Your Journey begins Now!: Start and Market your own successful counselling or coaching private practice in South Africa

By Erna Benson-Karp

This book is instrumental for all Small Business Entrepreneur Start-Ups, including Private Practitioners in the Counselling and Coaching fields. Within this book, you will find ideas, exercises, information, and easy-to-follow guidelines. It is divided into ten parts, and include:

One – Your Journey Begins Now
Studies and registering with the correct Councils

Two – Your Journey Continues
Creating a Business Plan, a Vision Board, Setting Goals, Budgets, and finding the ideal office space. Deciding on a Business Name and
Registering through CIPC and CSD

Three – The Journey is You
Deciding on your Niche. Designing the Logo, Electronic Mail Accounts, Website, Stationery, Email Signature and Disclaimers. Forming a
Solid Client Base and Referral List. Planning Office Décor. Pricing and Fees, Insurance and offering additional Session Alternatives

Four – The Journey Needs to be Shared
Marketing, including networking, blogging, podcasts, listings, billboards, and social media. Various handle names, packages and specials

Five – The Journey Continues One Step at a Time
Step by step checklists

Six – Helping Others with their Journey
Initial session documents, including intake forms, agreements, questionnaires, progress notes, and email templates

Seven – Needing Extra Moola for the Journey
Alternative marketing and income options, including support groups, training and products

Eight – The Journey Does Not Come Without Obstacles
When things go wrong and how to get back on track

Nine – Do Not Get Discouraged if you Pick Up a few Bruises
Gives clarity on why counselling and coaching might not always work

Ten – The Journey Never Ends
Final words of encouragement and wrap-up

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digital On Demand
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780620923590

Book preview

A BIT ABOUT ME

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Although I am on a continuous journey of learning and discovery, I can proudly say that as at this point in time, I am qualified and certified in the following:

Psychological Counselling

Psychology in the Professional Work Context

HIV/Aids Counselling

Life Coaching

Trauma Specialist

Art Therapy Practitioner

Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Mindfulness Practitioner

Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner

Thought Field Therapy Practitioner

Hypnotherapy Practitioner

Neuro-Linguistic-Programming Practitioner

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Practitioner

Coaching, Mentorship, and Leadership for Women

My journey started many years ago and I am grateful to say that it is far from over. Relishing in the prospect of discovery, I pride myself in the gained knowledge through endless hours of research, in the people that I had and have in my life and the goals that get set, get reached, and change as my journey evolve.

My career path reads like a plump little bag of mixed sweets. I jumped from sales to catering, to the hotel industry, swiftly moving along to the corporate world, testing and happily swimming in the waters of part-time counselling and coaching, and eventually settled in the full-time private practice arena as a counsellor and coach. Through every career switch, I learned valuable business and life lessons, even though I did not always understand them at the time. Eventually, it dawned on me that we become sponges to the knowledge of others, but only if we are willing to learn and absorb these precious and powerful nuggets of knowledge and insights. Throughout the paths we travel, our experiences, and shared knowledge from others, we develop a sense of vision, goals, uniqueness, and motivation to get where we want to be.

With all that said, it is important for me to share my stories, experiences, and knowledge as it can only benefit you and your own journey. I strongly believe that we never stop learning and growing, no matter our age or at which stage in life we find ourselves.

GEM Mental Health Therapy and Coaching started long before I had a name for my private practice. While working in a corporate environment, I used my lunch hours, pre-office hours, and even after hours to counsel, coach, and mentor people from various backgrounds who presented a broad spectrum of challenges. After all the years of doing part-time counselling and coaching, I started to play around with the concept of opening my own private practice especially after realizing that I can help a larger audience if I leave the corporate environment.

I knew that I had the necessary counselling and coaching knowledge and the passion for helping and supporting clients, but unfortunately, I lacked the basic business savvy needed. I was clueless on where to start, what to do, how to do it, and where this journey would take me. Throughout the initial stages of my planning, opening, and running my private practice, I felt lost, apprehensive, confused, frustrated, sometimes dumb and clueless, but yet very excited. Even though I knew that this career was what I was destined to do, the biggest questions that I was confronted with were . . . how do I make a success of my new adventure without losing track of what is important and still ensure that I offer my clients the absolute best service and through it all, still keep my sanity intact?

Today, after years of successfully running my own private practice, I have helped and am still helping hundreds of clients release, learn, adjust and grow as they travel through their own journeys. I am not possessive of my knowledge and share it liberally and without any restraint. I know that the knowledge that I share with my clients and the guidance that I provide play an instrumental role in their lives. But my knowledge and skills do not stop with my clients, it continues through me sharing all my gained business savvy, contacts, and experiences with you to alleviate the stress, apprehension, and confusion that you might be feeling right now. Ultimately, I want to help you through your own journey to start and run a successful private practice in South Africa.

All that I can say at this point is that this book will help you on your journey towards a successful private practice. I cannot do the work for you. Your success depends entirely on what you decide to do with the tools that I have for you. I am, however, going to ask you to give everything that you have. Be dedicated and committed to this journey, your success depends on it.

My wish for you is that your journey in life and starting a successful private practice thrive to its full glory, just like mine has.

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ABOUT THIS BOOK

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Humans are made up of so many different components, from the different chemical components like hydrogen, magnesium, and oxygen, to different systems like our immune, muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems. But we know that we are so much more than just chemicals and systems. We have souls, various conscious states, emotions, memories, attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, and much more that makes every single one of us unique. I want to ask you to dig deep. Do not be scared to do a bit of introspective analysis to find out who you truly are and what you want to accomplish throughout your life journey.

Fear is real. The big decision that you have taken and the uncertainty of not knowing what the future might bring can be daunting. Harness this fear to work to your benefit. Allow it to heighten your awareness and help you with self-preservation. Use your instincts and your passion for this profession to guide you.

This book aims to help pave the path for you to create a successful private practice. Who knows, I might even throw in a few samples and templates that you can use once you decided to make your dreams a reality.

When I studied for Counselling and Coaching, there were not any subjects that taught me where to start or what to do when I wanted to start my own private practice (at least not in my syllabus). I learned the ways of the mind, but not the ways of business. I flopped around like a headless chicken not sure which way to run and bumped my toes against various obstacles. Bruised and more determined than ever I decided to learn what I can. I researched all aspects that I had doubts about and read everything that I could lay my hands on to make a success of what I finally found was my passion. Even YouTube and different Podcasts came in very handy through my search for success and knowledge.

Even though I do not go to the last chapter of a book to read the ending just as I started the first chapter of a fiction novel, I do sometimes skip straight to the index to find exactly what I am looking for in a non-fictional educational book. When I did this, I often skipped vital steps in the process, and then it became a process of catching up and putting myself in a frizz and unnecessary stress. As a fair warning, I would like to request of you to please read from beginning to end as all these sections play a vital role in your goal to start a successful private practice. I am going to do my utmost to make your journey in starting your own counselling or coaching private practice as smooth as possible. I will even include the website addresses of the Councils and Organizations that I dealt with, know off and carry in high regard.

I have written this book in a very down-to-earth style. I use everyday language and no scientific phrases. Who knows, I might even insert a joke or two (although I cannot promise that they are any good).

We know that nothing comes easy and most often than not, we have to work for what we want. The same applies in this book. You will get a bit of homework to do and I suggest that you do this. It will only refine the process and form your private practice into a cohesive unit.

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A SPECIAL NOTE FOR YOU

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You have taken the tremendous decision of wanting to start your own private practice in South Africa. Your neurotransmitters are shooting off stress hormones like never before. Are you feeling the doubts, fears, and anxiety levels rise? Apart from upgrading your knowledge to a brand-new level (which you are doing by reading this book and doing the exercises), there are a few more things that I would like to bring to your attention that I am sure will help you tremendously throughout your journey.

Some of the tactics that I work through in this book are a bit unconventional, but please do not be intimidated by them. I am doing this to give you a few examples of what you can accomplish when you step out of the box. I am also going to ask you to stop doing certain things and do other things instead. Sometimes you might feel a bit uncomfortable and that is acceptable, but those things are there to remind you to stop doing things that do not serve you or the journey that you are on.

I want you to become fanatical. Fanatical about prioritizing balance in your life, fanatical about creating an extraordinary life, and fanatical about areas that are important to you.

I want you to tackle this journey with every fiber of your being, every last drop of drive, and endless buckets of enthusiasm. Do not follow the crowd, but dare to be different. Strive to be the best and to deliver the best. Believe in yourself and know that everything that you put into your life and business, will come back to you in boatloads of rewarding results.

Are you ready to say no to certain things or become pickier about what you say yes to? Are you willing to do the things that unsuccessful people are not willing to do? Are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready to see temporary setbacks as an opportunity to learn? Are you READY?

Step up with confidence. Step up with certainty. Know and believe that you are capable and that throughout your journey, you will be victorious. With the same straight-cut attitude that you deliver services to your clients, so must you also have a straight-cut driving attitude towards your business. Fully commit to the wins, the failures, the lessons learned, and the entire journey that it takes you on. Your success is your responsibility. From this point on, there are no more making excuses, there are no more giving blame and there are no more complaining. You are one hundred percent responsible for your efforts and the results.

Allow yourself the experience of a few failures. While you allow yourself this extravagance of failure, I want to ask you to make it fast. Get up, dust yourself off, learn from it, adjust your plan and get going again. With your persistence and determination, you will see opportunities that you never realized are there. You will astound yourself on what you are capable of.

This might take a bit of practice and discipline but keep those negative thoughts at bay. If you keep feeding and allowing your conscious mind to concentrate on negative thoughts, your emotions will follow, thereby throwing you into a downward spiral consisting of fear, anxiety, and negativity. Instead of battling sleepless nights, demotivation, and out-of-control feelings, rather concentrate on directing your thoughts on more positive, calming, and rational thoughts.

Believe in yourself, your capabilities, your dreams, and who you are as a person. Not only are you magnificent in your own uniqueness, but you are unique in your magnificentness. Once you can see and realize this, you will notice that you can actualize your dreams with more confidence. It comes down to conditioning your own mind to feel good and motivated about yourself, your capabilities, and your dreams. Take control of your own thoughts and direct those thoughts to the things that you can influence and impact positively. I love the word – gusto (enthusiasm) – I want to ask you to tackle your journey with enough emotional gusto to visualize your goal. Endlessly work on your beliefs, thought processes, and behaviours so that they can support you on your journey and where you want to be.

As Mental Health practitioners, we know that there is a direct line between cause and effect. Nothing just happens by chance and thereby, your efforts will speak volumes in the final product that you are going to achieve. Understand that your actions will bring consequences. It is up to you to make the right choices in what actions you are going to take, it will ultimately influence the consequences that will follow. I would like to motivate you to be proactive in the decisions and actions that you take, you are after all the master of your own destination. Think of it in this light – would you rather act than be acted upon? Whatever work you put into your practice will show at the end. Always remember, the compensation that you get out will depend on whether your decisions and actions were either good or not. We need to carefully consider our actions. At the same time, it is also important for you to remember that you do not have to be right all the time. You have the right not to be right and that is acceptable. Another thing to note here is that there is no such thing as failure. If you learn from your failures and mistakes, it is like a disguised gift that you received which gives you the opportunity for growth and learning.

Be kind to yourself and be attentive to the words that you use on yourself. Are you sometimes over-critical, cruel, or even mean to yourself? On the other side, do you use your internal dialogue to boost and motivate yourself? Some words can be draining, and other words can boost energy levels and happy hormones within your body. Take a moment and SMILE. Feel it in your body and feel it in your soul. Use positive words in your life and use them on yourself, let them become part of your mantra. Cultivate a habit of speaking kindly to yourself, see yourself in a positive light, and panel beat those negative beliefs into positive beliefs. Once you get into the habit of being kind to yourself, you will notice that your energy levels increase and that you are also more driven and focused throughout your daily activities.

Focus. I have mentioned being focused a few times already, but I thought that it deserves a little paragraph on its own. Place a bit of attention on what you focus on. Does your focus drive you to where you want to go and what you want? Are your focus and goals aligned with your values and your true authentic self? Does it carry you forward, or does it hinder progress? Are you placing some focus on your talents and unique qualities that you can harness in achieving your goals? Place your focus on what truly matters and what you have influence and control over.

Surround yourself with people who build you and support your way of living. Unfortunately, not all people are compatible with who we are or our way of living. Sometimes it is quite necessary to choose who we surround ourselves with. I know, we cannot divorce ourselves from all negative people, but you have the privilege to choose who you spend more or less time with. Surround yourselves with people who build you up and not drag you down. Surround yourself with like-minded people who believe in you. It is a privilege to learn from others, but it is also a privilege to help others in their own journeys. It is astonishing what a big difference this change can make.

Live with integrity, with wholeness, and be true to yourself. When it comes to you, do not settle for the mediocre. Strive to be the best person that you can possibly be at any given moment. Unleash the sea of your own possibilities, tap into your own greatness, and become aware of the person who you are, it is already deeply seeded within the core of you being you.

Allow yourself to grow, not only mentally, but also in the spiritual, physical, and emotional realms of your life. Expose yourself to new experiences, new knowledge, new ways of doing things, and new ways of analyzing your outlook on life and feelings. Look at the wholeness of who you are and feed each of these areas with healthy compost that will allow marvelous growth.

Take note of what you spend energy on. If you are under continuous pressure and do not manage your energy levels correctly, you will not have sufficient energy to skillfully manage the pressures that you are facing. Negative and damaging thoughts and behaviours are energy drainers and within our profession, we need all the energy that we can get.

Ask for what you want. If you need help from others, ask. Do not be afraid to connect with others who can help you along the way. Sometimes we need a little direction and there is nothing wrong with it. Instead of getting flustered and lost, the insight and knowledge of others can save a tremendous amount of time and energy. Very few people live on their own private islands. We move around in crowds, communities, and family structures where there are endless fountains of advice, help, and compassion. Know what you want, talk to others, work for what you want and be persistent in your ventures, that is, if it is really important to you.

Find balance in your life. You are allowed to have pleasures in your life. What about that long-overdue holiday that is being postponed year after year or your guitar or art supplies gathering dust somewhere in a corner? You are allowed to have fun, laugh, celebrate life, and feel good. Bring joy back into your life. Do not neglect those feel-good daily joys and start appreciating the beauty of life again. A little bit of me-time can also bring focus, balance, and tranquility back into your life. Breathe!!!

Become aware of your surroundings. See, hear, smell, taste, feel, and fully experience all the beauty around you. Give your complete attention to what you experience at any specific time and connect this with your own personal growth. Once you start experiencing life to its fullest, life becomes a treasure-trove of new and amazing experiences.

You are worthy of love and respect for yourself. You are worthy of success, compassion, and self-forgiveness and I want to invite you to see how great you truly are, no exceptions accepted. KNOW YOUR WORTH!

As with myself, I would like to encourage you to strive to be the absolute best in what you do. Continue with your life learnings, strive for connections within each aspect of your life, and take responsibility for your thoughts, experiences, expressions, and awareness.

Robin Banks have Top 10 Affirmations and I would like to encourage you to make this part of your life too:

I am deeply thankful for the abundance, the joy, and the