Private Practice Success Stories

Have you ever thought about starting a private practice as a school SLP or as someone who lives in a more rural area? This is the perfect student success story for you to listen to!Sarah Desimone, MS, CCC-SLP is the owner of Huckleberry Therapy LLC, located in Athol, ID. Since graduating in 2016, Sarah has had the opportunity to serve children from birth to age 17 in a large multidisciplinary clinic, through her local school district, and via teletherapy as a contract SLP. It was through these experiences that she felt she had gained the knowledge, experience, and confidence to start her own practice. Since then, Sarah has resigned from her 90+ student caseload in her local district, accepted a part-time SLP position with a charter school, increased hours at her private practice, and been able to spend more time with her husband and two young children. In this interview, Sarah talks about how she built her private practice on the side of her job in the schools and how she loves knowing that she

Have you ever thought about starting a private practice out of your house?This episode with Kathy Hindman, a speech-language pathologist in Lawrenceville, NJ, is one of my most popular episodes to date, and I can attest that to so many SLPs being interested in her on the side, in-home practice.Kathy Hindman has over twenty years of experience that includes evaluating and treating children and young adults in a variety of settings: from working several years in an intensive behavioral-based program for students with autism and developmental disabilities to working for local preschool programs and elementary schools to spending many years working in Early Intervention with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with various delays and challenges in all areas of development. In this episode, we get into the details and talk all about what it takes to run a speech therapy private practice out of your own home. We also talk about what she had to learn along the way and the little mistakes she has made that turne

Do you feel called to do more as an SLP? Quintina Briscoe, my guest in this episode, felt the exact same way before she started her private practice during the pandemic.Quintina Briscoe is a speech-language pathologist, mentor, and clinic owner in the greater D.C. area. She went from being a solo private practitioner, just seeing clients on the side of her school job to employing many therapists, having a brick-and-mortar clinic, and serving clients via telephone therapy in her private practice.In this episode, Quintina tells us a story about being in the school setting and realizing that she was ready to do something greater. I think a lot of SLPs can connect to this story whether they are in a school or a hospital setting. There is only so much we can do without limitations when we are in them. Luckily, Quintina is walking us through exactly what she did to become a private practice owner once she realized she could do so much more.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:Being in a space that you can grow inTry

Do you dream of your last year in the school setting? Does the idea of leaving your school job to work for yourself interest you?My guest, Ruth Marquez, started her speech therapy private practice on the side of her school job, and she just recently left it to pursue her private practice full-time!Ruth Marquez opened the doors of Be Brave Speech Therapy in June 2020. Since then, she has done many evaluations which have led to continuous therapy sessions, and countless collaborations with families. In 2021, after a year of being a private practice owner on the side of being a full-time school-based SLP, Ruth decided to go all in and work on her private practice full-time! She is excited to have the time, freedom, and flexibility to help more families and children in need. From her pros and cons list to her marketing strategy, we are getting into what Ruth did to begin her private practice and how she was able to leave her school job after just one year!In Today's Episode, We Discuss:What to do when you fe

Have you been thinking about private practice for a long time, but you aren't sure if you're ready?A lot of SLPs have internal worries and fears related to whether they are ready to start a private practice, and those often come from impostor syndrome which is something that we have talked a lot about here on the podcast.People feel like they need to be experts to start a private practice, but if you wait to become an expert, you will never feel expert enough to start.In this episode, I am talking to you about three ways to know if you are ready to start a private practice!In Today's Episode, We Discuss:What you must absolutely have before startingTaking back your flexibility and freedom through private practiceWhy you need to decide to be ready for private practiceRealizing that you are resourceful and qualified enoughYou might realize during this episode that you are done waiting and that you are ready to start your private practice. I want you to send me a DM on Instagram @theindependentclinican with the w

What does freedom mean to you?One of the top reasons why SLPs start their own private practice is because they want freedom. In this episode, we are talking all about what freedom and independence mean as a clinician and how you can get more of it through private practice.I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I accepted my first private practice client and realized that I was going to be able to use private practice as the vehicle to freedom in my own life. It was truly thrilling, and I am so glad that I took that leap 15 years ago!We are getting into that story and why I think that everyone deserves that feeling too.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:The independence that comes with owning a businessHow and why I began my private practiceThe thrill I felt when I realized I could create my own freedomThe steps you can take to have professional, personal and financial freedomI truly believe that the only way to truly have professional, personal and financial freedom is by owning your own business and in ou

Have you ever thought about offering mobile fees? Are you wondering how to regroup, rebound, and truly grow a mobile fees business after COVID? Do you want to know more about the realities of starting a private practice with a business partner? My guests, George Barnes MS CCC-SLP and Allison Mataras MA CCC-SLP, are joining me in this episode to cover all of these topics.George and Allie started their company, FEESible Swallow Solutions, in January of 2020 - just before the pandemic started. This came from years of working in hospitals and feeling like not enough patients were getting access to the instrumental swallowing exams they needed. Now, they bring the quality of a hospital swallow evaluation to their patient’s facility for a fraction of the time and cost. This allows patients to avoid the risk of going to the hospital and stay in the comfort of their own bed with family by their side.We get into the need for mobile instrumental swallow evaluations as well as how they navigated their brand new bus

Are you interested in working with adults? Are you interested in learning from a fairly new SLP who built a specialty practice to full-time within six months?Katie Brown, who is joining me in this episode, is who you want to hear from if either of these (or both) are of interest to you!Katie Brown, MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS is a speech-language pathologist and certified brain injury specialist practicing in Buffalo, NY. She owns a private practice called Neuro Speech Solutions which specializes in therapy for adults with neurogenic communication and cognitive disorders. Katie is passionate about providing meaningful, functional therapy to those with aphasia and cognitive impairments related to stroke and TBI. Outside of her private practice, Katie is active in the SLP community. She is an advocate for person-centered care and creates digital materials aiming to help other medical SLPs feel more confident in providing personally relevant therapy. Katie is a mentor for the Start Your Private Practice Program and a

There are so many benefits to having a private practice, but one of the most desirable benefits is the ability to have a flexible schedule.Kelsey Martin, who is joining me in this episode, knows all about the balance that private practice can offer. She created a private practice so that she could spend as much time as possible with her young children while financially providing for her family as an SLP and business owner.Kelsey is the owner of Playful Communication in Waxhaw, North Carolina. She specializes in serving the pediatric population and particularly enjoys working with children ages birth to 5 and those that have Down syndrome like her sweet boy, Isaac. Kelsey is married to Nate, and they have two beautiful children - Isaac and Rae. Her kiddos are her inspiration for her private practice and the flexibility it allows. She keeps her practice "small on purpose" to allow her to be with her children and show up for all of life's big and little moments with them! Kelsey explains in the episode that

Have you ever thought about the cost of not starting a private practice? Have you thought about it both in terms of the money you could be earning and also the time you could be spending doing things you love?One reason why SLPs put off starting private practices is that they worry that they need a lot of money for startup costs.In this episode, I am flipping the script and talking about the cost of not starting your private practice.We tend to think about financial costs, but there are also time costs, psychological costs, and emotional costs. I am breaking down each of these!In Today's Episode, We Discuss:The monetary cost of starting a private practiceWhat you do need to pay for to start a private practiceUsing your private practice to speed up the process of paying off debtThe cost associated with telling people noHidden costs of private practiceConsidering what you are missing out onBy saying no and deciding not to get set up, you have lost out on some income that you could have had in your bank account!

Are you waiting until you have all of your ducks in a row before you start your private practice?I hear this a lot because many SLPs are concerned about timing especially if they are in the middle of moving. I totally get that, but there are definitely things you can do to get started whether you are physically moving or just moving into private practice.In this episode, I am joined by Nicole Donnelly, and we are talking about her journey into private practice which actually began when she moved to a new city!Nicole Donnelly is the owner of Sunflower Speech Therapy, LLC located in New Buffalo, MI. She has always had a dream of opening her own practice but never truly believed it was more than a dream. She is pleased to announce that she decided to take a leap in July 2020, join Start Your Private Practice, and not look back. Her dream is finally her reality and she feels so blessed to have the opportunity to change the lives of children and families in her community through her private practice, Sunflower Spe

Would you like to make more money as a speech-language pathologist? There are a lot of people who would, but very few people are talking about it!I want to introduce you to the concept of multiple streams of income. You have likely heard about this before!In this episode, I am talking to you about how this can work for you and how you can add your first or next stream of income.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:Not being dependent on one streamIdeas for income streams that you can haveMaking sure you are not financially vulnerableWhat happens over time when you have multiple streamsI highly encourage you to consider what type of income streams you can add to your life in order to diversify your income, make more money, build wealth, and make sure that you are not vulnerable if something happens to your primary stream of income.By sharing my own story with this and walking you through the importance of it (especially as women), I hope you see that this is not only totally possible for you but is incredibly benefi

Mentors show you the way when you’re doing something you’ve never done before, and they help you achieve success better and faster than they did. They save you so much time, money, and frustration. Don’t you agree?In this episode, I am joined by Pamela Jackson Rowe, and we are discussing how she became a speech-language pathologist and a business owner as well as what mentorship has meant to her, and why she's also so committed to being a mentor herself.Pamela Rowe, MA, CCC-SLP is the Clinical Director of Pamela Rowe, MA, CCC-SLP, LLC, an Adult and Pediatric Therapy Practice with six Florida locations. Her practice provides Speech, Occupational, Physical, and Respiratory Therapy services in 18 counties within the state of Florida. Pamela is co-author of Putting Your Dreams To Work: Keys To Setting Up Your Therapy Practice and Start Your Engines. As a continuing partner with various state agencies, Pamela enjoys empowering individuals to communicate and use their voice within their community.In Today's Ep

Does making a difference in your own life and the life of others fire you up?In this episode, Sarina Murrell is talking to us all about how she decided to relight her own fire after experiencing burnout by starting her own private practice!Sarina Murrell is more than a speech-language pathologist. She is a parent coach, an educator, a conference presenter, and now - a private practice owner.  Sarina has been in education for over 12 years and in speech for about 10 years, and she has taught at all levels- from preschool to university. Sarina has worked in medical operations services for cleft-lip/palate, children’s hospitals in NICU/PICU and outpatient feeding clinics, autism centers, home-based early intervention, private and public schools, and private practice services across the US, Ecuador, and China.  She is the founder and director of The Airplane Spoon - a private practice providing support for babies, children, and parents in feeding, communication and coaching.After realizing tha

Imagine if you could follow a step-by-step program to help you go from overworked and overwhelmed to treating ideal clients, working for yourself on your own time, and making the money that you deserve as a masters-level clinician.Doesn’t that sound amazing?! That is what the Start Your Private Practice program is for!In this episode, I am sharing why I created the Start Your Private Practice program. You are also hearing from some of my students who are all SLPs in various settings that were able to become successful private practitioners!This information is invaluable for those of you that have been on the fence about joining the program or if this is the first time you are hearing about it.In Today's Episode, We Discuss:The many ways private practice allows for work/life balanceHow private practice allows SLPs to look out for themselvesWho private practice is forHow SLPs are able to help more people with a private practiceThe stories of four students from the programYou CAN work with your ideal clients and

Are you ready to hear a no-nonsense, straightforward story about starting a private practice?In this episode, Danni Augustine is describing the steps that she took to get her private practice off of the ground and her motivations for doing so through a keep-it-simple approach.Danni has been an SLP for 5 years. After working in a variety of settings, she found her love for dyslexia intervention, myofunctional therapy, feeding and all things birth-3. Not only has diving into these areas helped her business but it allowed her to fall in love with the SLP field again. She went from almost switching careers to now having a "boutique-style" private practice in Baton Rouge, LA, serving families in an office and home setting. Connecting with families and building relationships is what gets her up every morning (and her 20 cent coffee of course). In addition to her love for therapy, she has found a new passion for helping other SLPs gain freedom in their finances and their careers. She is hoping to build a commun

Do you struggle with burnout, imposter syndrome or feeling like you’re not able to do your best work?Mary Burns is joining me in this episode to talk about how she designed a private practice that has helped her move past those feelings and into a more sustainable lifestyle. She is also giving her advice on how you can do the same.Mary Burns is a speech-language pathologist and board-certified patient advocate. She has worked as an SLP since 2014 and is fiercely passionate about person-centered care and rural healthcare access. Although her academic training was certainly formative, Mary considers her experiences as both a patient and a caregiver to be the most influential on her career.Mary launched her private practice, Overland Speech & Swallowing Rehabilitation, in 2018. Her practice continues to grow and change. Today, Mary is proud to offer mobile FEES to 22 counties across Oregon as well as in-home therapy to adults in central Oregon.Mary also works as a mentor for The Medical SLP Collective and an

It is so important for us as professionals to create a safe space for ourselves and for our patients. Don’t you agree?Private practice allows us to do that.I am talking all about this with Emily McCullough from Parade Pediatric Speech Therapy which is a practice that is committed to providing a safe space for all kids and families on their communication journey.Emily has more than 10 years of experience helping children and teens gain the communication skills they need to connect and interact meaningfully with the people in their lives. She believes that every child brings unique gifts and insights into the therapy process and that parents and caregivers know their child best. Emily values her partnerships with parents and caregivers and working as a team to help children feel proud, successful and empowered communicators! She has extensive training and clinical experience in articulation disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, autism, and communication disorders in bilingual and cultural

I used to think that SLPs and OTs went into private practice because they were greedy and all about the money. I was so wrong, but does that ring true for you too?I realized quickly that’s not the case, and that is what we are talking about in this episode along with the shame and stigma around private practice being all about money.I am getting into the real reasons why SLPs and OTs choose private practice as their path!In Today's Episode, We Discuss:The shame and stigma around private practice being all about moneyOne of the main reasons SLPs choose this professionWhy waiting for a salary increase doesn’t have to be your storyHow private practice can help you create what you wantThe six F’s of why SLPs choose private practiceDo the reasons we talk about in this episode sound like ones that interest you too?I would love to know which one of the F’s talked about in this episode is the one that drives you toward private practice the most.Remember, it is okay to want more, but remember, if you want it, you

Are you ready to hear a story about taking a leap of faith into private practice?A lot of people probably think that starting a private practice during a pandemic isn’t a good idea, but that is the opposite of how this story goes.I am talking all about this in today’s episode with Calonda Henry from Broad Horizons Speech Therapy.Calonda Henry M.S. CCC-SLP, is the owner of Broad Horizons Speech Therapy, a certified Woman and Minority owned practice in the state of Florida. She specializes in early childhood language delays and school-age speech and language disorders. The vast majority of her career has been devoted to advocating for all children and families to get the services as well as the support they need. In addition to serving clients in the clinic office, Broad Horizons serves local agencies and schools within the community. While others are waiting for a “better time” to start, Calonda decided to go for it! In Today's Episode, We Discuss:What it was like to start a private practice during a