We recently connected with Samantha Speed and have shared our conversation below.

Samantha, appreciate you joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

Starting my own practice has been a dream of mine ever since I entered into the counseling field. I always saw myself holding space for others’ stories and painful experiences, while providing support, hope and encouraging resiliency. The main steps I took to start my practice included, primarily, some mindset work around the fact that I COULD do this. Surrounding myself around positive and encouraging voices was crucial in the early stages. Next, it looked like finding free or easy to access resources from therapists and business coaches I looked up to. Whether it was podcasts, worksheets, YouTube videos or books, I zeroed in on what was essential to get things started. Once I got the few essentials completed (like my business and licensing paperwork), it was then down to getting my marketing plan and the beginning to advertise my services. It felt so exciting, scary and liberating to have a dream realized. If I could have done anything differently, I would have explored mindset work a lot sooner than I did. The self limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome crept in and set up shop very comfortably. I wondered if I should have opened my practice sooner or made different decisions to just go for it. But what I know now (and what I’m continuing to learn) is that perfectionism is bullsh*t and giving yourself grace while you fail, learn and grow feels a lot better in the long run. If anyone is looking for any advice when they are starting out, I would say to definitely spend your early years building on learning and honing in on your specialties if you want to own your own practice. Try out lots of things in the beginning so you can learn the types of clients you work best with and that really light you up and get you excited to do the work!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When people first meet me, they quickly find out that I am someone who is goofy, proactive, and an empathic listener. I found that these few characteristics about myself have situated me to be the person and the psychotherapist that I am today. When entering graduate school, it became incredibly clear that this was the field I knew I belonged in, and I was eager to get to be a part of others’ stories and to hold space for the struggles they were going through. In my career, I have worked with a variety of clientele in a many settings including intensive outpatient, inpatient, and outpatient providing mental health care to children, adolescents and adults of all ages. Over the last few years, I found myself drawn to working in private practice where I had the opportunity to have more autonomy in the work that I do while also getting to practice and evolve into the type of psychotherapist I am today. With COVID, it somewhat forced me into the online space as a telehealth psychotherapist that I did not anticipate to jump into. However, today all of my services are provided 100% online and I wouldn’t have it any other way! With starting my own private practice, I have found not only the type of business owner I want to be, but also have fully embraced the therapist I am today. I am grateful and humbled that I get to work with clients that make me excited to do the work that I do surrounding anxiety (including people pleasing and perfectionism) and religious trauma (including deconstruction). My goal with all of the clients I work with is to provide compassionate accountability to help them work towards the goals they decide on. I also aim to be a supportive presence in their lives, being able to show that I am a human first and a psychotherapist second. I have found that my clients are some of the bravest individuals I know and I am honored to be a small part of their journey towards the version of themselves they are working to become!

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Mindset work is SO huge as a psychotherapist! And luckily, most psychotherapists are really good at helping their clients navigate this, we just forget we probably have the tools to give ourselves when it comes to getting out of our own way! I have found that building my confidence in how I structure my business from the mission to the nitty gritty admin details to how I structure my fees all comes down to getting really clear on my personal values and ensuring that those are reflected in my business. If I’m not clear on this, I find myself getting frustrated and resentful and I don’t want to feel that way. I want to feel confident and competent to do the work that I am doing and to truly support others in their healing and growth. If you are looking to start a private practice (before you get your business license or anything else!), get the mindset work down and get clear on what your values are. I assure you that when you do, everything else begins to fall into place SO much more seamlessly.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think it was (and continues to be) about being myself. I am pretty extroverted and I have truly enjoyed getting to network with other therapists and professionals in my area. Additionally, it’s also helpful to build my reputation by eensuring that my online presence on social media or website copy is always authentic to who I am. I don’t have to use all of the clinical type jargon because most people don’t even know (or care) what a lot of the terms in our field mean. I can just explain my services and provide accessible information while getting really good at building my expertise in my specialties and still be a human being in the process. That being said, I find it’s about consistently showing up in however you market yourself and your services, while also being true to you!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.samanthaspeed.com
• Instagram: sam.speed.listens

Image Credits
Zach Barron