Starting a group counseling practice isn’t just a professional milestone. It’s also a personal transformation. In my research with female group practice owners, nearly every participant shared how ownership stretched them beyond their comfort zones, forcing them to grow as leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals.
This blog explores the personal growth journey many owners experience and how it shapes both their businesses and their lives.
From Counselor to Leader
Most counselors enter the profession to help people, not to run payroll or negotiate office leases. Yet group practice ownership requires a fundamental identity shift:
- From clinician to CEO: Owners spend less time in the therapy chair and more time making strategic decisions.
- From individual contributor to leader: Success now depends on motivating, mentoring, and managing others.
- From helper to visionary: Owners must balance client care with building sustainable systems for growth.
As one owner told me, “I realized my job wasn’t just to see clients anymore. It was to lead a team and carry the vision for where we were headed.”
Developing New Skills Along the Way
Leadership requires skills that don’t always come naturally to counselors trained primarily in clinical work. Owners described learning to:
- Set boundaries around work hours, client loads, and employee expectations
- Delegate tasks like billing, scheduling, and HR to avoid burnout
- Communicate clearly during times of change or conflict
- Make tough decisions about hiring, finances, and growth
One participant said, “I used to avoid conflict at all costs. Now, I know hard conversations are part of leading well.”
Confidence and Self-Trust
Many owners shared that practice ownership forced them to trust their judgment and take risks they might have avoided before. Signing a lease, hiring employees, or negotiating with insurance companies all required courage and self-confidence that grew with experience.
Over time, owners began to see themselves not just as counselors who happened to own a business, but as leaders shaping the culture and future of mental health care in their communities.
Personal Benefits Beyond the Business
Growth didn’t stop at professional skills. Owners reported personal changes such as:
- Greater self-awareness about strengths and limits
- Improved financial literacy and confidence managing money
- Stronger resilience when facing setbacks or uncertainty
One owner reflected, “Owning this practice changed how I see myself. I’m braver than I ever realized.”
Takeaway: Leadership Growth Is Part of the Journey
Group practice ownership isn’t just about creating jobs or serving clients. Group ownership is also about becoming the kind of leader who can hold the weight of both. The challenges and risks push owners to grow in ways that benefit their businesses, their teams, and their own sense of purpose.
The next blog in this series will explore the business and administrative lessons owners learned the hard way and how new owners can avoid the same pitfalls.
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Ready to take your counseling practice to the next level? Brave Play offers consulting, CE trainings, and supervision tailored for group practice owners. Click here to learn more!
References
Business Wire. (2018). Women-owned businesses on the rise.
Garrett, A. (2022). The Lived Experiences of Group Practice Ownership by Female Licensed Professional Counselors (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies, 12983.