You’re a skilled therapist who does life-changing work with your clients… but as a business owner, do you feel like you’re sinking? Running your own therapy practice means that you’re at the helm of the ship and your leadership is your most important business tool. Leaders can often feel a sense of loneliness and isolation, running the practice without help or support. Do you have someone you trust to help you make decisions, bounce ideas off of, or turn to for support?
Well, that’s what I’m here for.
Leadership Development
Individual coaching to help you build your leadership and business management skills. Ideal for therapists new to running a business or leading a clinical or administrative team.
Strategy Development
Strategy support to help you craft your vision, cultivate your practice mission and values, establish a strategic plan, and develop a timeline and action plan to follow.
Systems & Process Development
Support to develop a strategy and systems & processes to help you, your practice, and your clients thrive. Ideal for solo or group private practices.
I’m here to help you…
DEVELOP YOUR STRATEGY• Create a clear mission, values, and culture for your practice.
• Build a communication plan, including content for your website, social media, newsletters, and other external communications.
• Build a business plan and growth strategy for your practice.
• Set short-term and long-term goals for yourself, your team, and your practice (and achieve them).
GROW YOUR TEAM• Hire high-performing clinicians, including reviewing resumes and holding first-round interviews for you.
• Create job descriptions, org charts, and reporting structures for your practice.
• Engage team members in relationship-building activities to build a strong, connected, and supportive group who work together to provide high-quality services to your clients.
• Identify team members’ strengths & areas for development, and create action plans to help them grow.
STREAMLINE YOUR SYSTEMS & PROCESSES
• Know when you need to develop a support team, like a biller or a virtual assistant.
• Organize the workflow of your practice.
• Develop a budget for your practice.
• Establish clear on-boarding procedures to ensure new employees can hit the ground running.
• Establish things such as an Employee Manual, vacation/sick leave policies, and performance plans.
HANDLE THE TOUGH STUFF WITH EASE• Assess what is and what isn’t working about your practice.
• Think through the pros/cons and business impact of new ideas or major decisions you’d like to make.
• Develop strong communication skills, set clear expectations for your employees or contractors, and learn how to delegate.
• Prepare for difficult conversations like addressing poor performance or terminating a contract.
My Philosophy
I like to say that I’m a person-centered consultant, meaning that I meet you where you and your practice are. I help you assess what is working well and what needs to work better, and together we figure out the best solutions for your current circumstances and future goals. There might be things on the list above that you have no interest in doing – no problem… maybe that’s not the direction you want to take your practice. There may be things that aren’t on the list that are important to you – okay, got it… let’s make sure we focus on those, too.
When I work with clients, I’m in it for the long haul if that is what you need. I often become an extended member of the team and act as a strategic thought-partner, trusted advisor, sounding board, feedback-giver, problem-solver, solution-finder, confidante, work bestie, and cheerleader. I usually establish long-standing relationships with my clients that allow me to get to know their practices inside and out, which is why I only work with a handful of people at a time.
I generally work with clients virtually, but there are certain times when in-person meetings are beneficial. This could be anything from lunch meetings (for local clients), half-day or full-day planning sessions (for clients within driving range), or 2-3 day strategy and/or team development retreats with just you or with your entire team (when travel is required). You and I will decide together if and when we need to meet face-to-face during our work.
Most of my clients work with me in an ongoing relationship but if you’re looking for more short-term support, we can do that, too! I offer a specialized strategic planning program that includes a deep-dive into your business (for me), a 2-hour (virtual or in-person) strategic planning session (for us), and ends with my delivering a high-level strategic plan and/or mission and values to you.
I am based in San Diego, and work with clients all over the country. At this time, I currently have room for one, possibly two long-term clients, depending on your needs and the scope of your practice.
About Me
Hi… I’m Christine! I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I’m also a small-business consultant who works with heart-based entrepreneurs, most of whom are therapists or coaches. In this work, I’ve discovered a huge need in our field… leadership development for Clinicians. In much of the consulting that I do, I see gaps and deficits in my clients’ leadership abilities. And I understand why.
We all spent years in school training to become amazing Clinicians. But being an excellent Clinician or Supervisor requires a different skillset than being an excellent leader. And nobody has ever taught us how to be good leaders before. We expect that we should magically know how to do it. But just like clinical skills, leadership skills and business skills also take time to develop… and that’s what I’m here to do. Help you develop the skills you need to run a thriving practice.
My Background
I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from UC Irvine (2001) and my Master’s of Science in Counseling from CSU Fullerton (2010). While studying to become a therapist, I worked for a boutique business consulting firm specializing in leadership development and organizational culture change. It was during that time that I realized my passion for entrepreneurship and helping small businesses succeed. Since 2013, I have worked as a small business consultant and strategist for helpers and healers all across the country. My favorite things about this work are the close relationships I get to build with my clients and the excitement I feel when I watch my clients’ practices thrive.
Did you know. . .
Effective leadership requires different skills than being a good Clinician or Supervisor.
I believe effective leadership requires strength in 3 critical areas.
Leading the Self
Intra-personal skills, including:
personal vision & values, emotional management, introspection & self-inquiry, effective self-care practices, and understanding of personal boundaries & needs.
Leading Others
Inter-personal skills, including:
communication skills, building a high-functioning staff, employee development, team satisfaction & engagement, role definition & clarity, and defining expectations & setting boundaries.
Leading a System
Business acumen, including:
mission, vision & values, strategizing & scaling your practice, developing effective systems & processes, resource allocation, budgeting & finance management, and referral sources.
Are you ready to lead your practice effectively?
If you’re ready to work together, or if you just have a couple of questions, let’s talk. Just shoot me a message through the form below, or email me, and we’ll find some time to connect.
Let's connect!
10 ways
to know if you need leadership support:
1. You don’t have a vision or strategy for your practice.
2. You feel like you’re all alone in this journey and don’t have anyone to turn to.
3. You feel like disorganization and chaos run your practice.
4. You feel like you’re winging it and making it up as you go along.
5. You’ve outgrown the systems you put into place when you opened and aren’t sure how to improve them.
6. You aren’t sure if you’re ready to expand your team (clinically or administratively).
7. You have “problem Clinicians” and don’t know how to handle them.
8. You have difficulty setting expectations and boundaries for your Clinicians and staff.
9. You find yourself avoiding leadership responsibilities like business plans, performance reviews, and disciplinary measures.
10. You want to develop a mission, values, and healthy culture for your practice (even if it’s just you)!