Is It Time To Hire Your First Therapist? What Nobody Tells You about the Leap From Solo to Group

Amy Dover is taking over the Wise Practice Podcast for this special June series, and today she’s talking about one of the biggest milestones in private practice: hiring your first therapist. 0:00 Welcome to Amy Dover’s podcast takeover 0:38 The moment Amy realized hiring was harder than expected 2:27 Why “get busy, hire” is not enough 3:19 The problem with hiring without systems 4:00 Why copying other practice owners can backfire 5:45 Hiring without a contract 8:13 Your first therapist needs clear direction 9:16 Signs you may not be ready to hire yet 13:08 What readiness to hire actually looks like 15:26 Is fear keeping you from growing? 18:13 Built to Last: Growing from Solo Practice to Group 19:45 Early bird discount and registration details In this episode, Amy shares the story of hiring her first clinician, the mistakes she made early on, and what she wishes someone had told her before she stepped into the role of employer and leader. She talks honestly about the difference between simply adding another therapist and actually building the systems, expectations, contracts, culture, and leadership foundation your practice needs to grow well. If you’re a solo practice owner wondering whether it’s time to hire, this conversation will help you think through your referral pipeline, your readiness to lead, your values, your infrastructure, and the fear that can sometimes keep you stuck. Amy also shares about her upcoming mastermind, Built to Last: Growing from a Solo Practice to a Group, for Christian practice owners who are ready to make their first hire or grow beyond their first team member. Show Sponsor SamBright Today's sponsor is SamBright, and if you've ever paid for SEO or Google Ads and felt like you had nothing to show for it, stick with me for a second. Most marketing agencies sell you one channel. They measure success with impressions and click reports that don't tell you whether your phone actually rang. That's the problem, not you. SamBright runs SEO, Google Ads, and AI search together because that's how clients make decisions now. They even run email and SMS marketing for larger practices. One system covers multiple channels. And every Monday morning you get a plain-English update on how it's going. If your practice’s caseloads should be fuller than they are, book a call at sambright.com/schedule. That's https://www.sambright.com/schedule. Amy Dover's Resources Built to Last: The Solo to Group Mastermind (Grab $50 Off if you register before June 12th) https://www.wisepracticeconsulting.co... Links and Resources Learn More about Wise Practice Consulting https://www.wisepracticeconsulting.com Connect with Wise Practice on Instagram   / wise_practice_consulting   Connect with Whitney Owens on Facebook   / whitney.owens.963   Check out all of the podcasts on the PsychCraft Network https://psychcraftnetwork.com