Ursula Kerr: Take a Risk, Start a Private Practice, and Be Your Own Boss | Ep 87

Fearless Practice

Ursula Kerr took many risks and leaps of faith, and through those moments of struggle and uncertainty, she has now created a thriving private practice that she enjoys working in each day. Life is not about working, but creating a job that you love doing is a great way to add value (and income) to your life!

By hiring a consultant, getting professional help or advice, and working in your passion and niche, you can create a workplace that you are excited to work in each day.

In this podcast episode, Ursula and I discuss her Canadian private practice journey from breaking out of the golden handcuffs of an agency job into building her dream practice. We talk about common struggles, tips, and ways for you to become inspired to take the next step.

MEET URSULA

Ursula is a social worker and therapist in British Columbia with over ten years of experience. She specializes in helping people address feelings of anxiety, with a focus on social anxiety, and trauma. She has a background in child welfare and has done extensive research on human trafficking in Canada.

Learn more about Ursula on her website and Psychology Today profile.

In this episode:

• Getting into private practice

• Navigating online and in-person counseling

• Be willing to take a risk

• The value of a consultant

• Marketing tips

Getting into private practice

At first, the counselling on the side was a source of extra income that Ursula wanted to create.

After some time, even though Ursula was working in a good agency job, she started to notice that she looked more forward to going to her counseling job than the government one.

Ursula had a busy caseload and a waitlist, so there was no lack of work there. She was working in a small town so people knew her well, she had built strong connections within the community, and had been telling people that she was going into counseling full-time. Everything was ready for her to take a risk.

Navigating online and in-person counseling

Before the pandemic, Ursula - like most counsellors - primarily worked with her clients in an in-person, one-on-one setting. During and after the pandemic, Ursula also had to quickly learn how to adapt and change her systems to accommodate for the lockdown to offer virtual therapy to her clients.

However, now that the world is shifting and in-person is becoming more desired again, Ursula is interested in reverting back to working with her clients in reality and not solely online.

Be willing to take a risk

For Ursula, advocacy is a life value. She incorporates this value and the intentionality that it comes with into her private practice. This type of work and value can seem like a risk, but she made it work, and it brought a whole new aspect of her practice to life.

Apart from incorporating your values, with Canadian private practice, you can choose your hours, your fee,your preferred niche, and much more! Work does not have to be a struggle and cause burn out.

The value of a consultant

Taking a risk is also where working with a consultant can be a huge help. These people have first-hand experience in going through what you are about to, and they can give you valuable insight and encouragement.

Working with a consultant also helps you to build a practice that is both successful but also ethical. They know what’s required, which documents are necessary, who you should speak to professionally, and which legal papers to get to protect you, your clients, and your business.

Connect with me:

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Resources mentioned and useful links:

Ep 86: Allyson Gassner: From Practicum to Private Practice | EP 86

Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice

Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice

Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)

Learn more about Ursula on her website and Psychology Today profile