Meet Christina Runnels, Your New Private Practice Mentor

As therapists, many of us offer our clients services that may better be described as “life coaching” (we all also probably hate that phrase) than therapy. Rather than helping them get their lives in shape, we help them “train” for a big challenge ahead or tone their resilience muscles during difficult times. These clients are already emotional and mental health athletes. They’re talented and smart and self-aware, but we can help them dig deeper and find an even stronger and more resilient version of who they already are.  

When I work with therapists who are growing their private practice, I have the same experience. I get to work with the all-star athletes of therapy to achieve their full potential and reach for practice goals they haven’t even thought of yet. It’s a joyful and exciting experience, and I genuinely love helping other therapists succeed. The word consultant sounds so sterile and clinical when describing the work that we do together, which is why I’ve always thought of myself as a mentor or coach. I share my knowledge and skill from years of experience in private and group practice to help other therapists succeed. I provide mentorship, offering words of encouragement and support, accountability, and the training you need to run a thriving private practice.

What Does Private Practice Mentorship Look like? 
You may be thinking, that all sounds really great, Christina, but what does that actually mean? When you sign up for consultation services with me through Private Practice DIY, my goal is to help you get the knowledge you need to run a successful practice. For some people, that’s walking together from the moment you have the idea to transition into private practice until you start seeing clients (check out my

Full Growth Package).
Other people have gone through most of the process of opening their private practice, but they just need help in one area like getting credentialed with insurers (check out my One-Time Consultation Package). Whatever your needs, I will partner with you to create a personalized plan to help you achieve your private practice goals. 

What if I’m Not Sure I Want to Go Into Private Practice? 
Every therapist, before they take that first step, has doubts about entering private practice. Will I have enough clients? How do I pay the bills? Can I really run a business? If you’re still trying to decide whether entering private practice is the right option or you just want some general information about how I can help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email to schedule a 15-minute consultation call. In most cases, these initial conversations are adequate to help clinicians check-in with their own needs and goals to determine whether or not it’s the right time to dive into private practice.

What Should I do Next? If you’re interested in learning more about starting a private practice, growing into a group practice, opening new office locations, or anything about the business of running a thriving therapy office, I would love to be part of your support team. By sharing my knowledge and resources to help you succeed, I hope to partner with my clients to achieve their private practice growth goals. If you’re ready to get started, give me a call or send an email today.
Want to learn even more about what Private Practice DIY has to offer and stay up to date on the latest happenings? Sign up for our newsletter.
 
Welcome to the Private Practice DIY Newsletter
First and foremost, thank you for signing up for my newsletter. I hope this can be a great resource for you and your private practice. I am always so grateful to my Private Practice DIY clients who let me partner with them to grow their businesses, and while I don’t necessarily have enough time to stay in touch with each and every one of you after we work together, I hope you know I think of you often and wish you well. If you’ve joined this newsletter as an introduction to how Private Practice DIY can benefit your business, I welcome you and hope you’ll find a lot of great information here. Please, reach out to me if you want to learn more. 

Meet Christina 
I’m Christina Runnels, a licensed professional counselor-supervisor and licensed chemical dependency counselor offering therapy services throughout the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area. I own a multi-clinician therapy practice, Greater Houston Counseling Services, with locations in Katy, Cypress, and Spring, TX. As a therapist and business owner, I’ve learned a great deal about how to run a successful private practice, and I enjoy having the opportunity to share this knowledge with my peers. As a private practice mentor and coach, I strive to help clinicians feel confident and develop the skills they need to run successful practices. 

Why Work with Private Practice DIY? 
There are many reasons you may want to work with a practice consultant. The most obvious is that, while graduate schools prepare therapists for working with clients, they don’t do a great job of preparing us for running a practice. Unless you’re one of those overachievers (read wise people) who earned their MBA alongside a psychology degree, you may not know much at all about the business side of therapy practice. That leaves you with a few options. You can join a group practice, clinic, or hospital as an associate clician and try to learn a bit more about running a practice over time. Others choose to just dive into private practice and hope for the best. 

Working with a consultant or mentor in private practice growth can be a viable alternative to these two options, giving you a reliable resource who can answer your questions, provide guidance, and generally, help you get your practice started on the road to success. 

Available Packages 
No practice is the same, and your needs for mentoring and consulting services will be unique. For convenience, I offer a few basic packages, which I’ll outline below, but I’m also happy to create a custom plan for you. If you don’t see a consulting option that sounds right for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Full Growth Package 
This  is a comprehensive package where I provide virtual consultations, email follow-ups, access to my resource list, and my private practice checklist.

Startup Package
All the basics you need to start your new practice. With options to discuss a wide range of private practice development steps over the course of two virtual consultations. 

One-Time Consultation
Have one or two specific things you need a little help understanding? A one-time consultation may be the best option for you. 
Read Our BlogIf you’ve gotten great information from this newsletter, I hope you’ll also read the Private Practice DIY Blog to get even more information. ​

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