Chapter Seven

Pep Guardiola or Accrington Stanley?

Part of Building a Counselling Practice: The Journey Beyond the Classroom

One of the strange things about building a private practice is that the finish line keeps moving.

At first you want a website.

Then you want Google to notice it.

Then you want enquiries.

Then clients.

Then a waiting list.

Then better rankings.

Then more articles.

Then more visibility.

The goals quietly become bigger without you ever really noticing.

It's easy to believe that satisfaction is always waiting just beyond the next milestone.

I don't think that's unique to counselling.

Football has taught me exactly the same lesson.

Pep Guardiola might wake up thinking about winning another Champions League.

The manager of Accrington Stanley might simply be hoping for three points on Saturday.

Neither ambition is wrong.

They're just trying to build different things.

At some point I realised I'd been measuring myself against practices that weren't trying to build the same life as me.

Some therapists want a team of associates.

Others want multiple clinics.

Some want national recognition.

Some want to become authors, speakers or trainers.

All perfectly valid.

But none of those goals automatically had to become mine.

The question slowly changed.

Instead of asking:

"How can I build the biggest practice?"

I started asking:

"What kind of life do I actually want?"

For me, the answer became surprisingly simple.

Meaningful work.

Enough clients to make a comfortable living.

Time to write.

Time for my family.

Time to keep learning.

Space to enjoy the work rather than constantly chasing the next milestone.

Ironically, once I stopped trying to compete with everybody else's version of success, building the practice became much more enjoyable.

The website became a place to share ideas rather than prove myself.

Articles became conversations.

SEO became a way of helping the right people find me rather than a competition to beat everyone else.

Looking back, I don't think this series has really been about websites at all.

Or Google.

Or private practice.

It's been about something much simpler.

Learning that the practice you're building is usually a reflection of the life you're trying to create.

Perhaps that's the lesson I wish someone had told me in Turkey.

Success isn't always about becoming bigger.

Sometimes it's about becoming clearer.

Clearer about the work you want to do.

The people you want to help.

And the life you're trying to build.

Perhaps that's where this journey ends.

Or perhaps...

It's only just beginning.

Thank You

If you've read all seven chapters, thank you for travelling alongside me.

These reflections began as notes to myself.

They gradually became articles.

One day they may become a book.

For now, I simply hope they've offered reassurance that building a counselling practice doesn't require perfection.

Just honesty.

Curiosity.

And the willingness to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Continue Exploring

← Chapter Six: Just One More Tweak

← Return to Building a Counselling Practice

Looking for an Honest Conversation?

→ Explore Sunday Morning Practice Development Sessions
Sometimes a single conversation can save months of heading in the wrong direction.

If you're building your own practice and would value an independent pair of eyes, I offer occasional Sunday Morning Practice Development Sessions.

They're not about selling a formula.

They're simply an opportunity to talk honestly about your website, your ideas, your niche and where you're hoping to go next.

A Small Football Note

As a lifelong Charlton Athletic supporter,I've always enjoyed football stories wherever they come from. Living in Manchester has only strengthened that, and I've developed a genuine affection for clubs like Manchester City and Accrington Stanley, this comparison is made entirely with respect.

The point isn't that one ambition is better than another. Football clubs, like counselling practices, are all trying to build something different.

Sometimes success isn't measured by becoming the biggest.

It's measured by becoming exactly what you set out to be.