Juana Rincon, a counselor, shares her path in growing a private practice, before, during and after finishing the 6-figure practice program where she learned and successfully applied marketing for counselors.
Juana Rincon: How To Start A Private Practice In Counseling
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Hi, Juana.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Hi, Sasha.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Hi. So thank you for doing this interview, it’s always inspiring for me at least to hear about different people’s journeys in building their businesses and the different struggles, both because it normalizes my own struggles, right? “Oh, everyone’s going through the same thing.” And also different people succeed with different things more than others, so it’s great to learn from each other.
So to start, a few details about you and your business.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, I’m a psychotherapist in Boulder, and I have been calling my practice UNNIDO Counseling which is a name I brought back from my practice in Colombia actually. I’m doing clinical work. Right now it’s framed and it’s conceived as a holistic therapy space. I have training in yoga and trauma and attachment, and I’m kind of trying to blend everything into a service that people can just work within like a more holistic kind of just framework within their struggles in their lives, so including body, mind, emotions, spirituality. And so that’s my intention and I’ve been working towards that.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Wonderful. So you went through the six-figure practice program, and why did you decide to join it in the first place?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, I decided to join because I was at a point where I was trying to get started somehow and I was a hundred percent lost, like I had no clue how to do it, what to do, what to do first, what to do second. And it just felt like a good place to start and get situated and oriented towards like the huge endeavor that it is to build a private practice. And so it seemed like I would get like enough tools and information to just get started, really, which is what I needed in that moment.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): The extent that you want to share, what do you think contributed to those struggles before … kind of at the beginning, before you joined.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): What do I think about what? Sorry.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): What contributed to those struggles before you joined?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Well, I guess like having no guidance at all, no training, no information really, like no space to network with other people that were in the same place that I was. So I felt pretty alone, that was like the core of my struggle was that I don’t know how to do this, I don’t know who to ask, I don’t know who to connect or brainstorm or get ideas from. And I just I know that I don’t know how to do this.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): That makes sense. I hear this across the board, and it’s just a shame after three years of master’s program and all those, housing internship, counselors who wants to start their own private practice feel they’re all alone, right? “Where do I start? What do I do?”
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, exactly. No training whatsoever in that regard.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): So when you went to the program during and after, what do you think are the biggest measurable achievements that you had during that?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Measurable achievements, well, I finished my website, that’s pretty wonderful.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Beautiful.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah. I think that was like the main thing for me, like huge, huge. Then I joined a couple of like directories of like whatever for being in other directories out there for people to be able to … I mean, to get referrals from.
And I guess that another … Let’s see. Let me think about that. I think I have a better idea of how to do that first initial consultation for sure, so that’s measurable in the sense that I now know what to ask exactly and how to go about that first consultation, which was totally like unstructured before. So that’s measurable.
And I got like a few clients along the process of being in the program. I somehow created a Google campaign even if honestly I just got like the basics of it, my process was sort of like difficult. But I think I somehow tried and I somehow made it, and I think it was through that Google campaign, because people then started finding me through the searches.
I stopped the campaign right now, and then I noticed it kind of changed. But even that, like I didn’t even know that that existed, I was like so … like I was so clueless. So that was measurable, I got a few clients.
I’m pretty sure it was the campaign sort of like created that. My site just popped up. That’s pretty measurable.
And I stayed connected with the people that I went through the program, and now we are like seeing each other every other week. And so like brainstorming more, like we did or like a case consultation kind of thing with one of the participants recently. And so it’s sweet, kind of like to see how everybody’s sort of like in their own journey but at the same time like we feel supportive of each other.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): So having that sense of community.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, that was kind of sweet actually.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): What do you think … how did the program help you to finish your website? It’s a big one to say it’s done, right? Because it can be a work in progress for years. Of course, you will be changing it and I’m still changing and adding to my website, right? But to achieve a point where you feel like, “Oh, okay, this represents me well, and it will do what it needs to do which is have clients call me.”
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, so when did I know was the question, when did I know it was …
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Well, how it helped you to finish your website?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): How, okay, of course. Sorry. I think it helped me … I had started already before the program with … I had some stuff but it was honestly like terrible. I mean, it was not published at all.
I think it helped me just to understand what I needed to work on, like it gave me like a specific map or something. It was just like I need to have a page of this, this, this and this. And I started working on the content, and then I sort of like knew I had to have like a contact page and sort of like the generalities of what needs to … how does it need to look like were presented in the program, and so I just apply that in the best I could.
And then when I got the review from you and we looked at it together, that was like the real kind of like game changer for me because up to that point I was like, “I don’t know if I’m doing this fine, like I’m just doing it and I just added all these stages and all these content, trying to add the keywords and stuff but I didn’t know if I was …” I mean, I had really no clue, and then when we did the review I think that …
I had published it before, I did publish it, I was like, “Whatever.” And some people, some friends read, read it and did some editing in the content.
But what helped was just like the input of like what needs to be there, more or less how many words, how many pages, what matters about like how to communicate the services, the relational sort of like aspect of what clients, potential clients, need to feel connected to you and kind of want to work with you was not clear to me, so that became very clear. It was like, “Oh, okay, I need to use this kind of languaging and this kind of way of expressing myself.”
And along that too, like I just had like the professional pictures taken. And I realized like I need … Yeah, it just needs to be first … like I need to like invest on it. So I did the professional pictures. And then as I said, when I met with you, when we did the review that really was kind of like a push, I was like, “Oh, okay, way more clear even about like how to make it better.”
And I know it still can be better, but I now know a few things that … I mean, a lot of things that I didn’t know before.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): And I noticed that when counselors or coaches step out of that comfort zone from doing this as a practice and say, “Well, I’m building my own business right now,” and start acquiring all this knowledge and marketing and also applying it, some inner changes follow as well.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yes.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): So how does it feel for you? And maybe what changed for you in the way you view yourself right now after having the experience of, “Well, I have a finished website that I’m proud of, I created a Google campaign and my website is actually being found and people reaching out to me, I receive a few clients, I have a community of counselors that I can work with.” What changed for you internally during and after the program?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Well, before I was just like I just don’t know how to do this, it felt pretty overwhelming. And what changed is that I don’t feel as overwhelmed anymore, I feel that like I still kind of can tell I have a lot to learn and we went through some of the content in the program, so I was like that, like it just didn’t even almost registered because it was just like a lot and it just was a little over my head in some level. At least felt like it was not applicable in that specific moment, so I just chose to focus on some things and ignore other things.
But the few things I was able to focus on gave me like enough confidence that I can actually … like I just present my work and I can actually get clients and I can actually finish a freaking website by myself, which was like a huge thing, because I never thought I would be able to do a website by myself, like ever-ever, like I was like, “For sure,” I was 100% sure that I would need help, and I did not. I didn’t need help. I mean, I published it just with no help. I have made changes after that, people giving me feedback, you and other people, but, I mean, I finished it, I did it. So that obviously gave me a lot of confidence.
And then when I started getting like requests for like consultations and stuff, like it totally like boosted my confidence. I was like, “Oh, this is doable, this works, this is good.” So definitely less overwhelmed, more confidence and more like enjoyment in some level and more relaxation and more enthusiasm without like the anxiety or anxious sort of like energy.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Do you think when you’re continuing this work that it can actually be fun as well, the marketing part?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, I mean, I haven’t got there yet I think, but … Yeah, I think I haven’t, but I can see, yeah, I can see definitely. I mean, if you put something out there and people respond I can totally see that becoming like a fun kind of thing. And I mean, for me it was first like to get … and now I kind of want to do more marketing stuff, like packages and stuff, and I want to look into the coaching thing. So I still have a lot of things to look forward to.
And to develop more that sort of like enjoyment for sure and that, oh, this is fun, I still I’m not there yet but for sure I think like I’m on my way.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Yeah, it’s so difficult at the beginning when it’s kind of like driving in fog, right? You don’t really even know if you’re going to … like what’s ahead, but you need to move forward anyway, right? And you’re building your website and you’re writing your text and you’re learning how to do Google ads and free advertising that we were talking about as well, and you’re putting all this time and energy and paid advertising money and an emotional energy as well, right? Worrying will it work. But you have no idea will it work or not, right?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): And you need to push yourself further until you start seeing the results, and then some switches, right? “It’s doable, it works. Now I kind of have more ideas and more things that I want to do.”
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Well, thank you so much, Juana. For anyone who’s watching, your website review is actually in the program as well as six or seven others. And it’s just so important to see what are the different manifestations that counselors and coaches can have and create something of their own that represents them, right? The process is kind of similar and outline the same way for everyone, but all of your websites were so different in a way and your unique character.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, thank you. Yeah, that’s wonderful.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Juana, if someone wants your help and they want to find you, how can they do that? Or just to talk about you and connect around building your own private practice.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Well, I guess my website is like the main way to connect with me, it’s you unnidocounseling.com. I’m working with adults and adolescents and the consequences like long-term consequences of trauma and attachment issues which manifests in relational issues like lack of satisfaction and sort of like unprocessed grief. So … well, many things really.
But yeah, I have experience and training in those areas and I love that work and I’m blending that with spiritual practice and spiritual journey and work and people that are interested in a spiritual path really and want to do some inner work too. So that’s sort of like my niche I guess, just people that have actually some interest in spirituality and spiritual path and psychotherapy.
So I think my website is the best way to find me.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): Yeah, full circle, right?
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): So thank you so much, Juana. It was such a pleasure to have you in the program.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Thank you, Sasha. I appreciate it. Thank you for all your support all along. Thank you.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): You’re more than welcome. I’m so glad that you clients can now find you.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): Yeah, me too.
Sasha Raskin (Business Coach & Marriage Therapist): All right, take care.
Juana Rincon (Counselor): All right, you too. Bye-bye.
The Six Figure Practice with Sasha Raskin, is an online program and community for counselors and coaches, who are building their 6 figure practice. If you’re looking for a clear, step-by-step road map for creating and marketing your private practice, you’re at the right place!
Free resources to grow your coaching / counseling business:
Free 15 minutes crash course – “How to Create a Thriving Counseling / Coaching Private Practice”: https://www.the6figurepractice.com/short-course
Free resources about marketing for therapists: https://www.the6figurepractice.com/blog
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Our accelerator programs for creating a 6-figure business:
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About me:
My name is Sasha Raskin. I’m a Number 1 Best Selling Co-Author in 12 Countries, a Doctoral student in Counseling Education and Supervision, a business coach in Boulder, a couples counselor in Boulder, and an adjunct faculty at a graduate counseling program at Naropa University.
One of the things I’m enjoying the most is helping other therapists and coaches build their successful private practice so that they could actually help the clients they were taught to help, and thrive themselves. I’m almost always fully booked, so my ability to work with individuals is limited. That is why I’ve created this program to deliver powerful results and create a community where you will feel supported by each other!
This program’s primary goal is to help you build a 6 figure private practice, in a fun and authentic way. Counselors and coaches invest an incredible amount of time, money, and effort into building their helping skills. However, when their training ends, they usually find themselves lacking the business skills that are needed to start and run a successful private practice, feel isolated, discouraged and not knowing where to start.
I believe that to be truly helpful to others, therapists and coaches have to learn to thrive themselves and definitely know how to get clients whom they can help.
This is where this program comes in. If you’re willing to learn and work hard, a 6-figure private practice is within your reach in a year – 2 years. This program will give you a clear outline, and detailed instructions on how to get there.
