Group and Individual Supervision for Associate Therapists

Will we be a good fit?

As a supervisor, my style is inquisitive & compassionate, while also being thorough and direct.  Supervision is a vulnerable process that can illicit shame & fear, as well as excitement and passion.  I am a good fit for people who like to be engaged on a deep level and who are open to working relationally within the supervising process.  I am interested in supporting you to find your own truths about healing and safely grow that into the path and therapist that you are here to be.

I work well with people who enjoy exploring their emotions, counter-transference, and have a life long commitment to self-knowing.  I work hard and I like working with people who are invested in taking responsibility for their lives and their visions. 

I am particularly suited to working with supervisees who are specializing in similar areas to my own work: sexual trauma, queer and trans communities, working with activists, polyamory, codependency, and adult children of alcoholics. 

Consultation for Successful Marketing & Business Building

If you are an associate therapist in a private practice setting, you are likely facing the huge ordeal of not only further developing your clinical skills, but also building a strong and sustainable practice.  Not many schools or training programs offer business skills and you may be feeling lost and overwhelmed.  Many new therapists struggle with feelings of shame and inadequacy when their practices don’t thrive.  It is important to remember that a thriving practice is developed over time, with skills, and requires a lot of hard work.  Additionally, you may find that while your seasoned mentors are giving you excellent clinical guidance, most of them built a practice before the internet, in a different market, and have an expansive 20-years-in-the-making referral network.  In short, they may be operating from a perspective that won’t work with the current challenges you face.  

Many therapists shy away from marketing, seeing it as inauthentic and at its worse – manipulative.  However, there is a way to market your practice that is not dishonest and can in fact be an intentional and meaningful experience.  Marketing is a form of communication.  You have some kind of special and unique reason you have chosen a path as a healer and there are people out there who can benefit from finding you.  You need to communicate with those people and that is what marketing is as a therapist. 

In the beginning, we will look at what you have so far in terms of a plan and your current skill set.  We will explore your clinical skills, business skills, your internet presence (or lack thereof), and your current vision.  We will identify areas that need more support, skills that need to be developed, and break that down into clear tasks that need to be done.  There may be times that we will look at how your psychology influences your practice building and it can be very helpful for you to be in individual therapy while going through the process of building a practice. 

Some ways I may be helpful to you in building a practice include:

• creating a sustainable fee schedule and/or sliding scale

• making an overall business plan, including long term vision, financial goals, and ideal practice

• identifying what may be unconsciously holding you back

• developing your niche

• finding accurate language to describe your practice and clinical style

• learning how to make a referral network

• marketing your practice with integrity

• practicing in line with your life path and personal truths

If you are interested in consultation or supervision, please contact me to discuss rates and availability. I also offer an online class about how to build a successful private practice as a healing practitioner and published a book about building a values-driven practice, Radical Healership.

Laura Northrup, LMFT // (510) 229-4429 // 445 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, CA