A few weeks back I asked for a few brave therapists to guest blog for me. On such brave person Joanne B. Kim, AMFT wrote a fantastic blog post about being a pre-licensed therapist and trying to build an ideal practice. Ms. Kim’s insight comes directly from being in the Pre-licensed trenches and creating a business. She has written a brilliant blog on this subject. I have broken down her blog into a 3-part series. Ms. Kim’s well thought out blog shares her emotions openly and honestly; emotions that are common to all therapists building a private practice. I remember having those same intense fears when I started my group practice 9 years ago.

This struggle is very real and one we MUST learn to overcome these self-doubts. As you can see from the table below Ms. Kim has been highly successful at overcoming the obstacles of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the naysayers. All successful people have naysayers, do not give them any mind. In fact, think of them like the mean girls at school, all talk, and no action.  Smile and continue to be your successful self. Make this your mantra;

 

“No power to the naysayers.”

 

The Pre-licensed Journey Begins

 

 

This Was Me

 

By Joanne B. Kim, AMFT (part 1 of a 3-part series.)

On a mother-daughter movie date, I found my life anthem. We watched “The Greatest Showman,” a film about dreams, uniqueness, and belonging. I left the theatre mentally replaying the movie for the rest of the night, watched it again the next day, and put the soundtrack on repeat for weeks.

I was completely caught off guard with Keala Seattle’s “This is Me,” which deeply resonated with me as I’ve been struggling to build my practice as a prelicensed therapist. The chorus goes:

“When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I’m meant to be; THIS IS ME

Look out, ‘cause here I come
And I’m marching on to the beat I drum
I’m not scared to be seen
I make no apologies; THIS IS ME.”

Though I’ve met my fair share of naysayers, the harshest one spoke with my own voice.

Who do you think you are? You think you can actually DO something?

No one’s gonna listen to you – You’re not even licensed…You don’t even know how to do EMDR.

You think people are actually going to show up? Pay your fee? It’s too high.

Shame is no stranger to me. It interrupts my life as procrastination, comparison, envy, perfectionism, and overwork. Last summer, I broke down crying in my individual supervision, depleted, discouraged, and frustrated by having spun my wheels without much visible traction.

 

This is Me Today

Fast forward six months, my practice looks NOTHING like what it was ten months ago:

 

May 2017	Mid-March 2018
4 out of 14 (29%) ideal clients. 3 energy-depleting clients.	19 out of 20 (95%) ideal clients. 0 energy-depleting clients.
3 out of 14 (21%) full-fee clients.	12 out of 20 (60%) full-fee clients.
Full fee: $75. Average hourly rate: $48.86.	Full fee: $120. Average hourly rate: $105.65.
Avg 8.75 client hours/week, 3 leads/month	Avg 17.25 client hours/week, 11 leads/month
Working a second job to pay bills.	Only seeing clients/practice building. 3x take-home income (another 2x once licensed).
Swiss cheese schedule: many random gaps	Streamlined schedule
Mood: Overwhelmed, depleted, bored, frustrated (at myself and at clients)	Mood: Refreshed, energized, inspired, driven

What do you feel when you see this?

I do hope this inspires you and gives you hope. Ms. Kim is pre-licensed; what big accomplishment she has made. Wow, congratulations.  Please come back next week when the 2 part of this 3-part series by Ms. Kim “Words That Cut Us Down.”

 

 

Joanne B. Kim, AMFT
www.OliveMeCounseling.com

Joanne is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in San Jose, CA. She helps adult survivors of emotional abuse/neglect and high-conflict couples – those who feel stuck, anxious, and frustrated in their significant relationships – create emotionally thriving relationships.

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