The 5 Pillars of Practice Building

Developing the mindset that will most support your practice involves identifying and working with any underlying beliefs that may sabotage your success. These sabotaging beliefs can take many forms- fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being seen, limiting beliefs about money or business, fears of seeming selfish, and cultural conditioning, and can negatively impact your clinical work.

Consciously working on developing a stance of abundance, generosity, courage, fun, and self-compassion will be one of the most nourishing things you can do for your practice (the rest of your life will benefit, too.) Oftentimes limiting beliefs, not lack of competence, are what gets in the way of taking action towards growing your practice.

Clarity is all about knowing so clearly who you and what you offer that talking about it with others comes easily. It's about knowing your gifts, your challenges, your basic message and what makes you unique. It's about discovering the work that lights you up. 

Clarity is also about knowing your numbers, knowing where your referrals are coming from, and knowing the needs of your business.  Clarity includes having a long term vision for your practice, and knowing the steps it takes to get there.  

Sustainability involves setting in place the policies, procedures and self-care practices that will support you financially, mentally, and emotionally over the long term. Sustainability is about having good boundaries and practicing self care in every area of your practice. It's about taking regular time off, growing a business savings, setting and asking for the right fees, preventing burnout and vicarious trauma, working a schedule that works for your life, knowing when to take risks and knowing when to ask for help.  Think of it as the care and feeding of the practice and the practitioner.

There is an energetic drain that starts to happen when we are not in Integrity. Practicing from a place of integrity necessitates self-awareness--knowing when things are starting to slip and course correcting. This may mean taking time to catch up on your notes, making sure you are getting clinical consultation when a treatment feels stuck, or recommitting to tracking your numbers if they have gotten away from you.

Building your practice from a place of Integrity is about choosing marketing strategies that are aligned with your personal values and your clinical stance and that aren't just about getting people in the door by any means necessary.

Working the pillar of Community involves building trust with the community you serve, letting people know about what you offer, strengthening your referral network by building relationships,  nurturing and deepening connections with your inner circle of colleagues and availing yourself of the support of other professionals who can help you execute your vision for your practice. It also includes surrounding yourself with people who hold the highest vision for your practice- the folks who are in your corner and want to see you succeed.  

This isn't just about building an overflowing practice and making an excellent living- though there'e nothing wrong with that. You were called to do this work and you want to do it well. Continuing to learn, consult, and hone your skills keeps you inspired and adds richness and depth to your work--so you can do well while also doing good.