HOW TO CREATE A SUMMER SCHEDULE THAT WORKS FOR YOU! | EP 130

As many therapists may have experienced with their practices, there’s usually a summer slump. Everybody is either away on vacation or taking time off work, and as such their schedules have changed, albeit temporarily, and this can make it challenging for therapists to maintain their usual steady stream of clients.

More than that, you also want a holiday! It’s important for everyone, including therapists, to enjoy the nice weather and to take time off, wherever applicable and useful.

In this podcast episode, I share with you some of the tips and approaches I use to make sure that I can also relax and take a breather, without letting the stress of daily life completely take over.

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In This Episode

Some ideas to deal with a summer slump
What I’m trying this year!
Managing my time
Slowing down

Some ideas to deal with a summer slump

‘[During] the summer slump [there’s] usually just a few sessions booked each month in July and August … There are many ways to deal with this!’ – Julia Smith

While everyone is outside and enjoying the warmer weather after winter, businesses and practices can suffer a little financially due to their clients often being away on vacation or out of town.

Luckily, there are some things that you can do to help keep your business afloat and top of mind, such as:

Increased marketing your business leading up to the summer
Adding a niche with a summertime focus
Saving money throughout the year to help you manage the slower summer months
Adding an additional stream of income
Hiring new therapists to your practice

What I’m trying this year

From the suggestions I’ve given above, there are a couple of things that I am trying this year for summer 2024.

‘In the past I have panicked when this has happened and I really don’t want to be in that state of anxiety during the summer this year. If you have been in private practice for a couple of years, luckily you can go back and start to see trends. I now know with confidence that there’s usually going to be a summer slump, but then it’s going to pick up in the fall!’ – Julia Smith

What I’m doing;

1 – Reminding myself that this is a phase. I know that there are trends of busyness that come and go throughout the year, and to keep calm and make adjusted actions is the best way to go.

2 – Be proactive and productive. I use the client summer slump to work on my business in other ways, making tweaks and adjustments where it may be needed that I might not have the time to do during the rest of the year.

‘For me optimizing the backend with all this extra time helps me to ease that worry of not having as many clients as I usually do, as well as it helps me to get even more clients in the future by focusing on a particular part of my business and making it the best that it can be!’ – Julia Smith

3 – You can network too. Networking is an ongoing investment that you are making in your business, and these ring true and could bring you some valuable clients before, during, and after the summer quiet months.

Managing my time

So, the way that I manage my time over these summer months with my other work priorities is to simply slot them into my usual clinical working hours, where I would’ve been clients. This way I maintain my usual schedule, keep my own routine, and still work within the hours that I am used to working in.

Blocking out that time in my own schedule means that I keep working, and I don’t see an empty client slot as “free” time.

‘So by putting that into my schedule when I don’t have a client booked, it really helps me to subliminally prepare myself that I am going to do that task at that time.’ – Julia Smith

Slowing down

Another thing that I am doing this summer is slowing down, and taking time off as well! One of the most annoying things of the summer is having one client booked on a clinical day, and no one else.

When that happens, I book the rest of the hours off to focus on that one summer work priority, and also to relax! Where possible, I’ll bunch those client hours onto a day or two so that I work in batches, and can then manage my time so that I’ll have a solid block of working time, and then rest.

If you want to hear more about how I portion out my time so that I can enjoy both my clinical work and enjoying my personal life, listen to this episode for some tips and advice!

‘Whenever I do feel that [summer slump anxiety] bubbling up, I remind myself that this happens every year and this year I’m going to take advantage of this time, work on the back end of my business, and enjoy some time off!’ – Julia Smith

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Resources Mentioned and Useful Links:

Ep 129: Rhea Bridge: Niching in a New Practice to Reduce Burnout | EP 129

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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/.

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