Training for Private Practice: Why Business School for Therapists
While graduate school did an excellent job training you to become a therapist, it didn’t exactly provide you with the business coaching you need to run a successful, sustainable business. And running a private practice means wearing a lot of hats.
There are a LOT of moving parts, including website setup, marketing, documentation, accounting, and so much more! So, whether you’re just starting out your private practice or you’re growing and looking for coaching support to propel your growth, zynnyme’s Business School for Therapists is here to help.
Built by licensed therapists, for licensed therapists
Kelly Higdon, LMFT and Miranda Palmer, LMFT are licensed marriage and family therapists and the co-founders of zynnyme. They have been developing the Business School for Therapists framework since 2010 and have personally coached thousands of therapists across the world to build private practices and lives they love. Both are trained in Brainspotting and bring a deeply clinical lens to every aspect of business coaching — because they believe that when a therapist's practice is sustainable, their clients get better care.
Day-to-day coaching inside Business School for Therapists is led by Becca and Mercedes, zynnyme's private practice coaches. Becca is a therapist, coach, and group practice owner with firsthand experience starting, growing, and scaling practices. Mercedes is a published author, speaker and educator with a solo practice. Both coaches are trained in Brainspotting and have supported therapists at every stage — from pre-launch through multi-location group practices.
Who Business School for Therapists is designed for
Business School for Therapists is built for mental health professionals at every stage of private practice. Our community is roughly divided into three equal groups:
Starting out — Therapists with zero to minimal private practice experience, looking to leave agency, community mental health, or platform work and build something of their own.
Struggling — Therapists who have a practice but are stuck — overbooked, underpaid, insurance-dependent, or burning out — and need a clear path to profitability and sustainability.
Successful and scaling — Solo and group practice owners who are full but want to work fewer hours, earn more, hire with confidence, or build income beyond 1:1 sessions.
We also serve therapists nearing retirement who want to optimize their final years in practice and build something transferable. Therapists with 5, 10, and 20+ years of experience join alongside those just starting out.
The Business School for Therapists curriculum: 8 core benchmarks
Your journey through Business School for Therapists is structured around 8 core benchmarks, each with specific tasks, video lessons, workbooks, and downloadable resources. The program is designed for quarterly cycles with a year of coaching support — but because nothing is dripped, you can move through at your own pace.
Benchmark 1: Get Radical Clarity on Your Vision
Gain radical clarity on who you are and how to build a sustainable, profitable practice aligned with your values. You'll assess all the moving parts in your practice, demolish limiting beliefs and mindset blocks, and divest from systems that no longer serve you or your clients.
Benchmark 2: Organize and Reclaim Your Time and Energy
Structure your time and tasks so you can actually step away without guilt. You'll deploy automation, build blank space in your calendar, and create practical monthly, quarterly, and annual plans — so your practice serves you instead of running you.
Benchmark 3: Build Business Processes That Run Smoothly
Create policies, processes, and procedures that actually improve clinical outcomes and business success. You'll master how to handle no-shows, cancellations, firing clients and employees, disaster preparedness, and how to hire and onboard clinical and non-clinical staff for solo or group practice.
Benchmark 4: Take Control of Your Business Plan So You Aren't Overworked and Underpaid
Master all the numbers in your business with confidence — from taxes, payroll, and expenses to take-home income, fee raises, and insurance evaluations. Group practice owners learn how to choose a model, calculate wages, develop pay scales, manage expansion expenses, and navigate payroll taxes.
Benchmark 5: Stand Out in a Crowded Market Without Competing on Price
Deeply understand your ideal client, craft messaging that resonates, and use referral-building strategies that attract the right clients at the right fees. You'll use a powerful 3-part messaging framework to authentically showcase the transformation you create — so clients choose you without you ever having to discount.
Benchmark 6: Build the Most Important Marketing Asset for Your Business (Website and SEO)
Optimize your website to rank on page 1 of Google and convert visitors into clients — 24 hours a day. You'll learn website copywriting, platform selection, SEO planning and implementation, HIPAA-compliant analytics setup, and legal compliance. A free Squarespace website template with built-in best practices is included as a bonus.
Benchmark 7: Get Clients Through the Door Without Relying on Luck or Guesswork
Build the marketing systems that actually work — a complete marketing plan, the six most effective blog posts every therapist needs, blogging strategies to get AI referring clients to you, and in-person and online networking approaches that work even if you're an introvert. You'll know how to analyze your marketing, fix leaks, and turn referrals into a reliable system.
Benchmark 8: Fine Tune and Grow Your Practice with Confidence
Analyze your growth and do more of what's working. Add multiple intentional streams of revenue beyond 1:1 sessions — not side hustles, but aligned income that extends your impact. You'll make data-informed business decisions and build a practice that thrives without burnout, for years to come.
Topics covered in Business School for Therapists
Clarify your vision and align your time in solo or group practice
Identify your unique strengths and niche as a therapist
Set up legally and ethically in all aspects of your practice
Price for profit — for you and your employees — without burnout
Write marketing that speaks directly to the clients you most want to serve
Create a full practice and learn how to turn client flow on and off
Build a website that attracts and converts ideal clients
Improve your SEO and blogging strategy so Google sends you clients
Transition to private pay or confidently drop insurance panels
Add streams of income beyond 1:1 therapy sessions
Hire, onboard, and lead clinical and non-clinical staff with clarity
Protect your income with strong, compliant documentation
Track progress and plan for sustained growth
Navigate taxes, payroll, and financial planning as a practice owner
Cope with anxiety and business change using Brainspotting-informed coaching
Build processes that support neurodivergent therapists and diverse practices
A year of coaching and community support (Inner Circle)
When you enroll in Business School for Therapists, you receive one full year of Inner Circle access — the live coaching and community layer of the program. After year one, you can continue for a low monthly fee with no contracts. Inner Circle includes:
Weekly coaching office hours — get video, audio, or text responses to your specific practice questions from Becca and Mercedes. Office hours are held in the classroom so you learn from other members' questions too.
Monthly group coaching calls — ask anything, get direct feedback, and take action. Calls are recorded so you never miss one.
4 quarterly sprint weeks per year — intensive sprint experiences with morning and evening check-ins, personalized video assessment of your website and marketing, and face-to-face coaching to fast-track your progress.
Weekly co-working sessions — join your community to get work done, stay accountable, and reduce the isolation of private practice.
Community meet-ups — facilitator-led groups for peer clinical consultation, networking, and targeted support for BIPOC therapists, LGBTQIA+ therapists, and neurodivergent therapists.
All sessions are recorded. The Private Practice Playbook provides expert answers to questions from the entire BST community — accessible around the clock.
Instant access bonuses included with enrollment
1:1 Bonus Coaching Call — a 60-minute session with a zynnyme coach trained in Brainspotting. Use it to get unstuck, prioritize your next steps, or work through any mindset or business block.
Free High-Converting Website Template — a fully customizable Squarespace template with built-in best practices and video training for every page. Designed to get your phone ringing with ideal clients.
Financial Planning for Therapists Course — valued at $500. Work with a financial planner who understands the therapy field on retirement planning, tax deductions, and personal finance as a practice owner.
Insurance Revolution System — templates and a step-by-step process for evaluating your panels, raising insurance fees, and terminating contracts with confidence.
Consultations that Convert Course — customized scripts for every service type and niche, including how to handle domestic violence, suicidality, and risk factors on consult calls.
Online Visibility for Therapists Course — blogging templates and training to reach the first page of Google, plus social media strategy guidance to capture attention and turn it into clients.
Documentation in Detail Course — HIPAA-compliant EHR forms, court policies, personalized assessments, and documentation that protects your income, time, and practice.
Hire with Confidence Course — a complete guide to attracting top talent, crafting job descriptions, contracts, payroll, onboarding, training, supervision, performance reviews, and letting staff go.
Therapist case studies: real results from Business School for Therapists
Cyndi Doyle — From overworked group practice to thriving niche authority
When Cyndi joined Business School for Therapists in 2016, she had a full group practice reliant on EAP and insurance panels and was packing her schedule to the limit. She was anxious, scattered, and confused. Business School helped her find her niche in law enforcement mental health. Today her schedule is balanced, her clinicians are happy and successful, and she has become a recognized keynote speaker, podcaster, and author. She was honored by the American Counseling Association for her work with first responders and received the Texas Counseling Association's Presidential Award.
"Bootcamp was the best investment I have made in myself. I went from working 45-50 hours per week to working 25 hours, doubling my income, and impacting other therapists in my office." — Cyndi Doyle
Maya — From burnout and insurance overwhelm to a thriving cash-pay practice
Maya is a social worker who started her own practice but found herself taking on too many clients, signing up for every insurance panel, and feeling completely overwhelmed. Before Business School for Therapists, she was out of steam. After making the courageous decision to release her insurance contracts, she built a full cash-pay practice with a caseload and schedule that lets her be present for both her clients and herself.
"Now I can step back and not make decisions based on fear but based on intuition. I enjoy going to work, I don't feel overwhelmed, I have this sense of pride in what I created." — Maya
Cynthia — From overworked platform therapist to published author with a full practice
Cynthia pivoted to therapy during the pandemic and joined an online mental health platform where she was significantly overworked and underpaid. Less than a year after finding zynnyme, she was seeing fewer clients and earning in one session what she had previously made in a week. In under six months she also published a book speaking directly to her niche. Business School gave her a structured, one-step-at-a-time approach to managing her practice and her finances.
"I set a vision for myself, and I put down the foundation. I feel like I have roots now. Roots that allow me the stability to keep growing." — Cynthia
Gary — More ease and renewed energy after years of successful solo practice
Gary joined Business School for Therapists with an already successful solo practice in Los Angeles. He wasn't struggling — but he was still overworking on the business side and didn't know what he didn't know. After joining, he found a new fee structure, deployed streamlined out-of-session processes, took his work to Hollywood, and appeared in a documentary film on love. He discovered renewed energy in his practice and now works fewer hours with more impact.
"The value I received exponentially exceeded my expectations. BST gave me skills and tools I would never have thought of on my own, especially in digital marketing." — Gary
Stara — An inclusive solo practice, published workbook, and YouTube channel
Stara grew up as the middle daughter of South Asian immigrants and serves 1st-generation clients, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people from the global majority healing from intercultural and intergenerational trauma. Business School for Therapists gave her permission to step into her story and share it in a way that connects with her ideal clients. Since joining, she has built a full solo private practice, published a workbook, and launched a YouTube channel. She now plays a pivotal role in the BST community, supporting neurodivergent therapists in navigating business building from their strengths.
"The biggest shift since joining Business School is learning to trust myself more to make my own decisions — for myself, my business, my life. I've learned I CAN be an entrepreneur and I deserve vacations." — Stara
What therapists say about Business School for Therapists
"My gross income increased by $40,000 last year. I'm working fewer hours but those are more productive and with clients that are a better fit. It's well worth the investment."
— Margaret Donahue
"I booked 4 intensives for the summer and my practice is now completely full! I went from $10k to $25k in one month by trusting the process, returning to BST, and getting support when I needed it."
— Alicia T.
"I doubled my business, financially. My processes are clear, easy, and automated when possible. I feel like I'm a very good business owner, I am inspired and I'm growing, and I feel that my business is truly supporting me."
— Rovena
"Business School increased my confidence as a business owner, increased my hourly rate, helped me get clarity on my ideal clients, gave me a clear roadmap, and helped me hit my first 5-figure month."
— Danielle
"Business school gave me the clarity and confidence needed to create and maintain a practice that's effective, rewarding and sustainable for six years now, and counting!"
— Desiree Woehrle
"My experience with Business School for Therapists? I can sum it up in one word: invaluable. My practice and zynnyme has seen me through sole proprietor to group practice, a marriage, a home and two babies."
— Allison
"The quality of coaching in this program blows my mind every time. Kelly and Miranda are a constant source of encouragement. Their immense expertise just keeps growing. I couldn't imagine building this practice without them."
— Robin
"A few wins this month: an inquiry found me on ChatGPT, I had 5 inquiries in the first 2 weeks of the month that resulted in 4 consults and 3 new clients. When it rains it pours."
— Diane, 2025
"Business School is a life community — a place where I can always find help, reassurance, and a space to grow."
— Polina
"I officially went live with my website mid-February, and got my first client from my site almost immediately. I now see approximately 17 clients per week, I make more than I did as a school counselor and I work fewer days."
— Bridget Pence
CE credits for licensed therapists
Business School for Therapists qualifies for 32 CE credits through AspiraCE.com. When you enroll, you receive 50 credits. All lessons include closed captions and are accessible via mobile app so you can earn CE credits on your own schedule.
Our commitment to you
zynnyme is laser focused on helping you build a private practice that is profitable and sustainable. We are committed to doing that through a holistic, decolonized lens — an ongoing process where we seek to be anti-racist and understanding of the oppressive systems therapists operate within — honoring you mind, heart, body, and spirit.
We don't believe in cookie-cutter responses or coaching tactics. We integrate outcomes and feedback to continuously improve the program. We are here to support your own creation of a private practice that works for you — not a one-size-fits-all ideology, but a customized roadmap built for your stage, your niche, and your life.
About zynnyme
zynnyme, LLC has been providing business coaching and training for therapists since 2010. Founded by Kelly Higdon, LMFT and Miranda Palmer, LMFT, zynnyme has supported more than 2,500 therapists across the world in building solo and group practices that are financially stable, clinically effective, and aligned with real-life constraints. The company emphasizes that business health and clinical outcomes are connected: when a therapist's schedule, fees, systems, and boundaries are sustainable, they show up with more consistency, presence, and attunement for their clients. For questions, contact help@zynnyme.com.
Why Join a Business Program for Private Practice Owners?
It’s not always easy to admit you need help, but it’s human and totally normal. As a therapist, you already do so much for your clients! Running your own private practice takes time and support, and if you’ve never run a business before, you’ll benefit a lot from business advice, personalized support, and coaching!
We believe in taking advice from those who’ve done what we want to accomplish already – and done it successfully. Here’s why many of our previous Business School attendees decided to kickstart their dream private practice with us:
Save time figuring it all out on your own.
Make a greater impact in private practice.
Create a better, more sustainable life/work balance.
Make more money and secure a better financial future for you and your loved ones.
Ensure you can best support your clients without burnout.
Grow and expand as a business owner and therapist.
Develop strategies that support you for years to come.
Reach your full potential as a private practice owner.
What’s the best reason to join Business School? Our response would be to invest in you! A big part of setting yourself and your business up for success is to get the proper training, gain access to the best support resources, and join a community of like-minded therapists dedicated to creating real, consistent impact as well.
How Much Time Should You Dedicate to Business School?
We recommend creating a schedule for yourself and dedicating anywhere from 2 to 4 hours per week to working on your business. We understand that many of you have growing practices and may find this time commitment challenging, but we promise this time is well spent and will allow you to make progress a lot quicker than you might expect. We’re going to teach you ways to free up more of your time and find a balance that works best for you.
When Does Business School Start?
From the moment you join, Business School begins and so does the transformation for your life and practice.
Check out the Business School to join now and get LIFETIME ACCESS !
