours and endless focus—two things most moms simply don’t have. When your life is built on pivots and inconsistencies, feeling like "you’re behind" is common—but it isn’t the truth. The reality is, we’re building businesses inside a context that most business advice isn’t designed for. That’s normal. And you don’t have to do it alone. I’ve lost count of the times when a school closure or sick day upended my plans—and those moments are universal in this community.
Community of Peers Is the Antidote to Overwhelm
Here’s how you can start surrounding yourself with supportive therapist moms:
Step 1: Seek out (or create) spaces that value honesty and promotion-free conversation. Spaces where you can say, “childcare fell through” and everyone just gets it.
Step 2: Let yourself share what’s real—fears about consistency, questions about client scheduling, or the overwhelm of growing at your own pace. You'll discover actionable advice and, more importantly, empathy.
Step 3: Use community as a place for reflection and clarity—asking, “has anyone else been here?” is often enough to break the spiral of doubt and move toward confident decisions.
What Doesn’t Work—and What To Avoid
We all make mistakes, but let’s save you the headache. Here’s what NOT to do when building your private practice as a mom:
Mistake 1: Joining spaces where you have to explain or justify your life and choices.
Mistake 2: Forcing yourself to fit into someone else’s timeline or definition of “success.”
Mistake 3: Believing your struggles are a personal failing, rather than a sign that you’re building in a context that needs unique solutions.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
The Therapist Mom Hangout — Free community event for therapist moms to connect and support one another.
Join us for Therapist Mom Networking Meetup — a casual space to connect with other therapist moms, share what’s working in your practice, talk through challenges, and build real community. No pressure, no pitching — just support and connection. Register at https://www.raisedtoempower.com/networking
💻 This episode is sponsored by Jane, the all-in-one practice management software I use and love. Book your FREE Live Demo HERE and when you're ready to sign up use code ASHLEY1MO for a 1 month grace period
⭐️ Grab your FREE networking guide for therapists HERE
⭐️ Learn more about how I can help support you and your practice, and ways we can work together at www.raisedtoempower.com
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Ashley Comegys specializes in helping therapist moms build private practices that allow them the time freedom, flexibility and autonomy they need in their careers. Looking for support in either starting your practice, or looking to revamp your marketing and systems? Let’s chat— book your consultation here!
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, supervision, or legal advice.
