How a Decorated Navy Veteran Became an SLP and Private Practitioner with Rachael Harrelson
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What is the overall roadmap for starting a private SLP practice today?
Starting a private practice isn't what it used to be. Today's clinicians are starting private practices much quicker, easier, and cheaper than before. And they aren't guessing their way through it or getting stuck in analysis paralysis, they're following a tried-and-trude roadmap in order to save time, money, and frustration. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel or struggle to figure out how to start a private practice on your own. We've helped thousands of SLPs and OTs through this process and now we want to help you too. For a limited time, I'm offering a free copy of our private practice roadmap, specifically for SLPs and OTs who are curious about private practice and want to see what the journey looks like.
To download your free copy, please visit startyourprivatepractice.com backslash roadmap to sign up. Now on to the episode Rachel Harrelson is a speech language pathologist with a pediatric private practice in Burleson, Texas. She's also a decorated Navy veteran who shares her story of how she became an SLP after leaving the military and then how she started her private practice on the side of her job as a school SLP. I got to know Rachel during her time in the Start Your Private Practice program. Rachel joined in July of 2020, and since then it has been wonderful to watch her go from just beginning to a full caseload and transitioning to full-time private practice in her own clinic space. In this episode, she talks about her favorite aspects of being in private practice, the importance of Google reviews, and shares a tip for those of you who are considering becoming a health insurance provider.
We also talk about about military families and how some of the unique challenges facing them, such as moving, isn't as big of an issue now as it once was, and why military SLPs and OTs can start and grow private practices much easier now. One fun thing I wanted to share about Rachel is that in preparation for our episode, I went to her website and I noticed that she had a summer hours section posted. This summer, she worked a three-day week and enjoyed four-day weekends. Now, Rachel has kids and she wanted an extra flexible schedule over the summer. And since she's her own boss, she was able to make that happen. I love seeing ways that students in our program are making their private practices work for them.
So if you've been thinking about starting your own private practice and you want to see how one of the alums from the Start Your Private Practice program did it, this is a must-listen episode, so stay tuned. I'm Jenna Castro-Kasbon, speech language pathologist, business coach, and creator of the Start Your Private Practice System. And I'm on a mission to turn stuck SLPs into successful private practitioners. If you're tired of dealing with high productivity requirements, high caseload sizes, and low pay, it's time to take control of your professional, personal, and financial life and finally get the freedom, flexibility, and financial abundance that you deserve by working with private clients in your own practice.
Join me here each week as I share tips, best practices, and inspirational interviews on the Private Practice Success Stories podcast. If you're a private practitioner or one in the making, you're in the right place, so let's get started.
So before we dive in, can you please share your name, your location, and the name of your private practice?
Yes, my name is Rachel Harrelson and I'm a speech therapist and I am located in Burleson, Texas, which is just south of Fort Worth. And the name of my practice is Southern Star Speech and Language. I am so
Excited to do this interview with you, right? You've been a part of the Start Your Private Practice program, and I've known you for a good while, and I've really watched your practice not only get started, but also really start to take off. And so I can't wait to hear more about that part of your journey. But with every guest, I like to ask, how did you get started in the profession? And also how did you start thinking about private practice?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the overall roadmap for starting a private SLP practice today?
0:00–5:22
2
How did Rachael transition from a Navy corpsman to a licensed speech‑language pathologist?
5:22–8:54
3
What challenges did she face moving from school‑based SLP work to private practice?
8:54–17:42
4
How did Rachael get credentialed with insurance providers and choose which plans to accept?
17:42–25:22
5
What role did Facebook groups and online networking play in growing her client base?
25:22–28:28
6
How can military families start and maintain a private practice despite frequent relocations?
28:28–29:25
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Private Practice Success Stories
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She Started With Two Clients on the Side - Now She Has Nine SLPs and a Clinic with Samantha Taylor
From 2 Clients on the Side to Ready to Hire — Then She Decided She Didn't Want To with Bianca Gizzi Fusco
She Told Her Dad She’d Never Start a Private Practice - Now She Has a Successful Clinic and Growing Team with Sarah Landry
She Started at 26 With One Referral - Now She Has a Downtown Office and a 3-Year School Contract with Becca Vilsaint
She Didn't Hate Her Job BUT She Left to Start a Private Practice Anyway with Heather Danielkiewicz