Charge More, Slow Down: John Clarke on Private Practice and the Value of Presence

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What is a therapy session actually worth—and what makes it valuable?
In this episode of Therapist Confidential, Travis Heath talks with therapist and private practice expert John Clarke about money, marketing, and building a sustainable life as a therapist. They challenge the idea that helping professionals need to struggle financially in order to do meaningful work, and explore what makes therapy valuable. Is it worth more when a client has a breakthrough? When the therapist uses the “right” intervention?
After years of experience in Internal Family Systems, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, Clarke finds himself returning to the basics: slowing down, being curious, and trusting the therapeutic power of presence. Together, Travis and John consider what it means to practice this way in a culture that constantly asks us to move faster — and whether slowing down might be one of the most meaningful things a therapist can do.
   

John Clarke, MA, EdS, LPCC

Clinical Director, Calm Again Counseling

John Clarke is a trauma therapist, Founder and Clinical Director of Calm Again Counseling in San Francisco, and host of the Going Inside podcast. With 13+ years in the field and specialties in IFS, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing, John is on a mission to make trauma therapy more accessible — and to help therapists build practices that don’t burn them out. John is also a business coach with over 10 years of experience helping therapists build and grow sustainable private practices. He built and sold a group practice in 2019, and went on to found Private Practice Workshop, where he’s trained therapists on the business side of the field — from launch to full caseload to scaling a group practice. He’s currently under contract with New Harbinger Publications for his book IFS for Anxiety, and is the founder of Pathways to Self, a clinical consultation community for trauma therapists. Learn more at www.johnclarketherapy.com.