CHRISTINA PAGE: TRANSITIONING FROM AGENCY TO PRIVATE PRACTICE | EP 128
With private practice, Christina, our guest today, went through a challenging experience and found it difficult herself to find the therapy that she needed.
When she registered as a social worker and later as a perinatal therapist, she knew that she wanted to fill the niche in the market by serving the families in her community.
Today, we discuss her journey into social work, her time working at a hospital, and how she started her thriving, mostly virtual Canadian group practice, and how she incorporated her own values and passions into building a successful practice that meets her client’s needs!
Jane is an all-in-one health and wellness practice management platform designed to be helpful to you, no matter how or where you practice. Available online and on any device, Jane offers branded online booking, beautiful scheduling, insurance management, customizable charting, online intake forms, patient reminders, integrated payment processing, online appointments (telehealth) and more! Use the code FEARLESS at signup to receive your first month completely free!
MEET CHRISTINA
Christina Page is a Registered Social Worker, Certified Perinatal Therapist and the owner of Whole Family Psychotherapy, a primarily virtual Ontario based group practice specializing in perinatal mental health. Christina and her team of RSW’s are also parents themselves, and believe supporting parents in all stages of their journey allows for family systems to thrive.
Learn more about Christina on her practice website, Psychology Today, and LinkedIn profiles.
In This Episode
- How Christina became a social worker
- Opening up a private practice
- Developing the solo practice into a group practice
- A client login for Jane App
How Christina became a social worker
Initially in school, Christina really wanted to be an actor!
‘In high school that was my thing, I loved doing theater and at the end of high school I went straight to theater college … in Toronto, I was set! Everyone told me I was going to be, and I followed that path. I got there, and I realized pretty quickly that I think for me … That the decision-making for my career path came out of a desire to please other people, and to be what I was “supposed” to be – so I kind of went rogue!’ – Christina Page
Upon coming to this life changing realization, Christina dropped out of acting school and spent a couple of years getting to know herself while working different jobs here and there. She went to therapy herself, and discovered that it was something that she felt a natural calling to do too.
‘I registered at the University of Waterloo for their Social Development Studies Program, and I loved it! I loved it in a way that I didn’t love school for the last few years.’ – Christina Page
She graduated in 2013 and launched into her career as a social worker.
Opening up a private practice
Christina spent a while working in the hospital system as a social worker, however she knew that there was something else that she wanted to try. While Christina was still on maternity leave, she decided that she wanted to move out of working in the hospital system and to open up her own practice.
‘I was juggling carving out this practice while I still had my son at home. I had some support, my parents helped … It was a bit chaotic, but I felt fulfilled. I felt excited!’ – Christina Page
Christina wanted to gain more expertise, and found some Canadian perinatal mental health trainings in Toronto that she loved, and where she completed a bunch of certificates with course work and supervision which helped her to feel competent and ready to market herself in her new practice.
‘I think it was about eight months, a little bit longer for all the supervisory hours, but it was really amazing.’ – Christina Page
Developing the solo practice into a group practice
In 2022, once Christina’s children were in school and daycare, she really committed to networking in her area and meeting every midwife and doctor that she felt fit with her niche and approach.
Once 2023 came around, Christina felt the need to expand her solo practice into a group practice.
‘Four months into going hard in creating those connections, I was full on my waitlist … It was amazing! I was seeing clients that I loved, I was seeing clients that I wanted to see me, and I was watching them improve and make progress. It was so beautiful, having been through my own perinatal distress, being there to witness [other’s progress] … But the waitlist just sat there! It hung over my head … and there were waitlists everywhere.’ – Christina Page
Even though Christina didn’t initially want to be a boss, she just wanted to be a therapist, she found herself warming up to the idea. Now, it’s been a year since Christina has been running her group practice.
‘It’s been really incredible … I started with three therapists, and I had a big waitlist … For me, those first six months were a bit of a blur because I was still building the foundation and I was working with a lot of different experts … and I was learning how to lead for the first time, and I was making mistakes and recovering from them!’ – Christina Page
Christina was motivated to lay a strong foundation for her practice that wasn’t only solid on operation, skill sets, expertise, and student services for affordable therapy, but also on ethics. She hired an attorney to make sure that everything was done by the book so that she can rest easy knowing that her business is rock-solid, therapeutically and legally.
‘If you know that you want to go into group practice, start saving some money so that you can feel like you can invest in those really foundational pieces and have an expert team advising you.’ – Christina Page
A client login for Jane App
‘It’s just a great idea to have that on your website; “Oh, here! Just go to this part of the website and you can login to your Jane profile and you can look there, get everything you need for your insurance”, love that!’ – Julia Smith
Having a client login option for your practice website so that your existing clients can have access to their receipts or other documentation is a great way to keep the client journey piece in mind within your business operations.
It shows your clients that you are considering their needs too, and that you are incorporating their experience into how you structure your services to serve their needs.
Connect With Me
Resources Mentioned and Useful Links:
Ep 127: Being Intentional when Starting a Group Private Practice | EP 127
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)
Learn more about Christina on her practice website, Psychology Today, and LinkedIn profiles.
Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and TuneIn
About Julia
Julia Smith, MEd, RCT, CCC is a registered Counselling Therapist who owns a group private practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is also the owner of Fearless Practice Consulting and hosts the Fearless Practice podcast. Through the Fearless Practice podcast, she provides invaluable insights and practical advice on starting and growing a successful Canadian private practice. Julia’s wealth of knowledge also extends beyond the podcast, as she provides personalized one-on-one consulting to therapists who are feeling burnt out and overwhelmed with their solo or group private practices. With Julia’s expertise, therapists can confidently navigate the complexities of owning a private practice and find work life – balance.
Julia also has written articles for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy association. You can learn more at www.ccpa-accp.ca/blog/.
