Having set up private practice twice (once in Bozeman, MT and then again in Annapolis, MD), and having simultaneously worked in several other settings along the way (e.g., military and America’s Cup) – I think I can share a few pearls of wisdom for others starting out…

Am I good enough?

Pursue credentials and licensures, real ones like CMPC or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors or Psychologists… not some fly by night certification.  Even if you have all the charisma in the world, think twice or three times before being an influencer or a coach without pursuing true training along the way.  Be humble.  Be reflective.  Be a lifelong learner.  A bit of humility led me to seek 3 degrees and multiple certifications and licensures; but I’m never “done.”  Be a continuing education “junkie.”  Seek mentorship, beyond whatever’s needed to check boxes for a certification or licensure.  To make you better, and – because nobody needs to do it all alone.

How do I stand out?

The field is somewhat saturated with practitioners.  Go deeper into subdomains of expertise.  Carve your niches.

Populations:  Do you like working with a certain kind of athlete or performer?  Attend their annual conferences.  Get involved in coach education.  Be a resource to the community.  Build wisdom that carries over to other individual or team sports, or other kinds of settings.  My passion for sailing has served me well over the years, and yet I’ve loved opportunities to help other kinds of teams – like marine industry folks, military, restaurant managers, or attorneys.

Problems:  Do you like helping to solve a certain kind of problem?  Learn about that problem through multi-disciplinary training.  Be sure to lean heavily on being a scholar-practitioner.  Every time you need to know more about a given population or problem, delve into the scientific literature about it.  Distinguish yourself in the process from those influencers and self-made coaches.  One of my best roles after grad school (in terms of furthering my development) was working with the Human Performance Resource Center as their senior mind-body scientist.  I already did it for my clients, but the job gave me yet another excuse to delve into the research literature – helping others to understand the science behind optimal functioning.

Interventions:  Are there certain ways to solve problems, or enhance performance, that really resonate with you.  Go the distance in learning about that approach.  What approaches are similar that you could borrow from or integrate with your approach?  What does the research say about it?  What direction is the research going in?  Go to conferences, including ones where you know nobody!  Be a sponge; learn more.  Personally, I love how psychophysiology (mind-body connection) is quantifiable and trainable, using biofeedback.

How do I get the word out there?

Through every means you can!  Early in my career, I found that anything I did led to at least one referral.  Sometimes it took a few years; people would say things like, “I enjoyed that presentation you gave for the Chamber of Commerce 3 years ago,” or “that article in Outside Bozeman magazine last year.”  It also paid to be on the front end of whatever technologies.  I was one of the first three listed in Bozeman, when I started out on psychologytoday.com.  Create a buzz with your “brand” that is authentic to you.  You don’t need to be an influencer posting videos everyday – but do post often.  People want to know what you’re about!  Even simply sharing the articles that grab you, possibly translating the scientific ones for a lay audience.

Keep going!

Whether landing a more secure job with university athletics, working in a military setting, working with a pro team knowing that you might be gone with the next managerial shift, or embracing the entrepreneurial spirit of running your own private practice – this field requires perseverance.  To be good at what you do requires you to keep pushing.  While pushing, remain authentic in your interactions, putting the clients’ needs first.  Accept moments of self-doubt, cope with it, reflect, learn, and keep getting better.  Enjoy the journey.  This field is awesome.  I’m thankful everyday for the people I work with, for the intellectual enrichment process of fueling my knowledge base, and for the adventure of it all.