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DR. LYN's PRACTICE BUILDING TIPS FOR COACHES & THERAPISTS

Volume 257 September 2026 GROW Training Institute, Inc.
Email feedback and questions to growpublications@yahoo.com


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Dear Colleagues,

     Summer is coming to a close and our best season of the year is right around the corner!  I've been working ALL summer on how AI can help me build my practice and I'll soon share with you all that I've learned....please see my FIRST one-minute video created with HeyGen using my first avatar HERE!

          My feature article below gives you the 3 reasons therapists & coaches fear practice promotion, the 4 biggest mistakes they make in their businesses and ways to overcome, and 5 good business basics.  Also, this month we're offering a 50% discount on our popular course "Get New Clients Now!" a 10 C.E. Contact Hour Course for only $48.50!  See details and ordering HERE.

          I wish you a happy, healthy, and abundant end-of-summer, Labor Day, and practice!

        Lyn

     P.S.   If you haven’t already become a Certified Coach with GROW, this year would be the time to do so!   Through Sept 10 we're offering $50 OFF your CPC 5-required course package and $100 OFF your CPC application fee!  See details HERE.

     "You have power over your mind — not outside events.
Realize this and you will find your strength."
–Marcus Aurelius

 FOLLOW Dr. Lyn

"I help my colleagues increase their practice growth and success."
Lyn Kelley, Ph.D, MFT, CPC Certified Professional Coach

                THANK YOU for your business! It’s customers like YOU who make our business successful!  We want to give you the BEST, HIGHEST QUALITY courses, services, and customer service so let us know if there’s anything you think we can improve on!

All Courses FREE Shipping!
September 2026 Special Offer:
50% OFF our Popular C.E. Course!
Get New Clients NOW!
10 C.E. Contact Hours -- now only $48.50!
See details and ordering HERE
growpublications@yahoo.com
*Not valid with any other offers

      

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Feature Article

The 4 Biggest Mistakes Therapists & Coaches Make in their Business
By Lyn Kelley, Ph.D., CPC

          1) Complacency.  You often believe that if you get an office and a telephone that it will start to ring with little effort.  You know you SHOULD be doing some promoting, but don’t want to put out the effort to do it.  Most therapists/coaches would RATHER BE DOING THEIR ART THAN PROMOTING THEIR ART.  I understand this.  I tend to do the tasks I enjoy first, and then put off the tasks I don’t enjoy (until it’s too late!).  Just remember, the MET and the Louvre are full of artists who were never recognized in their day, and never made one penny on their art.  Van Gogh never sold a painting in his lifetime; Emily Dickinson never saw her poems in print.  This is a shame.  Don’t let this happen to you!
          2) Accepting a lower fee that you're worth.  This is a HUGE financial issue.  You don’t need to “sell out” to managed care or any other third-party!  Statistics show that most therapists/coaches only receive about 60% of their stated fee.  This is because they don’t understand (or know) the value of their services.  What you need to know is that people do equate price with quality.  When you lower your fees, you lower your VALUE.   
          3) Accepting every client that calls.  Obviously, this is self-sabotage.  You cannot treat everyone.  You need to be screening clients carefully on your first contact – refer them to another provider if they can’t afford your fee, or if they seem to need a service that is not your specialty, or if they seem problematic.  You need to say “NO” a lot more than you say “YES.”
         4) Not promoting or advertising.  Not putting in a half hour a day into promoting their businesses.  Not putting in even 10% of their income into advertising.  Not getting their name out there through newsletters, blogs, website, social media, online directories, etc.

           The 3 Reasons Therapists/Coaches are Afraid of Practice Promotion
          Why are so many therapists and coaches afraid of doing the fancy footwork required to grow their businesses?  There are 3 main reasons:
          1) Because they think of their business as a “practice” rather than a “business”!  The first shift they MUST make in their heads is that they are FIRST running a business, and SECOND practicing the art of therapy or coaching.  This may be disconcerting to many providers who were trained ONLY to be excellent practitioners.  Business training is RARELY a part of their education.  This is unfortunate, because surveys show that only about 30% of all private practice therapists and coaches are actually earning a decent living.  Even those who have made a good living in the past, are now seeing their practices dwindle.
          2) Furthermore, many therapists/coaches still struggle with the lingering belief that advertising is unethical.  Prior to 1977, professional associations in the medical, legal, psychological fields allowed their members to promote their services ONLY in the Yellow Pages.  In 1977, the Supreme Court ruled the notion a restraint of trade, freeing therapists to tout their services.  However, even now, 49 years later, many therapists feel consciously or unconsciously that anything more than a mention in an Online Directory is crossing the line.  (Consider this: Might it be unethical NOT to advertise?  Advertising lets the public know of your services and that you are an option for them.  Wouldn’t it be unfair to keep your art a secret so no one could benefit from it???)
          3) The greatest obstacle however, to marketing private practice, is fear.   Fear of putting in the time, money and resources that won't pay off.  I have the fear EVERY DAY.  I fight through it, and do the promoting anyway, because MOST of the time, my efforts DO pay off.

5 Good Business Basics

          1) Create a marketing plan.  Start with 3 things you can do this month to promote your practice.  If you don’t have time, HIRE SOMEONE to do it for you.  If you're not sure where to start, get my CE course "Get New Clients NOW!"
          2) Exposure.  Get out and meet people.  Offer classes at churches, businesses, or other organizations.  Meet all the businesspeople you possibly can.  Introduce yourself to every business in your office area.  If you’re an introvert, at least start collecting e-mail addresses and send out a monthly newsletter.  Or write letters to potential referral sources. Or get on online directories.
          3) Accessibility.  Make sure your office is easily accessible to your target market.  You also need to become Zoom and/or FaceTime savvy, for those who prefer virtual therapy or coaching.
          4) Use the “photo + offer” technique.  On ALL your promotional materials, make sure you have two things: a photo of yourself and a FREE offer.  Your offer can be something like a free 30-minute initial phone consultation.  These two things will make your ads go much further.
          5) Accept credit cards & debit cards. Studies have shown that therapists/coaches who accept all major credit cards for fee payment, not only get paid at the time of service (which eliminates billing – which is YOUR time – which is YOUR money) but also earn 20% more than providers who do not. Psychologically, people have an easier time accepting your full fee when they know they can use their credit card. And they will come in more often. And you won’t have to waste time in your therapy sessions dealing with money.
         I hope I've inspired you to get your practice revved up for the last quarter of 2026! Let me know if you'd like Practice Building Consultation. I'm happy to help!

Lyn Kelley, Ph.D., MFT, CPC
Practice Building Coach

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
-- William E. Vaughan


For more information get Dr. Lyn's C.E. Course
"Get New Clients NOW!"
50% OFF for the month of September!  Now only $48.50
See info and ordering HERE.
Includes Manual and Quiz for 10 CE Contact Hours (and Certificate of Completion) 

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***September 2026 SPECIAL OFFER***
50% OFF Dr. Lyn's C.E. Course:
"Get New Clients NOW!"
10 C.E. Contact Hours -- Now only $48.50
Includes FREE supplement "Samples Handbook of Ads"
See details and ordering HERE
See full course listing on our website HERE

GROW is an Approved Continuing Education Provider for most State Licensing Boards 
GROW is an Approved Coach Training Organization for the CCE:
BCC (Board Certified Coaches), and NCC (National Certified Counselors)
HURRY -- Offer only good through September 2026! 
 Questions?  Contact Lyn Kelley, Ph.D., MFT, CPC growpublications@yahoo.com 
or call 858-837-1412 

LYN'S MARKETING CONSULTATION

Dear Colleagues,
        Let me help you make 2026 your SIX-FIGURE INCOME YEAR!!! I am available to you for telephone and e-mail consultation on any area of practice building.  You own a BUSINESS.  If you want to be successful, you have to do what other successful people do. They KNOW "it takes money to make money."  
        Become a member of GPCCA (GROW Professional Coach & Counselor Association.)  I'm certain I will save you MUCH MORE than the membership fee by helping you NOT DO what I know DOESN'T work, and DO what I know DOES WORK! Contact me at growpublications@yahoo.com
        Thanks!
        Lyn

See more info about Lyn's practice building consultations HERE

INSPIRATIONAL TIP OF THE MONTH

         Hold on to the part of you that believes things are still working in your favor.

        During the fiercest storms, when things are breaking down, plans aren’t working out, and everything feels so impossible that you can barely breathe, that’s when you need to hold on to that belief even more tightly.

        The belief may seem illogical at times, but the truth remains that your story hasn’t finished unfolding yet.

        Things can still fall into place in ways you never thought were possible.

        Through it all, your only job is not to let yourself become consumed by fearful thoughts.

        Holding on to this truth can give you the strength to stay afloat.

        You have to remain open to possibilities that you cannot see yet.

CPC News

Do You Wonder Why Some Social Skills Don’t Solve Social Problems? 
By Megan Davis, CPC #2287

       The missing piece could be Linear Thinking. As you know people with Autism take things more literally than Flowing Thinkers. Most Social Skills Strategies are based on the Linear Thinker learning how to mimic thinking like us, Flowing Thinkers. 

       Dr Timothy Wahlberg, PhD, has a different strategy. He calls it the LAM method, (Linear Autism Method). He believes that we need to present information as Linear Strategies to meet individuals where they are, not ask them to figure us out.  

       I have over 20 years of experience working with Rigid Thinkers (many of whom have Autism). I have blended Dr. Wahlberg’s information with my own practical style of coaching to create a set of Linear Social Skills Strategies that my clients have liked, used, and benefited from. 

       If you live in the Phoenix, AZ area, I have onsite Social Skills Classes that focus on one key social glitch; clarify how that glitch shows up and apply Linear Strategies to help 9–12-year-olds “see” in a way that makes sense to them. 

       If you live outside my area, I work with parents (using the same handouts and Linear Strategies) to assist their child. These are Zoom meetings. They can either be individual or small groups (max of 10 adults). 

Here are some of my current topics: 

       “I’m not Bossy, I’m Helping!” 

       “Now we’re Besties! (for a week) 

       “Why are they upset? I’m Over It!” 

       “I did it (the social tool), why isn’t it working for me?” 

When you reach out to me, I will send you a complementary Linear Thinking Tool for your use. 

Email: mappingyourpath@cox.net 

Phone: 480-831-7342 (call or text) 

Website: mapyourpathcoaching.com 

I am looking forward to connecting with you, 

Megan Davis, CPC 

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BECOME A CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL COACH!

Click HERE for full information and application for GROW’s CPC Program -- the fastest, easiest, least expensive, highest quality Certified Coach Program available!  Call me for your FREE 20 minute phone consult if you'd like to know more about it.  Lyn: 858-837-1412 growpublications@yahoo.com
**$150 OFF through September 2026!**

 See details HERE

See Dr. Lyn's YouTube Video:
"THERAPIST to COACH:  My Story"

FREE C.E. Course!

Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Life, Wellness, Career, or Business Coach
By Lyn Kelley, Ph.D., MFT, CPC
5 C.E. Contact Hours -- Includes 53-page manual, quiz, and
Certificate of Completion

See details and ordering HERE

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Congratulate our New GROW CPC's!

Sahrena White, CPC #2359

St. Rome, NY
swhite@onpointforcollege.org

315-542-1437

www.OnPointForCollege.org

Specialties:  Career & Life Coaching, Executive Coaching, College Entrance

Essay:     
        "I went to college at sixteen years old.  For most people, that’s a dream.  For me, it was a testimony of my desire to avoid conflict, receive an education, and pick up pieces of my shattered life.  Initially, I thought I knew what I wanted to do.  I probably was right.  The problem is, I never knew exactly how I wanted to do it, or what to call “it”.  I struggled for years figuring that out.  After ten years of attempting programs and pathways, failing, starting over, and forgiving myself, I graduated Mohawk Valley Community College with two associate degrees.  I knew my education journey couldn’t end there because my degrees wouldn’t land me a salary of much more than minimum wage in the workplace.

    I decided to go to Bellevue University as a transfer student after meeting advisor Kim Snow.  She encouraged me to pursue my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and helped me determine which degrees best suited my personality.  Based on the results of an interest profiler exam, coaching and mentoring were high scoring fields of interest for me.  Even more importantly, I ranked highly for being passionate about these fields of work.  That means I already had the personality and tools to become a coach.  I simply needed skill development and training to become good at it.

       I decided to pursue my master’s degree in business and professional communication with a graduate concentration in Executive Coaching.  This is one of the requirements needed to sit for my board certification exam (BCC).

      While in graduate school, I did HR work for 7 bases and departments of a large transportation company.  That started my coaching journey.  Then, in the last several years, I have provided coaching and contracting work for multiple local organizations.  I have helped business owners determine that are interested in certifications such as Minority and Women Business owner credentialing or individuals interested in personal development and employment barrier removal services.  I have also helped business owners determine pathways to use grant money and develop programming and complete reporting and provided capacity building mentorship.

       I decided to become a Certified Coach because I have always enjoyed helping people become the best versions of themselves, accept the mistakes they’ve made, and learn from the consequences and trauma they have experienced and overcome.  I help people transform their lives, therefore transforming communities.  Thank you!"

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