The Business of Psychology

Consultancy and systemic change in private practice with Dr Laura BennetWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today I'm joined by Dr Laura Bennett, a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience supporting children, young people, and their families through some of life's most complex challenges.Since qualifying in 2009, Laura has worked across a range of NHS services, before founding Oasis Psychology in Dorset in 2022. Her practice is a really good example of a specialist service, as Laura specialises in supporting children who are in care, those who have been adopted, and families on the edge of care, focusing deeply on developmental trauma and attachment, and most importantly, supporting the system around the child.Today we are looking at Laura's work beyond the therapy room. Many psychologists and therapists worry that moving into private practice means narrowing their scope to just one-to-one clinical hours. Laura is proving the opposite. She's currently spearheading the Parenting with Trauma Project in collaboration with Dorset Action for Children and Bournemouth University. It's clear from Laura's journey that she's never really stopped at the therapy room and has been working with systems and research and data. So I know that you're going to find her story really interesting, and hopefully inspirational if you are somebody who wants to do a little bit more, or different from therapy in your work.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Laura:LinkedIn: Dr Laura BennetOasis PsychologyLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@drrosiegilderthorpThe highlightsLaura tells us about her transition into private practice after 13 years in the NHS 01:57Laura talks about what she provides through her private practice, Oasis Psychology 5:21Laura discusses how she transitioned into a service that’s less focused on one-to-one work, and more about indirect support. 7:04I ask Laura about her work with Action for Children 21:42Laura gives us her advice for psychologists and therapists who have an idea for a different type of project, but feel a bit stuck 36:37Laura tells us the best place to connect with her 47:34Start Up Your Psychology PracticeAre you tired of just talking about starting your practice but never quite committing?If you’re ready to stop dancing with burnout and finally go 'all in', my 90-day program, 'Start Up Your Psychology Practice,' was made for you. This is a group coaching experience designed to help you ethically replace your full-time salary in part-time hours. We handle everything: from legal compliance and GDPR to attracting your first consistent stream of self-funding clients. No more piecing it together alone.And here is the best part: sign up before the end of May to get £200 off your investment. Let’s build a practice that gives you the freedom you deserve.Apply today: https://psychologybusinessschool.com/lp/start-up-private-practice-bundle/

Smartphone activism as a psychologist in private practice with Dr Erin CarrollWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. One of the biggest fears I hear from psychologists and therapists leaving the NHS for independent practice is that they'll lose their connection to the bigger picture, to public health, and that they'll spend all their time working in a silo, working one-to-one, and lose their impact on wider society. But today's guest is proof that being in private practice can actually be the perfect springboard for grassroots activism and community leadership. I'm joined by Dr Erin Carroll, a clinical psychologist who has taken her expertise in emotional development out of the consulting room and into the heart of her community. Erin's been a driving force in the Smartphone Free Childhood movement in our combined hometown of Tunbridge Wells, and she's helped to achieve something really remarkable; getting all of the local secondary head teachers to sign a joint letter supporting brick only phone policies for younger students, something that Erin really believes in. So today we're talking about how we as psychologists can use our training to lead cultural change, and why finding a cause that really lights a fire in your belly is the best antidote to that isolation that we can often feel in private practice. Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:Erin: www.erincarrollpsychologist.co.ukSmartphone Free ChildhoodHealth Professionals for Safer ScreensThe Amazing Generation by Jonathan Haidt & Catherine Price, illustrated by Cynthia Yuan ChengLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@drrosiegilderthorpThe highlightsErin tells us about her professional life up to the point that she became involved in Smartphone Free Childhood, and what led you down that path 01:45Erin talks about the role of screens and emotional regulation 11:56We discuss online harms and safeguarding concerns 18:49We look at the addictive aspect of smartphones 27:05Erin talks about the Smartphone Free Childhood parent Pact, and schools taking action 32:44I ask Erin about her plans going forward, in her activist role 48:56Erin tells us how to get in touch with her and connect with the Smartphone Free Childhood community 54:14Start Up Your Psychology PracticeAre you tired of just talking about starting your practice but never quite committing? If you’re ready to stop dancing with burnout and finally go 'all in', my 90-day program, 'Start Up Your Psychology Practice,' was made for you. This is a group coaching experience designed to help you ethically replace your full-time salary in part-time hours. We handle everything: from legal compliance and GDPR to attracting your first consistent stream of self-funding clients. No more piecing it together alone. And here is the best part: sign up before the end of May to get £200 off your investment. Let’s build a practice that gives you the freedom you deserve. Apply today: https://psychologybusinessschool.com/lp/start-up-private-practice-bundle/

Why every therapist needs to use social media to improve their SEOWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today I am changing my tune! I have decided to go back on some of the advice that I have given over the years about social media and the importance of it to the average private practice. I hope that this will be a really helpful episode for you if you are somebody who is feeling the social media fatigue, doesn't feel naturally like it's a good home for you, and it doesn't form a cornerstone of your marketing strategy, and you've listened to my previous podcast episode and come to the conclusion that this is not the way that you need to be winning clients. I hope this will be a useful episode for you because it still isn't, it still doesn't need to be something that takes up a lot of time in your week, and it shouldn't do if your ideal client personas are not people who are going to search for a therapist on social media, and therapy is the main thing that you are selling in your practice. If that’s the case, then I absolutely stand by my previous advice that social media is not something that should take up lots of your time, week in and week out. But I am going to caveat it slightly, and that's because I have been on some training recently about how social media is an important part of optimizing our websites and our digital presence so that we will continue to be found by people on search engines and through AI recommendations. These things are becoming really important, and it just wouldn't be right of me to not bring this to your attention if it's not something that you've been thinking about yet.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:The Directory Profile TemplateBusiness of Psychology Episode 111: How to create a great directory site profileSummer School Lesson 5: Directory sitesLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@drrosiegilderthorpStart Up Your Psychology PracticeAre you tired of just talking about starting your practice but never quite committing?If you’re ready to stop dancing with burnout and finally go 'all in', my 90-day program, 'Start Up Your Psychology Practice,' was made for you. This is a group coaching experience designed to help you ethically replace your full-time salary in part-time hours. We handle everything: from legal compliance and GDPR to attracting your first consistent stream of self-funding clients. No more piecing it together alone.And here is the best part: sign up before the end of May to get £200 off your investment. Let’s build a practice that gives you the freedom you deserve.Apply today: Start Up Your Psychology Practice Why every therapist needs to use social media to improve their SEOThere have been big changes already, and there are more coming, to the way that search engines like Google and Yahoo and all of them really, recommend websites to people searching. They are now using AI in the way that they search our websites to try and work out who we are and to generate AI advice for people who type in questions to their search bars. You'll have seen this if you are using your smartphone to look for help. You will get a load of normal looking search results, but you'll also get an AI generated answer to your question at the top, which will cite various expert sources to give you an answer to your question. I'm sure you'll have noticed like I have, that most people are not going beyond that AI answer because it is generally quite helpful and now, certainly on mine through Google, it's telling me where it's getting its advice from, and I find it much easier to trust than I used to. I think that's the direction of travel and eventually I think we're going to end up in a world where people just ask a question verbally to their AI, whether it’s Gemini, Chat GPT, Claude, whatever they're using, and they'll just take the answer that it gives rather than bothering to look through a page of search results. So we really need to understand how we make sure that we are the expert source that these AI models are using, because if we're not, then we're going to find that traffic to our websites from search starts to decline, if it hasn't already.The good news, because I know that probably sounds a bit scary, is I actually think it's a good thing for us because now AI is so much cleverer than the previous technology that the search engines were using, it's able to piece together our digital presence from wherever we are to understand who we are and the services we offer in a much deeper and better way. We just need to do a few things to make that really easy for the AI to do, and social media is an important piece of that puzzle, because social media can give you a digital footprint which gives AI a really clear indication of who you are, who you help, and what you stand for, so that it understands better, in combination with your website, who to recommend you to when they're searching for help. So I'll talk you through a little bit about how that works and a few really simple things you can do to start helping the AI bots to understand who you are a little bit better so that you're future proofing your search engine optimization.EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and TrustworthinessThe first thing we need to understand is that search engines already look for EEAT when they're deciding who to serve up as a recommendation to somebody who's searching. That acronym stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. These are the four things that an AI is assessing on your digital footprint before it decides whether to serve you up or to serve someone else up as an answer to a question that somebody's asking. AI search tools like Perplexity, Chat GPT, Gemini, Claude, are crawling the web to find answers to questions. And if your social media or your website has a clear niche specific keyword like 'birth trauma psychologist in Plymouth', and you've got high levels of experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, then the AI is more likely to recommend you than somebody generic when a user asks for a therapist for birth trauma in Plymouth, for example.The five things we can do to improve our digital discoverability to AI and demonstrate that we have the EEAT it's looking for:The first thing is to have one bio that you use everywhere that contains a primary keyword that you want to be discoverable for. If you think of your bio as a bit like a sticky label that you might put on the front of an old fashioned filing cabinet; it needs to really clearly tell AI what it is that you have inside your cabinet, and it's really important to get that key word right. That key word might be 'birth trauma psychologist in Plymouth' (it doesn't need to be a single word, it can be a phrase), it could be 'neurodiversity specialist', it could be 'CBT therapist specialising in OCD', but it just needs to be really clear and contain the key words that you would like people searching for to get your name associated with.The second thing you need to do is make sure that the bio you've created is everywhere that you are mentioned. You'll have to create a few versions of it, but they should be as similar to each other as possible. You can have a long version of it for the about page on your website - use that same copy exactly for LinkedIn and Psychology Today. Then you'll need to create a much shorter version of it for social media, but it should have the same keywords in it and be as similar as humanly possible, so that bio that follows you around gives you a really clear digital footprint that the AI can understand. Within that bio you want to show off your experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. And if you are following my framework for crafting a good Psychology Today profile (I'll link to the freebie that I have that's going to support you to do that in the show notes of this episode, as well as the podcast episode on the Business of Psychology) you will be demonstrating the experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness that AI is looking for. So make sure that your bio covers those areas and use my framework, because I think that will help you to do that.The next thing that you need to make sure that you're discoverable in this new world is captions that are easy to understand on your social media posts for those bots that are...

The four financial numbers you need to understand in your practice to do your best workI want to talk about the 4 financial pillars that you need to be familiar with in your practice, because as this tax year comes to an end and the new one begins, you might be looking at your numbers and thinking how did that happen? Maybe you got a tax bill that's bigger than you were expecting. Maybe you are getting to the end of the year and realising that you didn't make as much money as you wanted to, or maybe it's more positive than that and you've got a bigger tax bill than you were expecting because you made more money than you wanted to.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:Sally Farrant: www.businessgrowthbynumbers.comLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@drrosiegilderthorpSet Up Your Practice For SuccessIs a financially rewarding private practice actually possible?My recent survey of former coaching clients found they were taking home between £3k and £8k a month while seeing only 5 to 20 clients a week. That is a full-time wage in far less than full-time NHS hours. I want to show you the roadmap to get there.Join my free masterclass, 'Set Up Your Practice For Success,' on Wednesday, 22nd April. We’ll tackle common mistakes and show you how to avoid the 'admin mountain' so you can focus on the work you love. Secure your spot at the link below. If the time doesn’t work for you, sign up anyway to receive the recording.Set Up Your Practice For Success Masterclass - Wednesday 22nd April - Book your place here.ShownotesRevenueRevenue is the simplest metric in your business. It’s gross income, the money that is coming in with nothing deducted. On its own it’s a vanity metric. I see lots of people sharing their revenue without being honest about the other numbers, and it troubles me, because the revenue in your business can be very high, but the other numbers in the business will change as a reaction to that revenue. It's the other numbers that give us much more crucial information about the health of the business and the lifestyle that it's actually going to give you, and the good that you're able to do for your clients.Revenue is important to know because it gives an estimate of growth and impact. If you are making a lot of revenue, it's likely you’re helping a lot of people and you can track the trajectory of that. Tracking your revenue should include tracking the specific sources of that revenue. Go into a bit of detail, looking at how many therapy sessions, online courses, and supervision sessions you are selling, and breaking it down into individual services that you offer so that you can see how much money you are making for those activities each month. This is helpful because it allows you to predict what might happen in the future if you put effort into increasing revenue in one of those areas. It’s important to know exactly where that income is coming from. If you're very busy, you might not realise that you are doing more supervision than you were last year, and that a bigger proportion of your income is now coming from that. Even if that overall revenue figure hasn't changed much, the place it's coming from might have changed, and for tax reasons it can be significant to understand that.It's up to you how many categories for different types of revenue you want to create. Go with what's useful for you to have a good understanding of your revenue. For associate practices, you might want to break it down by associate so that you know how much money each associate is making you each month. If you have a really large associate practice, that might be cumbersome and you might break it down into your therapy income and associate therapy income. What I would say is that if a service has specific expenses attached to it, then have that as its own line so that when you do your expenses, you can do some spreadsheet wizardry and make those things dependent on each other.For example, if you've got an associate practice and you know that for every £140 an associate makes you, you are going to pay out £90 to them, you can create a formula in your spreadsheet that calculates an expense line to take £90 for every £140 that is listed in the income for an associate. It’s definitely worth separating out your services, at least in that much detail. Revenue tracking and getting granular with it can help you to see which aspects of your business are really healthy and which ones might be declining or struggling.ExpensesYou need to consider this alongside revenue. You need to know how much money you are spending every month in order to keep your business running in the way that it needs to support your lifestyle, and you have to be honest with yourself about it. People always ask me for an estimate of how much the expenses should be for an independent practice, and I can't give one because it depends on your values, the services you are providing, what that client group needs in terms of support, and what you need in terms of support. This is why I would never share my revenue figures with you because if you saw them, you'd get a false impression, because in order to keep my business going with all the stuff that I have going on in my personal life, I have to pay for a lot of support. You can't look at somebody's revenue figure and have any idea about what their overall take home pay is going to be, because you aren't going to have a realistic impression of their expenses. Don't be impressed by those online gurus who share their revenue figures with you. I think that's irresponsible unless they're also willing to share the expenses and profit.When looking at your expenses, I recommend getting your banking app out and dumping this into a spreadsheet. If you are in Startup or Evolve and Thrive or the network, you'll have access to our Cashflow Forecast spreadsheet. You go through your banking app and literally note down all the expenses over 3 months, accurately transposing them into the spreadsheet. Then go back through the year and see if there are any big expenditures which don't go out every month that you make on an annual basis and pop those in. This is really boring, and if you have a bookkeeper, it may be that they can do this for you, but it's worth doing because once you've got that, you can categorize your expenses and have a look at what expenses are investments in either the quality of your service or in the growth of your service.I invest in stuff like practice management software because that creates a better quality service for me and for my clients, and I invest in advertising spend, and that's because I expect that will enable the business to grow. Those are both investments in quality and growth, so they go in the investment side.You may find that there are some expenses which don't easily fit into a quality or growth category. When we have those expenses we need to consider whether they are adding another kind of value or are they draining the business? Often I'll find that I've got software packages that double up. I could be using one tool to do lots of things, and actually I'm using lots of tools and paying lots of subscriptions. I would highlight that and think about reducing those. It's a really useful exercise because not only are you getting to know this number, which is really important for planning your business going forward, but you're also getting an idea of what you could cut.Things that fall into the investment category are clinical supervision, business coaching, high quality legal templates, practice management software, CPD, training that you're going to be able to use to support your clients better. You're looking for anything that sits on the periphery that you don't use often or you don't use very well, and thinking about whether it might be time to cut that.Once you've done both those exercises and you've put them into your cashflow forecast spreadsheets or a spreadsheet to track your income and expenses, then you see what the gap is between the two.TaxTax is something which can be confusing. I was told a lot when I started in business that it wasn't confusing, but I think it is confusing, especially considering it's not something that we are taught in school. So, I'll give you a really brief overview of the taxes you need to keep an eye on. You should consult an accountant to get proper advice on your tax situation. If you are in Startup or Evolve and Thrive or the network, we have a class with Mahmood Reza

How to be a psychologist in the media (amongst other things) with Dr Carolyne KeenanWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'm really pleased to be bringing you an interview with Dr Carolyne Keenan. You might have heard Carolyne's name if you listen to BBC Radio 1. She makes a big impact with her media work. But the reason I'm really interested to talk to Carolyne is that she shows how it's possible to build a portfolio of different activities, all of which use your skills in different and exciting ways, and to find professional fulfillment through that autonomy that we can have in independent practice. I know how many psychologists and therapists tell me that they feel a bit stuck. Like they're stuck in the therapy room and they don't know how, in their independent work, to step outside of that. I think Carolyne and her journey in independent practice is a really great example of how when we have the courage to step outside, we can make a really big impact.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Carolyne:Instagram: @drcarolynekeenanLinkedIn: @drcarolynekeenanLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@drrosiegilderthorpThe highlightsCarolyne tells us about how her career in psychology began 01:30I ask Carolyne how she went from a quite unpleasant experience to finding a passion that let her do a doctorate 10:55Carolyne talks about how she started stepping out into private psychology 13:14We discuss the difference of opinions around charging for services and cancellation policies 16:14Carolyne talk to us about what her private practice looks like today 26:06We look at the pros and cons of media work 29:15I ask Carolyne about how she plans her social media content 36:34Carolyne tells us where to find her online 42:55Set Up Your Practice For SuccessYou have incredible clinical expertise, but is the 'shame' of the business side holding you back? Staying stuck in a role that’s edging you toward burnout or running a side-hustle that eats your weekends isn't the only way.I’m hosting a free masterclass on Wednesday, 22nd April called 'Set Up Your Practice For Success.'I’ll be sharing my proven 3-part framework: Values, Voice, and Impact. You’ll learn how to design a practice aligned with your life, create systems for an exceptional client experience, and implement a marketing strategy that doesn’t feel 'sleazy.'Join me live for a chance to win a 1:1 strategy session!Register for free at the link below - and yes, there’s a replay for all registrants.Set Up Your Practice For Success Masterclass - Wednesday 22nd April - Book your place here.

Practice Reboot: The new series of Business of Psychology!Hello and welcome to the Business of Psychology.I am Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, a clinical psychologist and business coach, and we are back for another series where we're going to be diving into all the different ways that private practice can look for psychologists and therapists in 2026.I've got some fascinating interviews from psychologists that are using their skills in different ways, and therapists that are reaching people in all kinds of unique and innovative formats.We are going to be talking about engaging with the media, grassroots activism in our local communities, working with charities, and we're going to be talking about tackling the big questions of neurodiversity movement and neurodivergence in 2026. I have got some really interesting conversations ahead for you, and I really can't wait to get started with the series.This is going to be a brilliant series for you, if you are somebody that has been contemplating stepping into private practice, or if you're somebody who's been in practice for a while and is feeling like things are a little bit stale. It is a brilliant series to help you reconsider your business model and think about the exciting ways that we can bring our knowledge to help more people.So, I'm really chuffed to be bringing you this series and some of the amazing guests that I've got.But there was one thing I wanted to let you know about before the series officially kicks off next week, and that is a free masterclass that I'm running on April the 22nd. It's my Setup for Success Masterclass, where I talk you through my three part framework; values, voice, and impact, for creating a practice that allows you to replace your income ethically in fewer hours. And to create a practice that allows you to live your values. So, I just wanted to flag that up to you. The link is below, and I really hope that some of you will be able to join me there live. But if you can't come live, you can catch up on the recording.So, next week we're kicking off with two episodes. Firstly, there is a fascinating episode with Caroline Keenan on her journey as a media psychologist, amongst all kinds of other things. And there's also a slightly boring episode, but I think you're going to find it helpful, from me about tax and other financial numbers that are particularly important to understand at this time of the year when you might be closing off your tax year, maybe getting some bills that you did or didn't expect. That episode is going to be really valuable for helping you lay the foundation for the exciting work that you're going to do.I will see you next week for the next series of the Business of Psychology.Set Up Your Practice For SuccessYou have incredible clinical expertise, but is the 'shame' of the business side holding you back? Staying stuck in a role that’s edging you toward burnout or running a side-hustle that eats your weekends isn't the only way.I’m hosting a free masterclass on Wednesday, 22nd April called 'Set Up Your Practice For Success.'I’ll be sharing my proven 3-part framework: Values, Voice, and Impact. You’ll learn how to design a practice aligned with your life, create systems for an exceptional client experience, and implement a marketing strategy that doesn’t feel 'sleazy.'Join me live for a chance to win a 1:1 strategy session!Register for free at the link below - and yes, there’s a replay for all registrants.Set Up Your Practice For Success Masterclass - Book your place.Links for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@drrosiegilderthorp

What happened when I stopped seeing clients for therapy? How to evolve a business in adversity Welcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today is a bit of a different episode for me because I wanted to be honest with you about some decisions that I've made recently that are really personal, but that resonate a lot with decisions that I help some of my coaching clients to make, because it's rare that we go into private practice without some complicating factors happening in our lives.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyEpisode Links:Episode 19: How psychologists and therapists can use an ideal client avatar to co create and market their servicesEpisode 103: Why you should specialise – old gold that is still importantEpisode 128: Who are you helping? Three ways to specialise your psychology or therapy practiceEpisode 152: Thinking differently about your practice: A tool to put the client firstLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve and Thrive Mastermind Have you been listening to this and feeling like the time has come for you to make a change in your practice? Maybe you are ready to grow with passive or semi passive income. Maybe you are ready to gain more time freedom, have that flexibility you always dreamed of, or expand your impact. If any of that sounds like you, you might be a really good fit for my Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.Our next cohort is starting in January 2026, and it's a small group, six-month coaching experience. The early bird rate finishes mid-December, so if any of that sounds good to you, make sure you check out the details over at psychologybusinessschool.com and book your free call with me now to secure the best price.ShownotesWhat happened when I stopped seeing clients for therapy? How to evolve a business in adversityI've spoken a bit here, and a lot more on my substack, about how I originally went into independent practice really because my children have additional needs. I wasn't aware of that at the time; all I knew was that nursery didn't work and that we didn't have other childcare options available to us. But looking back, nursery didn't work for the same reasons that school is very challenging now. And that was the beginning of me having to learn to evolve and adapt and be a clinical psychologist in a different way, and that's been very much the purpose of my business and what I love to help other people do too. So it felt only right that I should share with you about some of the recent evolutions that have had to be made in my business, my thinking behind it and the kind of strategy that I use every time I have to make a big change in my business. Because it has happened so often that I have developed a bit of a framework for thinking about it and helping my clients through it when it happens to them too. So, I thought it might be useful to share what's happened, but also my framework for thinking through and strategizing my way through those difficult moments that often lead to a change or an evolution in the business. Firstly, I want to acknowledge that there's a lot that I love about independent practice, and I am so grateful that I have this profession that enabled me to set up independently when the NHS wasn't going to work anymore. But it's a paradox because I also felt extremely sad about leaving the NHS. It was 2018, I was very young, I didn't feel anywhere near experienced enough to go into independent practice at that time. So, to an extent, my first journey into independent practice involved a big evolution of identity in and of itself, and I guess that's a context for many of us. Many of us feel a big wrench when we leave the NHS or when we even start to think about potentially leaving our public sector roles. So, I guess independent practice starts from that place for me, and for me it's always held this kind of paradox of opportunity and excitement alongside sadness and loss. I know that that's the case for very many of us in independent practice, and I suppose what I hope is that what I'm going to share today helps me and you, if you find yourself in this kind of situation, to use an actionable framework to find the opportunities and the excitement, even when maybe you wouldn't have chosen the situation that you find yourself in.What's been going on in my businessI'll let you behind the curtain a little bit in what's been going on over the past few years in my business, the harder bits perhaps. As I mentioned, I have children with additional needs and sometimes it's difficult to get those needs met by anybody other than me. I think if you've navigated the SEND system in the UK, then you'll know exactly what I mean by that. A few years ago, my children really couldn't cope with school, so suddenly I found myself needing to go back into the role of being the primary carer all of the time, and there was no space for my independent practice. It was very sudden, I hadn't anticipated that my children would struggle to that extent, that they couldn't be in the school environment. I'd never in my life met anybody that had a child that didn't go to school. I knew it happened for teenagers, I did not know that it could happen for five- and six-year-olds, but it really did. And in fact, it was a problem that lasted for more than a year as we tried to find flexibility and find ways of making school accessible and suitable for them. I should say that compared to a lot of families, we were very lucky. We’re in a lovely school with an amazing SENCO and a really compassionate and strong head teacher who have been flexible in ways that I do not think are normal in mainstream primary schools. They've bent over backwards to support us and that is not the story that I hear from a great many families that I work with. So, just to check my privilege on that one, I know how lucky we've been. But it still took a really long time to help the children recover and to find the adaptations that we could make to make some sort of school more accessible to them. We did get there, but it took all of me to do it. And so in a real hurry, and I'm not proud of how I handled it, because I don't think that I handled it in an optimal way whatsoever, I had to close down my clinical practice. It wasn't the first time it had happened, it happened to many of us in COVID as well, but it felt much more rushed, much more traumatic than that, because I went from expecting that I would be seeing my clients for years to come. I was really excited about the premises that I had, really excited about establishing a service in my local area, and all of that just ended really abruptly when I had this realisation that I'd had to cancel more clients than I'd seen in a week. And I can't overstate how painful it is to know that you're not being the psychologist or therapist that your clients need. As soon as I had that realisation, I knew the only ethical thing to do was complete closure and to hand people over in the best way that I could to other professionals in the area. But it was brutally painful and I still feel waves of trauma thinking about it and talking about it, so that's all I'm going to say about that. It was forced, it was hurried, it was crisis driven, it was not what anyone would hope for. So the practice stayed closed for probably at least 18 months, if not two years, while I just focused on recovering my children. I kept Psychology Business School going, because although there were parts of me that thought let's just retreat from professional life entirely, financially I didn't really have that option, or it would've been extremely difficult for us if I had chosen to do that. But I think more for me, I needed to feel that connection to my profession and to my colleagues and hopefully as anyone who's done coaching with me will know, I really enjoy immersing myself in somebody else's practice and somebody else's struggles, and solving the problems that come up in other people's businesses was the kind of relief from the rest of my life that I needed, and it also meant that I didn't lose contact with the mission that we have as mental health professionals and my professional values. So it was important for me to keep that going during that really difficult period, even though it was also extremely difficult, and I would find myself snatching hours of work at...

What's going wrong with social media? Welcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I have been wanting to make a podcast for a while about the reasons that I've stepped back a little bit in my use of social media and the changes that I've made and that I've encouraged my clients in my coaching programs to make in the way that we view it and the way that we use it. Because I'm aware that for a lot of us at the moment, social media feels like a very heavy place. There's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of negativity, and if we're not mindful about how we are using it, it can take a really big emotional toll. I feel like because we talk on this podcast about the advantages of using social media to market, to reach your people who need you in your practice, it's also important to talk about how to manage our wellbeing as we do that, and also how to make sure we're putting content out there that feels aligned with our values and that feels professionally fulfilling, because in some ways I feel the platforms drag us away from those values. Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve and Thrive Mastermind Have you been listening to this and feeling like the time has come for you to make a change in your practice? Maybe you are ready to grow with passive or semi passive income. Maybe you are ready to gain more time freedom, have that flexibility you always dreamed of, or expand your impact. If any of that sounds like you, you might be a really good fit for my Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.Our next cohort is starting in January 2026, and it's a small group, six-month coaching experience. The early bird rate finishes mid-December, so if any of that sounds good to you, make sure you check out the details over at psychologybusinessschool.com and book your free call with me now to secure the best price.ShownotesIs there a helpful way for psychologists and therapists to use social media in 2026?The thing that I'm going to talk about the most in this episode is being mindful of the priorities of social media companies and developing an awareness that they're not neutral tools. They have business models that are designed to sell attention by amplifying the things which people can't resist, which are usually negativity and anger. That can be really detrimental to our own wellbeing, and if we're not careful, it can be detrimental to our client groups too. I’m also going to talk about the positivity and the nuance in that; it is not all bad, there's a lot of good that we can still do with social media, but only if we are mindful of its inherent design flaws and the pitfalls that I see a lot of us falling into.What we’re seeing on social mediaLet's start by talking about what a lot of us are seeing on social media. When I go to networking events and I meet up with my coaching clients, a lot of us are witnessing stuff on social media that's really upsetting. And I don't mean the stuff from unregulated people giving bad advice and misinformation. That's been going on as long as there has been social media and it's bad, but I'm not seeing more of it than I saw five years ago. I'm seeing about the same number of unqualified people telling me things that they have no business to tell me. But what I am seeing more of, maybe just because I'm spending more time looking than I was previously, but I feel like it is an upwards trend, are discussions or debates on social media, particularly LinkedIn and Facebook, between professionals who are properly qualified that turn into like skirmishes. Often these are on topics which are highly emotive for many of us. The ones which get served up to me all the time, because my children have additional needs, are usually around topics like neurodiversity, neuro affirmative practice, and causes and cures for autism, in particular. Those are all topics which I do know a fair amount about. Since my children started to struggle and I went through the diagnostic process, I think I've probably read more on those topics than I have on anything else in my entire life. I keep really up to date with the evidence base, and I have read most of the seminal texts that I've been able to get my hands on in those areas. And the thing that I have taken away from all of that reading and research is that it is really nuanced and complicated and nobody is really right. There's a lot that I like and that I think has a good grounding in evidence in neuro affirmative practice. Certainly, the positive impact on identity formation and the value of neuro affirmative therapy and coaching for people, I see that and I like it, and I recognise it, and I think it can't be ignored, and it shouldn't be ignored. But it's also true that a lot of the people putting out their views about neuro affirmation and the principles of neurodiversity, are spreading misinformation about the way that the brain works and about how solid the evidence base is for brain-based differences between particularly autistic and ADHD brains and neurotypical brains. And I don't like that. I don't like the kind of division that's created between neurotypicals and neurodivergence, because I don't think that is evidence-based, and I don't think that will help people in the end. But having said that, it's also not true to say that the evidence shows no brain-based differences. I've seen some really invalidating stuff on there where people who, like me, are a little bit sceptical about building identity around one particular label, have then taken it to the point where they're saying that people shouldn't be using these labels at all, that we are massively over diagnosed and that these labels are not helpful. And that's not true either. I mean, my children would not be okay without their labels. People need them to get what they need in a society that we have built around labelling people. And so the idea that people are wrong for finding those useful, or that clinicians are wrong for using labels in the system that we operate in is also bizarre. I suppose the reason that I've gone on this sidebar slightly is that this is a difficult and nuanced point. Nobody is really wrong, nobody is really right, and yet what I see on social media is really vitriolic, a lot of sound bites to grab attention, and no space given for this kind of both/and position, which is a painful one to hold. It isn't much fun being a parent of children that need a lot of additional support to be sitting here, bum on the fence, a spiky fence, being like, okay, I see the good, I see the bad, on balance we’re going to go with the labels because they're going to do more good than harm, but I can't fully commit myself to the idea of building a whole identity around any label. It feels uncomfortable. It feels like I don't have a home. But the reality is, when I talk to people in person, and I meet a lot of people that I've seen online in person, most people are falling where I am. Most people are really nuanced about it, a bit torn apart by it. They've read the same evidence that I have, and come to the same conclusion that actually we're in this really tricky grey space, but nobody is representing that online, even if it's what they think really. I think that's because the platforms encourage us to speak in a way that we wouldn't speak professionally if we were in a room together. Complex topics get reduced to these short, extreme, and often un-evidenced claims, like no brain-based differences, or CBT is harmful to people with autism. Those are the kind of statements which work really well on social media because they get an argument going and they get rewarded, and so we post more of them. But I actually think they're really doing a lot of harm, not just between professionals. I often really cringe when I see it happening on social media. I might start to feel a bit disillusioned with clinical psychology as a profession, or I might feel a bit shamed or upset if somebody's having a go at something that I've said. It can be difficult for us as professionals, but imagine what it is like if you’re a family going through the most difficult thing you've ever experienced, and then you go onto LinkedIn and you see a load of people who are supposed to be the people giving you advice and guidance, fighting each other. I can't stand it. I can't stand to think about what that experience must be like for people in their most vulnerable moments. And it's not just happening around neurodiversity, that's just the one I know more about. But I also see it happening a lot around gender identity, for example. I think sometimes when we're posting, we need to be mindful of the vulnerable people who might see it. Maybe they're not the person the post is intended for, maybe it's intended for a professional audience, but it's got your name, it's got your professional title. You are representing a clinical psychologist, or a CBT therapist, or a counsellor to the people that read it. So, if you are getting into a skirmish and having cross words with other professionals on there, that is really confusing to the...

Is it time for you to evolve and thrive?Welcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. This episode is all about that stuck on the fence feeling that I think is so familiar to so many of us. That feeling when you know that something needs to change, but you are not sure whether now is the right time to make that change.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve and Thrive Mastermind Have you been listening to this and feeling like the time has come for you to make a change in your practice? Maybe you are ready to grow with passive or semi passive income. Maybe you are ready to gain more time freedom, have that flexibility you always dreamed of, or expand your impact. If any of that sounds like you, you might be a really good fit for my Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.Our next cohort is starting in January 2026, and it's a small group, six-month coaching experience. The early bird rate finishes mid-December, so if any of that sounds good to you, make sure you check out the details over at psychologybusinessschool.com and book your free call with me now to secure the best price.ShownotesIs it time for you to evolve and thrive?Hello and welcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. This episode is all about that stuck on the fence feeling that I think is so familiar to so many of us. That feeling when you know that something needs to change, but you are not sure whether now is the right time to make that change.I just want to acknowledge that often this happens when my clients are really successful; when they've built exactly what they set out to build, but now something about it just isn't feeling fulfilling or they're struggling with the day-to-day running of their practice, feeling burned out, maybe feeling like they're doing fine, but sort of spinning their wheels in time, and that's how it was for me. On the surface, I had built a really successful private practice. From the outside looking in, people would've seen fully booked, always busy attracting people to my specialism, tick, tick, tick, it all looks great. But in reality, I was really struggling to keep going with that pace of clients because it wasn't giving me the flexibility that I needed in my life, but also it wasn't really allowing me to use my skills as a psychologist in the diverse and interesting ways that I had been able to in my public sector roles. So for a number of reasons, I arrived at this point of feeling like I needed to make a change, but I sat on that fence for quite a while, and it can be quite an uncomfortable place. I've noticed that as I've been doing the calls for our next Evolve and Thrive cohort, which is really exciting, that a lot of people are sitting on that fence. And because the economy is in a challenging place, and I don't think that we're in a really optimistic frame of mind as a generation at the moment, often we might be sitting in that place for a bit longer, really agonising over when's the right time to jump off and do something a bit differently. So I wanted to record an episode to help you think that through. And it's not going to be, “you should always go for it, now is definitely the right time to make a change in your practice”, because actually one of the things that's really important to me as a business coach is that you are respectful of the season of life that you are in, and that you make decisions based on wherever possible, data, good information about the return on the investment that you're going to get. And I don't just mean investment in terms of money, I mean investment in terms of time, your creativity and your emotional wellbeing as well. So, I hope this episode is going to help you. If you are thinking that now might be a good time for you to step into something new, maybe create a new project, something outside the therapy room, or maybe expand and bring on associates, my aim with this episode is to help you think through whether now is the right moment to jump in with both feet and really go for it, or if actually you might be in a season that means that those things are all here for you, they're all going to happen, but they need to happen a little bit later. So I hope you're going to find this useful.I also hope that this episode will demonstrate to you that that evolution is possible, even if it's not the thing for you right now, I think there's a bit of pessimism out there sometimes that maybe we will miss the boat, that they are one to many offers, online courses, that kind of thing are only really available to people that built their audiences back when it was easier, like in 2016 for example, but actually that's not true. I am supporting day in, day out, I'm supporting psychologists and therapists who are doing it right now in this tricky climate and making it work. So I also hope that this episode is going to give you a little bit of that hopeful optimism that I have the privilege of sitting alongside in my coaching practice regularly.Signs that you might be ready to evolve your practiceThere are some signs that you might be ready to evolve your practice that are worth paying attention to. I got these from my existing participants in Evolve and Thrive. The first sign is that you start craving one to many. You start craving more scale and more variety in your work. Maybe you are fully booked or well established, but you really miss using the other parts of your brain that one-to-one therapy doesn't always utilise. And this is how Dr Grace Lee-Brindle, who is currently in Evolve and Thrive described it to me. She noted that after leaving the NHS, she missed other parts of her work. She was well established with one-to-one clients, she's got a brilliant specialism, but she felt like she was ready to branch out and use other skills. So I think that's really important. Dr Kelly Young also shared something on this theme. She said that she wanted to move from a one-to-one, to a one-to-many model to increase the revenue in her practice, but also to make more impact for more people while working fewer hours. So, I guess the takeaway from that is if you resonate with those things, if you feel itchy to use your skills in a different way and you're wanting to make more impact with more people, then that could be a sign that you are ready for that recurring income strategy, and to develop a business model that takes you outside the therapy room.Another theme that came up as a sign that you might be ready to make that change in your practice was a feeling that Dr Melita Ash, another one of our evolve and thrivers, put really well, I thought it was a really nice analogy. She said she felt like she was running fast, but standing still. I guess this is about the issue of sustainability, it's that feeling like I have, that you are working incredibly hard, but the business isn't really growing in a way that gives you any more time, flexibility or financial security. So it can feel a bit like you are running on a treadmill. Melita described it as like running fast, not getting anywhere, constantly working hard and feeling really stuck. And she felt like she needed to come on a program that would give her a structure towards getting unstuck because it can be such a difficult place to be when you are running that fast, that you're exhausted and sometimes unable to think outside of that fast pace of work that you're doing every day. That's something that Dr Victoria Wallace talked about too. She really prioritised sustainability and looking to avoid those boom and bust cycles we can often get into when we are relying on just one-to-one therapy and that referral rollercoaster in private practice.I guess what this tells us is that if taking regular time off or flexibility for family is really important to you, and the business model you have at the moment isn't delivering that, then you really need a plan. Putting more effort into the model you already have is not going to take you somewhere different or more sustainable than where you are right now. So if where you are right now doesn't feel sustainable, if you feel like you're heading for burnout, you have to make a change. Sometimes what I hear from people is that they're sort of waiting to feel better before they make a change. But actually, if we formulate for ourselves in the exact same way that we would for a client, that's like waiting to stop feeling depressed before you go out for a walk. Sometimes we have to put the cart before the horse and get out, make the change that's going to allow us to feel better. So I think that's a really important point. If you're already on the road to burnout, hop off now. Do something different now before you get fully in the pit of it.So sign number three that the current Evolve and Thrivers talked about was feeling like you kind of get stuck in contemplation mode. So maybe you have ideas, but procrastination, peer fear, or imposter syndrome stop you actually executing them. A lot of people talk about this as like shiny object syndrome, like the magpies or butterflies flitting from one

Carving out an unknown specialism: Sports and Exercise Psychology with Paula WatsonWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'm really pleased to be welcoming my guest today, Dr Paula Watson, who is an applied sports and exercise psychologist specialising in health behavior change relating to eating, exercise, and weight. Paula spent 18 years in academia including working at Liverpool John Moores University as a reader in exercise and health psychology, before dedicating herself fully to her private practice, Made Up To Move. The concept of an exercise psychologist in private practice is one that might feel quite new, and I know that exercise psychologists qualifying now often feel unsure about how to introduce a less known about psychological service to the market. Paula's story is one that's all about forging a new path, embracing the unknown, and defining her own value when the public didn't even know that she existed. We're going to explore today how she built her practice when the public wasn't even aware of what exercise psychology was, and there's so much that we can all learn about really solid business and marketing skills from Paula's journey. Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:Episode 41: How to set your fees in your psychology private practice with “pricing queen” Sally FarrantLinks for Paula:Website: madeuptomove.co.ukYouTube: www.youtube.com/@DrPaulaWatsonLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paula-watson-weight-loss-therapyLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsPaula tells us what drew her to sports and exercise psychology 01:34Paula talks about her academic career 06:59We discuss imposter syndrome 14:30Paula tells us about her decision to move from academia to the applied space 20:10I ask Paula about choosing private practice versus a job 24:35Paula tells us what a week in her practice looks like 36:14I ask Paula about her YouTube channel 45:20Paula speaks about the learning curves and mindset shifts required when setting up in private practice 51:06Paula tells us how we can connect with her 56:38Evolve Your Practice: The map to more income, impact and flexibilityAre you craving more flexibility in your practice? Maybe you've built something amazing and you're proud of your business, but it's also bringing you to the brink of burnout. Maybe you want to use your skills differently and create recurring revenue outside the therapy room. Whether your priority is financial stability or flexibility, or both, adding recurring revenue streams into your business is essential.If you want time, freedom, more income, and to make a bigger impact for your client group, join me for a free masterclass on Monday, the 17th of November at 11:00 AM and I'll show you how I use my values, voice and impact framework to create income, impact, and flexibility in my own business, and for the hundreds of psychologists and therapists I've supported over the last five years.I'd love to see you there. You can sign up here: https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/fnr6d7si/checkout

The most critical feedback from our retreat and what we've learned about running events with Dr Claire PlumblyWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'm really pleased to be here today with friend of the podcast, Dr Claire Plumley. Claire's been on the podcast a few times now, sometimes talking about her experience of working in burnout and writing an amazing book about it. Sometimes we've been talking about the cool and exciting stuff that Claire does in her practice, like EMDR intensives and working with people online. But today we are getting together to talk about our joint venture, a retreat that we ran for the first time last year and we're running again in 2026, because so many of you tell me that you've got a real craving for in-person connection. Getting people together in a room feels like something amazing that we can do to enhance wellbeing, but in-person events feel really different, especially when we've been working predominantly in the online space since 2020. Claire and I thought it might be helpful for us to let you in behind the scenes of what it was like running a retreat and the learnings that we've taken from a super successful one last year, and how are we going to make this year even better based on those.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:2026 Psychologists Business RetreatGet in touch here.Links for Claire:LinkedIn: Dr Claire PlumblyFacebook: @drclaireplumblyInstagram: @drclaireplumblyTikTok: @drclaireplumblyWebsite: www.plum-psychology.comLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsWe talk about our reasons for wanting to run a retreat 01:26We discuss the different skills we brought together, and liaising with the right venue 06:56We look at how we got the right mix of people 13:08We discuss costing an event 16:35We talk about marketing something with this much logistical planning 19:55We look at what will be different for 2026 25:22Claire gives her advice to anyone thinking about planning their own event 35:10I tell you how to find out about the 2026 retreat 37:11Evolve and Thrive Mastermind Have you been listening to this and feeling like the time has come for you to make a change in your practice? Maybe you are ready to grow with passive or semi passive income. Maybe you are ready to gain more time freedom, have that flexibility you always dreamed of, or expand your impact. If any of that sounds like you, you might be a really good fit for my Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.Our next cohort is starting in January 2026, and it's a small group, six-month coaching experience. The early bird rate finishes mid-December, so if any of that sounds good to you, make sure you check out the details over at psychologybusinessschool.com and book your free call with me now to secure the best price.

Fulfilment through writing together on Substack with Clare VenusWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. This week I'm joined by Clare Venus, who is a wonderful creator over on Substack, and who also teaches other people how to Substack well. I'm really excited to bring you this chat, because in it we talk about why you might want to choose Substack, and why it might be a good home for psychologists and therapists who are looking to bring a bit more nuance than social media platforms generally allow. We also dive into Clare's personal journey with Substack, what attracted her to it, and how it allows her to use her creativity in a way that she might have been struggling to do in other places, which I think a lot of us can relate to. Finally, we also talk about the business side, and how Substack can fit into the business and the practice that you’re running, which I think is a really important consideration when we're thinking about embarking on any new social media platform or marketing strategy.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologySubstack Links for Clare:@clairevenusCreatively ConsciousSparkle on SubstackSubscribe to Sparkle on Substack - Listener 30% Discount LinkLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsClare tells us a little bit about how she ended up on Substack and why she chose it 01:50I ask Clare about the ways that she’s seen psychologists and therapists using the platform 09:12Clare ​​walks us through the various bits of Substack and also how their like payment system works 16:07We talk about the different opportunities Substack provides us with 23:31We discuss membership models and structures 30:17I summarise the models you can have on Substack 33:50 Clare talks about SEO with Substack and other tips for setting up 36:03I ask Clare what is the first best step to take for a psychologist or therapist who thinks Substack could be a good place for them 39:24Claire give us her Substack links 42:14Evolve Your Practice: The map to more income, impact and flexibilityAre you craving more flexibility in your practice? Maybe you've built something amazing and you're proud of your business, but it's also bringing you to the brink of burnout. Maybe you want to use your skills differently and create recurring revenue outside the therapy room. Whether your priority is financial stability or flexibility, or both, adding recurring revenue streams into your business is essential.If you want time, freedom, more income, and to make a bigger impact for your client group, join me for a free masterclass on Monday, the 17th of November at 11:00 AM and I'll show you how I use my values, voice and impact framework to create income, impact, and flexibility in my own business, and for the hundreds of psychologists and therapists I've supported over the last five years.I'd love to see you there. You can sign up here: https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/fnr6d7si/checkout

The most valuable lesson from Evolve and Thrive: The real reason psychologists and therapists burnout and procrastinateHello and welcome to another episode of The Business of Psychology podcast. Today you've just got me, it's a solo show and it's going to be a short and sweet one. Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve Your Practice: The map to more income, impact and flexibilityAre you craving more flexibility in your practice? Maybe you've built something amazing and you're proud of your business, but it's also bringing you to the brink of burnout. Maybe you want to use your skills differently and create recurring revenue outside the therapy room. Whether your priority is financial stability or flexibility, or both, adding recurring revenue streams into your business is essential.If you want time, freedom, more income, and to make a bigger impact for your client group, join me for a free masterclass on Monday, the 17th of November at 11:00 AM and I'll show you how I use my values, voice and impact framework to create income, impact, and flexibility in my own business, and for the hundreds of psychologists and therapists I've supported over the last five years.I'd love to see you there. You can sign up here: https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/fnr6d7si/checkout ShownotesThe most valuable lesson from Evolve and Thrive: The real reason psychologists and therapists burnout and procrastinateI wanted to talk about something which has been really troubling me for the past few months, maybe even longer. It's the most valuable lesson that I've learned from my group coaching program, Evolve and Thrive, which is a coaching program designed for people ready to take the next step in their practice. Maybe they've already built something successful and they're ready to move beyond the therapy room or start bringing in different income sources. These are all people that I respect hugely. There is not a single person in Evolve and Thrive that I'm not slightly intimidated by because of their amazing careers and the expertise that they're bringing for their clients. But there has been something really striking that is holding most of the people in Evolve and Thrive back, and what we've spent most of our time on together as a group. I wanted to bring it into the light because I've noticed that almost everybody thinks that they're alone with this, and if you're struggling, you are absolutely not alone with this.I want to start by saying that all the knowledge that we need to be successful in business is already out there. This was not the case when I started this podcast back in 2020, but it very much is the case now. You've got AI at your fingertips to search the web for you. You've got YouTube, podcasts, good old-fashioned books, any question you have, you can find the answer to all of them. And psychologists and therapists are always intelligent people who can find the things that they need if they're looking for them. Despite this, I keep hearing the same things over and over again, the things which are getting people stuck are burnout and a tendency to overwork even when they can feel that that burnout is close, and paralysis or procrastination, often both. I've been coaching other mental health professionals for over five years now, and I've realised that although it kicks in at different moments, for different people, there are two things that hold people back in growing their practices, there are two things that lead to that procrastination pattern and that continuous dance on the edge of burnout, and neither of those is being bad at tech.Sometimes it's that their bodies and minds have acclimatised to a punishing and relentless workload, so a more relaxed working week, the thing they often tell me that they want more than anything, actually it doesn't feel safe, so they avoid it by breaking boundaries, saying yes when they know it should be a no, or never making the time to think about changing their practice.Or maybe they've absorbed stories and identities that they'd have to give up if they created a more comfortable working life for themselves. That ‘suffering public servant’ narrative, the ‘selfless helping professional’, even the ‘on the brink of burnout professional’, they're all identities that we worked hard to wear and giving them up can feel like a rejection of the more positive aspects of those identities. You know, I remember thinking to myself, if I'm not burning out in the NHS, maybe I don't get to feel like the selfless helping professional anymore. Maybe that makes me a selfish helping professional and that doesn't feel comfortable and it's something I wrestled with a lot and continue to; you know, this is not something that you work through once and get to the other side of, and for many of us, that leads to paralysis that looks a lot like procrastination. Because you're torn in two different directions, so staying uncomfortably on the fence instead is safer than pulling yourself apart. For others, it leads to undercharging and often that very real financial fear. When you are riding that rollercoaster of never quite feeling secure financially in your practice, maybe on a good month, it's great, but then the next month is a bit slower and suddenly you are panicking again. That fear then leads to the breaking boundaries, saying yes to everything, ironically, avoiding and never looking at the numbers in the business, or you know, never allowing yourself the luxury of looking for new ways of doing things, or reviewing your financial plan. And so instead, you're maintaining this constant state of near burnout, which is kind of what you got used to. There are other stories too that stop people from building the lives that they want to live. Things like, ‘I'm too old’, or ‘I'm not the kind of person who…’, ‘I'm not confident enough’, ‘I'm not good enough with tech’, ‘I hate marketing’. All of these stories just shut down the things that we think are possible for ourselves. And what I love about coaching is that once these patterns and stories are brought to light, my clients are all really well equipped to tackle them and to support each other as they move through the discomfort of making those changes. It is such a pleasure to work with psychologists and therapists because as a group, we are just as susceptible as anyone else to blind spots and avoidance, but it is absolutely awesome to get to work with people who already have amazing skills and full up toolkits to make that change once they've recognised it and decided to make it.Something I have noticed though, which again is maybe a bit unique to mental health professionals, is that the stories that stick with us, the trickiest ones to move past, are the ones that we've absorbed from our professional culture. The ones that lead to that dreaded peer fear that comes up in at least 80% of my coaching conversations. What are other people, other professionals, usually going to think if we try something new? Am I going to be labelled as money grabbing or a sellout? And the fact is, I can't reassure people that they're never going to face judgment from other psychologists and therapists. Instead, we have to get into our compassionate selves and think about what that judgment and our reaction to it does and does not mean. Together we think about whether the feelings we have about it might be useful because sometimes they are, they can encourage us to seek peer debate over some ethical concerns we have. And you know, I think that peer debate is the only way to resolve ethical concerns when we're working at the frontier and we're trying out new things where there's not an obvious precedent for us to follow. But we also think about what that judgment is most likely to mean in the context it was given. And often when we do that, we recognise that there are many factors well outside of our new product or our new service, or even ourselves, that might have led somebody to make those judgemental comments that they've made. It's so much easier to accept and move through the anxiety that inevitably comes up around judgment from our peers when we can look at it in its full context and think about its true meaning.I hope that gives you some food for thought. If you feel like it's time to make a change in your business, but something keeps holding you back, maybe you've been blaming yourself for continuously burning out, or maybe you've had advice before and are beating yourself up all the time because you haven't felt able to take it. Maybe you've called yourself names like procrastinator, or got frustrated over your paralysis. I just want you to know that it's not unusual, it's not about your knowledge, it's not about your skills, it's not about who you are as a person. It's that you are working through something that is really difficult and that many of us have to work through, over and over and over again, and it's part of the vulnerability of being in business and you deserve support with...

Stop spending money on social media: The biggest mistake private practice owners are making in digital marketingHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Podcast. This series is all about what we can do when we have that tugging feeling that our practice needs to change, but we're not quite sure what to do about it. Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks/references:Episode 103: Why you should specialise – old gold that is still importantEpisode 127: What matters to our clients in private practice?Episode 128: Who are you helping? Three ways to specialise your psychology or therapy practiceEpisode 129: How to make sure your marketing actually works: How to use authority for psychologists and therapistsEpisode 152: Thinking differently about your practice: A tool to put the client firstEpisode 158: How to find your ideal clients in 2025: SEO for psychologists and therapists with Chris MorinLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve Your Practice: The map to more income, impact and flexibilityAre you craving more flexibility in your practice? Maybe you've built something amazing and you're proud of your business, but it's also bringing you to the brink of burnout. Maybe you want to use your skills differently and create recurring revenue outside the therapy room. Whether your priority is financial stability or flexibility, or both, adding recurring revenue streams into your business is essential.If you want time, freedom, more income, and to make a bigger impact for your client group, join me for a free masterclass on Monday, the 17th of November at 11:00 AM and I'll show you how I use my values, voice and impact framework to create income, impact, and flexibility in my own business, and for the hundreds of psychologists and therapists I've supported over the last five years.I'd love to see you there. You can sign up here: https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/fnr6d7si/checkout ShownotesStop spending money on social media: The biggest mistake private practice owners are making in digital marketing Today we're focusing on social media, because one thing I have noticed about people that come into my Evolve and Thrive program is they've often already been spending money or time trying to build a social media audience because they think it's a prerequisite for adding additional income streams into their practice.Firstly, it is not true that you always have to do social media to add new revenue streams. Even passive income doesn't always have to involve social media. But what we're focusing on today is the danger of spending loads of time or loads of money on social media before you've done the work on your marketing strategy, because I see so much waste when that happens. First, I'm going to talk a bit about the perils, and then I'm going to give you some practical strategy advice using my Values, Voice and Impact framework that I use with all my coaching clients so that you can invest in social media safely and effectively and actually make your investment back from it. The MistakesLet's get started by thinking about the mistakes, because honestly, my heart hurts when I meet a new client who has already outsourced their marketing or hired a new social media manager or one of those fancy, all-inclusive marketing agencies. And it's not because those are bad things to do, but they are usually bad if we do them too soon.Social media is just a way of reaching people. It's a marketing channel, just in the same way that a poster on a lamppost is a marketing channel. Except in 2025, every lamppost you pass has a thousand posters, blue-tacked over the top of each other competing for your eyeballs. You wouldn't expect the fact you had a poster on a lamppost to do anything for your marketing, would you? You'd probably think that the content of that poster was quite important. You'd probably also consider the position of the poster; whether it was on a lamppost outside a busy coffee shop or in a country lane, whether you were at the top or three sheets deep at the bottom, you'd instinctively know that all of those things were really crucial.Social media managers tend to have no idea how to tackle good quality content or positioning for mental health professionals, so they mostly post content that is so bland and uninspiring, you might as well be sticking up a blank sheet of paper in a country lane. I am afraid that you have to be fully in charge of the marketing strategy for your business. Strategy cannot be delegated. Graphic design can be delegated, copywriting can be delegated, but the strategy is all yours.  I'm going to use my values, voice and impact framework that underpins the coaching in my group programs like Startup and Evolve and Thrive to show you what you need to have in place before you go hiring help.ValuesWe start with the values. To put together a strategy, you first need to understand what you want from your business and what your clients needs from you. Here is where we do all the work on personal and professional values, picking a specialism, narrowing to a client group and really understanding what matters to that group. I've recorded episodes before on the tools that we can use here, like the customer persona and the value proposition that can help us get that really deep understanding of the priorities of our client group. And that work can only be done by you because it's psychological work, and actually the majority of people who work in marketing are used to marketing products, which don't involve anything like the emotional investment that we are asking our clients to make, even if we're selling them a book or an online course. And so we need to be using our skills as mental health professionals to really get under the skin and understand our clients in the way that most marketing professionals aren't used to doing. I do find peer discussions very helpful here though, so do use your colleagues, but more importantly, as I talk about in all the episodes around customer personas and value propositions, get out and talk to your actual client group and test ideas out with them. Voice The second stage is about voice, because what content you should post is also determined by your expertise. Everything you produce should be aiming to build your authority with your client group. You should be proud of the body of work that you put out there into the world on social media. It needs to carry your authentic voice, and most importantly, you need to be spreading the messages that your client group need to hear from you, specifically. If you've done your values work well, you'll have a good idea of the things that your ideal client group desperately want to hear about, and you'll know the language that they use too. Pick three to five of those things that align with your expertise and make those your content pillars - the things that you always talk about online. I always suggest writing out about five to ten stories that illustrate that you really understand those things, that you understand the struggles that your clients face related to those topics, and you can link them directly to the things that they want to hear you talking about. For example, if you think that they want advice from you about burnout, write out some compelling stories that show you really understand burnout; either stories from your personal life, anonymised client stories, it could be anything, but stories are so much more compelling than how-tos or advice lists. So making sure you've got some of those in your back pocket that you can repurpose over and over again for various posts on social media is really helpful.ImpactThe final stage is impact. In order to make your marketing

Evolve and Thrive: Starting before you're ready - the Supervisor Platform with Natalie StottWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today I'm joined by clinical psychologist in independent practice, and founder of a fancy new supervision platform, Dr Natalie Stott. I'm really excited to have her here today because we’re going to talk about the journey of putting something innovative out there into the world, especially something that is designed to support independent practitioners. I think this is really important because it's very often a mindset issue that stops people from getting started with something innovative, and I know Natalie is really well placed to talk to us about those mindset issues that crop up and how we can plow through them.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Natalie:Supervisor Platform: supervisorplatform.comLinkedIn: Dr Natalie StottMastering Therapy Podcast: masteringtherapy.comWebsite: www.drnataliestott.comLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsNatalie tells us about herself and her practice 01:02I ask Natalie about the problem she saw that needed fixing, that let to creating Supervisor Platform 02:42We discuss the importance of supervision and community 06:33Natalie talks about the difficulties with advertising your services as a supervisor when you are in independent practice 11:36We discuss the importance of visibility and personal branding 20:08Natalie talks about how she pushed through the discomfort of being visible 29:25Natalie highlights the power of feedback 35:40Natalie tells us how to get in touch with her 39:17Evolve Your Practice: The map to more income, impact and flexibilityAre you craving more flexibility in your practice? Maybe you've built something amazing and you're proud of your business, but it's also bringing you to the brink of burnout. Maybe you want to use your skills differently and create recurring revenue outside the therapy room. Whether your priority is financial stability or flexibility, or both, adding recurring revenue streams into your business is essential.If you want time, freedom, more income, and to make a bigger impact for your client group, join me for a free masterclass on Monday, the 17th of November at 11:00 AM and I'll show you how I use my values, voice and impact framework to create income, impact, and flexibility in my own business, and for the hundreds of psychologists and therapists I've supported over the last five years.I'd love to see you there. You can sign up here: https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/fnr6d7si/checkout

Is it time to Evolve? Welcome to the new series of Business of Psychology! It's Autumn, so it must be time for a new series of the Business of Psychology. I'm really pleased to be back behind the mic, and this time I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on the changes that are happening in mental health and the inspiring stories of psychologists and therapists finding fulfilment in new and exciting ways.We start the series talking about software development with the amazing Natalie Stott, who you might know from her podcast, Mastering Therapy. Over the series, we'll be looking at writing, social media, and unpacking the stuff that often keeps us stuck, in independent practice. I really hope that this series will be the springboard you need if you've been wanting to evolve your practice into something new that meets your needs and lets you live your personal and professional values, maybe in a slightly different way.So I'll see you right here in your podcast feed next Friday for the new series of the Business of Psychology podcast.Links for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Set Up For Success 6: The bad news that broke my practice“I’ve got some bad news…”Every military spouse knows that at a certain time of year your partner returning from work and uttering this phrase can only mean one thing… You’ve been posted to hell.This time I was at the end of 38 weeks of solo parenting a toddler through a rough pregnancy thanks to a “surprise” deployment and had just been told we were moving 300 miles “as soon as” I gave birth. I don’t think I took it well.In that moment, the fledgling practice I had built was surely about to crumble around my ears and my children would surely grow up miserable 300 miles away from everyone who cared about them.My despair only got deeper. When my boy was orn he became ill and teh time which would have been spent packing was spent in hospital, watching his tiny body fight. Thankfully, he recovered, the move happened, and, after a few very hard months, it turned out I was wrong. Plymouth turned out to be one of my favourite cities, the children found people to love them locally (I mean, they were adorable) and my business flourished as I embraced technology and threw myself into the local business scene. I learned SO much about how to make a business work because of that “adversity” that subsequent moves felt more exciting than threatening.  Now I use that knowledge to help others create practices that bring them the income, stability and fulfilment they need without the added drama of military life! I've now set up my practice in 4 different locations so, if you are setting up for the first time or perhaps hoping to jump “all in” to your practice, I wanted to share with you the 7 things I’ve learned that I think might help.Relationships are everything, and business and professional networking are essential (listen to this podcast episode: How to network as a mental health professional) A specialism creates resilience, fulfilment and marketing super-power (listen to this podcast episode: Why you should specialise - old gold that is still important).Your fees need to sustain your business for the long term (listen to this podcast episode: How to set your fees in your psychology private practice with “pricing queen” Sally Farrant)Invest in the things your clients will value the most (EMDR training is a definite yes from me) SEO is worth spending time and money on (listen to this podcast episode: How to find your ideal clients in 2025: SEO for psychologists and therapists with Chris Morin)Business is a skill you need to keep learning (don’t be hard on yourself, just get the coach or take the course) Co-create with your clients; they know what they want and value (listen to this podcast episode: Thinking differently about your practice: A tool to put the client first)This is a short one from me today but I hope you will find what you need in the links above if you are facing down the overwhelm at setting or scaling up your independent work. I also hope I will get to see you face to face (online) at the masterclass I am running. Details below!Ready to turn your private practice dream into a reality?Join my free masterclass, "Set Up Your Practice for Success”," on September 8th. I'll share my 3-part framework to help you create a practice that is professionally fulfilling and financially secure, giving you the flexibility you crave without the burnout.https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/avzEAAiw/checkoutLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Set Up For Success 5: Your website doesn’t work because it was written for your peers not your clientsMost of our websites receive very little “traffic” and many of our directory site profiles get scrolled past evey. single. time.We all know there are weird algorithms and AI at play in the online game BUT the truth is some people manage to get people onto their website or directory site profile and booking sessions with them and others don’t.The difference is the words.I got sent to the headteacher at 7 years old for filling up an entire exercise book with illegible short stories on the first day of term. If I could have stopped crying to speak I would have told them that putting words onto a page makes my head quiet. Writing feels like a conversation with myself where I can figure out what I really think without the continuous interruptions of a demanding world. These days I would call it flow.As a child I thought everyone felt that way, that everyone needed the page to structure and understand their own thinking. Of course, life has shown me that for many, my children included, the page actually veils their thoughts, forcing them to squint and sweat as they try to articulate what is perfectly formed in their minds.Ten years ago my skills as a writer set me apart and allowed me to achieve success in marketing my practice very quickly. Thanks to AI, and I do mean that, the modern world allows you to use the skills you have as a psychologist or therapist to create website “copy” or a directory profile that speaks perfectly to your ideal client group even if writing is painful for you.Here are the principles you need to stand out in the online crowd: Write Like You're Talking to a Client: This is the most important one. Don’t write for your peers! Imagine a real person who has come to you, asking, "How can you help me with X, Y, or Z?" Use natural language. If you struggle with this, try recording yourself explaining what you do to a potential client and then transcribe it. We therapists are great at connecting in person; sometimes it's just hard to get that onto paper so let technology be your friend. Record into chat gpt or gemini and ask the AI to tidy up yoru words.Specialise, Specialise, Specialise! You cannot speak to everyone in your profile. If you try, you’ll blend into the background and sound generic. Pick one particular client group – your favourite, or the people you've worked with most successfully in the past – and speak directly to them. This is a huge focus in my Start Up Your Practice programme because it's vital for attracting your ideal clients.Keep Your "Approach" Simple: Say a few confident lines about your experience and literally how you will help them. But please, for the love of all that is good, avoid jargon! Phrases like "safe space" or deep dives into your unique theoretical orientation often sound like gibberish to someone new to therapy. Stick to: "I have 25 years of experience in the NHS helping people with X, Y, and Z. I offer talking therapies like CBT and trauma-focused therapies like EMDR." That’s enough. Really. Don't List Every Training Course Ever: Your core qualification is key, plus one or two other significant accreditations (like EMDR accreditation) that truly define your practice. A two-day CPD course, while valuable for you, probably doesn't need to be front and centre here.Make Booking Super Easy & Explicit: Tell people exactly how to book. "Email me to book a consultation." "Phone me on X." Or, if you're using an online booking system (which I highly recommend, like Calendly, Acuity, or your PMS's system), tell them "Click this link to book your session directly." The less friction, the better! Be Crystal Clear About Your Fees: This is a big one. People get incredibly anxious about fees, and rightly so. Don't make them inquire to find out, and avoid vague "sliding scale" statements. Put yourself in their shoes,  they want to know if they can afford you. It’s horrible for everyone if they get to the end of a conversation only to find they can't. Be explicit about your fee.Use whatever tools you can find to make your life easier.I think it is a great thing that more talented mental health professionals are able to reach the right clients thanks to modern technology. If it is new to you please don’t be afraid to use AI to help you write. My top tip is to give prompts in several steps.A prompt for AI could look like this:Step one: Analyse Dr Rosie’s advice on how to write a good directory site profile from this article (give link to this piece)Step two: Analyse my CV (attach your CV or current summary of your credentials)Step three: My ideal clients are (give a full description of your ideal client or link to your ideal client persona document if you are a coaching client of mine!). Please draft a compelling directory site profile/about page that will encourage them to choose me as their therapist following Dr Rosie’s principles.This will not be the finished product but it can do the heavy lifting of the written word so you can focus on injecting your personality, passion and the language your ideal clients need to hear into it.I’d love to know if this advice helps you connect more easily with your ideal clients. Let me know in the comments if you use the prompt!Ready to turn your private practice dream into a reality?Join my free masterclass, "Set Up Your Practice for Success”, on September 8th. I'll share my 3-part framework to help you create a practice that is professionally fulfilling and financially secure, giving you the flexibility you crave without the burnout.https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/avzEAAiw/checkoutLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Set Up For Success 4: Beyond the Scroll: How to Get Your First Private Practice Clients (Without Endless Social Media)If you’ve been spending any time in the online business world, you've probably been bombarded with ads telling you to master Instagram, run Google ads, or become a TikTok sensation. And while those can be part of a strategy, I'm here to tell you something that might surprise you: for therapists, often the most effective marketing isn't what's being shouted about by the noisy online gurus. If you were looking for a therapist, where would you start? Scrolling through Instagram? Probably not. Most of us would start by asking the people we trust: friends, family, and other professionals. This is where the magic of "relationship marketing" comes in. The best time investment you can make in the early days of your practice is to become "top of mind" for the people your ideal clients are most likely to ask for recommendations. This is simple, ethical, and completely aligned with your skills as a psychologist – it's about building genuine relationships! But networking feels gross!Networking feels icky, right? I was totally icked by myself at the end of my first ever networking event. I was heavily pregnant in a room full of suits and had struggled to stutter out a version of my name through the blur of sweat, nerves and heartburn. It felt totally wrong, what was the point of a clinical psychologist talking to two close to retirement managers from a printing company about perinatal mental health?No one in that room needed ME so after my horrendous introduction, I gave up. I focused on the sparkling water and listening to the local small business gossip. The event was a write-off but I might as well hear some interesting stories. And interesting stories there were! Employees were “taking the piss” left right and centre it seemed, some of them not coming in for weeks on end, supposedly many of them signed off with “stress.”Because I’d done such a terrible job of introducing myself no one expected me to contribute so I didn’t really, I just asked questions. I don’t even remember what I said or asked about. I certainly didn’t come away thinking I’d been insightful or helpful, just a bit nosey perhaps!So imagine my surprise when at the end one of the printers came up to me and offered a heartfelt thank you. He explained he’d never considered what “stress” really meant before and that he now understood his own (and I hope his employees!) reactions better. Well I never? It turns out that not everyone knows everything we know! Psychologists and therapists can offer immense value to the community when we offer our expertise, even informally. Plus when you show (rather than tell) someone what you are like as a therapist, they tend to refer to you. I even got a client off the back of that event. Building networks is miles more powerful than social media because:It's a two-way conversation, you will learn from the conversations you haveIt opens you up to collaborations with other professionals or small businesses (and we are definitely stronger together)You become the person that is recommended by a friend or trusted professionalThe principles that make it work1. Local Business Networking: Your Community ConnectionNetworking can be gross if it is done the wrong way but it can also benefit everyone in the room. Local business networking events are full of people who might know your ideal clients. Go with a specific list of professionals or businesses you think would be useful to your ideal client group (e.g., nutritionists, personal trainers, midwives, physios, yoga teachers if you work in perinatal). Your goal? Find out enough about their business to decide if you would refer to them. If you approach it with an intention to give referrals, you'll very often find they want to refer to you too! If an event isn't attracting the right people, don't keep going back out of obligation. Find a different one next month. Your time is precious! 2. Join Local Mental Health Professional Groups: Collaborate, Don't CompeteI’m a firm believer that there's no such thing as "competition" in our field. Sadly, there are more than enough people who need our services. Building a network of other local psychologists and therapists is invaluable. These are the people you can refer to if you're over-capacity or a client needs a different specialism. They can also become a peer supervision group, offering advice and support when you face tricky situations. You can even extend each other's knowledge. It's about raising each other up in pursuit of our shared vision of better mental health. 3. Link Up with Other Health Professionals: Broaden Your ReachThink beyond mental health. Who else might encounter your ideal client? Private GPs, specialists, even school nurses. You can find these people via Google or at networking events. Getting their attention can be tough because they're busy. Think about what you can offer them. Could you put together a short, 20-minute talk on a mental health topic relevant to their patients that they might not know much about? For example, I did this with a talk on the mental health impact of severe pregnancy sickness. This demonstrates your expertise and gives them something valuable, making them more likely to remember and refer to you. My Top Tips for Building Your Network:Be Reciprocal: Always approach networking with the mindset of giving first. If you want referrals, be ready to offer them.Your two-liner: Write and learn a simple, two-line summary of who you are and who you help. You can add to this if you are looking for something specific too. For example, I might say “I’m Dr Rosie Gilderthorp a Clinical Psychologist offering therapy for mums struggling with their mental health in pregnancy. I’d love some help with SEO if anyone has a good contact.” Preparation is Key: What do you want to get out of the event? Are you looking for a new service provider for your business (e.g., a photographer, an SEO specialist)? People are inherently reciprocal. If you work with someone in the group, they and others are more likely to refer to you. Listen and Help Others: This is where you truly shine. Listen genuinely to others' business problems. Offer your perspective, ask thoughtful questions. Your unique psychological perspective will impress far more than a hard sell. You are good at this already, so just let yourself shine.Don't Overthink It (or Procrastinate!): You don't need a fancy website or business cards to start networking. A Psychology Today or LinkedIn profile is perfectly fine as a starting point. Just make sure people have a way to keep in touch with you.Follow Up! This is crucial. Get contact details and nurture those relationships. A quick email, an offer for coffee, or sharing a relevant blog post you've written keeps the connection alive.So get out there, use Google to find three local networking events and commit to attending one per month from September. No social media, just real people.Ready to turn your private practice dream into a reality?Join my free masterclass, "Set Up Your Practice for Success”, on September 8th. I'll share my 3-part framework to help you create a practice that is professionally fulfilling and financially secure, giving you the flexibility you crave without the burnout.https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/avzEAAiw/checkoutLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Set Up For Success 3: Don’t be a bad boss (to yourself)Ping… the dread came quickly. Somewhere in my mind I knew I had missed something vital in one of the 15,000 school emails that heralded the beginning of term. Sure enough, I had missed something critical. A school trip…tomorrow. One of my kids can only go on school trips if I am there to give a helping hand and a reassuring bolster for the risk assessment so making sure my diary is clear and my attitude positive for those days is really important to me. But with three kids, the craziness of the EHCP system and a lot of medical appointments to juggle things often slip through the net.This is when I am so incredibly grateful that my boss is ME and I am generally a reasonable employer. Thanks to my independent practice I was able to message my assistant to reschedule my (thankfully manageable in number) clients to later in the week and I got to witness my kid laughing with friends in an old castle. It meant so much more to me than a morning off work, IYKYK.If you’ve been teetering on the edge of going “all in” in your private practice because you need that kind of flexibility and autonomy in your life I recommend it whole heartedly and I would love to hold your hand as you jump in.To truly create flexibility you need to start with asking yourself some honest questions about what you want from your practice financially. 1. How Much Do You Really Want to Earn?Let’s be honest, this can feel a bit uncomfortable to talk about, can't it? As helping professionals, there’s often a pervasive belief (sometimes from our peers) that it’s somehow "wrong" to make good money from mental health services. But let's ditch that shame right now. You are highly skilled, highly qualified, and you deserve to be paid well for the incredible impact you make. Forget comparisons to others. What annual and monthly income makes all this effort worthwhile for you? What figure will make you feel truly rewarded and respected for your expertise? This isn’t about being greedy; it’s about sustainability. Write that figure down. This is your target. 2. How Much Time Will You Actually Spend Working?This is where reality meets aspiration. Consider:Weeks worked per year: Factor in holidays, sick days, and those inevitable caring responsibilities. For many parents, realistically, it might be 40 weeks or even less. My kids dictate that it’s less for me!Total weekly working hours: This includes everything – client sessions, admin, business development, CPD, supervision. Don't just think "client hours."Client-facing hours per week: You can't see clients 24/7. There's so much more to running a successful business. What’s your personal threshold for doing your best work? For me, it’s around three therapy clients a day. I can do more, and I did for years, but one of my core values is delivering high-quality service, and that requires time for thinking, formulating, and reading. This number is wildly personal, so be honest with yourself.Once you have your realistic weeks worked and client-facing hours per week, you can easily calculate your annual client hours. This is a critical number! 3. What Services Do You Truly Want to Offer (Right Now)?Don't overcomplicate this for your start-up phase. What's the easiest way for you to bring in income? Therapy, supervision, consultation, coaching, groups? What aligns with your current expertise and makes you feel excited? Think "kick-starting," not "long-term grand plan." 904. Tally Up Your Costs (Don't Be Afraid of This!)Now, add everything up. Include:All the software we talked about (PMS, secure email, accounting).Your insurance premiums.A realistic CPD budget (at least £1000 a year, or more if you have specific, pricier training in mind). An allowance for admin support if your practice grows (e.g., £500/month for a full-time practice, less if you’re working fewer hours).Your estimated rent, if applicable. It's just a rough estimate for now, but knowing your costs is empowering. This is why a simple spreadsheet is your best friend – you can see everything clearly. The Golden Ticket: Your Minimum FeeWith all this information, you now have everything you need to set your fees. Your task for this week is to listen to the brilliant Sally Farrant's podcast episode and work out your minimum fee.This is the non-negotiable fee you must charge to earn your desired salary from your private work. Knowing this number is pure power. It's your shield against imposter syndrome, that little gremlin that tries to convince you to drop your prices! 97I know you probably didn't find this in any way easy. BUT I also know that you will thank yourself for this exercise. You can use the numbers here to set yourself realistic expectations and goals for your practice AND you won’t set yourself up to be so over-scheduled you can’t drop everything when you need to.Getting your fees right is the key to days with enough blank space to cope with the dramas of family life!Happy number-crunching!Ready to turn your private practice dream into a reality?Join my free masterclass, "Set Up Your Practice for Success”, on September 8th. I'll share my 3-part framework to help you create a practice that is professionally fulfilling and financially secure, giving you the flexibility you crave without the burnout.https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/avzEAAiw/checkoutLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Set Up For Success 2: Work-life balance, can any psychologist achieve it?“How much are you paying yourself this month?” I probably shouldn’t have wanted to throw the lamp at him when my husband asked me that but in all honestly anything not tied down was at risk on that evening.It seemed so unfair, I’d worked so hard, so many hours in front of clients, in excel spreadsheets, manually typing invoices and (of course) agonising over my inferiority as a therapist and, despite having a huge caseload, I was paying myself far less than I earned in the NHS. In fact, it was looking a lot like minimum wage.All of the self-flagelating thoughts were running through my head. Had I been reckless with money? Was I incompetent? Stupid? Bad at business? But the truth was none of those things. I had one core problem: I didn’t take myself or my expertise seriously enough. I didn’t believe (deep down) that I deserved a healthy business so I didn’t educate myself on what it took to create one.That’s why we need to work on our minds as well as our spreadsheets when we set up in private practice, especially if we need to replace our old incomes. I’m here to help you do that so you don’t have to *almost* commit a criminal offence to work it out.What is a “healthy” business?In the first year of my practice I would describe the business as unhealthy in all areas. It wasn’t meeting my financial needs and it wasn’t allowing me to flourish professionally. In fact, it was leading me closer and closer to burnout as I went to sleep every night wondering how on earth I was ever going to replace my NHS salary in my tiny windows of childcare.Coming through the other side of this experience made me re-think the platitudes around work-life balance. This experience taught me that when we say work-life balance, what we really mean is are we making “enough money” in the amount of time we want to spend working? For that reason, work life balance looks completely different in different phases of life depending on your relationship to work, your other responsibilities and your financial situation. When I was 25, working 50 hour weeks for £26,000 looked like good work-life balance for me. I ran marathons, had an active social life and cats. Fine.At 35 if you had asked me to work a 50-hour week I would have literally drowned in nappies, school emails and overwhelm. There is no one-size-fits-all all business template that will bestow you with work-life balance. Finding the right balance for you requires understanding your own personal and professional values, your financial needs and designing a business model that allows you to live with enough of both.The bit most of us missSo, rather than giving you practical stuff as you read this on your sun lounger (I really hope some of you are doing that) I want you to stick with the mind today. If you are planning a new independent practice I want you to jump into it really clear on what it needs to give you professionally and financially to allow you to feel healthy.Here are some journal prompts to help:Think of 5 pivotal moments in your career. For each one consider - what motivated you at this point of your life and what did this experience leave you with? You might want to think about learnings, passions, experiences, skills and perspectives gained. What is the common thread that runs through these important experiences? How have they shaped you as a professional? What abilities do you have that created your best work during these moments? When did you feel that you were most, in-flow and using your natural talents? Is there anything you should be doing more of in your career now to experience more of that feeling of being in flow and using your natural talents? How much money would make you feel comfortable, free and at ease? Is it hard for you to answer that question and if so, why? I hope that gives you some pause to reflect, whether you are starting up for the first time, scaling up to go “all in” after years of juggling employment and business life or just opening yourself up for a potential business re-design.Let me know if you got any aha moments!Ready to turn your private practice dream into a reality?Join my free masterclass, "Set Up Your Practice for Success”, on September 8th. I'll share my 3-part framework to help you create a practice that is professionally fulfilling and financially secure, giving you the flexibility you crave without the burnout.https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/avzEAAiw/checkoutLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Set Up For Success 1: 3 things your imposter syndrome tells you to do that you should ignore Want to know a dirty secret?The thing most psychologists and therapists in independent practice fear the most isn’t bankruptcy, being sued or letting their clients down.It’s each other.“Peer Fear” is a term many of my coaching clients have used to describe the paralysing terror of snide comments and condescending tone that we become so used to in our professional forums. There is so much insecurity among professionals and so much “competition” in the journey to become one that we have all witnessed some horrific “put downs” from supposedly trained reflective and ethical practitioners. Comments designed to keep people small and discourage any diversity of thought.This reality is what stops so many people from taking the leap into independent practice, even when they know they can do amazing things if they are allowed to use their entrepreneurial spirit to do some good in the world.The good news? I found the antidote and I’m here to give it out freely. We are the cure if we choose to be. Let’s build each other up. Like each other's posts, recommend each other to friends, be a cheerleader for other professionals we see doing their best to make a difference out there. We don’t have to all agree on the best way to make change but if you are properly qualified and using your knowledge to help others I am absolutely glad that you are doing it. There is a mountain to climb if we want to improve the horrifying state of mental health and I’m grateful for every psychologist and therapist I see strapping on their climbing boots.This is the WHY behind by coaching practice, Psychology Business School. I feel I do more good for the world as a whole, empowering other psychologists and therapists than I could in my own practice. I also get to create an outstanding network of entrepreneurial, innovative professionals who inspire me in every session. Over the summer, I am dedicating this space to helping those who might be sitting on the fence of independent practice, desperately wanting or needing the flexibility that it brings but feeling too anxious or ashamed to risk taking the leap. Each week I will be here with a simple step you can take forward, sometimes a bit of thinking, sometimes a bit of doing. I hope if you choose to join me here each week you will find the shame lifting and the excitement at what is possible begin to take its place. Your first task is simply to identify what your imposter syndrome/shame is telling you that needs to be let go of. I will tell you what mine told me back in 2018 when I started up:It would be better to create a practice website that didn’t have my name or face anywhere on it (shame likes us to hide).I should avoid networking (because I would obviously be found out there)Other professionals were my competition (100% peer fear)All of these stories harmed my practice in its first year. Take a notebook, journal, Remarkable or your phone notes and just take a minute to reflect on whether there are any similar stories lurking in the back of your mind. I promise you it is these, not your relationship with tech, money or business planning that will sabotage your new practice.Ready to turn your private practice dream into a reality?Join my free masterclass, "Set Up Your Practice for Success”, on September 8th. I'll share my 3-part framework to help you create a practice that is professionally fulfilling and financially secure, giving you the flexibility you crave without the burnout.https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/avzEAAiw/checkoutLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologist

Building a diverse and successful associate practice in 2025 with Dr Esther ColeWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today I'm joined by Dr Esther Cole, the clinical director and founder of Lifespan Psychology, which is a proudly diverse and thriving associate practice. She's here today to talk to us about what it takes to build a thriving associate practice, particularly in the more challenging context we find ourselves in in 2025. This is a must listen if you are somebody that is thinking about building your team and expanding your impact through associate work. Esther is also an impressive psychologist in her own right. In 2020 she won the BPS Early Career Award for a book that she initiated and co-edited on pediatric acquired brain injury. Esther has a great passion for helping people who may not always feel confident to come forward for therapy and may not always be well served by the therapy on offer, and that's part of the reason that she set up her podcast ‘Breaking Through Therapy’, which I think is amazing.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyReferences:10x Is Easier than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power by Rachel Rodgers Links for Esther:Breaking Through Therapy Podcast: www.lifespanpsychology.co.uk/podcastBOSS: www.lifespanpsychology.co.uk/coachingWebsite: www.lifespanpsychology.co.ukLinkedIn: Dr Esther ColeInstagram: @lifespan_psychologyFacebook: Lifespan Psychology - The Diverse PracticeLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsEsther tells us about her podcast, Breaking Through Therapy 01:20Esther tells us about herself and her career, and how she came to set up an associate practice 02:39Esther talks about the most common mistakes she’s come across in associate practice 16:12 I ask Esther how we can encourage dedication from our associates 20:29We discuss recruitment and how to find the right people for your practice 26:42We talk about the skills you have to develop as a manager 34:10I remind people to listen to the Breaking Through Therapy podcast 44:29Evolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.

Permission to be human: How to be a parent and a psychologist with Dr Jade RedfernWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today I'm joined by Dr Jade Redfern, a clinical psychologist who specialises in supporting parents. With experience in both the NHS and a busy private practice, she's now the founder of the Permission to be Human group for psychologist parents, and is passionate about helping other mental health professionals to thrive in their roles both as business owners and parents. Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Jade:Website: www.drjaderedfern.co.ukInstagram: @drjaderedfernLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsJade tells us about what led her to the business that she has now 00:54Jade talks about the challenges of parenting as a psychologist 02:47We discuss the myth of perfect parenting and the impact of social media on parenting 08:14 Jade tells us how Permission to be Human was born 22:16We discuss the impact of professional experience on parenting 29:06We talk about the importance of reflective practice 31:36I ask Jade about her experience with getting support in in her business 35:09Jade tells us how we can get in touch 47:51Evolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.

Financial planning in Private Practice with Anna GoochWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'm really excited to be here with Anna Gooch. Anna is a unique individual with a fantastic background in financial planning, and also a counsellor with a lot of passion for supporting people with their mental health. This is a fantastic combination to have, and we're going to talk about Anna's personal story, where her passion comes from, but also about how we might support clients who are going through financial difficulties; we all know that many of our clients go through financial difficulties during their time with us. And then finally, about how we might look after ourselves financially, because most people listening to this will be independent psychologists or therapists, and we often don't have the most robust financial plan in place.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Anna:LinkedIn: Anna GoochEmail: [email protected] for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsAnna tells us about her career and how she ended up being a counsellor and financial advisor 1:18We discuss the shame and embarrassment people feel when talking about money 10:35Anna talks about why her niche is working with counsellors 21:31Anna takes us through what she looks at with a client, including insurance and pensions 29:10I ask Anna what a first good step is, if you’re feeling overwhelmed 33:00Anna explains what a lasting power of attorney is 35:46I ask Anna if we should consolidate our NHS pension with other pots 38:05Anna explains how how working with a financial advisor works 40:21Anna tells us how we can get in touch with her 43:22Evolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.

Literature, mental health and gender politics. Why we must remember that "She Wrote Too" with Nicola MorganWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'm joined by Nicola Morgan, who some of you may know as the co-host of the fantastic She Wrote Too podcast and Substack. As well as a podcaster, Nicola is a positive psychologist, champion of women's writers, bibliotherapist, creativity specialist, tutor and mentor. She's properly multi hyphen, having been a former lawyer and teacher in past lives. She now uses that wealth of experience and passion to help others thrive through story and psychology. Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Nicola:She Wrote Too Podcast:Apple PodcastsSpotifyShe Wrote Too SubstackLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistReading list from Nicola, to support the topics discussed:Positive Psychology & PurposeSeligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. - Introduces the PERMA model: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment.Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). "Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being." American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. - Central to understanding motivation in values-led work.Wong, P. T. P. (2011). "Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life." Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 52(2), 69–81. - Explores how suffering and meaning-making are integral to authentic well-being.Narrative Psychology & MeaningMcAdams, D. P. (1993). The Stories We Live By: Personal Myths and the Making of the Self. - Key text on how humans construct identity and meaning through narrative.Neimeyer, R. A. (2006). "Rewriting the self: History, memory, narrative." In Meaning Reconstruction and the Experience of Loss. - Relevant to your interest in grief, healing, and story.Bibliotherapy & Reading for Well-beingBrewster, L. (2011). Health & Place, 17(2), 361–368. "The public library as therapeutic landscape: A qualitative case study." - Explores the healing power of books and libraries.Billington, J. (2016). Reading and Mental Health: Bibliotherapy Revisited. Palgrave Macmillan. -Central to bibliotherapy research and your work with She Wrote Too and Learn to Thrive.Montgomery, H., & Martin, B. (2015). "Literature and empathy: A study of bibliotherapy and reading groups." Medical Humanities, 41(2), 100–104.How shared reading helps foster empathy and insight.Kidd, D.C. & Castano, E. (2013). Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind. Science, 342(6156), 377–380.Miall, D.S. & Kuiken, D. (2002). A feeling for fiction: Becoming what we behold. Poetics, 30(4), 221–241.Pennebaker, J.W. & Seagal, J.D. (1999). Forming a story: The health benefits of narrative. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55(10), 1243–1254.Montgomery, D. & Maunder, R. (2015). Bibliotherapy: The Girl on the Train and other ways to self-soothe. BMJ, 351:h4465.Legacy and Culture:Jerome Bruner (1991): “We become the stories we tell ourselves.” This is at the heart of narrative identity.Dan McAdams (2001): Legacy and meaning-making are central in his theory of narrative identity, particularly in generativity scripts.Narrative therapy (Michael White & David Epston): Talks about re-authoring our lives to align with values and meaning.Viktor Frankl (1985): Man’s Search for Meaning ties story to purpose, survival, and legacy.The highlightsI introduce Nicola and she says a bit about what brought her to this focus in her career with She Wrote Too 00:00I ask Nicola who are her favourite women authors who have been forgotten about, and we discuss the struggles women authors and scholars faced 06:42We look at how the past impacts societal expectations on women’s self-perception 8:29Nicola talks about the stories she found really powerful for talking about this narrative of determination and resilience 14:19Nicola discusses why she thinks some of these historical women authors were written out and sabotaged 17:34I ask Nicola if she thinks that the hard work is paying off and we are starting to see more parity in whose voices get published? 25:03Nicola explains what bibliotherapy is, and its relationship to ACT 29:45We discuss the importance of story 38:12I ask Nicola about her book and the kickstarter for it 43:07Evolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.

Tools for effective and resilient private practiceWelcome to The Business of Psychology podcast. Today we're talking about AI tools. I wanted to update the list of helpful tools that I created a couple of years back, because AI has come in and made such a big difference to the way that most of us are running our practices. If you're not using AI tools yet, it's probably something that you've been thinking about and wanting to explore, so this podcast is an update to the podcast that I made a couple of years ago on the tools of private practice. I've handily combined both of these episodes together into a PDF ebook that you can download and get all the hyperlinks to all the tools that I recommend for every type of task in your practice.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks/references:PDF eBook: Essential Private Practice ToolkitEpisode Links:Episode 92: What tools do I need to run my practice?Episode 158: How to find your ideal clients in 2025: SEO for psychologists and therapists with Chris MorinEpisode 162: Using AI in therapy and other legal questions with Clare Veal from Aubergine LegalLegal Packs:Legal Essentials: Contracts, Policies and ProcessesLegal essentials for working with children and young people in independent practiceLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.ShownotesEssential AI tools for psychologists and therapists in independent practiceToday we're talking about AI tools. I wanted to update the list of helpful tools that I created a couple of years back, because AI has come in and made such a big difference to the way that most of us are running our practices. If you're not using AI tools yet, it's probably something that you've been thinking about and wanting to explore, so this podcast is an update to the podcast that I made a couple of years ago on the tools of private practice. And I've handily combined both of these episodes together into a PDF ebook that you can download and get all the hyperlinks to all the tools that I recommend for every type of task in your practice.So, if you are looking to streamline and create a more effective practice, don't worry, we've absolutely got you covered. I'm going to talk today through the AI tools that I find really useful, but don't worry, you don't have to scribble down notes, you can just download the ebook. The link is in the show notes and everything that I'm talking about today, plus all the tools that I talk about in the episode from a couple of years ago, are all there ready and waiting to help you get started in your practice. Whether you are starting out and looking to create efficient systems from the beginning, or whether you've been in practice for a while and you're just looking to upgrade, make things more efficient and more streamlined, I hope this is going to be a really useful episode for you. I can't really believe how quickly AI has exploded into the world of our independent practices. There are tools that I'm using that are really enhancing my productivity across all areas. But before I dive in, I really wanted to make it clear that I'm not in a position to tell you that these products are definitely GDPR compliant or appropriate for use in your practice. I'm not a cybersecurity expert, I'm not a lawyer. And I'm also not an AI specialist, so please consider this your caveat. I'm also not affiliated with any of the AI companies that I'm talking about today. I don't receive any commission from the links that I've provided, and that's really important to me. I only provide affiliate links for tools where I have a really close relationship with that company and I understand that product inside out. So at the moment, the only two affiliate links that I use are WriteUpp and The C-Suite with Jessica Lorimer. I know those products like the back of my hand, I know that they're very good. I can't say that about any AI tool because I don't understand how the backend of AI works fundamentally. So I just want to make sure that you understand that from the beginning that we are kind of all in this place of trying things out, making ethical decisions to the best of our ability and moving forward with caution. So I'm there with you. I've just tried out a few things that you might not have tried yet, so I'm here to give you my opinion, but it's not an expert opinion. If you like the sound of anything that we talk about here today, the key is to do your own research.How to make sure that an AI tool is something that you are comfortable to to work with.As a rule of thumb, a good AI tool will have a link to its privacy policy on the homepage and should clearly answer your questions about how they deal with your data and your client's data there. So, for example, if you go to the Heidi website, which is a note taking and transcription tool that we're going to talk about today, it is really easy to find their UK specific privacy policy.They've laid out all the answers to common questions that mental health professionals have, which is a very good sign, and they are very responsive with customer support. So if you have a question and you can't find an adequate answer, they'll talk to you until you're satisfied. If you can't find that level of transparency, that's a red flag for me. And if you do but you're still unclear, then reach out and ask. And if you don't get an answer that satisfies, you don't use that tool. I have been that person in the inbox of many of these companies repeatedly asking the same questions, asking to be forwarded to managers and all sorts to try and get to grips with whether I really think that they're following good data protection policy.But whatever tools you decide to use, if they interact at all with client data, you'll need to mention them in your privacy policy and your...

Using AI in therapy and other legal questions with Clare Veal from Aubergine LegalWelcome to The Business of Psychology podcast. Today I'm here with friend of the podcast, and the lawyer who is behind all of our amazing legal documents and legal training that we have in Psychology Business School, Clare Veal from Aubergine Legal. This episode is really a bit of an update following on from our previous podcast episode on Data Protection, and we're going to be talking a bit about AI and covering off some of those common questions that we still get asked.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyEpisode Links:Episode 146: Data Protection for Psychologists in 2024 with Clare VealPacks:Legal Essentials: Contracts, Policies and ProcessesLegal essentials for working with children and young people in independent practiceThe Business Growth PackLinks for Clare:Website: www.auberginelegal.co.ukLinkedIn: ​​Clare VealFacebook: Aubergine LegalAubergine Legal: AI Compliance Checklist for Healthcare ProfessionalsLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsI introduce Clare and explain that this podcast will answer some of the questions that get asked of us covering AI and other legal questions 00:00We discuss the legal aspects of using AI in our practices 02:54Clare talks about whether we should trademark, and how to got about it if we do 23:18We look at what we need to do if we're using another author's work in our own online course or book or live training 31:18Clare talks us through the additional information we need to provide for working with children 41:03Evolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.

How much can I earn as a psychologist or therapist in private practice?Hello and welcome to the Business of Psychology. Today I'm talking about a subject which will probably make you feel uncomfortable. None of us really like talking about money or the fact that we want it or need it. Those things typically give us the ick, and I'm no exception to that, so expect me to sound awkward today. But the fact is that when you are starting out in any business venture, very often there is a financial gap that you need to fill and there should be a financial aspiration, something that you want to aim for, for yourself, for your family, for whatever your reasons are, for wanting a decent income, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. The fact is, earning money in your independent practice does a lot of good both for you and your personal life, but also for the world in general. But many people going into independent practice, or considering growing their practice, will be asking themselves the question, how much should I expect to earn from this business? And today I'm going to talk a bit about how we might start to answer that question.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyEpisode Links:Episode 41: How to set your fees in your psychology private practice with “pricing queen” Sally FarrantEpisode 98: The unexpected costs of running a private practiceEpisode 19: How Psychologists And Therapists Can Use An Ideal Client Avatar To Co Create And Market Their ServicesEpisode 158: How to find your ideal clients in 2025: SEO for psychologists and therapists with Chris MorinEpisode 134: Leadership in your Psychology PracticeEpisode 61: Turning a practice into a service with Dr Melanie LeeEpisode 152: Thinking differently about your practice: A tool to put the client firstSubstack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistEvolve and Thrive MastermindAre you a psychologist or therapist with a thriving practice, but you're feeling stuck? Do you dream of more predictable income or more time for your family and maybe the ability to make a wider impact in mental health? I get it. You are passionate about helping people, but the business side can often feel really overwhelming.You've probably tried it all; podcasts, books, maybe even some short term coaching. But maybe you're still struggling with procrastination, indecision, or just not knowing how to create a passive income stream.If that sounds like you, I've got something really exciting to share with you. I've been developing it for a while and I'm really excited about it. It's called the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind, and it is designed specifically for psychologists and therapists like you that have a thriving private practice already, but are desperate to bring some passive or semi-passive income into their practice so that they can make more impact in the world and maybe have more flexibility in their life as well.This program includes mastermind sessions with me and guest speakers, a Clarity and Values day retreat to hone in on your ideal client and the offers that you should be making to them, and the creation of a personalised business and marketing plan. So you will leave the Mastermind with everything that you need to make your plans a reality. You'll get tangible results out of this. So you're going to come away with documents, like your business plan, your marketing plan, and your sales emails, all written. Plus you'll get ongoing support and a community of like-minded professionals to keep you accountable and raise you up when you need it.So if now is the time to stop feeling held back by uncertainty, and you are ready to really grow your impact and your income with a clear strategic plan, then the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind is the right place for you. So to learn more and take the next step, come over to psychologybusinessschool.com and look for the Evolve and Thrive Mastermind.This could be your opportunity to transform your practice and give you more flexibility in your life.Join the Waiting List for Our Growth Courses and Coaching here.Shownotes How much can I earn as a psychologist or therapist in private practice?Hello and welcome to the Business of Psychology. Today I'm talking about a subject which will probably make you feel uncomfortable. None of us really like talking about money or the fact that we want it or need it. Those things typically give us the ick, and I'm no exception to that, so expect me to sound awkward today. But the fact is that when you are starting out in any business venture, very often there is a financial gap that you need to fill and there should be a financial aspiration, something that you want to aim for, for yourself, for your family, for whatever your reasons are, for wanting a decent income, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. The fact is, earning money in your independent practice does a lot of good both for you and your personal life, but also for the world in general.If you are really struggling with the idea that you need or want to make money in your practice, I'd really encourage you to go back and listen to my interview with Sally Farrant because Sally, as a management accountant, doesn't have any of the same mindset hangups that we typically have around making money, and she really helped me to understand my responsibilities and ambitions as a business owner and to do that without so much shame and discomfort as I did in the beginning. But as you can probably detect, there's still a bit of discomfort there. But the fact is, many people going into independent practice, or considering growing their practice, will be asking themselves the question, how much should I expect to earn from this business? And today I'm going to talk a bit about how we might start to answer that question.This would be a really great episode to make some notes and do a bit of personal reflection. I'm going to ask a number of questions during this episode, so it might be a good idea to grab whatever note taking method you use and pause this episode to answer some of these questions as we go through for yourself, because it's really important, I think, to be clear on what you need and what you want from your practice financially. There isn't often a lot of space in life to do that, so just give yourself permission to pause this episode in places and think about how this might apply to you. Because whatever stage you're at in your practice, these are questions that it's worth revisiting, so you can check whether you are meeting your financial aims with the business that you're running right now. How much do you want to earn? The first question you need to ask yourself is how much do you want to earn? That's not the question you came here to answer, is it? You came here looking for the answer to the question, how much can I earn? But the truth is, the answer to that is whatever you want to, depending on how much you need it, how much you want it, and what you're willing to do to get it. So we're going to start with working that bit out; what do you want and need? How much do you think you need or want to earn? If you don't know that number, make some effort to find it out. A lot of people I know who are operating as sole traders, maybe they don't even know how much they typically make and get to keep each month from their practice. It is really important to sit down and look at your household finances and work out; what do I actually want this practice to bring into the household? All things considered, when you've considered tax and pension and all of that, what do I want to be bringing into the household from my practice? Know that number before you even start. It is interesting to me what might stop us from knowing that number. I think very often, very intelligent people, usually women, but...

A different type of insurance - Clinical Wills with Anna BunchWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I am thrilled to be here today with my friend and colleague, Anna Bunch, from Psych VA. You might remember Anna, she's been on the podcast before talking to us about the systems and processes that we need to have in place for our independent practices. But for this season, which is all about resilience and adaptability, I just had to get Anna back on to talk about something which I know that she's really passionate about, but to be honest, wasn't at the top of my list when I started in an independent practice. And that is this concept of a clinical will, which is not the right term for it, and we're going to talk about why, but that plan that needs to be in place for if you are incapacitated and can't run your practice anymore. It's a really important area, it's one that I've avoided for the eight years I've been in independent practice, and I'm sure that many of you will also have avoided, but Anna has absolutely convinced me that it's important and something that we all need to address.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:Links for Anna:Website: psych-va.co.ukClinical Continuity Plans: psych-va.co.uk/clinical-continuity-plansLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsAnna talks us about her business, Psych VA, and how it came about 01:23Anna tells us what a clinical will, or rather, a clinical continuity plan is, and why it’s important 04:28I ask Anna about the process of putting clinical continuity plan in place 17:10Anna talks us through the two packages she offers 18:23Anna tells us what sets Psych VA apart in offering this service 20:20

Self care for caregivers with Dr Jenny TurnerWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. This week I am delighted to be bringing you an interview with Dr Jenny Turner. She is a clinical psychologist like me, and somebody I have the pleasure of knowing personally. Jenny's here today to talk to us about self-care and how to really nurture and look after ourselves as we do the difficult work often of being a mental health professional. This is something that Jenny is really passionate about, so she's a brilliant person to turn to if you find yourself feeling a bit buffeted by the storms that can come along with independent work as a psychologist or therapist, so I hope you're going to find this episode really supportive and restorative.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:brenebrown.comLinks for Jenny:Instagram: @drjennypsychologistSunstack: mindbodysoulpsychology.substack.comWebsite: www.mindbodysoulpsychology.co.ukLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsJenny talks about what she does in her independent practice 01:30I ask Jenny how her career wound up here 09:44Jenny talks about how she was blindsided by changes around pregnancy, motherhood and perimenopause 14:44Jenny tells us about the Brene Brown shame resilience training she did 25:56I ask Jenny why she thinks therapists and psychologists are reluctant to come forward for help? 34:08Jenny talks about what she thinks good support for therapists looks like and how people can work with her to improve their self-care 45:34Jenny tells us how we can find her 53:00

How to find your ideal clients in 2025: SEO for psychologists and therapists with Chris MorinWelcome to The Business of Psychology podcast. The first episode of this brand new season of The Business of Psychology is a recording of the free webinar that I held with Chris Morin from Moonraker. Chris is an online marketing expert with tons of experience and a particular passion for helping psychologists and therapists get found by the right clients. I chose this to be our first episode because the trends I see as most threatening to independent practice in the short term are changes to the way that search engines work. This workshop with Chris is all about the simple strategies and steps that we can take now to make sure that we are the people that get found by the people that need us, rather than the generic platforms.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyEpisode Links:Episode 103: Why you should specialise – old gold that is still importantEpisode 128: Who are you helping? Three ways to specialise your psychology or therapy practiceLinks for Chris:LinkedIn: moonraker-aiWebsite: moonraker.aiTools mentioned by Chris:Google Search ConsoleGoogle AnalyticsSuperhumanWebsite OptimizerPathmonkAcuityTherasaasLinks for Rosie:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieThis week’s questions: If you have a website how many enquiries do you get through it each month?If you don't have a website what stops you from creating one?Have you noticed a drop in referrals recently?If so what do you think is behind it?Rosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsI introduce the episode 00:00Chris introduces the Webinar 03:13Chris talks about common marketing challenges that therapists face 04:09Chris tells us a little bit about him 07:58Chris talks about traffic generation: turning strangers into people that know that we exist 11:36Chris looks at SEO, starting with the technical aspects of a website 15:34Chris talks about page optimisation 17:15Chris talks about directory listings management, including Google business profiles 18:15Chris look at blogs and backlinks 28:44Chris takes us through some useful tools for analysing SEO 32:50Chris talks about PCC - paid ads 35:03Chris looks at referral outreach 39:16Chris talks about website conversion 47:48Chris looks at encouraging consultation attendance 54:45

Season Intro: Resilience and Adaptability: How to thrive in 2025Hello and welcome to the Business of Psychology. It feels like it has been a long time since I've been here behind the mic and it's lovely to be back. I'm really looking forward to settling into this season but I felt like I needed to talk a bit about why it has taken me a while to get going with this season and to think about what I'm going to bring you, because I'm very excited about what we've got up ahead, but it does feel a little bit different to what we've done before. Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks/references:Substack: substack.com/@drrosieThis week’s question: What trends have you noticed coming down the track in mental health care? Is there anything that's giving you anxiety about the future of independent practice or anything you've noticed that you're really excited about and you think could really change the way that we work?Rosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistShownotes Why has it taken me so long to bring this season to you? As you know, if you've been following this podcast for a while, I've been working in seasons or series for the past few years because I felt like that's the best way of curating the content and making sure that what I'm putting out there is always the quality and well researched content that I want to create for you. I just don't feel like I want to be on a hamster wheel of having to churn out content on a weekly cadence, which might not feel like my best work. So I've been dedicating time to the curation of this season, really thinking about the questions I get asked and what people need at this moment. I’ve also been spending a bit longer trying to pursue the guests I really wanted to talk to, which takes time. This season is all about resilience and adaptability, and I think these are two things which we really need to consider for our independent practices moving forward. We've talked on this podcast before about some of the lessons that I've learnt from my MBA. The thing that I have taken away from that, which I just don't think I would have gained the perspective anywhere else, is that we always need to be thinking about the problem that we solve for people, and we have to be accepting of the fact that how we do it, the mediums we use, the methods that we use, will have to change as our customers change and their expectations and the climate that they're living in changes. The AI RevolutionWhen I look at the history of independent practice, It has been incredibly static. The way that we do independent practice now… yes, we're using things like video conferencing software to talk to clients that are in a different geographical space to us, but actually, the fundamental, what we are doing day in, day out, and how we do that, hasn't really changed for a very long time, since the beginning of independent practice for mental health professionals. And now I'm not sure that that's going to continue in exactly the way that it has. What I am sure about is that there will always be a space for us and that we will always be needed. But I think we have to open our minds to moving with the next industrial revolution, the AI revolution, and working out what our useful place within quite a different work and social context is going to be. I think we need to embrace that with excitement and curiosity, but also professional certainty. And that is where certainly us as psychologists have got an issue. We are not very clear about the value that we bring as a profession. And when I speak to friends and colleagues who have different core qualifications in therapy and counselling, I notice that problem is there as well, that actually as mental health professionals, we're quite prone to being insecure about the value that we bring. And that is where I see the vulnerability for us. When everybody is having to redesign their jobs, and everybody is having to fight for the bits of their job that shouldn't be done by AI (not that it couldn't, but that it shouldn't), then I think we need to get clearer about what our secret sauce is, what makes us special and valuable, and I think we need to build our vision of what our practice is going to look like in the future, focusing on those components and how we might adaptably apply those going into quite a different landscape.I think that's exciting. I don't want to scare anybody, so this season is really about how you start to build resilience into your practice and the way that your practice runs. But also how you can begin to adapt to the changes that we see coming down the track. So we're going to be talking about AI directly this season.Other changes that impact usBut we're also going to talk about things like the insurance models and how the changes that we're seeing in the way health care is delivered in the UK might impact us and how we might change and adapt our practice to work alongside those changes, rather than just digging our heels in and resisting them. Because yes, there are times for resistance, and I am really supportive of some of the resistance movements that are going on at the moment, but we also have to be realistic and understand that economies change, industries change, and we need to adapt to that rather than expecting that we will be able to hold on to the same way of working forevermore. Substack: Inviting conversationOne important thing which has been on my mind for a while and another reason that this season was slightly delayed Is that I have been craving talking to you guys a lot more and i've been out in the world actually meeting lots of you at networking events and other kinds of social events that i've been to, and i've really enjoyed that and it made me think that I would really like to invite conversation around these topics. So with that in mind, I decided to start experimenting with Substack. And if you're on my newsletter list, you'll have seen me sending you some newsletters from Substack and talking about my experiments with that platform. And I hope to bring you a bit more about that as this season goes on.One thing that I would really like for this podcast is for a lot of you to come and join me on Substack to talk about the content of the episodes. So while we're not going to move the hosting of the podcast, what I would really like is to have the newsletter that goes with each episode hosted on Substack. So if you want to receive that, you can come and subscribe over on my Substack. I'll put the link in the show notes to make sure that you get those newsletters. And the brilliant thing about having them there, rather than just a normal email, is that you can comment underneath and let me know what you thought of the episode, and at the end of a lot of these episodes I am going to ask you some questions about how this applies to your practice.So the first one I want to ask you about is what trends you've noticed coming down the track? Is there anything that's giving you anxiety about the future of independent practice or anything you've noticed that you're really excited about and you think could really change the way that we work?I really want to hear from you so that I can create the content that's going to help you the most and also engage in some discussion which will hopefully help us all see how we can be most useful to our clients as we go deeper into the 2020s.Please do come and be part of the conversation with me over on Substack, and I will see you for the first proper episode next week.

Reflections on 2024 and intentions for 2025Welcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. This is the last episode in this series which means that it must be very nearly Christmas. So Merry Christmas everybody! I hope that you're easing your way into the festive period this year. This is an episode that I actually planned for last year and I chickened out of posting. When it got to January, and it was too late to post it, I did a bit of reflection on why I hadn't aired the episode that I recorded this time last year, and I realised that I wasn't living my values in the best possible way. The reason that I hadn't posted it was that I was worried that some of the stuff in the episode wouldn't be liked by everybody, that it might be controversial to some people in some ways. and ultimately, I just wasn't in a place to be particularly courageous about that. Actually, when I look back on what a year I'd had in 2023, I can completely see why I didn't want to open the door for any hostility, potentially, or any controversy at all. It makes sense. I'd had a really tough year, and although this year has also been challenging, it hasn't been as emotionally demanding as last year, and I do feel in a position now where I actually really want to engage in debates, especially professional debate around the stuff that matters to me. So what I thought we'd do in this episode is think a bit about the stuff that's going on in mental health, particularly in the UK, but globally as well, and what that might mean for us, and questions that it's planted in my mind about where we might go as a group of professionals. I'm sure you won't agree with everything that I think, and that isn't the point, the point here is just that I think we need to engage with this stuff more, and I think that we need to be less concerned about agreement, and more concerned with professional and intellectual curiosity.I've been really enjoying this year; doing a lot more collaboration with colleagues, getting into research again. And I think it's ignited in me this desire to really interrogate some of the assumptions that we make in our work, so I wanted to talk about that. And I thought I'd also reflect a little bit on what's been going on in my life and my business over the past year and how those two things might interweave with each other and maybe set some intentions going forward for 2025 because I think that's really important for all of us to be doing right now.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks/references:Episode 151: The Immune Mind - Books that make you thinkEpisode 153: AI and the future of mental health with Dr Rachael SkewsEpisode 149: Selling mental health services to organisations with Jessica LorimerEpisode 133: An invitation to pause and reflect before 2024Rosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackShownotes The mind-body connectionThe first thing, which you'll have heard me talk about this series when I reviewed the book The Immune Mind by Dr Monty Lyman, is that the mind-body connection is getting better understood. I think many of us have been very interested in it for a long time, but there wasn't anything in my training, really, on the mechanisms by which the body and mind might interweave and I think that the research that's coming out about links between the gut and inflammation and loads of other biological factors that really put the bio in the biopsychosocial model. I think it's really important and our formulations are going to need to adapt radically to not just pay lip service to the role of biology, but actually start thinking about how we might interact with it, and potentially how we have to work with colleagues in order to provide effective treatment for people who are struggling in a particular way.One example of that is in my specialist area of hyperemesis gravidarum there's been research published this year around the genetic component that might predispose somebody to struggling with hyperemesis. This is really powerful and you might think as a psychologist how is that going to affect the way you work with people, but it absolutely is because a lot of the time, a lot of what we're working with is a huge amount of self-blame and negative beliefs about the self because of struggling with such a debilitating illness during pregnancy, and this has big ramifications for that. Whether somebody is tested or not might have a big impact on their psychology. Another reason it's really important is that if we understand the gene, we might be able to understand treatments that could work in a preventative capacity. We might be able to put treatment programs in place for people before they become debilitated. And that's just not the way that it's worked historically, and it certainly isn't where psychology is placed in the pipeline. So, in order to make sure that our work is as effective as possible, we need to be able to understand the gene, what the geneticists and the medics are communicating around these changes, and I don't feel that well equipped to do that. I've got a real interest in it, and I've absorbed quite a lot of stuff, but I don't know the right terminology. The acronyms are boggling my mind. And I think that might need to change in our training, and I can't think of a specialty that this doesn't touch. If you've read The Immune Mind, or listened to my review of it, then you'll see that that book alone touches on almost every clinical specialty that I could think of. But other books I'm reading too, like Ultra Processed People by Dr Chris Van Tulleken, that's all about how lifestyle and diet is likely to be impacting on mental health and neurodivergence. It feels like every book I'm reading that is about physical health is also telling me something that I didn't previously understand or want to do more investigation into related to mental health or neurodivergence. So, I think this is a wave that we need to ride and we really need to up our understanding and our ability to communicate and liaise with other professionals, especially in our independent practices where we don't automatically have access to those professions. So, I've been looking a lot at MDT working with gynaecology and endocrinology, which I wouldn't really have been considering before. And I'm very interested in looking at how I might be able to work alongside people that understand the gut and the microbiome far better than I do as well. So, loads of interesting stuff, and I don't feel like we're there yet. I don't think we've got the understanding that we need, but this is something I think we really must pay attention to as professionals to make sure we're giving the best care that is evidence based, because actually the evidence is starting to tell us that the bio part is really important.The AI revolutionIf you listened to the episode with Dr Rachel Skews, I think you'll understand why I feel that this is going to fundamentally change how we work. I don't think it's going to do that within the next two or three years, but I do think in ten years, our practices will look quite different, and I think that could be really positive. I think there's loads of ways in which AI can allow us to provide more effective therapy, more effective consultation, more effective formulation. I'm really excited about the ability of AI to accelerate our work and our capabilities. But I also think that there's a role for us to play in the

Supporting NICU families: Dr Frankie Harrison and Miracle MoonWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. Today I'm really delighted to be bringing you an interview with Dr Frankie Harrison. Frankie is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Miracle Moon. In the episode I'm going to let Frankie tell you a lot about her work, but it's safe to say that I think it's one of the most important independent projects that I've come across in the perinatal mental health space, and I was absolutely delighted to be a small part of Frankie's journey as she's somebody that I have worked with and supported through Psychology Business School. So it's brilliant for me to have Frankie on today to catch up and hear about all the amazing things that she's doing with Miracle Moon. But I also hope that it's going to be really interesting for you to listen to, because we talk about the highs and lows of setting up something that you're really passionate about, working with a co-founder to do that, and also Frankie's aspiration to help many more families that have been through a neonatal intensive care experience.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Frankie:Instagram: @miraclemoonukRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsFrankie tells us about who she is and her professional background 01:27Frankie talks about what Miracle Moon does and who it exists to help 04:45I ask Frankie how it has been getting Miracle Moon off the ground, and we discuss online workshops and building a community 14:13Frankie reflects on difficult moments in the journey with Miracle Moon 25:06Frankie shares how she and her business partner built a working relationship that's been successful 28:54Frankie tells us her hopes for Miracle Moon and where she sees it going 34:07Frankie tells us how we can connect with her 37:16The Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.

Can You See Me? By Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott: Books That Make You ThinkWelcome to The Business of Psychology Podcast. I'm back with another episode of Books That Make You Think, where I'm sharing with you a book that I found really inspirational; ‘Can You See Me?' By Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks/references:‘Can You See Me?' By Libby Scott and Rebecca WestcottRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.ShownotesI was attracted to this book because one of the authors, Libby, is an autistic 11 year old and that felt like a voice I needed to listen to. The book tells the story of Tally, an 11 year old autistic girl as she navigates the transition to secondary school. Interspersed with the narrative are short autsim fact sheets from Tally explaining concepts like "pathological demand avoidance" and the reasons autistic people might engage in certain behaviours from her point of view. I was thrilled to read a realistic depiction of autism in a girl with a pathological demand avoidance profile. I find this is a term that is not generally well understood, even amongst psychologists and the warm, engaging and, at times, heart-shaking writing encouraged the kind of empathy that autistic people do not always receive. I particularly valued the insight into what it feels like for a child who looks like they are being defiant or furious but is actually feeling terrified. As a mum and as a professional I know this is a book that has helped me to connect more deeply and engage more fully with the autistic experience. I'd recommend it to any of you regardless of specialty. Check it out here.PS. If you want to know more about PDA I very highly recommend Dr Naiomi Fisher's work, she explains it with exactly the straightforward human empathy people deserve.

AI and the future of mental health with Dr Rachael SkewsWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'm really excited to be interviewing Dr Rachael Skews, a psychologist, coach, trainer, supervisor, speaker, advisor, researcher, and author. She is an internationally recognized subject matter expert in acceptance and commitment coaching and has a really interesting background working with tech companies, including Headspace, to develop effective and ethical behaviour change initiatives. I saw Rachael giving a webinar for the International Society for Coaching Psychology, and I knew I had to ask her to be a guest on this podcast because I found her insight into how the emerging AI technology could support and enhance our work, so refreshing and so fascinating. I get kind of scared by the unbridled enthusiasm for tech that the tech community often has. But I'm also really uncomfortable with the alarmism and pessimism that the mental health world often defaults to when we're faced with new stuff. So it was really great to hear a balanced view from somebody that really understands the ethical issues and potential pitfalls, but also embraces the excitement of the new technology. Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Rachael:LinkedIn: Rachael SkewsWebsite: www.cognuscoach.comOther Links:Reading Our Minds: The Rise of Big Data Psychiatry by Daniel BarronRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsRachael tells us about who she is and her professional background 01:56We discuss human interaction and the role of technology in mental health 05:48I ask Rachael about working with other people from different backgrounds to psychology 19:23Rachael tells us about the opportunities she sees on the horizon for mental health professionals and AI 25:50We discuss wearable tech and using technology to get data that we wouldn't be able to get otherwise 30:43Rachael talks about managing sensitive data and GDPR 43:16We talk about the ethical considerations of using technology and AI 47:17Rachael tells us how we can find out more from her 54:12The Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.

Thinking differently about your practice: A tool to put the client firstWelcome to The Business of Psychology Podcast. In this episode I want to share how we can use a value proposition to help us plan service that meets the needs of our clients.Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks:The Value Proposition Canvas - Strategyzer TemplateRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.ShownotesIn this episode I wanted to share how we can use a value proposition to help us plan service that meets the needs of our clients.This is a great follow on from my episode talking about creating a customer persona and why that is so important. Essentially, once you deeply understand your customer, what their barriers are to engaging with support, and their real priorities then you need to move on to thinking about what your proposed product or service needs to do for them. In other words, how you add value.There is a tool available from Strategyzer called The Value Proposition Canvas that is designed to help you do exactly that. You complete a canvas for each client group or customer segment that you are working with.You start with the section on the right that asks you to define the pain the client is experiencing, what is keeping them up at night with worry, what are they doing that they regret, or not doing that they wish they were doing? What are they unhappy about? Then you move on to think about what they want to gain from their time with you. What are they hoping they will be able to do? What do they want to be different? How do they think their life will be enriched? Remember this is all from their perspective not yours! Then you move on to the "jobs to be done", again from the client's perspective, what does your service need to achieve for them? This can include practical things like "easy booking system" and "appointments that fit around work" to bigger things like "get me back to work."Then we move to the left side of the canvas and start thinking about our product or service. Using the identified client pains we map out what we are putting into our product or service that alleviates those pains. Then using the client gains section we map out what we are including that will get those gains for the client. Finally, we check that the jobs to be done are all covered and give a brief description of the product or service itself. Whenever I work through one of these I always change something about my offer because I realise I'm not quite hitting one of the jobs to be done (or sometimes more). Also completing these has sometimes made me completely rethink a business model. For example, filling out one of these recently for my therapy service made me think an intensive model might actually be what my clients need from me more than a weekly therapy model. Definitely food for thought there!I've linked to the Strategyzer template in the show notes so you can download a copy and start using it to check what you are offering fully meets the identified needs of the client group or to design something new.Let me know how you get on with it over on Instagram. I'm @rosiegilderthorp and I'd love to hear from you. Also if you could spare a moment to rate and review the podcast I'd be so grateful, the reviews mean a lot to me and also help this podcast get found.See you next Friday!

The Immune Mind - Books That Make You ThinkWelcome to The Business of Psychology Podcast. Today we're talking about the book ‘The Immune Mind’ by Dr Monty Lyman. He has done really interesting work all around the idea of the mind-body-gut-immune connection, which are all things that I'm really interested in, in my practice, and increasingly I think that we need to incorporate into the way that we work, otherwise we're ignoring a lot of really good science. Full show notes for this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks/references:The Immune Mind by Monty LymanThe Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der KolkRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.ShownotesIt has been ages since I've recorded a Books That Make You Think episode, but I absolutely had to revive the format for the book I'm talking about this week because it has completely changed the way that I think about my work fundamentally. Or rather, I would say it's actually given me more confidence to express opinions that I previously held, but didn't fully understand the evidence base for. So today we're talking about ‘The Immune Mind’, which is a book by Dr Monty Lyman. Some of you might have seen a documentary that he made previously, he's also written a book about chronic pain. There's a whole heap of really interesting work that he's done, and it's all around the idea of the mind-body-gut-immune connection. And as you know, if you've listened to this podcast for a while, these are all things that I'm really interested in, in my practice, and increasingly I think that we need to incorporate into the way that we work, otherwise we're ignoring a lot of really good science. So, I'll give you a quick summary of the book, and then we'll dive into my thoughts and what I think it might mean for my practice, and hopefully it might give you some food for thought for your own work too.The book's subtitle is ‘The New Science of Health’, and it begins by explaining the link between the immune system and behaviour in a way that I've not come across before. For example, in an extraordinary experiment, the author actually makes himself sick under lab conditions, and monitors the impact on his motivation, his concentration and his mood, in order to land the point that sickness behaviour looks a lot like mental illness, which it really does. There's also an explanation of the mechanisms behind that, which as a non medic, I found particularly helpful. I think many of us have known the distinction between body and mind is a really unhelpful dualism for a long time, and he spends a lot of time talking about that. I think about books like ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk, for example, and that's been highly influential in my work, however, if I'm honest, beyond the word ‘psychoneuroimmunology’, I didn't really have the best grasp of how that works. And while I'm still not going to be able to explain it very well to you, Dr Lyman does do a fantastic job of outlining how the body's defence mechanisms of inflammation, microbes and the gut influence the way that we think, feel and behave. So it's given me a little bit more insight into the nuts and bolts of that mechanism, which just gives me more confidence to bring it up with clients. The midsection of the book also shows us some quite alarming case studies of situations where the body's defence systems have caused really extreme psychological responses, and often catastrophic psychiatric misdiagnoses. I don't want to give any spoilers away here because I was gripped by this aspect of the book to the point actually where I was exclaiming in public, and I really wouldn't want to take that away from you because it's rare, isn't it, when you're reading a book for professional interest that you can't put it down and you're literally on the edge of your seat. But if you've ever had curiosity about why we're seeing an increase in certain difficulties and diagnoses, or if you've ever experienced a client that just doesn't seem to benefit from any of the usually effective therapies - those people where the drugs certainly didn't work, and the talking therapies aren't really working and even EMDR isn't working - if you've experienced that, I think you'd have to be dead inside not to have curiosity about what could be going on for those people, what might be missing from our formulations, and this provides an additional lens for that formulation. So I'm going to restrain myself and leave it there, but you really do have to read this book if you haven't already. The final chapters of the book are the practical ones, suggesting how we can reset our defence systems to protect against unnecessary psychological and physical distress. I found these chapters reassuringly similar to what we would have suggested anyway. Basically reducing the amount of processed stuff we eat, taking exercise, being mindful and practising compassion. So if you're an ACT or a CFT informed therapist, it's really the same stuff that you're already saying to your clients and probably to yourself. The only thing that I don't usually talk to clients about is the processed food. I don't really talk about diet at all with my clients, and I think it does raise an interesting debate for those of us that are trained in mental health, but not physical health, because I wouldn't comment on diet with a client. I talk about activity and movement because I do have some background in those things, but I don't give advice very much, and I certainly wouldn't feel competent or qualified to give advice about nutrition or anything along those lines, because although I used to be a fitness instructor, it wasn't a particularly in depth qualification, and I just don't feel like that's what my clients want to hear from me either. So for me, this book does raise the question of whether the knowledge silos that we've created are helpful, and perhaps the future of mental health care should involve practitioners trained more holistically. Maybe the rise of AI might make that possible, as we're able to augment our own cognitive capacities, and perhaps extend our knowledge in more different directions, and get qualified and competent in different things. So I found that exciting, and also quite daunting and scary. I'd love to know what you think about that? Whether you would embrace the idea of getting some training in the physical side of stuff under your belt, or whether you feel like we should stick to what we're good at already. I think it's a really interesting debate and one that I would really love to have more often. Returning to the book, one thing I would like to see more of in the book is attention to how the mind influences the body's defence mechanisms. This is talked about a bit, but the case studies focus much more on the other direction. And I understand this, as I suspect part of the drive behind the book is to provide support for those who have been dismissed as medically unexplained for so long, and I'm really on board with that mission. However, having witnessed a few extraordinary cases of physical recovery following trauma therapy, I would really like to see a deep dive on that with this new layer of understanding, possibly extending the work from The Body Keeps the Score. So that is my review of The Immune Mind by Dr Monty Lyman. You should absolutely read it, or you should do what I did and half read it and half listen to it on audible. He's a really engaging speaker, so it's one of those books which is a pleasure to listen to. Not every book works on audible, this one really does. I...

Celebrating 150 episodes of Business of Psychology with Dr Claire PlumblyDr Claire Plumbly takes over as guest host of the Business of Psychology podcast to interview Rosie on the occasion of celebrating 150 episodes! Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyEpisode Links:Episode 106: A model for truly integrative therapy: SIP with Dr Melanie Lee and Bridger FalkensteinEpisode 120: All That We Are: Best Selling Author Gabriella BraunEpisode 62: Which social media platform works best for psychologists and therapists?Top 3 Downloaded Episodes:Episode 1: Business planning to supercharge your psychology private practiceEpisode 18: Systematic reviews: How to do a systematic review in independent practiceEpisode 41: How to set your fees in your psychology private practice with “pricing queen” Sally FarrantMarketing an online course mini series:Episode 84: Creating and marketing an online course for psychologists and therapists part 1: Creating a freebie to grow your online audienceEpisode 85: Marketing an online course for psychologists part 2: Landing page essentials for psychologists and therapists with with Vicki JakesEpisode 86: Marketing an online course for psychologists and therapists part 3: Promoting your freebie with Dr Catherine HallisseyEpisode 87: Marketing an online course for psychologists part 4: Do you have the authority to launch an online course?Episode 88: Creating and marketing an online course for psychologists and therapists part 5: How to create an engaging online course (that people actually finish)Episode 89: Marketing an online course for psychologists part 6: Creating inclusive online marketing and education resources. Guidance for psychologists and therapists Rosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistLinks for Claire:Website: www.drclaireplumbly.comInstagram: @drclaireplumblyTikTok: @drclaireplumblyYouTube: @drclaireplumblyFacebook: DrClairePlumblyLinkedIn: ​​drclaireplumblyThe highlightsClaire asks Rosie to introduce herself and how it feels to celebrate 150 episodes 00:00Rosie tells us how any guests she has interviewed 02:22Rosie talks about her solo episodes 04:45Claire asks Rosie how long it was from starting the podcast to opening PBS, and how many people have been through that 08:17Rosie talks about the importance of pausing to enjoy milestones 16:20Rosie tells us about her inspiration for starting the podcast 20:19Rosie talks about her most memorable moments from recording the podcast, both positive and negative 29:36Claire asks Rosie what the top 3 downloaded episodes are and which episodes she always directs people to 42:10Rosie tells us which episode(s) she thinks should have performed better and why she wants us to all go and listen now 44:20Rosie talks about her plans for the future 45:59Claire ask Rosie for some fun facts about herself 50:56The Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.

Selling mental health services to organisations with Jessica LorimerWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. In this episode, I'm interviewing Jessica Lorimer, sales expert and the person that taught me how to break into the world of corporates through her program, The C Suite. Jess specialises in consultative selling, in other words, helping clients to make sense of their problems. I can honestly say that following her process and keeping the emphasis on consultation at the forefront of my mind has helped me to feel completely comfortable with the extremely high levels of cold outreach that I’ve had to do to get my foot in the corporate door. This episode is a must listen for you if you're interested in selling your services to corporates or other organisations, but it's also a really great one if you've ever struggled with your mindset around taking money for your services.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Jessica:LinkedInsellingtocorporate.comSelling to Corporate PodcastRosie’s affiliate link for The C-Suite: https://rosiegilderthorp--smartleaderssell.thrivecart.com/the-c-suite-self-study-course-2024bnpl/Rosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsJess tells us a little bit about who she is, how she helps people and the sorts of services that corporates might be interested in buying from independent psychologists and therapists 01:26Jess talks about why it would be worth corporates working with small providers like us 08:53Jess tells us how consultative selling is different 14:42We discuss the fear of reaching out to corporates and how our skills are relevant to consultative selling 21:06Jess talks about the need in public sector and not for profit for external support and guidance, and how if we are from a public sector background, we will still know people who need our skill set 32:32Jess gives us a good first move to make if we are thinking about offering services to an organisation 36:18Jess tells us where to find her and her podcast, Selling to Corporate 40:32The Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.

Therapeutic knitting with Dr Mia Hobbs and Dr Paula RedmondWelcome to the Business of Psychology podcast. I am really excited to have Dr Paula Redmond and Dr Mia Hobbs here to talk to me about their new venture in the world of therapeutic knitting. They are both clinical psychologists and avid knitters, and also both alumni of Psychology Business School, so I’m particularly pleased to have them here to talk about their new audio course, which is guiding people in using knitting for self care.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Mia and Paula:creativerestoration.orgwww.therapeuticknitting.orgWhy I Knit Podcast@knittingistherapeutic - Instagramdrpaularedmond.comWhen Work Hurts PodcastDr Paula Redmond - LinkedInRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsMia tells us about life as a professional and her background 00:50Mia talks about when she first had an inkling that knitting could be helpful 05:00Paula tells us about her professional background and what led her to this path 09:00Mia and Paula talk about how therapeutic knitting works to support self care 14:08Paula and Mia tell us how they got the ball rolling with their therapeutic knitting project 27:24Mia and Paula give their advice for people who would like to develop a podcast or a blog 35:24Paula and Mia share the more challenging moments from their journey so far 41:24I ask Paula and Mia for their one piece of advice they’d give to another psychologist or therapist who would love to do something like this 48:09The Business Growth PackReady to grow your practice beyond one person and a laptop? We are here to support you to build a thriving, impactful and profitable business. Invest in our growth pack to confidently grow your service with associates, organisational work or passive income.Our unique package includes strategy and marketing training from Dr Rosie Gilderthorp, Founder of Psychology Business School, and legal contracts from Clare Veal, Commercial Lawyer from Aubergine Legal.Together, we will ensure that you have the strategy and documents you need for growth so you can expand your impact and income while maintaining your work-life balance.Sign up now: The Business Growth PackThank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.

Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss an episode of the new series, starting tomorrow!Let me know what you think of the topics we are covering this series @rosiegilderthorp on Instagram

Summer School: Legal contracts and celebration episodeHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Start and Grow Discount code for Start and Grow: SUMMER200 valid until Wednesday the 11th September at 10pmEpisode 146: Data Protection for Psychologists in 2024 with Clare VealRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistLegal contracts and celebration episodeWe have come to the end of Summer School, and as you might have noticed from the title of this episode, I'm combining two rather odd things here today, because firstly, I really want to say what an amazing summer this has been. Thank you so much for joining along with this journey. I have loved watching your budding businesses develop and hearing how your confidence has grown over the past few weeks.I know September is going to be the start of so many epic psychology and therapy practices, and that is a fantastic thing. But one thing we haven't got sorted yet is your essential contracts and data protection policies, the legal bits. And these are critically important, but they couldn't really be fit into 30 minutes or less, and I did not consider them to be particularly sun lounger friendly, if I'm honest. But I do have a good solution for you for that one. Firstly, listen to the podcast that I recorded with Clare Veal, where we talk about data protection contracts and policies, the ones that you need and what needs to be in them. So do go and listen to that podcast. It's really amazing free advice from a leading lawyer in this space.Then I have to recommend that you consider using your special summer school discount to join us in Start and Grow and get: All the legal training policies and contracts that you could possibly need. My clear step by step course to build a practice that supports your values and rewards your hard work. Twice a month, group coaching sessions that keep you accountable and help you jump over any practical or mindset barriers. Six months membership of our supportive student community where people will cheerlead you when you need a bit of cheerleading and give you feedback when you need a bit of compassionate feedback too.Access to our private student podcast so you can learn in your own time and in your own way. That takes the total value of the package to over £3000, but the legal documents on their own are normally £495, and you can get all of that within Start and Grow for just £650 for one week only. It's normally much more than that, but I'm doing a big discount for those of you that spent this time with me over the summer.But you don't have to take my word for how good Start and Grow is. I've got some really kind words that some of the people that have been through the course recently were happy for me to share with you guys. And I think that's really important because why should you believe me, that Start and Grow is great, when we've had hundreds of psychologists and therapists come through the course. I think it's so much more powerful to hear from them. So this is what Dr Lauren Breese, who's a clinical psychologist focusing on neurodiversity in adults, had to say: "In a few days of implementing some of the strategies and guidance, I had new inquiries to my private practice. Having the community, resources, and specific supervision around growing a business has been invaluable. It's hard to find all of that anywhere else." And as you can hear, this feedback gets me a little bit choked up! I also wanted to share what Dr Misha Nixon, another clinical psychologist, had to say:"I was thinking about joining Start and Grow for months before I actually did. I'm so pleased I decided to go ahead as, even though it's only been a few weeks since I joined, it's helped give me focus, provided a safe place to share my experiences with others and learn from others. And it's reduced the feeling of overwhelm and increased my confidence."And that is really close to my heart because as you know, if you've listened to this podcast for a while, confidence was my biggest problem when I started out in private practice. And having that community around you, and the knowledge and the skills to avoid some of the pitfalls of business can make such a big difference to your professional confidence, which should be sky high because you are all awesome.And as I mentioned, there are a ton more testimonials and videos and you can go and find all of those on the sales page for Start and Grow, which I'll link to in the show notes. If you scroll down, there's loads down at the bottom.I also wanted to mention that there is a special discount for summer schoolers, and I consider you a summer schooler, and you can use the code SUMMER200 until Wednesday the 11th of September at 10pm, at which point the discount will stop working. That will get you £200 off the normal price of Start and Grow. And as I explained, the legal documents alone make that a really good bargain. So I would love to come and see you in the program. If you have any questions about Start and Grow or anything that we've covered over this summer, please do ping me an email, or if you are a registered signed up member of the Summer School, then please do come along to our wrap up Q&A session on Wednesday the 4th of September at 10am. That is for signed up summer schoolers only and I will be at your disposal to help you troubleshoot anything that's standing between you and the practice that you want to build. So again, thank you everybody for spending this summer with me. I've really enjoyed myself and I can't wait to see what you all do in September.

Summer School Lesson 6: Third parties and insurance companiesHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Summer School Sign UpPBS Start and GrowRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistWeek 6: Third parties and insurance companiesWelcome to Lesson 6 of Summer School, our final lesson! Today I'm going to be talking to you about third parties and insurance companies, because often when we start out in private practice, it can be helpful to supplement our own referrals with some from third parties, the most common being associate work for a larger, well established practice, referrals directly from insurance companies, or referrals from case managers representing medico legal firms.Associate workAssociate work can be great to help you get your confidence and practice processes up and running at the beginning of your practice. In fact, many people choose to stay working as an associate rather than creating their own referrals. The upside is you get the benefit of steady referrals and the best associate practices offer training and supervision opportunities or other benefits like free room rental when you see their clients. They also tend to handle the admin for you, so it can be very welcome in the scary early days. The downside of associate work is less money, but less costs as well, so that might actually be fine. Just check that you don't go below your minimum fee that we worked out a couple of lessons ago, and also possible limitations on your own business growth. You need to check an associate contract very carefully for non compete clauses. These are clauses that state that you can't poach clients from the associate practice, which is very much fair enough. But, some of them do have some quite drastic terms in them. The chunkiest I've ever read was, 'You can never work with any mental health client within a 50 mile radius of the associate practice for one year after you finish with your last patient with us’. And I won't get into the pros and cons of that type of clause here, but just be aware, and if you see one that you think might limit your potential business growth in the future, then walk away from it. Finally, make sure that the associate practice aligns with your values. It can be really uncomfortable working for an organisation that has very different values to you. You went into independent practice to avoid those kinds of culture clashes, so don't put up with it, you don't have to. Only work with practices that you feel excited to work for and proud to work for.Insurance companiesNow, you probably know if you've been in the professional Facebook groups, that insurance companies often don't pay the best rates. When I have a lot of referrals coming in, I do tend to decline insurance referrals because of that. However, when I was starting out, they were a very important referral stream, and they do continue to be useful when referrals are a bit slow. You just have to make sure that they don't take you below that minimum fee. You can register for insurance companies like AXA, Vitality and Bupa directly, or you can register with lots in one go through the Private Practice Register, or the Health Code System as it's now called. It's unpredictable, to be honest, whether these will bring you referrals or not. I have students in Start and Grow who consistently get referrals from the main insurance companies, and I also have students who don't get any. For me, it has been really postcode dependent. Where I am now, I am getting referrals directly from some of the insurance companies, but I definitely didn't in the two previous parts of the country that I lived in. It's nothing to do with me, it is everything to do with what they need in the particular location that you're in. However, I do think it's always worth registering because you might get ideal clients coming to you who want to use their insurance to pay you. I find this is happening more and more, and when we look at the economic trends, more and more people are taking out private medical insurance and they expect to be able to use it. So I think that this is going to become a bigger part of our work over time. Some people might say regrettably, but it is a trend that I'm seeing, so I would get registered. But make sure when you register, you're aware of the cap that they have on their fees, read their terms and conditions, save those terms and conditions on your desktop, or put them somewhere safe where you can check them. And make sure that cap is not below your minimum fee. Also make sure that you set your fee at the very top of what they will pay, because the chances of them ever upping what they pay you are very low. They do not increase their cap every year. They haven't done so for a very long time in a lot of cases, so it is worth getting the most you can possibly get from the beginning. So my top tips for taking on insurance clients are: make sure you have your provider number, their patient number, and their pre authorization code, and the payment conditions and terms of the insurance provider saved into your practice management system and at your fingertips before you start therapy. You need to know and make sure the client knows what the policy is around missed appointments. For some insurance providers, they will not pay for a DNA but they expect the patient to pay for that themselves. If they don't know that before they miss their first appointment with you, they might well refuse to pay it or be very upset and that's just a horrible conversation. So make sure that everybody knows and you've adapted your terms and conditions to reflect those terms from that particular insurance provider. You also really need to know when you can invoice and when you should expect to be paid because that is slightly different for all of the insurance providers too and you don't want to miss out on the money that you're owed simply because you've got that wrong. Rehab work or medico legal case managersWhen you take on cases from rehab companies, you're effectively working as an associate for them, so the same advice that I've already given for associate work applies. As an additional note of caution, however, and this is based on my own experiences, please do check the reputation of the company that you're dealing with before you accept referrals. I have seen psychologists and therapists treated really badly by these companies because they're quite prone to going under without paying their providers. They also often have completely unreasonable payment terms. You can't wait 90 days after submitting your invoice, or even worse, 90 days after the end of a whole course of therapy, to get paid. Not if you're in the early days of your practice, and not, to be honest, for most small businesses out there. It actually nearly put me out of business in my first year. So, where possible, check with peers if they've had good experiences of getting paid and working with these companies and triple check their payment terms are acceptable to you before proceeding. Some of them will negotiate with you. I did successfully negotiate down from 90 days to 30. It can be done, but just make sure that you do. And if they're not open to negotiating, walk away because it will be more trouble than it's worth. Week six taskYour final task of the summer school:Firstly, decide if you want to register with insurance companies, and if you do, then make sure that you save all their documentation somewhere and have it all clearly labelled and easy to access. Then if you think associate work would be useful to you, do a Google search for practices local to you and make contact with three to five that you think align with your values to see if they have any associate work available and to set up a coffee or chat with the founder so you can check if their values fit and they run things in a way which works for you.Okay, that's your 30 minutes for the final time. Go!

Summer School Lesson 5: Directory sitesHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Summer School Sign UpPBS Start and GrowRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistWeek 5: Directory SitesFor lesson five of our summer school, we are thinking about directory sites. It's a good idea to be on a directory site or two if you're in independent practice. They can be a good source of referrals, but on top of that, they give you a home on the internet that you can direct people to before you get your own website up and running. They show up in search engines and they can give you a real boost of credibility. There are a myriad of directory sites to choose from, and the good news is that most of them offer a free trial, so you can test which ones work for you. What I do, and what I'm going to talk through today, is I create a perfect profile, which I save in a Google Doc, and then I just copy and paste it into different platforms that I want to try out.At a minimum, I'd recommend trying out Psychology Today, Counseling Directory, and Find My Psychologist, but it's worth doing a search for a 'psychologist or therapist near me' and seeing what directory sites are dominating the search results near you, because it is different postcode to postcode, and you really want to make sure you're on those sites that are coming top for your area. For example, where I am, if I type in ‘psychologist in Tunbridge Wells’, the first results are from Harley Therapy, Psychology Today and Counseling Directory. So if I was starting out, those would be places that I'd really want to consider. There are some basic principles for a good directory site profile, that if you follow, you're going to be streets ahead of most people out there, because most profiles on directory sites are really awful. I'm going to talk you through some top tips, and then if you're in summer school, you will be able to use my template, which I've put underneath this lesson, in order to craft your directory site profile. Write as though you're speaking to a potential client If this is difficult and it doesn't come naturally to you, it's actually worth recording your side of a conversation with a new client and looking at the phrases that you use and what you say and how you explain who you are and what you do when you're really in front of somebody. For me, I can do this as a bit of an imagination exercise. As I'm writing, I just imagine that I'm speaking to a real person that's come to me and is asking ‘how can you help me with X, Y, or Z?’ But I know that that doesn't come naturally for everybody, so sometimes it's about recording those real life interactions, because if you've been a therapist for a while, you're good at this, it's just sometimes difficult to get it out on paper.SpecialiseYou can't speak to everybody in your profile, you're just going to blend into the background. So make sure that you pick a particular client group to speak to. This is something we talk about a lot in Start and Grow; deciding on that specialism and who your ideal client is, is really important. But for now just pick your favourite type of client, the people that you've worked with most successfully in the past and go with that.A few lines about your approachWhen it comes to talking about your approach, say a few confident lines about this, let them know about your experience and literally how you will help them, but don't go into reams and reams about how your unique approach to therapy is X, Y, or Z. People can't make sense of that if they've got no prior experience of therapy, it's likely that every single word you use will just come across as jargon to them, even though it isn’t to us. I would know what you mean, but we're thinking about the ideal client, and if they haven't had therapy before, things like 'safe space' even, just sound like rubbish to them. So try and steer clear of that sort of thing and just talk about ‘my 25 years of experience in therapy, experience in the NHS working in this area to help you overcome the problems that you're facing with X, Y, and Z. I offer...,’ and then maybe something like, talking therapies like CBT and trauma focused therapies like EMDR. That would be enough. You really don't need to overwhelm people with more, which is probably most often more written for our peers than it is for the ideal client. So steer clear of that and just a few confident lines.Don't list every piece of trainingGive your core qualification and then maybe one or two other things which really say something about the way that you work. For example, if you are EMDR accredited, that's probably worth mentioning. But if you did a two day course in CFT, that's probably not worth mentioning, but if you've done the CFT Diploma, maybe that is. Keep it to core qualification plus maybe one or two other things if they're really important to the way that you work.Have an easy booking systemHave an easy booking system and make sure it's really explicit. If the person needs to send an email to book with you, tell them to do that. If they need to phone, tell them to do that. Give one way of doing it. If you've set up something like Calendly or Acuity or you're using the WriteUpp booking system that we talked about in the tools lesson, then tell them about that and tell them exactly how to do it.Tell them exactly what will happen nextIf you offer a free consultation, tell them that's what's going to happen and then afterwards you will follow up with your recommendations. However you do it, just make it really clear what needs to happen next and what will happen immediately afterwards.Make your fees really clearNone of this kind of sliding scale, none of this inquire and then I'll tell you the fee. No. People get really anxious about fees, understandably. Put yourself in their shoes. When I've been inquiring about therapy, the thing that is on my mind is can I afford this and what am I going to pay over the next three months, six months, 12 months, however long I think I'm going to need therapy for. And it's terrifying. People do not want to have a conversation, get to the end of it and have to tell you that they can't afford you. Horrible for everybody. Don't put anybody through it. Make your fees really explicit. Use a professional headshot If you don't have one, put that on your list of things to get sorted, because people need to feel that they have a sense of who you are and what your presence is like and the photo really communicates that, and it's very difficult to get right on your own. You need to make sure that there are no weird shadows over your face, and that you just look how you really look. So making sure that you've got a really good quality image will really help. There's lots of evidence that people do use those to make decisions about who they contact. So make sure you've got the best image you can possibly get. I really recommend going to local networking events and finding a local photographer to do that for you. It's not that expensive and it can make a really big difference to your profile success. So overall, the key here is to write your profile for an overwhelmed potential client, not for your peers. We talk about this loads in Psychology Business School and especially in the Start and Grow programme, and we spend a lot of time giving each other feedback on profiles because even I struggled to do this. After years and years of helping other people with their own, I still struggle to get mine right because it's very difficult to see your profile through the eyes of a potential client when you've got all your own stuff in your own head going on about it. So sharing what you've got for feedback is my biggest piece of advice. And don't worry if you need to tweak it a few times to get it right, because we all do. If you're in summer school, then there's a template below this lesson that you can use to create a great profile. And remember, it doesn't...

Summer School Lesson 4: Get your first clientsHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Summer School Sign UpPBS Start and GrowRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistWeek 4: Get your first clientsWeek four of summer school is here! And now we finally get to talk about marketing. But probably not the kind of marketing that you're expecting me to talk about if you've spent a lot of time, like I have, in the online marketing space, getting all kinds of ads about Instagram and Google and all of that sent to you all the time.So the question we need to start with when we're thinking about marketing a private practice is, if you were looking for a therapist, where would you look first? And I'm willing to bet that your answer was not, I would scroll through Instagram looking for a therapist. Most of us would start by asking people that we trust, professionals, friends, family, for recommendations. And the best time investment you can make in the early days of your practice is to make sure that you are top of mind for the people your ideal clients are likely to go to for recommendations. So how to get started with what we call relationship marketing?Local business networkingYou can start with local business networking. These events are full of people who might know your ideal clients. Go with a list of professionals or businesses that you think would be useful to your ideal client group and aim to find out enough about them to decide whether you would refer to them. If you do that you're very likely to find that they want to refer to you too. Different networking groups will attract different people. So for example, because I work in perinatal, I'm looking for people that would very often see people either in pregnancy or in the early days of parenthood. So that might be nutritionists, it might be personal trainers, it might be physios, baby yoga teachers, private midwives, massage therapists. So I really only bother with events where I'm likely to come into contact with those sorts of businesses.If I go to an event and I find out that it's not right, the right people aren't there, then I'm going to choose a different one for the next month. It's not that it won't be interesting, I'll still make a real effort to understand people's businesses and have some really interesting chats, but it's probably not the best time investment to keep going back. So have that list in your mind of who you want to meet and make sure you're going to an event where those people are. Join local mental health professional groupsAnother way of building that referral network is to join local groups of other mental health professionals. Alongside regular networking, it's really important to gather those professionals around you who are in a similar field to you.I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing as competition in what we do. Sadly, there are more than enough people that need our services. So gathering a network of other local psychologists or therapists around you is really helpful in order to help you provide a good service. It may be that these are people that you refer to if you're overcapacity or somebody comes to you needing a different specialism, and I think it's really good to have strong relationships with those people that you do refer out to.It may also be that this becomes a peer supervision type group where you can ask for advice. If you have a risk situation for example, having a local network who understand the difficulties and know where to signpost people to is really valuable. And you can also help extend each other's knowledge, so it's a really valuable resource and I really, really recommend it. Link up with other health professionalsYou also want to make sure that you make some effort to link up with other health professionals, maybe outside of mental health, but who might have contact with your ideal client. You can find those people in the same way that your ideal client would find them, probably through Google, maybe you'll meet some at networking events, but often it's through Google and reaching out to those people. Again, you're approaching them with this idea of, okay, I might need to refer to you, so I want to understand more about if our values align and the services that you offer. It can be really difficult to get a response because health professionals are really busy. For example, people often have real trouble getting hold of private GPs. So one way of approaching that is to think about what you might be able to offer them that would be worth them investing their time in. For example, for somebody like me, I might put together a really short 20 minute talk that I can deliver on the mental health impact of severe pregnancy sickness. This is something that very often other health professionals who are not in mental health don't know very much about, and they might really struggle to know what to do if they see a patient that they see is suffering. So I might just put together something really short about how you would identify that somebody was struggling and where you can signpost them to, including charities, the NHS route, and that's why it's good to have a local network so you know what that route would be… and also talking about my services too. So that's a good tip for that. Use co-working spacesIt's also a good idea, if you're thinking about using any space outside of your home for working, to use a co-working space and chat to the people there. This can be a really great way of seeing the same people week in, week out, and really getting your name out there in the local community.Often the people that run these spaces are quite invested in advertising the people that work there and trying to create a real business ecosystem of people that refer to each other. So again, this can be a really nice way of building those long term referral networks. My top tips for building your network It's all about being reciprocal: Network with people you want to refer to and be explicit about that intention.Personalised messages Only ever send messages to people that are really personal and show you've really thought about them, their clients, and the value that you can add for each other's businesses. Don't copy and paste the same outreach message to people. I find, because I often get a mind blank, because I'm an introvert, I'm quite shy, I do start with a template, but I'll always make sure that I adapt it to the person I'm sending it to. Otherwise, we just get so many, don't we? If you're anything like me, I get around 20 of those messages a day from people that basically just want to talk to my audience and haven't really got very much interest in helping me in any way. And you just delete them. So making sure that there's something different about your message that is thoughtful and personal is really important. Making the most out of networking sessions I often get asked, how do you make the most of a networking session? So if you make the effort to go networking, how are you going to make sure that you actually get some return on that?I think something that's really key is preparation. So find out who is going to be at this event before you go. Most of them will have a list of attendees that you can look at before you go, so you can pick out, okay, I want to talk to this person, this person, this person, and this person, because I'm pretty sure that they're going to have contact with my ideal client group. Make sure if you have that information to hand, you know then who you want to speak to at the event. And if it's got their contact details, you could even send them a message in advance, saying ‘Hi, I'm Rosie, I'm really looking forward to meeting you at this event. It would be great to talk about mental health because I think that we have some of the same clients, so let's make sure we make time for a chat’. It's a really great thing to do if you've got access to that...

Summer School Lesson 3: Your business modelHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Summer School Sign UpPBS Start and GrowEpisode 41: How to set your fees in your psychology private practice with “pricing queen” Sally FarrantRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistWeek 3: Your business modelIn this lesson, we focus on making some key decisions that you need to feel comfortable with in order to start seeing clients. And these questions are basically about how you want to work and what boundaries you want to create around your practice. So, a great thing to be thinking about while you're on your sun lounger this summer!In order to do this properly, you're going to need some way of documenting your decisions and doing a few calculations. Whether you're a spreadsheet person like me or a notebook person, just make sure you've got something to hand so that you can write down your answers as we go and work a few things out.How much do you want to earn?First question, the uncomfortable but essential one. How much do you want to earn from your private practice? What income makes all of this effort worthwhile for you? Forget any comparisons or what you think you should expect. Just think about what is going to make this truly rewarding for you, and write down the annual and monthly figure.How much time will you spend working?Then think about how many weeks of the year you will actually work. So consider holidays, sick time, unexpected work interruptions due to caring responsibilities. For many parents, you can only realistically expect to work 40 weeks of the year. Sometimes less, for me it is less because of the needs of my children.If you're the one that is responsible for taking school holidays and sick days off, or you've got any other caring responsibility that means you're going to have to be the person that drops everything if something changes, you need to factor that in. Write down now how many weeks you actually think you're going to be able to work.Then you need to think about how many hours in those weeks you will work in total, including your admin and your business development time, and write that down. Next you need to consider how many of those working hours you want to spend in front of a client? You can't spend every minute in your practice working with clients. There's lots of other stuff that you need to do to run a business successfully. So you most probably already have an idea of what your personal threshold for therapy hours is. I think of it in terms of my ability to do my best work. I know that I do my best work when I have about three therapy clients a day in the diary. I can see more than that and survive, and I have done, and I did do for many years. But one of my values is giving a really high quality service to my clients. I like time to think, formulate, read around. I'm not just showing up and going back to back with clients anymore. I've done it, didn't like it, I prefer working the way that I do now, so I personally don't go above three. But this is wildly personal and it will depend on what other stuff you have going on in your life. So think about what that number is for you right now and write that down. But know that you can always change it if your personal circumstances change.Now you're going to use the number of weeks that you expect to work and the weekly number of client facing hours that you've come up with to generate your annual number of client hours, and write that down. What services do you want to offer?Next, think about what kind of services you want to offer. It could be therapy, supervision, consultation, coaching or group sessions. We're not thinking about the long term here because this is all about kick starting your practice for September. So think about what's going to be the easiest way for you to bring money into your practice and write that down too.Where will you work?Next, consider whether you want to work online or in person or offer a hybrid. If you're choosing to work online, get some quotes for local therapy rooms and estimate the monthly and annual cost to you.Other costsNext, you need to add up your costs. Include all the software that we talked about in the last lesson, insurance premiums, add a £1000 a year CPD budget, or more if you know there's something more expensive than that that you want to do. And also add in £350 per month for admin support for a full time practice (less if you're working less hours), and whatever rental you've estimated so far, pop that in as well. Don't be afraid of this. You're just estimating it really roughly for now. And keep those annual and monthly figures to hand.This is why I find a simple spreadsheet really helpful, because you can just organise all this information and see it really clearly. So now you have all the information that you need to set your fees. Week three taskYour task is to go and listen to Sally Farrant's podcast episode, which I've linked to in the show notes, and work out your minimum fee.This is the fee that you need to charge in order to earn the salary you want to earn from your private work. And you will know that you can never charge below that without compromising on your salary and that knowledge is power, especially when something like imposter syndrome tries to convince you to drop your prices.So, your 30 minutes this week is going to be spent listening to Sally's podcast episode, which may actually take slightly more than 30 minutes, but is very doable on a sun lounger, so I hope you won't mind, and make those key decisions about your working life and write those answers down in a spreadsheet. I want you to know your minimum fee before you come back for next week's lesson!

Summer School Lesson 2: Tools of private practiceHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Summer School Sign UpPBS Start and GrowGoogle DriveWriteUppProtonMail XeroHardsoftCalendlyAcuityanswer.co.ukLastPassRing LightAsanaEpisode 56: Systems for success – streamlining your processes so you can achieve more with Amy MitchellRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistWeek two: Tools of private practiceWelcome back summer schoolers! Welcome to week two. Today we're going to be talking about one of the things I get asked about most frequently by my students in Start and Grow and by my coachees, and that's all about the tools of private practice. Most importantly, what we need to spend money on and what we probably don't.So here I'm going to be taking you through the tools that I think are really essential to running a professional private practice and also some tools which aren't essential but are pretty nice to have and can make your experience and your client's experience just that bit better. So every tool that I mention here is linked to within our lesson in your Kajabi portal.So I hope you're going to find it a really useful reference guide if you're just setting up in private practice. Essential toolsWe'll start with the essential tools: GDPR compliant cloud storage: The first thing that's really important to have is some kind of GDPR compliant cloud storage. And that means somewhere that you can keep your notes and everything relating to client information that complies with UK data protection laws. You need to consider getting something secure in place before you see anybody. This is a place where you can store all of your documents relating to your private practice and to your clients. The one that I have tried and tested myself is Google Drive, and that comes as part of Google Workspace. It's very cheap, it's affordable, and it's very good in my experience. And if you use it correctly, it is GDPR compliant. You'll need to check their most up to date help documentation to make sure that you're using it in a GDPR compliant way - the reason I can't walk you through that step by step is that they do update their documentation regularly, and it's important that you see the most recent version of that, so do go and have a look for yourself. You can also use Microsoft System OneDrive and that's also very good. I don't use it personally, I have done for a bit of contract work, I have done with other organisations, and I found it to be really good. But again, you will need to check their documentation to make sure that you're using it in a GDPR compliant way. Practice management software: The next thing to consider is practice management software. This is the stuff that allows you to keep track of all your appointments, invoice your clients, store your notes, your reports, and track any communication that you have with clients.It makes the day to day running of your practice much smoother, and helps you come across as professional to clients and prospective clients, which ultimately allows you to make more money. It also takes all the worry out of things like freedom of information requests and any legal requests you might get for your notes, because everything's there under your client record, whenever you need it, at the click of a button. I really wouldn't be without mine. In fact, I believe in this so much that this is the only time I've ever got an affiliate link for a tool, and that's for WriteUpp, which is the practice management software that I use. I've never been an affiliate before, I've got no interest in affiliate marketing in general, but for WriteUpp I hopped on board quite early because it transformed my practice and I really wish that everybody got practice management software early on in their practice. So go and check out WriteUpp. The other thing that you can do through practice management software like WriteUpp is get your clients to sign things like consent forms, terms and conditions, therapy contracts, all of that stuff within one piece of software. It also allows you to send them forms, which are then directly filled into their client portal. So you don't have to go backwards and forwards and worry about, you know, how are they sending that back to me? Do I need to send it with passwords and all of that stuff? WriteUpp manages all of that for you. So I really recommend having a look at them. There are other packages out there like Power Diary and Clinico, and you're welcome to have a look at those as well, I just haven't used them myself, so I can't vouch for them. Now you might be thinking, do I need something like Google Drive if I'm using WriteUpp? And the answer is, if you are using a really simple, streamlined private practice, then no, you probably don't need both. You could use WriteUpp for everything. I've always found that it's useful to have something like Google Drive as well, so that I can store stuff that doesn't directly relate to clients, but does relate to my practice and the way that I run it, like my policies, things for me and my associates that I want to be able to share with other members of my team. But no, it's probably not essential if you are using something like WriteUpp, but probably worth having in the background as well for most of us. Secure email: Another thing you need to get set up early doors is a secure email system. Something like ProtonMail that encrypts our messages end to end is really useful if you're going to be having conversations with clients that contain any confidential information. This will also integrate with your practice management system so that messages you send through that are also secure, so I really recommend it. ProtonMail is brilliant, that's the only one I've ever used, but there are others out there too, so feel free to check those out and just get yourself sorted with something secure. In addition to that, if it's your intention to have your own website at some...

Summer School Lesson 1: Get your private practice essentials in placeHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology Summer School edition. Over the six weeks of the English school holidays, we are doing things a little bit differently around here. If you're looking to start up an independent practice in September, then this is the place to be as each week I'm dropping in with a quick lesson and tasks that can be completed in 30 minutes or less from your sun lounger.By the end of the six weeks, you will feel ready to step into your practice in September, confident that you can find clients and have a safe and viable business foundation. Each week, the lessons will go out on this podcast feed, but if you want the weekly tasks, workbooks, private community, and a live session with me at the end of the summer to hold you accountable and make sure nothing stands in your way, you will need to sign up here: PBS Summer SchoolI would love to see you in the community.Full show notes of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks & References:PBS Summer School Sign UpPBS Start and GrowEpisode 118: Cyber security: What mental health professionals need to know to protect their practiceEpisode 81: Insurance for psychologists and therapists who do more than just therapy with Catherine FranceBPS Register of Supervisors: https://www.bps.org.uk/register-applied-psychology-practice-supervisorsICO registration: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/Sole trader set up: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-as-sole-trader DBS certificate information: https://www.bps.org.uk/resources-and-benefitsDBS certificate list of approved umbrella companies: https://dbs-ub-directory.homeoffice.gov.uk/Rosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistIntroductionWelcome to your first lesson summer schoolers! It's fantastic to have you here. I know that when you first decide to start seeing some private clients the setup can be really intimidating but in this course we're going to use your summer holidays to get your foundations sorted so that you can have the most fulfilling, rewarding and profitable September without one ounce of overwhelm.Every week you're going to get a new lesson with a video or you can listen on the podcast if you prefer - I'll be putting all of these out on the main podcast feed - and a challenge for the week. Each weekly challenge can be completed in just 30 minutes. So it's a very sun lounger friendly course.Throughout the summer, you can ask me and each other for help and support in our Kajabi community. Just make sure that you tag me so I see it. And because I'm on holiday with kids and all of the rest of the stuff as well, do give me 48 hours to respond. Week one: Getting your essentials in placeI know that you're short on time over the summer so in this lesson I'm just going to cut to the chase and tell you what I would do in your shoes based on my experience. Everything I suggest is purely because I found it helpful or my students and coachees in Psychology Business School have found it helpful.These are the things I think you must do before you start seeing clients and we can get them ticked off now so that you're ready to go in September. Insurance Professional indemnity insurance is essential. This is the insurance that covers you should somebody make a complaint about you as a professional or if anything bad happens to a client while you're working with them and you could be held liable for that. It's really really important to have. Business insurance is also essential. Cyber insurance is something I would strongly recommend, but many people would choose to leave that until they're up and running.So let's talk about professional indemnity insurance first. This is essential for you to practice as a psychologist or therapist in independent practice. Business insurance is not mandatory until you're at the stage of employing people, however, I think it really makes sense to cover all forms of difficulty that could prevent you from running your business.So for example if you have business insurance and your laptop gets stolen, then you'll be able to get a replacement very quickly. We all know in the early days of a business, finding that £500 to get a new laptop can be really, really difficult. And it's not very expensive, business insurance typically is around £5 a month.Cyber insurance is something I would definitely consider because we would typically not be very well prepared for any kind of cyber attack that resulted in a data breach, for example. And with cyber insurance, you get access to help and support through that kind of crisis. Now, these things do not happen often, but it's on the rise. I recorded a podcast that convinced me with a cyber expert that we should really be thinking about this. So I'd urge you to listen to that podcast and also listen to the insurance episode that I recorded with Catherine France, insurance expert, to make your decision about what kind of cover and what level of cover you need. But certainly at a minimum, I would get your professional indemnity insurance sorted, and I would think about looking into business insurance as well at this point.SupervisionOkay, so next thing on the list to tick off is supervision. Choose a specialist who you're excited to work with, who you think is going to be able to bring something that you need to your practice. So for example, if, in the NHS, you really wanted to develop your EMDR skills, but you weren't able to do that, find a supervisor that can help you to do that. If you wanted to get supervision from somebody that's worked independently, perhaps in a particular area that you're interested in, like medico legal, LAC any kind of client group that you want to work with independently, and you're not quite sure how that's going to work, then plug that gap with your supervisor.The wonderful thing about working independently is that we get to choose our supervisors, and we can look for multiple supervisors and sort of magpie people's expertise to bring into our own work. It's a fantastic opportunity, so make sure that you find the right person. There are directories of supervisors. If you're a psychologist, you can use the BPS directory of supervisors, but also use the professional groups. Lurk a bit, search for topic areas you're interested in, and see who's speaking authoritatively on those subject areas, and that will be a really good place to start looking for a supervisor. ICO registrationThe next thing you need to get sorted is your registration with the ICO. The ICO are the Information Commissioner's Office and if you're based in the UK it is mandatory that you sign up and pay £40, it's usually about £40 anyway, every year. And that just helps them to run their office. Basically what the ICO does is provide advice and information around data protection. So they are the people who you can go to and say, I'm not really sure how much information I need to share with the courts from my confidential patient notes, for example, they can be really, really useful. They've got lots of free guides and lots of advice about data protection, and they've also got quite a useful chat function on there, where you can ask a question...