Ready for a private practice success story that’ll light a fire under you? In this episode, I’m joined by Ben Sollenberger, who left his full time corporate operations role and built a nearly full private practice, on track for six figures, in just a few months of joining Liberated Business!

Ben shares the pivotal moment he stopped playing it safe, the mindset shift that helped him tune out the doubters, and the strategic moves that sped up his growth. From leveraging his corporate background to learning a new skill set, his journey is full of unexpected turns and practical takeaways. If you're on the fence about starting your own private practice or wondering if it's really possible to succeed quickly in today's market, Ben's journey might just be the nudge you need to finally make your move.

More about Ben Sollenberger:

Ben is a resident in counseling who specializes in counseling men in their 20s and 30s. In addition to loving counseling, Ben continues to enjoy working as a contractor in business operations, his first career.

Topics covered on Private Practice Success Story:

• How Ben found a big gap in the mental health market and used it as a key element in his private practice's success story
• The surprising ways Ben’s corporate background helped him (and also didn't fully prepare him) for private practice
• The exact moment that convinced Ben to finally take the leap into private practice after months of hesitation
• Ben's clever Psychology Today profile hack that helped him stand out in a saturated directory
• The strategic investments Ben made that led to his private practice filling quickly
• The dual income strategy Ben uses to feel more confident and calm while building his therapy business

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Liberated Business: https://www.thebadtherapist.coach/liberatedbusiness
• Hold Space Creative

Connect with Ben Sollenberger:

• Website: https://www.virginiatherapyservicesforyoungmen.com

Connect with Felicia:

• Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic Sheets
• Instagram: @the_bad_therapist
• Website: www.thebadtherapist.coach

Related episodes

• Liberated Business: How to Transform Your Private Practice in Six Months [Ep 63]

Quote

“ It's definitely not gonna work out if you don't have that blind trust in the universe.” - Ben Sollenberger

When was the last time you stepped back and reconsidered your marketing instead of simply doing what you’ve always done? Most marketing advice for therapists is built for people chasing their first 10 clients. But if your caseload is already full, that same advice might be keeping you stuck at a ceiling you don’t even realise exists. In this episode, I explain why marketing for established therapists is a different job entirely. The goal moves from getting found to getting known.

I'll walk through the shift from survival marketing to authority marketing, the 10/80/10 rule for systematising what already works, and selling your point of view rather than your services.

There’s a version of your private practice where your reputation does the heavy lifting and the right people reach out without you working harder.

This is what marketing for established therapists looks like. Not grinding for visibility, but building the reputation that does the heavy lifting for you. Ready to learn how? Tune in!

Topics covered on Marketing For Therapists:

1. What it means to be an established therapist
2. The difference between survival marketing and authority marketing
3. How to audit the marketing channels that are already working
4. The 10/80/10 rule and how to systematise what already works so boredom does not pull you into self sabotage
5. Real client examples of authority marketing in action

Connect with Felicia:

• Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic Sheets
• Instagram: @the_bad_therapist
• Website: www.thebadtherapist.coach

Related episodes:

• The Five Growth Stages Every Successful Therapist Goes Through [Ep 171]

Quote:

"Early stage therapists market what they do, but established therapists market how they think." Felicia

You have a clinician who's been underperforming for three months. You’ve had the conversation twice, you’ve been patient and fair, and you still haven’t made the call. Why?

That’s your therapist brain in the driver's seat when your CEO brain needs to step in.

The qualities that make you a great clinician—your empathy, your rescue instinct, your ability to stay client-centred and accommodating—are skills you’ve spent years developing. But being a CEO requires a completely different muscle, and most of us don't realize how big the gap between the two is until we hit a decision that feels really hard.

We’re often quick to advocate for our clients and our team, but much slower to advocate for ourselves. That's where things get complicated: the difficult conversations about fees, the cancellation policy you don’t enforce, the team member who’s no longer the right fit, or the agreements that stopped working for you.

In this episode, we’re exploring the difference between your therapist brain and your CEO brain, and why learning when to use each is one of the most important leadership skills you’ll develop as a practice owner.

Topics covered on Therapist Brain, CEO Brain

1. The empathy that makes you a great clinician is the same empathy keeping a team member on your payroll for too long
2. You can challenge a client all day, but the second you have to go to bat for yourself on fees or your cancellation policy, conflict avoidance takes over
3. One of my clients was paying someone more than she paid herself for the same work
4. Integrating therapist brain and CEO brain in a way that will make you a better leader and a better clinician at the same time

Connect with Felicia:

• Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic Sheets
• Instagram: @the_bad_therapist
• Website: www.thebadtherapist.coach

Quote:

“ Being a great CEO makes you a better therapist, and being a great therapist makes you a better CEO because you can bring all of those skillsets together.” - Felicia