Surviving the F-ed Up Mental Health Industry (part 2)
When You’re Finally in Private Practice
So you finally escaped agency life. Yay! No more supervisors breathing down your neck. No more insurance quotas that make you feel like a factory worker. No more fluorescent lights sucking your will to live. You did it, you’re your own boss now.
Except… you might still be overworked, overwhelmed, and quietly wondering, “Wait… wasn’t private practice supposed to feel better than this?”
Here’s the thing: leaving “The Man” is amazing, but unless you set boundaries early, you’ll just rebuild the same trap for yourself (with your name on the lease this time). Let’s talk about how to keep your sanity, your weekends, and your soul intact.
Learn to Say “No” (and Actually Mean It)
There are a ton of things you’ll need to say “no” to if you’re going to be successful long-term. As the saying goes, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” And there are boundaries for others and boundaries for yourself.
Boundaries toward others might look like:
Sticking to your cancellation policy even when someone pleads for an exception
Ending sessions on time (no more 50-minute hours that turn into 62)
Not responding to texts or DMs from clients outside of business hours
Saying “I’m not the best fit for that issue” instead of taking every referral
Boundaries for self are quieter but just as vital:
Not checking your email after 6 p.m.
Turning off notifications so your nervous system gets a break
Refusing to “squeeze in” another client when you already feel stretched
Taking a real lunch break instead of shoving granola bars into your face-holebetween sessions
One of our consultants once worked with a therapist who literally apologized to clients for having a cancellation policy. (Yes, really.) Once she stopped over-apologizing and gained confidence in saying “no",” she stopped feeling walked on.
Boundaries protect your energy, your ethics, and your longevity in this field. You don’t have to earn rest; it should be considered an essential element of running a successful practice.
If you struggle with setting or enforcing boundaries (with yourself or with others):
Therapy around boundaries helps. For real. If you feel a compulsion to say yes to everything, that’s not a business problem. It’s a personal growth opportunity.
Borrow courage from a friend. Got a private practice buddy who’s a boundaries ninja? Ask them how they say no without guilt. Copy their scripts until it feels natural.
Decide Your Hours and Guard Them Like a Dragon Hoarding Treasure
Here’s the fastest way to burn out in private practice: never turning off.
You need hard stops. Decide your hours and then actually stick to them. Don’t slide in “just one more” evening session. Don’t open your laptop on Sunday morning because “maybe a new client emailed me.”
I (Marina) struggle with this one a bit, and I sometimes cave by overscheduling myself. 100% I always regret it, because I’m left feeling burnt out, resentful, and stressed out.
Pro tip: block off non-negotiable recharge time whether it’s yoga, hiking, Netflix, or screaming into the void. Protect it.
Sacred Weekends = Long-Term Sanity
Private practice is a marathon, not a sprint. If you keep telling yourself, “I’ll just catch up this weekend,” you’ll blink and realize you’ve worked six Saturdays in a row.
Since you’re the master of your own schedule, you get to pick what days will be your weekend. Marina does Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Erica does Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Whatever works for your life is fine, but if it’s your weekend, limit the time you work, or even better, don’t work AT ALL.
Use downtime wisely:
Midday gaps = update your website, catch up on notes, or do networking coffee dates
Weekends = literally anything but work
Your nervous system needs rhythms. If you ignore them, your business will eventually demand a stress tax you don’t want to pay.
Clients Who Drain You? Listen to Your Gut
Some clients are just…a lot. High crisis, high chaos, high drama. If you take on too many, you’ll start dreading your caseload.
It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to refer out. It’s okay to think, “This client deserves help, but not from me right now.”
Remember Marina’s story from corrections? She called it the “sweaty crotch of American mental health.” She took one look at two new intakes and told her boss which one she could help before she got stuck with the one that triggered all her old wounds. That wasn’t selfish. That was survival.
One of the best things about private practice is that you don’t HAVE to take that client that’s giving you the ick. So don’t.
Rituals That Shut the Door on Work
When you work for yourself, “leaving the office” is often just turning around from your laptop. That’s not enough. You need rituals that signal to your body: work is over.
Locking your office door (yes, even if it’s in your house)
Taking a walk around the block before and after your workday
Lighting a candle when you’re “on” and blowing it out when you’re “off”
Washing your hands as a physical reset
Small rituals tell your nervous system, “We’re safe, it’s time to rest.”
We recommend having 3-4 rituals to signal to your system that you’re done with work for the day. Because not all of them are going to work all of the time.
The Big Picture: Private Practice Doesn’t Mean No Moral Injury
Agency work is famous for moral injury, but private practice can still hurt your heart if you’re not careful. You can recreate the same cycles of overwork, just with a prettier office.
Here’s how to avoid that trap:
Choose clients who align with your capacity and values
Charge rates that honor your time and expertise (and that will allow you to retire with dignity when you’re ready)
Set boundaries that protect both your business and your nervous system
Private practice isn’t about grinding harder. It’s about practicing in a way that keeps you aligned with the therapist you wanted to be when you first started this career.
Bottom Line
Escaping the system is amazing, but freedom without boundaries isn’t freedom. It’s chaos. You deserve a private practice that’s sustainable, joyful, and actually supports your life (not just your clients’).
So say no. Guard your weekends. Build rituals. Protect your values.
Because your work matters, and so do you.
And hey, if you need daily encouragement (and a few laughs), come hang out with us on Instagram: @thetherapistconsultants.
The Complete Private Practice Bundle gives you everything you need to build a profitable, sustainable, and genuinely fulfilling practice (without having to white-knuckle your way through it alone, hoping you don’t muck it up).
We’re talking:
✔️ Step-by-step systems to grow your practice
✔️ Tools and templates to take the guesswork out of marketing
✔️ Mindset tools to kick imposter syndrome to the curb
You don’t need to hustle harder or be someone you’re not. You just need the how. And that’s what we give you.
👉 Click here to join us and let’s build the private practice (and life) you’ve been dreaming of.
Oh hey! You might also like these…
