Rethinking Private Practice to Avoid Burn Out & Expand Your Impact with Claire Powers

Feb 6

There’s a quiet moment a lot of therapists hit that doesn’t get talked about enough.

You love the work. You care deeply about your clients. You worked hard for this career. And still, you find yourself wondering why it feels so heavy. Why the pay doesn’t match the responsibility. Why you’re exhausted even when you’re doing “everything right.”

This episode with Claire Powers came from that exact place.

Claire is a speech therapist who genuinely loves her field. She didn’t fall out of love with helping people. What stopped working was the system she was trying to survive inside. Early burnout, capped income, and the pressure to give more while receiving less pushed her to start asking questions most clinicians are afraid to voice.

Is this really sustainable?
Is this all there is?
And why does it feel so hard to admit that something isn’t working?

When loving the work isn’t enough

One of the things Claire shared that stuck with me was how early these feelings can show up. She graduated, stepped into the field, and quickly realized the expectations placed on therapists don’t match the compensation, autonomy, or long-term sustainability we’re promised.

So many clinicians assume burnout means they chose the wrong career. In reality, it often means they’re trying to make themselves fit into a model that was never designed to support them.

Insurance caps. Productivity demands. Limited flexibility. The constant emotional output. None of that leaves much room for a full life outside the therapy room.

And yet, therapists are told to push through. To be grateful. To accept that this is just how it is.

Claire wasn’t willing to do that.

The shift from fixing to supporting

A big turning point in Claire’s journey was realizing that therapy doesn’t live only in the session. Especially when working with autistic children, real progress depends on the adults supporting them every day.

Parents need understanding, regulation, and confidence just as much as children need intervention. Without that, therapy can stretch on for years with minimal change.

This is where Claire began to shift her work toward parent coaching, education, and community support. Not as a replacement for therapy, but as a way to make therapy actually work.

When parents feel supported, informed, and empowered, everything changes. Progress speeds up. Stress goes down. And therapists aren’t carrying the full emotional load alone.

It’s a different way of thinking about impact. One that values sustainability for everyone involved.

Thinking outside the therapy room

Claire’s work now includes online education, digital resources, and community spaces that allow her to reach more people without burning herself out. That didn’t happen overnight, and it wasn’t easy.

Stepping outside the therapy room comes with fear. Fear of judgment. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of being told you’re doing it wrong.

We talked openly about selling, visibility, and the criticism that can come with putting your ideas online. Especially for clinicians who are deeply service-oriented, asking for money can feel uncomfortable.

But serving and selling are not opposites.

If you have something that helps people, letting them know it exists is part of the work. Sustainable income allows you to keep showing up. It gives you the capacity to care without sacrificing yourself.

You’re not wrong for wanting more

One of the most important takeaways from this conversation is that wanting more does not mean you’re ungrateful. It does not mean you’re greedy. And it does not mean you don’t care enough.

It means you’re paying attention.

Some therapists are perfectly content in traditional roles, and that’s valid. Others feel a pull toward something different. More flexibility. More autonomy. More alignment with the life they want to live.

If that’s you, you’re not broken. You’re not failing. You’re responding honestly to what your body and nervous system are telling you.

Claire’s story is proof that there are other ways to use your skills without abandoning your values or your identity as a therapist.

A grounded invitation to rethink what’s possible

This episode isn’t about telling you what to do next. It’s about creating space to question what you’ve been taught to accept.

You don’t need a full plan.
You don’t need to blow everything up.
You don’t need to decide anything today.

Sometimes the most powerful shift is simply realizing you’re not alone in the questions.

If you’ve been feeling boxed in, quietly frustrated, or unsure how long you can keep going like this, I hope this conversation with Claire helps you feel seen and a little more open to what might be possible.