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Graduate School & The Journey Towards Licensure

Track Your Hours: We signed up for this program as soon as we began accumulating clinical hours back in graduate school. The program is easy-to-use, intuitive, and collects all your hours into verified forms. It’s only available for mental health professionals in CA, NY, and TX.  

Therapist Development Center: We used the exam prep to pass the CA law & ethics and clinical exams. At the moment, they only offer exam preps for MFTs and social workers in California. The content was helpful and intuitive- we both passed both exams on the first attempt. Use code PSYMEMES25 and save $25 off your order.

Favorite Books For Students & New Therapists

Sometimes Therapy Is Awkward: Shameless plug! But the reviews and feedback hopefully speak for themselves! Although it wasn’t written exclusively for new therapists, it covers everything from managing your insecurities to setting healthier boundaries to actually mastering self-care.

On Being a Therapist: Dr. Kottler is a legend in our field, and for a good reason. His writing is humble, succint, and intriguing. This was required reading in graduate school, and it’s a book we revisit often.

The Gift of Therapy: Anything Dr. Yalom writes is a treasure, but if you’re just venturing into this field, this one covers the gist of therapy and all it entails.

Healing The Shame That Binds You: Shame is the driving force that brings most of our clients to therapy. As therapists, it is also the insidious undertone of most of our insecurities and fears. Bradshaw beautifully unpacks the concept of toxic shame, and he teaches his audience how to address it both practically and holistically. Although Bradshaw does integrate the concept of God into his work, you don’t need to subscribe to any religious beliefs to implement his ideas.

I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t): Brene Brown is the queen of shame and harnessing your authentic self, and this is just a beautiful read. All her books are.

 

Master Book List: It’s no secret that we adore reading. There just isn’t enough time in the world to read all the amazing books out there, but this list has some of our absolute favorites. We update it often. If you like listening to audiobooks, use this link for a free 30-day Audible trial. Also, check with your local library! You may have access to Hoopla, Overdrive, or Libby.

 

Favorite Business Books

Blue Ocean Strategy: If you’re even thinking about opening your own practice, read this book. It’s a standout bestseller for a good reason. Successful private practice owners need to harness an entrepreneurial spirit, and Blue Ocean teaches you how to make the competition irrelevant.

The Four-Hour Workweek: As a therapist, you’ll probably need to work more than four hours a week, but that’s not the point. The point is understanding how to value your time and outsource, delegate, or eliminate the rest. We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘work smarter, not harder,’ and this book can help you shape a different mentality regarding how you approach your career.

The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Keeping Your Sh*T Together: One of the authors, Sherry Walling, holds a PhD in clinical psychology, which already makes this book sound intriguing. This book is easy-to-read, and it’s full of practical guidance for managing procrastination, burnout, and the elusive work-life balance.

Money Management (Applicable To All Therapists!)

Chase business card: The moment you want to open a practice, you need to separate your business and personal expenses. Chase cards are easy, accessible everywhere, and they have two cards without any annual fees.

American Express Amazon business card: If you shop frequently on Amazon, this card gives you 5% back on all purchases. Use our referral code to receive a $125 Amazon gift card upon signing up for your card.

Personal Capital: You absolutely need to track your cash flow, and I recommend EVERYONE does this. This app allows you to sync all your personal and business accounts. You can set goals, view daily transactions, and discover any hidden fees. Use our partnership link and receive $20 after joining and connecting your account to one valid investment account.

Quickbooks: Be proactive with tax planning and cash flow! We have used Quickbooks for multiple businesses. Our accountant also has access to it, so everything is super streamlined. It makes taxes easy, and it’s great for running basic reports, tracking receipts, and managing 1099 contractors. Use our special partnership link to save you up to 55% on your first three months of a subscription.

Retirement accounts: It’s important to start saving for your future. A Roth IRA is one of the easiest ways to do this. If you own a practice, you may qualify for a SEP Ira or Solo 401k. These tax-advantaged accounts allow you to save for retirement and lower your taxable income. We use Schwab for all our investment accounts. Use our partnership link to receive a tiered bonus award for opening your first account.

LendKey: Student loans are the bane of your existence, right? Refinancing can help alleviate some of the burden, and now is an amazing time for locking in historically low-interest rates. Use our partnership code to get a $200 bonus for refinancing a loan between $25,000-$150,000, and $400 when refinancing a loan over $150,000.

Private Practice Tools

Zynneme: When it comes to launching and mastering your private practice, Miranda and Kelly KNOW THEIR STUFF. Their master bootcamp includes everything from making a business plan to targeting your niche to automating excess tasks. They also offer live support regularly, and they have a fantastic community full of passionate professionals. 15/10 recommend for anyone who feels overwhelmed with starting their business.  

 

IvyPay: Many clients like having the option of paying for their sessions via a credit card. IvyPay is HIPAA-compliant, and it allows you to safely store client credit card information. You can charge them automatically, which avoids the awkward dance of collecting a check or cash at the end of each session. You can also track basic progress notes on the app. Use this link to get $1000 in free charges.

 

Fiverr: Fiverr is an open marketplace where you can hire freelancers for various creative projects. Fiverr itself is just the platform. You need to vet your talent carefully! We’ve used them for various designs (like our mugs and logos), and for some technical assistance on websites.

 

SemRUSH: This is the ultimate tool for building online visibility. It covers everything from SEO analysis to backlink management to competitor research. They currently offer a free 7-day trial to use their service.

 

Zibster: They built our Soul of Therapy site.They sell do-it-yourself website options and complete customization. We have referred several colleagues to their services.

 

Bluehost: If you’re looking to make a basic website or blog cheaply, Bluehost makes it simple to buy a domain name, website hosting, and WordPress installation. Use our referral link to lock in a $3.95/month rate.

 

Canva: Canva is a great resource for creating your own social media designs, business cards, resumes, and business cards. It’s not a replacement for legitimate graphic design, but it can be invaluable for building your online presence. They offer a free plan as well as several paid plans.

 

Office Goodies

Sound machine: You need one of these. Also great in baby nurseries!

 

Play Therapy Supply: We’ve used this site for years! It’s one of those websites where you can find literally everything (including things you didn’t really think you needed). They also have a clearance section 🙂

 

Office furniture: We have bought furniture pieces through this site. The prices are decent, and they regularly run good sales. PS: Don’t overlook the virtues of Goodwill, OfferUp, and the Facebook Marketplace. We’ve found many gems on there.

 

Power thought cards: These are beautiful affirmation cards. They are great for groups, and you can also just leave them on your desk as a daily reminder for yourself!