Lorraine Cookson

Firstly, please know that you are not alone. Perhaps you have lost your way a little bit. Or lost the spark and passionate that you had for your Practice. I hear from people all the time that feel that way. We know that being a therapist is hard work, but it is even more so for those in Private Practice. Doing multiple roles within our Practices, working unsocial hours, and dealing with the uncertainty of income. So please be gentle with yourself and offer yourself the compassion you would give a client. It really does happen to us all, somewhere along the road.

Before you burn your Practice down though, consider if some changes or time away could help the spark come back.

If you had an ideal situation, how would your life look? How far are you away from that? And what steps could bring you closer to it? Unfortunately, I can't help you win the lottery and live carefree on tropical island, but I can help you to have more direction in your business.

If you set up a good while ago or in a rush, consider if the foundations of your business are supportive enough. (Read this blog for guidance.) There might be somethings you can go back and fortify in the foundations of your Practice that make it easier or more enjoyable to run.

Consider if you are working too much. Simple, and yet very not simple to change, I know. Is it time to increase your fee? Should you increase for current clients (contract allowing) or new clients or both? Can you keep your client caseload the same but reduce your working days, so that you get more full days off? Or would you benefit from spreading your caseload out over the week more, so you aren't working so much in fewer days?

Do you need to expand your caseload into new topics or areas? Are you feeling a little underchallenged or bored in your work? Or do you have too many heavy cases and feeling overwhelmed with risk or responsibility?

Do you need to be less available and increase your boundaries? Do you need more actual time off, where you aren't thinking about your caseload?

Do you need a new supervisor? Are you feeling too comfortable and unchallenged? Or are you feeling very challenged and unsupported?

Do you need to move into training or workshops, either for other therapists or for clients? Do you have a book in you that you would love to share with the world?

Could you invest in yourself and Practice by working with a coach? Someone you can talk through all of these questions with? It is so important that you know you can change your Practice so that it actually works for you and supports you with not only your professional goals but also your personal ones.

If you would like to discuss any of these things and get some clarity on where you are taking your Practice contact me to book in a Private Practice Coaching session. Packages can be found here but I also offer single sessions to work through your specific needs.

If you would like to focus on your Private Practice join the wonderful and supportive Facebook community [Counsellors with Goals= https://www.facebook.com/groups/counsellorswithgoals].