The Entrepreneurial Mindset for Therapists: Building a Business That Supports You
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.
If you’re a therapist in private practice, you’ve probably caught yourself thinking, “I love the work I do, but why does everything around it feel so heavy?”
Let’s get real about something we were never taught in grad school. Stepping into private practice doesn’t just mean becoming your own boss. It means becoming your own marketing department, billing specialist, bookkeeper, administrative assistant, and tech support, all while being a clinician. Most of us were never trained or encouraged to think with an entrepreneurial mindset for therapists, and that gap is exactly why so many gifted clinicians feel overwhelmed, burned out, and unsure how to grow a private practice that supports them instead of draining them.
But there’s good news. It doesn’t have to stay this way.
In a recent episode of the Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists podcast, I spoke with Melissa Bernstein, entrepreneur, creative visionary, and co-founder of Melissa & Doug, along with her newest venture, Lifelines, a wellness brand offering sensory tools to support emotional regulation. Melissa’s new book, The Heart of Entrepreneurship, redefines what it means to build a business from a place of soul rather than stress.
Together, we talked about what it looks like for therapists to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset without losing the heart, ethics, and integrity that make our work meaningful.
Why Therapists Need an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Let’s face it. Most therapists are not taught how to run a business. The story I hear again and again from clinicians in private practice is that they love the therapy part but hate everything else. Marketing feels inauthentic. Admin tasks feel endless. Finances feel confusing. And somewhere along the way, the joy of the work starts slipping through the cracks.
Melissa understands this completely. After decades of mentoring entrepreneurs, she’s seen how creative and mission-driven professionals, including therapists, often get stuck when they try to do everything themselves. One of her most powerful insights is this: you don’t have to do it all.
Building a “bench” of support is one of the smartest things you can do. Whether it’s hiring a freelance bookkeeper, a virtual assistant, a designer for your marketing materials, or even a fractional CFO, the goal is simple. Delegate what drains you so you can spend more time doing what you love.
In many cases, outsourcing doesn’t cost more; it saves money. When you spend your time doing only what you’re great at, your energy and focus multiply. That is the foundation of an entrepreneurial mindset for therapists who want long-term success.
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Sustainable Practice Begins with Nervous System Regulation
Melissa’s journey with mental health inspired her to create Lifelines, a line of sensory-based products designed to help regulate the nervous system through touch, scent, and visual grounding.
This connection between well-being and business is important. Therapists are not only managing clients’ emotions but also their own. Emotional labor is real. Traditional tools like meditation or deep breathing can help, but they do not work for everyone. For many of us, especially those who live mostly in our heads, sensory tools can create instant and accessible calm.
From scented pens that trigger soothing associations to grounding stones that engage multiple senses, these tools help interrupt the stress response and bring you back to the present. Therapists are already using them both personally and in their sessions. Some even offer them to clients, turning them into meaningful extensions of their work.
This integration of business and care illustrates the entrepreneurial mindset for therapists in action. It’s about creating new possibilities that align with your mission while supporting your well-being.
Rethinking What It Means to Help
This conversation wasn’t just about stress or burnout. It was about expanding what’s possible for therapists in private practice. Too often, we limit ourselves to one definition of what it means to “help.” But the world is changing, and client needs are changing too.
Therapists with an entrepreneurial mindset can innovate ethically. That might look like offering workshops, creating group programs, developing courses, or even blending therapy and coaching for clients who want transformation, not just treatment.
It might also mean letting go of the idea that you need to be everything to everyone. As Melissa said, “The opposite of your worst quality is often your best one.” Owning your limitations is part of honoring your gifts. Having an entrepreneurial mindset for therapists does not mean becoming salesy or disconnected. It means staying open to what else might be possible—for you, for your clients, and for your career.
Keep Building Your Entrepreneurial Mindset
If this topic sparked something for you, it might be time to take the next step toward building a practice that is more sustainable and more aligned with your values.
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That’s where I share behind-the-scenes insights, podcast updates, and practical tools to help you grow as both a clinician and a business owner. I’d love to hear what this episode inspired for you.
Let’s Talk
What came up for you while reading this? What new ideas are forming about your private practice, your clients, or your own self-care? Send me a note. Your feedback shapes future episodes and articles.
You don’t need to be a business expert to succeed in private practice. You just need the right support, the right strategies, and the right mindset.
If no one has told you lately, you’re doing amazing work. This career is challenging, but so are you.
xoxo,
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
Resources:
Reese, R. J., Young, J. S., & Hutchinson, T. S. (2013). Preparing counselors-in-training for private practice: A course in clinical entrepreneurship. The Professional Counselor, 3(1), 48–60. https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/preparing-counselors-in-training-for-private-practice-a-course-in-clinical-entrepreneurship/
Davis, M. H., Hall, J. A., & Mayer, P. S. (2016). Developing a new measure of entrepreneurial mindset: Reliability, validity, and implications for practitioners. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 68(1), 21–48. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000045
Glover, W. J., Crocker, A., & Brush, C. G. (2024). Healthcare entrepreneurship: An integrative framework for future research. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 22, e00476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2024.e00476
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