Therapists: We Were Never Meant to Do This Alone…
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified coach, AAMFT clinical supervisor, host of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast and founder of Growing Self.
I’ll never forget the day I sat in my car after an intensely difficult session, tears streaming down my face, with absolutely no one to call.
Not because I didn’t have people in my life. But because there was literally no one who could understand what I’d just experienced. No one I could process with. No one who could witness the weight I was carrying.
I was seven years into solo private practice at that point. Successful on paper. Drowning in reality.
And I remember thinking: How is this sustainable? How do people do this for decades?
The answer, I eventually learned, is that most of us don’t. Not like this. Not alone.
The Lie We Were Sold
Here’s what nobody tells you in grad school:
The robust support system that held you through your training? The supervision hours, the cohort debriefs, the “let’s grab coffee and talk about that case” moments? That all disappears the moment you graduate.
Suddenly you’re supposed to figure out private practice on your own. Build a business you were never trained to run. Hold complex trauma and grief in isolation. Make high-stakes clinical decisions without consultation. Navigate ethics in a rapidly changing landscape with no backup.
And when you start to crack under the pressure? When the imposter syndrome kicks in, or the burnout creeps up, or you realize you haven’t had a genuinely restorative day off in months?
You’re told to “practice self-care.” Maybe “get back into supervision” (which costs money you might not have). Or—my personal favorite—”remember your why.”
As if the problem is that you forgot why you became a therapist in the first place.
The problem isn’t you. The problem is the structure.
Private practice was never meant to be practiced in isolation. But that’s exactly what most of us are doing. (About 50% of therapists, to be exact.)
The Thing About Group Practice
When Growing Self started expanding from my solo practice into a group, something unexpected happened.
The therapists who joined didn’t just get clients and a place to work. They got each other.
Weekly consultation groups where someone finally understood what they were going through. CEU trainings that were actually relevant to their lives. Coaching on the business side of practice that nobody teaches in grad school. A referral network built on genuine relationships, not transactional exchanges.
And here’s what I noticed: The therapists who had this support did better work. They stayed in the field longer. They actually enjoyed their careers.
Not because they were more talented or better trained than solo practitioners. But because they had what humans need to thrive: community, consultation, and consistent support.
For years, this experience was only available to therapists who worked at Growing Self. But as our profession faces unprecedented challenges—rising burnout rates, therapists leaving the field in droves, isolation exacerbated by remote work—I realized something:
This can’t just be for us anymore. Every therapist deserves this.
There’s more where that came from…
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What Changes When You’re Not Alone
Let me paint you a picture of what it looks like when therapists actually have the support they need:
It’s Tuesday morning. You just had a session that left you rattled—a client disclosed something that triggered your own trauma, or maybe you’re second-guessing a clinical decision you made. Instead of sitting with that anxiety alone all day, you text your homebase group: “Can we talk about this in our meeting?”
By Thursday, you’ve processed it with people who actually get it. You have a plan. You feel grounded again.
It’s the third Thursday of the month. Instead of scrambling to find relevant CEUs at the last minute, you’re logging into a training specifically designed for therapists like you—on ethical decision-making in private practice, or supporting therapist wellbeing, or building the specialized niche you’ve been dreaming about. You’re learning what you actually want to know. And getting credit for it.
A client isn’t the right fit for you. Instead of Googling therapists or sending them to Psychology Today, you refer them to someone in your network—someone you know, trust, and have an actual relationship with. Someone who will take great care of them. Because that’s what real community does.
You’re building your practice and have a question about insurance panels, or pricing, or how to market a new service. You drop into success coaching that week and get real answers from someone who’s actually done it. No more trial and error. No more expensive mistakes.
You’re considering a major career pivot—maybe adding a new modality, changing your niche, or even questioning whether private practice is sustainable for you long-term. You have people to process this with. A clinical supervisor for the heavy stuff. A success coach for the business strategy. A community that holds you through the transition, whatever you decide.
This is what’s possible when therapists aren’t isolated anymore.
What The Growth Collective Actually Is
The Growth Collective is everything that makes group practice work—deep consultation, genuine community, meaningful continuing education, business support that moves the needle—without giving up your independence.
Here’s what you get:
Your Homebase Group — A small, consistent circle of 8-10 therapists facilitated by a clinical supervisor. This is your professional family. The people who know your cases, understand your challenges, and genuinely care about your wellbeing. You meet during the first week of every month.
Monthly Live Events:
- Week 2: Drop-in private practice success coaching
- Week 3: Continuing education training (1 CEU)
- Week 4: Drop-in case consultation
On-Demand Support:
- 1:1 case consultation with AAMFT-approved clinical supervisors
- 1:1 success coaching for private practice business strategy
- A generous referral network of high-integrity professionals across the US and Canada
- Specialized training and certifications to develop your niche
All virtual. All designed around the reality of your life.
This Isn’t Networking. This Is Belonging.
I need to be honest with you about something.
When I first started thinking about opening The Growth Collective to therapists outside of Growing Self, I had moments of doubt. Will people actually show up? Will they invest in themselves? Do therapists even believe they deserve this kind of support?
And then I remembered: We were socialized to put everyone else first.
To care for others at the expense of our own wellbeing. To see self-investment as selfish. To white-knuckle through burnout because “this is just what the job requires.”
But here’s the truth I wish someone had told me seven years into my solo practice, sitting in my car crying with no one to call:
You cannot pour from an empty cup. And you were never meant to fill it alone.
The Growth Collective exists because I believe—deeply, fiercely—that therapists deserve the same level of care we give our clients.
That private practice shouldn’t mean practicing in isolation.
That community isn’t a luxury. It’s what makes this work sustainable.
That you are worthy of support, consultation, mentorship, and genuine professional relationships that lift you up instead of leaving you to figure everything out on your own. I’ve been creating these experiences for therapists in my group practice for years and years, but have come to realize that all therapists needs excellent support systems if we’re going to flourish and thrive in this career.
So, for the first time ever, I’m making the group practice experience available to support all therapists. The world needs us… and we need each other.
You’re there for your clients. We’re here for you.
Who This Is For
The Growth Collective is right for you if:
- You’re a licensed mental health professional
- You’re tired of feeling isolated in your work
- You crave real consultation and honest feedback—not just theoretical support
- You’re navigating private practice (or building one) and wish someone had shown you how
- You’re done with burnout and ready to build a career that feels sustainable and satisfying
- You’re ready to invest in yourself the way you invest in others
If any of that resonates? You belong here.
An Invitation
I can’t promise that joining The Growth Collective will solve every problem you’re facing in your practice.
But I can promise you this: You won’t be alone anymore.
When you’re struggling with a difficult case, you’ll have people to call.
When you’re questioning a clinical decision, you’ll have supervision.
When you’re building something new in your practice, you’ll have coaching and strategy.
When you’re carrying grief or sitting with imposter syndrome or just having a really hard week, you’ll have a community that gets it.
Because here’s what I know after ten years of building Growing Self with therapist wellbeing at the center:
Healthy, happy helpers do extraordinary work. And it all starts with not being alone.
Your people are here. We’re with you. And we’re for you.
Learn more and apply to join The Growth Collective →
With you,
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
Founder, Growing Self
Host, Love, Happiness & Success for Therapists
P.S. If you’re reading this and thinking “This sounds amazing but I can’t afford it right now” or “I don’t have time for one more thing”—I hear you. Those were the exact thoughts I had before I invested in my own support systems years ago.
Here’s what I learned: The cost of not having support is so much higher. Burnout. Isolation. Making expensive mistakes. Losing your love for this work.
The time investment? One meeting a week. That’s it. Four hours a month to have your cup filled instead of constantly depleted.
If there’s any way you can make this work, I promise it’s worth it. And if you’re still not sure? Let’s talk. I’d love to hear what you’re navigating and see if this might be the right fit for you.
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