67 Times Therapists Inspired Me

You are a superhero.

After over 4 years of working with therapists on their websites and online presence, I am still continually inspired by you.

Here are 67 times that you’ve left me totally inspired:

1. When you’re overwhelmed with private practice but you keep going anyway because you know it’s one of the best ways for you to make an impact
2. When you can’t stop talking about how important it is to help your clients, even though I asked you about your website
3. When you fight the mental health stigma simply by doing what you do everyday
4. When you felt fear about blogging but did it anyway
5. When you put so much thought into your office decor because you want it to be warm and welcoming to all
6. When you find an ERH that works both for you but also for your clients
7. When you are scared about being on camera but you realize it will help people, so it’s worth doing
8. When you always have tissues when we need them
9. When you try to achieve work life balance so you won’t burn out and will have more longevity in helping
10. When you notice when you get triggered/are projecting/have transference and work on it with your supervisor
11. When you make sure you have the support of a supervisor
12. When you get to a point where you can be a supervisor
13. When you post all over Facebook asking for books and resources that would help your client
14. When you dedicate your time off to learning new skills
15. When you go deep in thinking about what clients need when they are on your website and you try and provide that experience for them
16. When you think through your client’s pain so you can speak to it in your marketing
17. When you’ve created an online course because you want to help beyond your in-office clients
18. When you realize the high potential of compassion fatigue but keep providing therapy anyway to help people
19. When you are taking care of a client in crisis and have to cancel our meeting last minute
20. When you are vulnerable in sharing what you’ve gone through
21. When you help me heal by reading my story and letting me know that I’m heard
22. When you start side projects, like therapist directories, to help therapists connect
23. When you use what you’ve learned in building your practice to help other therapists build theirs
24. When you get interviewed on the news and it amplifies the sharing of your knowledge
25. When you notice therapists aren’t in community in your area so you start a community with meetups and an online group
26. When you collect stones and keep them in your office ever since you noticed that some clients like to hold on to them during the session because it helps them feel better
27. When you face your money mindset stuff and finally start charging a reasonable rate
28. When you create your first social media profile
29. When you learn about digital security because you want clients to be cared for
30. When you make sure there’s always tea in your office
31. When you stock your fridge full of treats for your group practice clinicians because you value taking care of them
32. When you offer online therapy because you know some people really need it and it really helps
33. When you create content so generously to help people, clients too, but also people of the world
34. When you consistently write emails to your list so that you keep in touch with your subscribers, building a relationship
35. When you create a eBook that you probably could sell, but then give it out for free
36. When you think through the outfit you wear to the office
37. When you post on Facebook seeking the best therapist chair
38. When you offer to be on call while another therapist is on vacation so they can truly have a vacation
39. When you spend so many years learning clinical skills, and then continue to learn ongoing
40. When you take a nap on your office’s couch because you had a cancellation
41. When you want to make sure clients know that you are licensed, because you want to protect them
42. When you start a podcast to share what you know
43. When you don’t know anything about incorporating your business so you take the steps into legal financial land to figure it out
44. When you post in a FB group of therapists that you’ve been in practice for a month but haven’t yet gotten any clients and you ask for help
45. When you see a post in a FB group of therapists, that someone has been in practice for a while but hasn’t gotten any clients yet, and you spend 5 minutes helping
46. When you honor your nomadic spirit and move to a new country or hit the road, and build an online practice to accommodate who you are
47. When you let your clients sit wherever they want, including on the ground, if that’s where they feel more comfortable
48. When you ask questions that you think are “stupid questions” but are actually questions you ask when you’re courageous enough to learn new things
49. When you offer to help a therapist you don’t know with thinking about their niche
50. When you’ve been a therapist for a long time, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years…
51. When you’re on a mission to create more trans-affirming therapy
52. When you are friends with other therapists because you believe in the power of lifting each other up
53. When you let your clients take off their shoes in session because they feel more comfortable that way
54. When you notice a client is going through a hard week and offer a five minute phone check in call
55. When you take insurance to help more people
56. When you don’t take insurance to help more people
57. When you start a group practice, helping more people
58. When you work part time, helping the number of people you can
59. When you know you’re not the best fit for a client and refer them out to someone who is their best fit
60. When you set boundaries with your clients to protect your own time and space and model how to set boundaries in the first place
61. When you commit to subletting entire days
62. When you finally are able to rent your own office instead of subletting
63. When you finally take the leap into private practice from being in an agency, you’re scared but you are doing it anyway
64. When you still use a paper planner because you know that’s what works best for you
65. When you let clients bring their dogs with them to their session because their dogs help calm them down
66. When you own a group practice and write thank you cards to your clinicians because you know the importance of showing gratitude
67. When you take a spa day and know that you deserve it

Some of these may seem small. Some of these may seem surprising. But these are all times when I’ve had the honor of witnessing you grow, achieve, or witnessed the depths of your compassion – including the compassion you must have for yourself to sustain the work of being a therapist.

You are unique and awesome. I hope you know that. I hope you step back and see how totally cool you are to be doing what you do. I hope that even when things get challenging, you’ll be able to feel into the gratitude that exists for how you help.

Thank you for the important work that you do.