3 Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt When Opening Your Private Practice

Dec 13, 2021

By Cindy McAtee

You know what it’s like once you’ve made a big career or personal life decision and then, just
before you’ve made it official by announcing it, that voice in your head starts saying things like,
“What in the world are you doing walking away from this,” or “Why are you doing this now? You
know this will be a huge change in your life! What if you screw this up?”

 It feels like the initial excitement once you’ve decided to make a change can so quickly shift to

feeling anxious and then experiencing self doubt and second guessing your decision. If you’re a
therapist who’s been considering private practice, you might constantly be asking yourself
whether you really have enough training or credibility to succeed in private practice. Although
you’re desperate to have the freedom to decide how you’ll schedule your work day, you’ve
worried about not attracting enough clients, making enough money, or keeping a business
organized. Self doubt is also a breeding ground for procrastinating and blocks you from taking
action steps to start a counseling practice.

 The good news is that you can overcome self-doubt and quiet that negative self-talk once you’re

clear on a few steps.

 Here's how: 

1.  Take Immediate Action to Direct Your Mind

When inner doubts start to creep up, many people let them spin out of control and fully take
over. Once this happens, it’s incredibly difficult to regain control.

Instead, you must immediately direct your thoughts, reframing the negative self talk as soon as
it begins. In your mind, speak to yourself and validate. “Of course it makes sense this thought is
present. Not only has there been a lot of recent attention I’ve given to this thought, but it has to
do with the unfamiliarity of doing something new. So even though it’s understandable, I am
excited to have a new opportunity and to grow as a person.”

Should the negative talk start up seconds later, remember that our mind learns through
consistency and repetition. Validating your understanding of how our mind reacts to new,
unfamiliar experiences and then shifting your mind to focus on everything being at the right
place, at the right time, for you to take action and grow personally and professionally.
Responding by validating the presence of fear and then consistently shifting your focus towards
your growth as you take these next steps interrupts your thought patterns – which are basically
thought habits – and eventually your inner self-doubter will realize you’re serious and will shift to
help you as you focus on next steps.

2. Remember, You Can Always Make Adjustments and Pivot

Many times, people are so fearful of making mistakes, so they don’t take action toward their
goal to start a private practice. Think of starting a private practice by comparing it to visiting an
unfamiliar vacation destination. You’ll have a map and a basic route planned out as you’re

starting your journey. (Check out our Private Practice checklist or Signature Course if you want
us to be your GPS)

Along the journey, you may decide you want to hop off the highway and take the scenic route
instead. In private practice, this might include experimenting as you’re deciding on marketing
methods to speak to your identified client niche. Any changes made to your initial itinerary may
add a little time to your trip, but you’ll still get to your end destination.

Trying to plan every single move you’ll take to get to your goal of opening before you ever get
started is exhausting. Perfectionism isn’t needed when starting on the journey. Having a road
map so you don’t get distracted and miss a step in the journey is what you’ll need. Just take the
first step, then another, and then another... and remember, you can always change your mind
and adjust along the way.

3.  Ask for Help

Self-doubt can easily become distorted and exaggerated when you’re keeping the fears you’re
experiencing private. When you speak to someone and let those thoughts out into the light,
you’ll have the chance to hear another perspective.

We know you are competent, effective, and an expert at juggling many things, but you also don’t have to go at (opening a private practice) by yourself. We’d love to road trip with you, giving you peace of mind that you’ll not make the mistakes that can slow you down! (Contact us)

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.