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Private Practice Has Changed. Now What? How Therapists Can Find Clients and Stay Profitable - An Interview with Dr. Ajita Robinson, LCPC
Curt Widhalm, LMFT, and Katie Vernoy, LMFT talk with Dr. Ajita Robinson, LCPC, on how private practice has changed and how therapists can find clients and stay profitable.
Caseloads are thinning, insurance panels and directories send fewer referrals, and venture-backed platforms can book a new client by tomorrow. Yet demand for mental health care is as high as it has ever been. Curt and Katie welcome back Dr. Ajita Robinson, LCPC, grief and trauma therapist and CEO of Legacy Wellness Group, to talk about what has changed in private practice and what therapists can do now.
Dr. Robinson explains why the private practice model most therapists started with no longer works the same way, and why a wait-and-see approach leaves therapists behind. She shares how to find the referral and revenue data already sitting in your intake process, how to build referral partnerships with primary care and other trusted providers, and how therapists can diversify income through government, employer, and EAP contracts.
If you have been wondering whether it's just you, this conversation offers a clear picture of the market and practical next steps for staying profitable in private practice.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why fast scheduling and intake automation help you compete with therapy platforms
- How your intake forms and call logs reveal where your practice is losing clients
- How referral partnerships with pediatricians and primary care helped one practice grow from 1 location to 18
- Why diversifying income through state, federal, and employer contracts protects your practice
- How therapists can use psychoeducation, consulting, and local media to reach more people
- Why therapist training teaches us to serve to depletion, and what that costs the profession
Timestamps:
02:40 - How the private practice model has changed
04:40 - How clients seek help and find therapists now
10:08 - Using your intake data to find referral sources
17:47 - Finding the gaps in your client pipeline
22:57 - Diversifying income with contracts and EAP carve-outs
26:44 - Why therapists are taught to serve to depletion
35:20 - Trusting your expertise and speaking up
Guest Bio:
Dr. Ajita Robinson, LCPC, is a grief and trauma specialist and international bestselling author of The Gift of Grief: A Practical Guide on Navigating Loss, The Gift of Grief: Supporting Grieving Children, and The Purposeful & Profitable Therapist's Guide to Diversifying Income. She founded Friends in Transition Counseling Services in Bethesda, MD, and is CEO of Legacy Wellness Group, where she helps therapists build diversified income and sustainable private practices. Learn more at www.ajitarobinson.com.
Full show notes and transcript: mtsgpodcast.com
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