Pacific Pines: Working as a Team to Fulfil a Private Practice Dream | Ep 154

Fearless Practice

Natasha and Cherise met on an internship, became friends, and decided to work together to open up a Canadian private practice that is based on their shared values; accessibility, equity, and transparency.

Working with a business partner in private practice is a great way to divide up the stress and double up the ideas. Together, they each handle specific roles, discuss new options, and help each other where they can.

MEET NATASHA AND CHERISE

Pacific Pines Wellness was founded with the mission to create a safe and nurturing space, Natasha and Cherise offer tailored counselling services to help individuals, couples, and families navigate life’s challenges. Committed to removing barriers to care, they provide solutions for equitable access, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to receive the support they deserve. They combine evidence-based approaches with a holistic perspective, empowering clients to achieve balance, resilience, and well-being.

Learn more about Natasha and Cherise on their practice website.

In this episode:

• What made Natasha and Cherise become therapists

• Funding an equitable cost of therapy

• Building an accessible and equitable group practice

• Working as a team

• Advice to listeners

What made Natasha and Cherise become therapists

For Cherise, she started in applied behavioral analysis at the beginning of her studies. Later on, she became drawn to a more personal and collaborative approach to working with clients.

She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology, and while unsure of what to do after she graduated, she worked for a crisis line for a while. That is where she discovered her passion for making therapy more accessible to people who need it.

For Natasha, she actually wanted to become a police officer and completed her undergraduate degree in forensic science! However, during the program, Natasha was often more interested in what happened to the person.

Funding an equitable cost of therapy

Natasha and Cherise try to find the sweet spot between being able to afford their own bills while making their services affordable to a broader population.

A percentage of their caseload is reserved for low-cost counselling to service the populations who cannot afford most counselling services.

Both of them have conversations with their clients to figure out what they can each afford at that moment in a collaborative approach to find a comfortable price for everyone.

Building an accessible and equitable group practice

Natasha and Cherise are interested in building out the practice in a group setting.

They would like to one day hire more mental health professionals into the practice. The flat fee that they would offer is to allow the therapist to receive a higher income, instead of asking them to pay a percentage of their income.

Transparency, accessibility, and barrier-free care are the guiding principles and foundations on which Cherise and Natasha lay their practice.

Working as a team

Natasha explains that initially she wasn’t sure how to approach a private practice, but in meeting Cherise, they discovered a great team in one another and felt excited to approach the opportunity.

Cherise appreciated Natasha suggesting working together and it has been a great experience for them both!

Advice to listeners

It’s not going to be easy but it will be worth it! There will be doubt and you won’t always get a “yes”, but with a great business partner or support network, you can keep pursuing your goals. Be kind to yourself in the process!

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Resources mentioned and useful links:

Ep 153: An Update on Direct Billing | EP 153

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Learn more about Natasha and Cherise on their practice website, and individual Psychology Today (Natasha) Psychology Today (Cherise) profiles

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