We recently connected with Ragan Killen and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ragan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.
As for many young adults, the COVID-19 pandemic was a defining time period for me. During this time I was working at a large university in their mental health clinic on campus. The university I was working at had a student population of around 25,000 students and our counseling center had 9 full time clinicians. Our center offered individual and group therapy sessions to all registered students as well as crisis/walk-in hours for students with emergent needs. As a result of the pandemic, our counseling center went completely virtual and as the world began to slow down for a moment, I allowed myself to start reflecting on my own personal and professional goals. It had always been a dream of mine to be my own boss and own/operate my own private practice but I didn’t really have a timeline or an action plan in place. I think for the first time in a few years I allowed myself to acknowledge how burnt out and overwhelmed I felt by a lot of various factors (both personal and professional). After a few insightful conversations with colleagues who had their own “side hustles” and saw clients privately on the side, I decided to open up my own practice (if they could do it, why couldn’t I ?!). I began seeing clients virtually on the weekends and after work hours to see if I could build a caseload and get a feel for what life might look like as a private practice clinician. After about 6 months of balancing my full time job in college mental health & a growing private practice, I decided to leave my job and take the private practice gig full time! I now have an office space and do a hybrid of telehealth and in-person appointments and my practice focuses on helping young adult clients to manage anxiety/stress, work through family/relational issues, and to prioritize their mental health/well being through individual therapy.
I think my best advice for other clinicians who want to go out on their own and open up a private practice would be to:
-Start networking & having conversations ASAP with other private practice clinicians in your community (because I am a solo practitioner and not attached to a group it’s very beneficial to have a strong network of other clinicians i can refer to if I am full/can’t new clients or if I have a new consult who needs someone with different training/clinical background than my own).
-Be realistic with yourself & outsource where you can: Don’t forget to ask for help and save time/energy by letting other professionals help you along the way! I utilized an online platform to help me file my business license and paperwork with the state where I run my practice. This allowed me to focus on other important things such as getting my website up and running and starting to build a following on social media with my business accounts.
-Absorb all of the free information you can. There are so many wonderful podcasts, youtube channels, and online courses out there that give helpful tidbits for private practice therapists. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a business coach/course to do this and to be successful!
-Start before you feel ready! There will never be a perfect time when your life feels neat & in order. Embrace the chaos, find other people who have similar goals to you, and go for it! There are so many clients out there who need accessible mental health care and who need your expertise.
Ragan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have always wanted to be a healthcare practitioner and to contribute to my community in a positive way. My father is a healthcare provider in our local community and has always been a proponent of physical and mental health. He taught me about holistic health from a young age and about the importance of mental well-being. Both of my parents encouraged me to find out what I was passionate about from a young age and to read as much as I could, to shadow people in our community, and to have conversations with people who I admired in the field. So that’s exactly what I did! I went to school and studied Psychology and began working in the mental health field after graduating with my Bachelor’s in 2015. I knew that I wanted to continue my education but I also wanted to gain some real world experience first. I started working at an inpatient facility that served adult clients who were receiving mental health services for substance use disorders. I got training in the 12 step recovery model and ran group therapy for clients who were receiving care at our facility. After a year of doing this full time I felt even more excited about continuing onwards to graduate school and I started my Master’s in Counseling that fall. During my masters program I did my practicum and internship hours at a local non-profit agency that served couples, families, and individual clients from low SES backgrounds. I also continued to work part-time picking up shifts at the inpatient hospital while I went to school full time. These experiences helped me to continue to develop my clinical skills & allowed me to see examples of how different mental health agencies are run along with gaps that may be present in our communities regarding mental health care, which has been a huge asset as a business owner/practitioner.
Having clinical experiences with diverse populations allowed me to narrow down my focus to young adult populations, which is what my private practice focuses on now. I offer individual therapy sessions that are accessible, goal-oriented, and rooted in the client-therapy relationship. I am able to offer clients the choice of in-person or online therapy which allows for flexibility for new clients. Additionally, I offer an online course that is tailored towards managing anxiety/stress and is a good fit for those clients who prefer a self-paced learning environment before they begin therapy. I offer a free 15 minute consultation to anyone who is inquiring about my services (whether it be therapy, supervision, or my online course) to make sure that I am the best fit for the clients needs. I also often act as a referral source for clients who are looking for medication management providers in the area or who are looking for a therapist with different training/qualifications than mine. If you are reading this and are curious about therapy, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Being open, vulnerable, and mentally flexible.
As a therapist I feel that it is most beneficial to be open to: new business opportunities, conversations with other professionals, a different approach/way of doing things, different theoretical orientations, etc! This will only help you as a provider in the community.
Mental flexibility is also important-there is no “Right or wrong” way to do things. You are going to do great things but you are also going to make mistakes. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to grow and figure it out along the way. Perfectionism only stifles your growth and will prevent you from stretching beyond your goals.
Vulnerability. Have the courage to self-reflect and to sit with your feelings (this benefits you as a human being but also as a therapist/business owner). Have the courage to say you don’t know the answer but you are willing to learn, research, and to figure it out.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I think that maybe society tells us that we have to do things in a certain order or that we have to be “an expert” before we make a big leap. For anyone who wants to start their own business, I would encourage them to remember that things do not need to be done in a particular order/sequence. You don’t have to have a certain number of years of experience or a certain “specialty area” to start your own private practice. You will continue to learn, grow, and develop along the way. There is no cap on how much knowledge and experience you get to attain. You are never too old to make a pivot/change in your business and you are never “finished” with learning. I think it’s exciting to think of all the new ideas and potential businesses out there just waiting to begin!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vbcounselingcollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vbcounselingcollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vbcounselingcollective/
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