Episode 141

full
Published on:

8th Jun 2024

Episode 141: The Journey to Private Practice: Taking Strategic Risks [featuring Jorge Fernandez]

Jorge Fernandez, an LCSW and private practice owner, joins me to discuss facing fears and embracing entrepreneurship in the mental health field.

3 key takeaways:

  1. Face Your Fears Head-On: We delve into common fears therapists have about liability and financial stability when considering private practice. We emphasize the importance of betting on oneself and not allowing these fears to hold you back from building a fulfilling career.
  2. Know Your Business Inside and Out: Whether it's understanding the nitty-gritty of billing or the broader aspects of business management, knowing every part of your practice is crucial before you can effectively delegate or outsource tasks.
  3. Embrace Imperfection: As small business owners, it's easy to get bogged down by the desire for perfection. Jorge highlights the value in focusing on serving clients to the best of our ability and not being paralyzed by the minutiae of every decision.

Note from Jorge:

My parents both emigrated from Cuba as teenagers to flee from Fidel Castro’s rule. My father worked incredibly hard to ensure I had what I needed for my education, while my mother was present for every school event that needed a volunteer. They taught me the value of helping others and showing respect.

My career began in the Little Havana section of Miami in the late 1990s providing therapy to children and families in their homes in the exclusively immigrant population. I then moved to New York City, where I provided individual and group therapy to teenagers in two high schools. I later oversaw therapy with both families of teens abusing drugs and alcohol and families accused of abuse or neglect of their children. I also helped bring yoga classes for kids and Spanish-language parenting classes to these communities. I came to Connecticut in 2014 and, before private practice, ran one of only three programs in the state providing therapy inside the home for families of adolescents who were demonstrating inappropriate sexual behaviors.

I now run a solo private practice serving all of Connecticut through in-person and telehealth sessions with individuals and families. I also offer clinical supervision and coaching to therapists.

I have training from the Ackerman Institute for the Family, the Salvador Minuchin Center for the Family, the Jewish Board of Family & Children’s Services’ Advanced Training Program, and problem sexual behavior training from MST Associates.

–––––––––––––––––––––

🎙️Listen to more episodes of the Neurodivergent Entrepreneur Podcast: https://ndpod.org

🎙️Spotify: https://ndpod.org/Spotify

🎙️Apple: https://ndpod.org/Apple-Podcast

🎙️ YouTube: https://ndpod.org/YouTube

🧠 Neurodivergent Entrepreneur Freebie Vault: https://ndpod.org/Freebie-Vault

✈️ Learn about Retreats: https://www.allthingspractice.com/private-practice-retreats

🗨️ Join The NeuroPreneur Circle Community: https://www.allthingspractice.com/neuropreneur-community

🗨️ Join the free Empowered Escape FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredescape

–––––––––––––––––––––

Thanks to Our Sponsors: The Receptionist for iPad!

✨ NeuroPreneur Circle

NeuroPreneur Circle is an online community built by and for neurodivergent entrepreneurs who want a supportive space to build a business, a space where they can show up as themselves and in whatever way feels most comfortable. NeuroPreneur Circle exists because community built on masking isn't really community. And business advice built for neurotypical brains isn't actually useful to us, no matter how many times we try to make it fit. Whatever your neurotype, whatever you're building, there's a space here for you. You've been creating alone long enough. Visit: https://atppod.com/community

Free Gifts for Our Listeners

✨ Free Podcasting Workbook

Get a practical podcasting workbook for therapists considering starting a podcast, created by Patrick Casale, host of the podcasts All Things Private Practice and Divergent Conversations.

You'll get a practical structure for therapists who want to start a podcast but don’t want to rush, perform, or build something they can’t sustain.

Grab your free copy of the Podcasting Workbook: https://ndpod.org/Free-Podcasting-Workbook

✨ Move Beyond Private Practice As A Neurodivergent Entrepreneur

Move Beyond Private Practice As A Neurodivergent Entrepreneur is a FREE 5-part mini-course designed for therapists who want sustainable financial independence beyond one-on-one work.

Access your free mini-course here: https://ndpod.org/Neurodivergent-Entrepreneur

Mentioned in this episode:

NeuroPreneur Circle Community

NeuroPreneur Circle is an online community built by and for neurodivergent entrepreneurs who want a supportive space to build a business, a space where they can show up as themselves and in whatever way feels most comfortable. NeuroPreneur Circle exists because community built on masking isn't really community. And business advice built for neurotypical brains isn't actually useful to us, no matter how many times we try to make it fit. Whatever your neurotype, whatever you're building, there's a space here for you. You've been creating alone long enough. Visit: https://atppod.com/community

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur

About the Podcast

The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur
Honest conversations about building a business while Neurodivergent, the self-doubt, the chaos, and everything in between.
The Neurodivergent Entrepreneur is a podcast for ADHD, Autistic, and all other neurodivergent entrepreneurs who are building businesses, creative work, and lives that actually fit how their brains work. Hosted by Patrick Casale, LCMHC, this show is for people who
want to create meaningful work, create outside of the box, grow their impact, and build something sustainable without losing themselves in the process.

Being a neurodivergent entrepreneur can feel like holding a lot of contradictions at once. You may have big ideas, deep passion, creative energy, and a strong desire to do things differently. You may also be navigating burnout, masking, self-doubt, perfectionism, rejection sensitivity, executive dysfunction, inconsistent energy, and the pressure to keep showing up when your capacity is already stretched. This podcast speaks to that reality honestly, because building a business around your brain, your values, and your lived experience can be powerful, complicated, messy, and deeply personal.

Patrick Casale is a chronically ill, AuDHD, mental health therapist, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, event host, group practice owner, and neurodivergent business owner who has built, grown, burned out, pivoted, and kept going. His work brings together clinical insight, lived experience, business perspective, and real conversation about what it actually takes to create something that feels values aligned. His conversations are direct, compassionate, unfiltered, and practical, with room for both the emotional reality of entrepreneurship and the concrete decisions that shape a sustainable business.

New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature honest conversations with neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creators, therapists, business owners, and leaders. Together, Patrick and his guests explore entrepreneurship, identity, mental health, chronic health,
creativity, leadership, systems, money mindset, visibility, community, sustainable growth, and the behind-the-scenes reality of creating work that matters.

Build your dream business. Protect your capacity. Work with your brain instead of against it.