Selling the Couch

Could churches and other faith communities become one of your private practice's strongest referral sources?
For many therapists, networking with churches can feel intimidating—or even a little unclear. Who do you contact? What do you say? Should you offer free workshops? And how do you build these relationships without feeling like you're simply asking for referrals?
In this episode of Selling the Couch, Mel sits down with licensed therapist and group practice owner Whitney Owens to talk about a more relational approach to connecting with churches and faith communities.
Whitney shares what she's learned from growing her own practice, being married to a pastor, and helping other faith-based practice owners build sustainable businesses.
In this conversation:
Why churches can be valuable referral partners for therapists
Whether this strategy works if you don't have a faith-based practice
Who to contact within a church (and why it may not be the lead pastor)
Why warm relationships work better than simply dropping off marketing materials
How to approach pastors by asking how you can support them
Ways to find churches and faith communities to connect with locally
Ethical considerations when clients attend your own church
How Whitney navigated dual relationships and boundaries
How church benevolence funds may help congregants access therapy
Whitney's experience creating "mini EAP" relationships with churches
Whether free or low-cost workshops are worth offering
How to think about fees, sliding scales, and discounted services without undervaluing your work
Why following up every few months is essential for building long-term referral relationships

Start With Relationships, Not Referrals
One of the biggest themes in this conversation is simple:
People are more likely to refer to therapists they know, like, and trust.
Instead of approaching a church with, "Here's my practice—send me clients," Whitney recommends starting with curiosity.
What challenges is this church facing?
What are pastors hearing from their congregants?
Where are they feeling overwhelmed?
How could your expertise make their work a little easier?
From there, a relationship can grow into referrals, workshops, trainings, counseling partnerships, or other opportunities to serve the community.
Think Depth, Not Volume
You don't necessarily need relationships with 50 churches.
A handful of strong, trusted relationships—nurtured consistently over time—may be far more valuable than trying to market your practice everywhere at once.
And if you're part of another faith tradition, many of these same principles can be adapted to building relationships with the religious organizations and communities relevant to you.
About Whitney Owens
Whitney Owens is a licensed therapist, group practice owner, and founder of Wise Practice Consulting, where she helps faith-based practice owners integrate their values into the way they build and lead their businesses.
Learn more:
https://wisepracticeconsulting.com
If you're a therapist looking for thoughtful, relationship-based ways to grow your referral network, this conversation is full of practical ideas you can begin using in your own community.
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RESOURCES
Join our FREE WORKSHOP: Your LinkedIn Profile is Either Working For You Right Now — or It Isn't
Join Mel on September 18th for a free 60-minute live workshop designed to help therapists turn LinkedIn into a 24/7 silent referral partner—without becoming a content machine. You’ll learn how to optimize the five parts of your profile that matter most, make your expertise easier to discover by both humans and AI search engines, and build a quiet online presence that can lead to referrals, speaking opportunities, podcasts, and more.
Save your spot at: https://melvinvarghese.kartra.com/page/linkedin

What if you didn’t need to post on LinkedIn every day to build real authority?
For years, the dominant LinkedIn advice has been pretty consistent: post constantly, engage with bigger accounts, chase visibility, and keep feeding the algorithm.
But what if there’s a quieter—and more sustainable—way to use LinkedIn?
In this episode, Mel shares what he’s learned after nearly four years of experimenting with LinkedIn, growing from roughly 400–500 followers to nearly 5,000 and generating more than 700,000 views without posting every day.
More importantly, he explores why LinkedIn may be becoming increasingly valuable for therapists as AI changes the way expertise is discovered online.
In this episode:
Why Mel shut down a Facebook community of nearly 10,000 people and began experimenting with LinkedIn
Why therapists may be overlooking one of the best platforms for building professional authority
The problem with the “post every day” approach to LinkedIn
Why your referral sources, collaborators, publishers, podcast hosts, and speaking opportunities may already be on LinkedIn
How LinkedIn can help create a broader digital footprint around your expertise
Why specificity matters more than having a massive following
How to turn years of clinical experience into content people can actually find
Why your LinkedIn profile should function more like a search result than a traditional resume
How to use LinkedIn search to find referral partners, collaborators, journalists, publishers, and other opportunities
Mel’s “Quiet LinkedIn” approach to posting consistently without burning out
Why the goal isn't necessarily more followers—it’s more signal

Instead of trying to win the follower or engagement game, Mel proposes playing a different one: the authority game. Tune in for the strategy!
The goal isn't virality.
It's becoming the obvious expert in your specific corner of the world.
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RESOURCES
Join our FREE WORKSHOP: Your LinkedIn Profile is Either Working For You Right Now — or It Isn't
Join Mel on September 18th for a free 60-minute live workshop designed to help therapists turn LinkedIn into a 24/7 silent referral partner—without becoming a content machine. You’ll learn how to optimize the five parts of your profile that matter most, make your expertise easier to discover by both humans and AI search engines, and build a quiet online presence that can lead to referrals, speaking opportunities, podcasts, and more.
Save your spot at: https://melvinvarghese.kartra.com/page/linkedin

More is not always better. We often find that what we are chasing in our pursuit of success is not what we thought it was. Entrepreneurship for private practice clinicians naturally attracts many high achievers and recovering perfectionists, so we need to take a pause and periodically reassess and redefine what success looks like. Join us for a closer look at this important topic!
Our Featured Guest
Jeanetta Garrison, LCSW
Jeanetta Garrison is an anxiety therapist in private practice in Charlotte, NC. She is the perfect person to share insights into today’s topic. In this episode, Jeanetta shares a personal story about what she learned about money during her childhood, along with how we navigate our aspirations and what we go after to achieve success. We wrap up with a discussion of knowing what is “enough” and being cautious about who we follow after as mentors and examples.
Crown Counseling & Consulting
You’ll Learn:
Common characteristics of entrepreneurs in private practice
Jeanetta’s family story of how she learned about money from her upbringing
Having big hearts of service sets us up to allow boundaries to be crossed
The need for clarity in communication with clients about cancellations and no-shows
Chasing the proverbial “carrot” to reach success
Jeanetta’s advice: “Remember your WHY and center your head, heart, and spirit around it.”
Think about your success in terms of what you are sacrificing for it!
Navigating the ebbs and flows that are inherent in entrepreneurship
How Jeanetta grounds herself with what is “enough” for her in her business
Thinking about money in terms of what it symbolizes to us (“All money is not good money.”)

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Ready to launch (or grow) your online course?
Haven is our membership for therapists who want to turn their expertise into sustainable online income through courses, content, and simple systems that actually work.
You’ll get access to trainings, live accelerators, and a community that supports you every step of the way.
Get on the waitlist: sellingthecouch.com/haven

If you’ve been thinking about posting more on LinkedIn or if you’re curious about how to best use this social media platform, today’s encore is for you.
It took me a long time to understand the purpose of LinkedIn and how it can be beneficial in connecting me to the right followers. Join me for an honest look at my experience and the biggest lessons learned.
You’ll Learn:
5 lessons learned over the last 2 years on LinkedIn:
The magic is in the DMs.
Focusing on thoughtful relationships is better than chasing followers.
LinkedIn’s search tool is amazingly helpful for making connections.
The algorithm will always change.
Don’t chase trends, but focus on consistency and diversified content.
Experiment on LinkedIn, but don’t overthink the metrics.
Watch out for growth gurus.
Be wary of those who over-promise and under-deliver.
I’m more interested in posting things that will help a young therapist like I used to be.
Followers are less relevant than you think.
It’s about the right people—not ALL people.
Try creator mode and curate your network intentionally.
The daily posting game is a slow burn.
I’ve learned to pace myself in posting.
I would rather focus on slower growth in followers and have consistency and sustainability.
Connect with me on LinkedIn!

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Ready to launch (or grow) your online course?
Haven is our membership for therapists who want to turn their expertise into sustainable online income through courses, content, and simple systems that actually work.
You’ll get access to trainings, live accelerators, and a community that supports you every step of the way.
Get on the waitlist: sellingthecouch.com/haven

In today's encore, I share my journey of going into private practice, in addition to keeping STC running and growing.
There were three main reasons for this decision: I missed the therapy room, a clinical arm to my business is a wise move, and I’d be able to more strategically diversify my income. But this decision brought me some anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
I address these issues with my wonderful therapist, and did all the things that we therapists tell our clients to do. My worries and fears are probably normal for someone who feels the pressure to be successful in multiple businesses and endeavors. Join me as I share my insights on finding my private practice niche.
You’ll Learn:
What is a niche, and how did I choose my niche for private practice? Who do I want to work with?
My top four insights on finding my private practice niche:
Niches are living and breathing things that evolve over time.
Family and friends will always recommend people outside your niche.
There is a relational component to marketing beyond your website.
Even though my niche focuses on tech and business founders, working within other branches of these niches will add diversity to my work.

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Ready to launch (or grow) your online course?
Haven is our membership for therapists who want to turn their expertise into sustainable online income through courses, content, and simple systems that actually work.
You’ll get access to trainings, live accelerators, and a community that supports you every step of the way.
Get on the waitlist: sellingthecouch.com/haven