Selling the Couch

Today’s show covers a topic that always brings out the nerd in me. If you are an STC regular, then you know the importance I place on my video and audio gear. With the future of our field being that telehealth is here to stay, a quality home studio setup can help you stand out in your field. For me, the quality of my studio has evolved over the years as I’ve had more money to invest. Join the conversation to learn how to take your videos to the next level by building a dream home studio.Our Featured GuestKevin ShenKevin Shen is a consultant who has been producing online videos for more than ten years, doing most of his work on YouTube. He has developed courses to teach what he has learned about making powerful videos and building a professional quality studio. He shares why a professional studio matters, along with practical considerations to make if building a home studio is on your radar for the future.Dream Studio CourseYou’ll Learn: Why a professional video studio matters Why online video content is like time travel and space travel How a video studio for therapy helps people who haven’t been served well by traditional talk therapy Three tips for creating a dream home studio: Design your studio around your needs for your workflow. Realize that video allows you to create a space for viewers as you get their attention to your face. Lighting should create depth through a large, diffused light source. How your video components can work to create trust from someone you have never met before Kevin’s course, Dream Studio Course, a cohort that teaches the structure and steps of building a dream home studioAdditional resources mentioned:Find out about my gear and software: Kit.co/mvargheseYou can purchase Kevin’s course AND help STC: Dream Studio CourseRESOURCES TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.MY FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS (These Can Be Watched At A Date/Time That Works For You):🎙️ Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business (Lessons Learned From 9 Downloads On Day 1 To 1.2 Million And a 7 Income Stream Business)💻 How To Launch And Grow A Successful Online Course (Lessons Learned From A $297 First Sale To $150k Online Course)MY FREE GUIDES:🎤 Start your Podcast: The QuickStart Guide 🖥️ The A To Z Online CourseMY COURSES:🎧 The Healthcasters (A podcasting course + community for helpers/healers): 💻 Online Course School (A course to create, sell, and grow a successful online course): COMING IN 2022 (please feel free to download the online guide course above and I can keep you updated as I'm trying to build this with ample input and care including a chance to work 1 on 1 with me!): MY FAVORITE SOFTWARE:🧳 My Podcast Hosting Platform (Captivate-Includes 7 Day Free Trial): 🚀 My All In One Online Business Platform (Kartra-Includes 14 Day Free Trial): 🤖 What I Use For Evergreen Webinars (Easy Webinar)🌐 My Website Host (SiteGround-Includes Discount)🎨 My WebSite Theme (Divi)MY FAVORITE GEAR:❤️ STC Home Office Tour! 📔 My Online Counseling + Coaching Gear🎥 My YouTube + Live Streaming Camera GearSUBSCRIBE TO THE STC PODCAST:Since 2015, I've hosted a weekly podcast where I interview successful therapists in private practice and other business owners to help us grow our impact + income in and beyond the therapy room. The podcast has been downloaded over 1.2 million times and is heard in over 140 countries.You can find also it by searching “Selling The Couch” on any podcast app (eg: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify etc) or simply saying "Alexa, listen to Selling The Couch" on your Amazon device. =Or simply click below for ease =). SUBSCRIBE HERELET'S BE FRIENDS:💌 Sign up to receive the free A To Z Online Course Guide + receive the weekly STC email newsletter (trusted by over 7k colleagues) 🌍 My website / blog📸 Instagram (I mainly post "behind the scenes" stuff about my life and business)WHO'S THIS GUY? Hi. I'm Melvin. I'm a psychologist (PhD), entrepreneur, and online creator living in Philadelphia, PA. In 2014, I began to think about how to use the therapy skills we learn in grad school, and in our clinical work into different realms (e.g., podcasting, consulting, online course creation, etc). This allows us to serve others on larger scales while diversifying our income beyond 1 to 1 work. I make podcasts and videos about business, tech, productivity, and lessons I'm learning from becoming the CEO of a lean, mean 5 person 100% remote team (we're not really mean..it just rhymed =P).   Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

As rewarding as it is to start your own podcast and share your knowledge and expertise with the world, there is one thing that makes it even better--and that’s monetizing your podcast. Wouldn’t it be a dream come true to make money from your podcast? You might think it’s the impossible dream, but today’s show brings practical information and simple tips for monetization that can expand your reach, extend the life of your podcast, and free up more of your time for quality content creation.Christy Haussler is the founder of Team Podcast, a full-service podcast editing and production company. She’s been my podcast editor since 2015, when I realized I needed help with podcast editing. Christy and her team work behind the scenes to produce, edit, and upload podcasts, and they are the main reason the STC podcast goes out each week. Christy began her podcast editing service around the same time as STC, and her team currently edits about 60 different podcasts and about 300 episodes each month. Christy has a unique and interesting perspective on what people are doing to create income through podcasting, and she’s here to share those insights with us.Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

What are your “money stories”? This is a topic many of us struggle with related to the stories we tell ourselves about money. Our money beliefs affect everything about our practice, our work as business owners, and how we view and work with our clients. Let’s dig in and address the issues around our money beliefs so that we can better serve our clients and ourselves.Deb Lyman, LCSW, has a private practice in Oakland, CA. She does a lot of work with clinicians, helping them work through their money stories to charge what they are worth. In today’s conversation, Deb explains why we need to understand our money stories and how to set private practice fees in order to honor our stories and our emotions. She shares an interesting conceptualization of money in the personal, business, and clinical realms. We wrap up today’s show with Deb’s helpful tips about money. Join us!Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

In this episode of Selling the Couch, we have our first repeat guest - Ker Nola.  Keri is back today to discuss ways to grow your practice through retreats, workshops and groups.  She shares a lot of great ideas about this new revenue stream for your practice.Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Welcome! My guest today is Dana Hampson, who is inprivate practice in Alabama. Our topic is increasing efficiency in the day to day operation of a private practice. Efficiency is not a common topic, but the lack of it can waste time, lead to burnout, etc. Dana has had to learn how to run an efficient practice, as she employs four other clinicians. She readily admits to being an “efficiency nerd,” so let’s hear what Dana has to say!Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Welcome! I’m glad to be back on the podcast after a break over the holidays, and I wish you each a Happy 2017 as we start off this year together! My guest today is Cathy Hanville, LCSW, in Albany, NY. Cathy is very knowledgeable about websites and SEO, and I think her expertise will be helpful to anyone in private practice. Join us now!Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Balance sheet, profit/loss statements, cash flow, business expense----do these terms send you into a sudden state of anxiety and panic? If so, then this is the perfect show for you! The entire topic of keeping accurate records for your business can be ultra-intimidating for any clinician. Let’s try to make sense of it all together!Greg Higdon is the founder of Grow the Books. He’s here to discuss the biggest bookkeeping blunders that clinicians make and offer solutions that make sense. If looking at your numbers makes you sweat, or if you’ve taken the ostrich approach of hiding your head in the sand, then I hope this episode will make things more manageable and less stressful for you. Join us!Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

The concept of using telemedicine for mental health clinicians has become very relevant due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, meeting clients this way is something that is not just temporary; clinicians need to make this transition and set themselves up for successful telemedicine for the future.Roy Huggins has been at the forefront of telemedicine and how to do it ethically. In today’s show, he’ll share practical measures to take, like setting up your computer and tablet. He’ll also share tips around the expectations of telemedicine mental health and how to reframe those expectations for our new normal.Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Chances are you’ve thought about today’s topic at least once, or you may have your own similar experience. Many clinicians have gone through the transition from a full-time job into private practice. Today’s show is all about navigating the ups and downs of this important move.Tricia Miller is a LIcensed Professional Counselor in Houston, Texas. She has a unique background, with an undergrad degree in business, a job as a business analyst, and a stint as a school counselor. It was here that she realized she wanted to take the next step and start her private practice. Today’s show covers the steps in Tricia’s journey, what she’s learned along the way, and what the transition looked like for her. Tricia also shares how she worked through the fine line of disclosure.Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

As clinicians, we often think about creative outlets for our messages of hope and healing. One of those that you might not have considered is creating a conference. It may sound like an overwhelming task, but it’s one that can be effective and fulfilling. Let’s discuss it in today’s show!Mercedes Samudio, LCSW, does a lot of good work around all things related to parenting. She’s written Shame-Proof Parenting and has created The Diversity in Parenting Conference, which explores the diverse ways that clinicians work with parents and families. The conference is coming up soon on September 13-14 in Anaheim, CA. In today’s show, Mercedes takes us behind the scenes to learn what it takes to put together a conference of this magnitude. Mercedes is excited to share with all of us what she’s learned from this first-time experience. She’ll share about the planning process and why she chose a conference as the medium to share her message instead of a webinar. Mercedes also fills us in on how she selected speakers and set fees for the event, along with the biggest lessons she’s learned along the way.Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.