We recently connected with Sonya Jensen and have shared our conversation below.

Sonya, 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.

I had always thought after graduation that I would work for someone else. I hadn’t imagined being an entrepreneur, nor did I know how to be one. My family was at a crucial point financially where I needed to make more money than was being offered. I left a group practice with the clients I had, knowing I could at least make my rent payment for the first few months. I was scared and excited and I was truly alone. I had no one who had done it before me who could tell me what to do. I didn’t have much of an option, so I just dove right in and figured it out along the way. When I realized I could be successful, I started taking any clients who wanted to work with me and working way too many hours. I watched other influencers and how they were running their business and what marketing strategies they used and just copied them. Over the years I have found my voice and started aligning with the hours I wanted to work and only working with the clients that I felt were a good fit for me. I took a long look at the marketing strategies that I was doing based on others and asked myself if I liked doing them. For many of those things, my answer was “no”. I was at a point of burnout and I had to scale back. The fear of scaling back was that I would stagnate. However, by choosing myself and having better boundaries around my time and energy, I became more productive and successful. Now, I work fewer hours, make more money, and have a bigger life outside of work. I think many new entrepreneurs need to do a marketing plan; they need to believe that there is no right step towards success. Most of my learning came from my failures. I would encourage anyone aspiring to open their practice to find a mentor, jump in with the littlest amount of capital you can, and know that you will figure it out along the way.

Sonya, 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’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor. I am a certified Gottman method couples therapist and AASECT certified Sex Therapist. I love working with high-conflict couples who also struggle with intimacy both physically and emotionally. I married my husband when I was still in my teens. He was in the military, and we always connected with struggling couples. We didn’t really know what we were doing or how to get better. I knew when I went to graduate school that I wanted to learn how to better help myself and then learn to help other couples. I have written several books, I used to host a weekly podcast, and now I see couples daily and train clinicians at different universities and through their entrepreneurship journeys. I also speak at large events for the community and clinicians on working with couples.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn being a people-pleaser. Becoming an entrepreneur means you’re going to make a lot of mistakes, you’re going to try to fit your work around other people’s needs. Without boundaries, you could lose what makes you unique and could hit a place of burnout. My people-pleasing tendencies I think largely came from my religious upbringing. I felt like in order to be loved or accepted I had to be what others wanted me to be. I think what makes me most successful today, is that I’m no longer trying to be what anyone else thinks I should be. I’m owning my uniqueness as my superpower.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Being yourself. I think the more you learn about life and actually living it the more authentic you can be with others. When I was trying to be the “perfect” therapist, I wasn’t expanding, I was contracting. Now, that I went through burnout and my own existential crisis, I have learned that what people need the most in a therapeutic relationship is someone who isn’t afraid to be themselves, make mistakes, own them, and is in the trenches learning how to live as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.SonyaJensen.com
• Instagram: @thesonyajensen
• Facebook: @Thesonyajensen
• Linkedin: @Thesonyajensen
• Youtube: @Thesonyajensen