10- Navigating the Seasonal Therapy Drought: Overcoming Self-Doubt When Client Numbers Drop

So, Now What?

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Ever felt that sinking feeling when your client calendar starts emptying out as summer approaches? You're not alone. In this deeply personal exploration of the "summer slump," I pull back the curtain on a phenomenon that affects countless therapists but rarely gets discussed openly.
The summer slump isn't just about fewer billable hours—it's about the profound self-doubt that creeps in when clients take vacations, downgrade their sessions, or reallocate their budgets toward summer expenses. Drawing from my own experiences, including the particularly challenging summer after the birth of my third child, I share how these seasonal downturns can trigger our deepest insecurities about competence, worthiness, and financial stability.
Most therapists respond to the summer slump through protective strategies: frantic marketing, lowering fees, taking on ill-fitting clients, or simply shutting down through avoidance and procrastination. But these approaches only address the surface problem. What if there's a deeper conversation happening beneath all this anxiety? What if our response to seasonal practice fluctuations actually connects to our core wounds around conditional acceptance, worthiness, and scarcity?
This episode offers a compassionate framework for understanding why the summer slump affects us so deeply and outlines a healing approach that goes beyond mere logistics. By mapping our protective mechanisms, identifying our vulnerable feelings, and extending self-compassion to these exiled parts, we can transform our relationship with these predictable business cycles. The result isn't just greater resilience during slow periods—it's a more authentic and sustainable approach to our entire practice.
Ready to explore what lies beneath your summer slump experience? Connect with me for a free consultation and sign up for my newsletter to continue this important conversation about therapist well-being and practice sustainability.

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פרקים

1. Introduction to the Summer Slump (00:00:00)

2. Understanding the Summer Slump Phenomenon (00:05:09)

3. Emotional Impact and Self-Doubt (00:11:28)

4. Personal Experience with Vulnerability (00:17:01)

5. The Conversation Beneath the Conversation (00:22:05)

6. Healing Approach and Moving Forward (00:23:14)