About Julia Smith
Where are you in your private practice journey? How’s it going for you? I’m Julia Smith and I’m so glad you’re here.
This podcast is dedicated to help you know exactly how to start your private practice in Canada, while also sharing tips to growing it, filling your schedule, and going from solo to group practice owner. I’ll take you on my journey from starting as a counsellor to totally killin’ it and growing my own practice in Halifax. I also feature expert guests and industry leaders and together, we’ll help you plan, start, and grow a successful private practice in Canada.
Thanks for listening!
Julia Smith
Featured Podcasts
Marketing Your Private Practice on Podcasts | Ep 62
You might feel uncertain as to where to begin when it comes to marketing yourself on podcasts – it’s something new! Even if you are a little nervous, it’s easier, more lucrative – and more fun – than you might think. Being a guest and talking on someone else's podcasts or even starting one for your Canadian private practice are great, creative, and versatile ways for you to showcase your practice. Podcasting can offer you tools for connecting with your ideal clients, like dynamic marketing and boosting your SEO ranking. Listen to this episode where I take you through the benefits, the process, and how to get started on becoming a podcast guest!
Why You Can’t Use Testimonials in Canadian Private Practice | Ep 58
We all know that testimonials are the gold standard for marketing. People trust and value the opinions of others, and so they will often look for endorsements or referrals when they are deciding on who to work with or which services or products to buy. However in private practice, it is highly unethical to ask clients for testimonials. So, how can you connect with your ideal clients and market your Canadian private practice in an ethical yet effective way? In this podcast episode, I discuss how you can go about finding ethical endorsements for your practice without crossing any boundaries with your regulator or other standards of practice. Do great work in an ethical way, and here are some tips on how to get started!
Why You Should Create a Private Practice Podcast | Ep 56
Do you want to explore different ways to market your Canadian private practice while diving into new skills? What are some unique ways to promote your Canadian private practice? Could podcasting be an easy way to market and connect with your ideal clients? Whether you want to diversify your marketing efforts, develop new interpersonal and business skills, expand your network, and increase connection with your client base, podcasting is a powerful and creative tool that you can utilize! In this podcast episode, I discuss my personal experiences with podcasting for my Canadian private practice and offer you a couple of tips to keep in mind when you give it a go!
Allison Puryear: Marketing Skills for Canadian Private Practices | Ep 55
How can you become a great boss for your employees? What does it take to truly connect through copy? What is needed to launch multiple successful private practices, even in different provinces? You can be intentional with your Canadian private practice, and create it to suit you, your temperament, and your skills. Simultaneously, you don’t have to keep growing and growing until you reach the moon! Your business is a way for you to serve the needs of your community while supporting yourself and your family. In this episode, Allison and I discuss Canadian private practice from all angles, so whether you are fresh to private practice or you are a seasoned therapist who's been at the helm for a while, there’s something in this episode for you to appreciate!
Lisa Simone Richards: PR Essentials for Canadian Private Practices | Ep 51
Have you been struggling with getting your Canadian private practice in front of more people? Are you looking for a way to dramatically boost your revenue? Do you want to light a fire beneath your visibility? If you agreed with these questions, then definitely listen to this episode, because it’s for you! In this podcast episode, I discuss everything to do with PR with Lisa Simone Richards. From the value of engaging with different media forms, to how to increase the visibility of your Canadian private practice, and more – tune in for a run-down and re-cap of the essential basics of boosting the PR of your Canadian private practice.
Ashleah Wilson: The Power of Storytelling in Marketing | Ep 50
What is the story that you want to tell about your Canadian private practice? What do you stand for in life and private practice? Why are you a therapist, and how do you reflect this reason to your clients? Marketing might seem like another item on the admin to-do list for your Canadian private practice, but it is so much more. Your marketing is the practice of telling the story of you, your therapy, and how your private practice serves your community. In this podcast episode, I discuss the power of utilizing the concept of storytelling to create genuine and connective marketing with Ashleah Wilson, a master storyteller.
Alison Pidgeon: Turn Your Passion Into Another Business | Ep 44
Do you have ideas that you want to explore within the mental health field that lies outside of the therapy room? Or do you have one great idea that you want to try out? Or do you have a passion that you want to try to monetize while growing your private practice? Whatever is on your mind, or wherever you are in your Canadian private practice and professional business journey, in this podcast episode I chat with Alison about her extensive experience with building multiple businesses. From starting her group practice to creatings side hustles, we discuss contractors versus employees, your passions, and finding your “why”.
Claire Blakey: Creating a Sustainable Canadian Private Practice | Ep 43
Do you have a team that supports you in your private practice? Are there other passions in your life that you want to pursue alongside being a therapist? What does it take to create a sustainably successful Canadian private practice? Passive income and diversifying your income streams is not only a good financial decision for your business, but it also supports you because it provides an outlet for you to explore and develop your hobbies outside of therapy, which can make you a happier and a more successful therapist. Whether you have multiple streams of passive income already, or you have just hit the idea-stage, this podcast episode is for you. Claire Blakey and I discuss the pros (and some cons) to passive income, and how you can approach this new avenue to make the most of it.
Alison McCleary: Navigating the Journey From Studying to Practicing Therapy| Ep 42
Are you working with your passions? How can you find a bridge between what you like to do and what you need to do? Could you develop a small avenue of passive income in your Canadian private practice? The road from being a student to a therapist is long with many twists, turns, and brave steps! Imagining your future Canadian private practice may feel very far away while you are in grad school or finishing your dissertation, but you can take small steps now to make that transition easier for yourself – and more successful for your future business! From finishing your studies to taking the first, small steps to building your new, sustainable Canadian private practice, I discuss this journey with Alison McCleary and the lessons that she has learned.
Gabbi and Helen: Bring Your Principles Into Your Canadian Private Practice | Ep 41
The work that you do and the services that you provide to your clients are often magnified when you work within your expertise and when you incorporate your principles. Your past experience and values will shine through in your Canadian private practice and marketing efforts, and when you openly center your practice around what matters to you, you can automatically attract your ideal clients! In this podcast episode, I speak with Gabbi and Helen about how they were able to quickly launch and grow their Canadian private practice, and how betting on their principles helped them to do so.
Nicole McCance: The Benefits of Automizing Your Canadian Private Practice | Ep 39
Are you craving more freedom in your work and free time in your everyday life? Are you working at full capacity and hitting an income glass ceiling? What if you could build a totally automated group practice? Is that possible? Whether you crave some more mobility in your daily life, you feel like you’re on the verge of burnout, or you are in the process of growing your Canadian private practice, you need systems. Automated systems take a huge chunk of work out of your day, allowing you to focus on what is important to you. In this podcast episode, I talk about the benefits of systems and how to implement them with Nicole McCance, a master optimiser!
How to Build a Caseload in Your Canadian Private Practice With Online Booking | Ep 37
Are you still emailing your clients back and forth to set up sessions? Do you need to free up some time in your schedule and automate the admin? Did you know that setting up an online booking system is really easy? Setting up an online booking system has saved me so much time! And switching to an automated booking structure allows my admin staff to work on other important tasks, and get more done, which helps my Canadian private practice to grow steadily and smoothly. Online booking is a great tool for counsellors in private practice, and in this episode, I show you how to do it!
Michelle Noftall Returns: The Benefits of Trying Something New in Your Canadian Private Practice | Ep 34
Does progress in your online Canadian private practice feel slow? Do you want to increase the reach to your ideal clients, but don’t know where to start? I know some strategies that can help you. In this podcast episode, Michelle returns to talk about how our live consultation in the Spring helped her private practice become successful. We revisit her Canadian private practice journey and how she was able to become five times busier by using a few new simple approaches to marketing and business. Join us and see how they can help you too!
How to Create a Video That Takes Your Marketing to the Next Level | Ep 29
Are most of your social media postings and marketing efforts static pictures? Do you want to elevate your practice in the eyes of prospective clients? Or would you simply like to boost your Canadian private practice’s online presence? Whatever your goals are, making a video to advertise your Canadian private practice is the next best thing to connecting with your ideal client face-to-face! In this episode, I share my experience and share with you some of my secret tips to help you to create your first video, and how to make it great!
What Should I Include in My Canadian Marketing Plan?: Live Consultation With Michelle Noftall | EP 23
Are you fully utilizing the power of keywords in your blog posts? What works and what doesn’t work in your current marketing plan? From Instagram reels to networking relationships, your marketing plan is important and should be fine-tuned and optimized. In this episode, I do a live consultation with Michelle and discuss how to strategically diversify her marketing plan to advertise her Canadian private practice to her ideal clients.
Blogging: Why It Is Important for Your Canadian Private Practice and How to Do It | EP 17
As soon as I started my private practice, I started blogging. Over time, it has helped me grow an audience, rank high on Google, and maintain a consistent connection with my clients. If you find blogging daunting, or you have been meaning to start but just don’t know how to get going, in this episode, I discuss helpful tips from my personal blogging experience to help you get started.
Amelia Hutchison: How to Ethically Build Your Social Media Audience | EP 15
Are you a therapist working to build your social media presence? How do you remain ethical while entertaining your audience? In this podcast episode, I speak with Amelia about how to build a Canadian social media presence that is professional, ethical, and true to who you are, while still connecting to your audience and helping you get clients.
How to Attract Clients With My Canadian Website? Live Consulting With David Mitchell | EP 10
David took part in my webinar about starting a private practice. Now, he is building his own online Canadian private practice in Prince Edward Island! In this episode, he and I discuss ways for him to grow his success, the importance of raising his rates, and other vital aspects of creating a thriving Canadian private practice.
How I Developed a Marketing Strategy for My Private Practice – Networking | EP 07
Networking was an important factor in my marketing. Even though direct referral sources from other clinicians and doctors were helpful, networking itself could get expensive. Some aspects of it worked well, while others were a waste of time and money. I needed to branch out my Canadian marketing and network strategies to suit me and my practice.
