The Art and Soul of Private Practice is an eight-week, non-credit continuing education certificate that explores the business foundations of private practice through a depth-informed, reflective, and ethically grounded approach.

Taught by Pacifica scholar-practitioners who actively maintain successful private practices, this program bridges rigorous scholarship and lived professional experience. Faculty draw directly from their real-world work, sharing the practical insights, challenges, and lessons learned through years of building and sustaining practices that are financially viable, ethically sound, and deeply aligned with values.

Rather than offering abstract business theory or generic “practice-building” strategies, the course invites participants into honest, experience-based conversations about the realities of private practice: income, boundaries, visibility, time, energy, and the psychological dimensions of working for oneself.

Grounded in Pacifica’s tradition of soul-centered education, The Art and Soul of Private Practice integrates practical business frameworks with reflection on vocation, meaning, and responsibility. Participants are invited to consider not only how to build and grow a private practice, but what kind of practice they wish to inhabit and tend over time.

This program is designed for practitioners who want guidance that is both practical and principled, rooted in lived expertise, reflective depth, and a commitment to sustainable, humane professional life.

 

What you will receive:

• 8 Interactive Live Webinar Sessions
• 8 Video Learning Sessions to watch at your convenience
• A Private, on-line Discussion Forum
• Pacifica Graduate Institute Advanced Training Certificate upon successful completion of the course
• 12 CECs

 

This course is ideal for: 

• Licensed mental health clinicians (LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, LEPs, psychologists) who are considering or preparing to launch a private practice

• Early-career therapists seeking practical guidance on the business, ethical, and psychological dimensions of establishing and sustaining a private practice

• Established practitioners looking to refine their practice structures, address burnout, or realign their work with deeper vocational values

• Clinicians experiencing ambivalence or anxiety about the business aspects of private practice, including fee-setting, marketing, and financial sustainability

• Depth-oriented practitioners who value a reflective, soul-centered approach to professional development that integrates practical business skills with ethical self-awareness and vocational meaning-making

 

Individual Session Descriptions:

Week 1: Practice as Vocation: The Inner Ground of Private Practice

Instructor: Kay Todd, Ph.D., LPC

Live zoom session: November 5, 2026, 5 – 6:30pm PT

This opening session introduces private practice as a vocational path rooted in self-awareness, meaning-making, and ethical becoming rather than simply professional advancement or business growth. Participants are invited into a reflective inquiry regarding the relationship between identity, culture, work, and soul. Drawing from depth psychology, contemplative reflection, and relational discussion, the session explores how contemporary professional culture often organizes practitioners around productivity, optimization, visibility, and measurable outcomes, frequently at the expense of inner life, vocation, and meaning.

Participants will begin articulating a personal narrative of how they arrived at private practice, identify conscious and unconscious assumptions shaping their work, and examine the difference between externally imposed growth narratives and internally guided vocational development.

This session establishes the emotional and philosophical container for the entire course and grounds future business decisions in reflective self-knowledge.

 

Week 2: The Practice as Container: Structures, Boundaries, and Scope

Instructor: Kay Todd, Ph.D., LPC

Live zoom session: November 12, 2026, 5 – 6:30pm PT

Building on the vocational foundation established in Week 1, this session explores the practical and psychological structures that hold clinical work. Participants will examine different practice models, consider the ethical and sustainability implications of modality decisions, and begin defining the boundaries and scope necessary for sustainable practice. Through reflection, discussion, and applied exercises, participants will begin designing a “practice container” aligned with their values, capacity, and population served.

 

Week 3: Money, Meaning, and the Economics of Sustainability

Instructor: Tony Delmedico, PhD

Live zoom session: November 19, 2026, 5:00 – 6:30pm PT

 

The decision to go into private practice brings a host of practical questions that require concrete answers that directly affect the viability of this endeavor. One of the first questions is: What should I charge in order to make this dream a sustainable reality? In this module, you will work toward getting answers the following questions:

1. How much money do I want to make as a therapist?
2. How much money do I need to cover my expenses?
3. How can I think about and work through any difficulties I have with money, the charging of fees, and being paid for my services?

 

Week 4: Insurance, Billing, and Financial Operations

Instructor: Daniel Szuhay, Ph. D.

Live zoom session: December 3, 2026, 5:00 – 6:30pm PT

Medical billing is a complex and essential component of operating a successful private practice. One of the earliest business decisions therapists face is whether to accept insurance, a choice that has significant implications for clinical work, revenue, administrative burden, and long-term practice sustainability. For clinicians who choose to work with insurance companies, additional decisions include obtaining insurance credentialing, selecting billing and payment systems, determining whether to manage administrative functions independently or outsource them, and evaluating the financial impact of these choices. This module provides a practical overview of the financial and operational considerations involved in insurance participation and practice administration. Participants will examine the advantages and disadvantages of accepting insurance within different practice models, learn the basics of the credentialing process, and compare options for managing billing, claims submission, payment processing, and administrative workflows. The module also explores the costs associated with outsourced billing services, virtual assistants, electronic health record (EHR) platforms, and other third-party vendors, enabling participants to understand the true financial impact of various administrative models.

 

Week 5: Taxes, Legal Structure, and Financial Compliance

Instructor: Daniel Szuhay, Ph. D.

Live zoom session: December 10, 2026, 5:00 – 6:30pm PT

Establishing a private practice requires more than clinical expertise. It also requires a solid understanding of the legal and financial structures that support a sustainable business. One of the first decisions clinicians must make is how they will operate their practice, whether as an employee, an independent contractor, or a business owner. Each option carries different tax responsibilities, reporting requirements, and financial implications that can significantly affect long-term income and practice growth. This module provides an introduction to the business and tax fundamentals of private practice. Participants will examine the differences between W-2 employment and 1099 independent contractor models, explore common business structures used by mental health professionals, and learn the tax obligations associated with self-employment. The module covers quarterly estimated tax payments, federal and state filing requirements, essential financial record-keeping practices, and strategies for organizing business documentation throughout the year. Participants will also discuss the role of accountants and tax professionals, including when their expertise becomes beneficial as a practice grows.

 

Week 6: Ethical Visibility: Marketing, Referral, and Building a Practice

Tony Delmedico, PhD

Live zoom session: December 17, 2026, 5:00 – 6:30pm PT

Due the nature of our training and work, it can be difficult for therapists to proactively “put themselves out there.” In this module, you will explore your own difficulties, hesitations, and fears around crafting the “forward facing” aspects of private practice. You will generate some initial marketing plans and develop strategies to become a referral source that feels authentic.

 

Week 7: Time, Energy, and Burnout: Designing for Longevity

Instructor: Tony Delmedico, Ph.D.

Live zoom session: January 7, 2026, 5:00 – 6:30pm PT

Jung knew firsthand the tremendous demands that the practice of therapy places upon the whole being of the therapist. This module explores the nature of those demands and the impact that clinical work can have on the person in private practice. In service of crafting a private practice to withstand the vicissitudes and vagaries of time, we will help formulate personalized ways of caring for self both in and out of sessions over the arc of a career.

 

Week 8: Integration and Alternative Pathways: Tending the Living System of Practice

Instructor: Kay Todd, Ph.D., LPC

Live zoom session: January 14, 2027, 5 – 6:30pm PT

This final session invites participants to integrate the knowledge, skills, and self-awareness developed throughout the course into a sustainable vision for their professional future. Participants explore private practice as a living system that requires ongoing stewardship while also examining alternative employment pathways that may better fit different seasons of life and career. The session concludes with the creation of a Practice Sustainability Map that serves as an individualized roadmap for continued vocational development.

Learning Objectives:

(12 CECs)

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain a personal narrative describing one’s relationship to private practice as vocation within a culture organized around efficiency and measurable productivity.
• List core values, motivations, and assumptions shaping one’s approach to work, and recognize how unconscious expectations and ideals influence practice decisions.
• Describe at least two practice structure models (solo, group, hybrid) and analyze one’s practical, ethical, and psychological implications.
• Compile target population and evaluate how a chosen structure serves that population ethically and effectively.
• Apply basic financial literacy for small professional practices
• Analyze the psychology of fee setting and the financial transaction in therapeutic milieu
• Describe the decision-making process around accepting insurance
• Assess practical systems for billing and payment processing and discuss options for managing administrative tasks (self vs. outsourced)
• Assess tax obligations for self-employed clinicians vs. employed practitioners
• Explain the financial implications of sole proprietorship vs. employment
• Assess marketing as relational and ethical engagement
• Create and implement strategies for building your private practice
• Assess the role of time, energy, and emotional labor in private practice and discuss the importance of consultation, supervision, and peer support
• List systemic contributors to burnout and assess sustainable rhythms and limits for long-term practice
• Compile values, practice structure, finances, visibility, and sustainability into a coherent professional framework.
• Discuss career pathways using personal values, lifestyle, financial priorities, and professional goals.

 

Career Competencies:

• Private Practice Business Operations – Ability to design, structure, and manage the financial, legal, and administrative systems necessary for a viable and compliant private practice

• Financial Literacy and Sustainability Planning – Competence in fee-setting, budgeting, tax obligations, billing systems, and long-term financial planning for self-employed clinical work 

• Ethical Marketing and Professional Visibility – Skill in developing authentic, relationally grounded marketing strategies and building referral networks that align with professional ethics and personal values 

• Vocational Self-Awareness and Reflective Practice – Capacity to articulate personal values, motivations, and assumptions shaping clinical work, and to make practice decisions rooted in self-knowledge and meaning rather than external pressures 

• Burnout Prevention and Long-Term Career Resilience – Understanding of the emotional labor, time management, boundary-setting, and self-care practices essential for sustaining a fulfilling and humane professional life over the arc of a career 

 

SCHEDULE FOR LIVE ONLINE LEARNING SESSIONS

Week 1: Zoom Session – November 5, 2026 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT – Kay Todd

Week 2: Zoom Session – November 12, 2026 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT – Kay Todd

Week 3: Zoom Session – November 19, 2026 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT – Tony Delmedico

(No Class Thanksgiving Week)

Week 4: Zoom Session – December 3, 2026 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT – Daniel Szuhay

Week 5: Zoom Session – December 10, 2026 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT – Daniel Szuhay

Week 6: Zoom Session – December 17, 2026 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT- Tony Delmedico

(No Class last 2 weeks of December)

Week 7: Zoom Session – January 7, 2027 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT- Tony Delmedico

Week 8: Zoom Session – January 14, 2027 – 5:00 – 6:30pm PT- Kay Todd

 

 

Required & Recommended Readings:

Week 1: Kay Todd

Required Readings: TBD

 

Week 2: Kay Todd

Required Readings: TBD

 

Week 3: Tony Del Medico

Required Readings:

Delmedico, T. (2026). Private practice financial goals & estimates [class handout]. Pacifica Graduate Institute.

 

Dufourmantelle, A. (2019). To risk one’s life. In In praise of risk (S. Miller, Trans., pp. 1-3). Fordham University Press. (Original work published 2011)

 

Hillman, J. (2006). Soul and money. In R. J. Leaver (Ed.), City & Soul: Uniform edition of the writings of James Hillman, Vol. 2 (pp. 355-366). Spring Publications. (Original work published 1982)

 

Sharp, D. (2026, July, 8). Daryl Sharp ­­– The analytic experience. e-jungian.com

 

Wheelwright, J. B. (1982). Saint George and the dandelion: 40 years of practice as a Jungian analyst (pp. 26-28). C. G, Jung Institute of San Francisco.

 

Recommended Readings:

Kipnis, A. R. (2013). The Midas complex: How money drives us crazy and what we can do about it. Indigo Phoenix Books.

 

Klontz, T., Kahler, R., & Klontz, B. (2008). The financial wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge: 5 principles to transform your relationship with money. Health Communications, Inc.

 

Needleman, J. (1991). Money and the meaning of life. Currency Doubleday.

 

Week 4: Daniel Szuhay

Required Readings:

TBD

Recommended Readings:

TBD

 

Week 5: Daniel Szuhay

Required Readings:

TBD

Recommended Readings:

TBD

 

Week 6: Tony Delmedico

Required Readings:

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2026). AAMFT code of ethics, Standard IX: Advertising.

 

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics, Section C: Professional responsibility and Section H: Distance counseling, technology, and social media.

 

American Psychological Association. (2017). APA ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct, Section 5: Advertising and other public statements.

 

Delmedico, T. (2026). Marketing Reflection Exercise [class handout]. Pacifica Graduate Institute.

 

Hartsell, T. L. & Bernstein, B. E. (2013). The portable lawyer for mental health practitioners: An A-Z guide to protecting your clients, your practice, and yourself (3^rd ed.) (pp. 351-356, 404-406). Wiley.

 

Recommended Readings:

Beebe, J. (2005). Integrity in Depth. Texas A&M University Press.

 

Hartsell, T. L. & Bernstein, B. E. (2013). The portable lawyer for mental health practitioners: An A-Z guide to protecting your clients, your practice, and yourself (3^rd ed.). Wiley.

 

Lipinski, B. (2001). The Tao of integrity. Pacific Meridien Publications.

 

Week 7: Tony Del Medico

Required Readings:

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2012). Selections from Mindfulness for beginners: Reclaiming the present moment — and your life [class handout]. Pacifica Graduate Institute.

 

Nelson, E. É., & Delmedico, A. (2026). Jung and the Soul of the Therapist. In The art of Jungian couples therapy: An introduction (pp. 140-152). Routledge.

 

Hale, C. A. (n.d.). Self-care needs assessment [class handout]. Pacifica Graduate Institute.

 

Recommended Readings:

Lipsky, L., & Burk, C. (2009). Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

 

Saakvitne, K. W. Pearlman, L. A. (1996). Transforming the pain: A workbook on vicarious traumatization. W. W. Norton & Company.

 

Week 8: Kay Todd

Required Readings: TBD

 

Recommended Readings:

Skovholt, T. M., & Trotter-Mathison, M. (2016).

• Chapter 1: The Cycle of Caring