Starting a Nature-Based SLP Private Practice with Carolyn Parker
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Why did Carolyn decide to start a nature‑based private practice?
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. Carolyn Parker is a speech language pathologist who started a nature-based private practice in Michigan. She was feeling burned out and constrained by what she could do in regular settings. Instead, she wanted to be able to really follow the child's lead and knew how great being outside was for kids, and also how much she loved being outside, that she decided to do something different. And thus, her nature-based private practice was. Was born and has brought her so much joy and freedom. Now there are some OTs who offer nature-based services, but a smaller amount of SLPs. Carolyn is trying to change that because she loves this model and she can't wait to introduce it to more people.
I've gotten to know Carolyn as a student in the Start Your Private Practice program, and I love how creative some of our students are when it comes to their private practices. Now, lots Lots of folks want a more traditional private practice, but we have some really creative clinicians in the program who are doing things that are outside of the box, and I'm here for it, and I love to see it and I love to support them. In this episode, Carolyn shares how nature-based therapy works and also what parents think about it, where she gets referrals from, what her daily life looks like, and also what happens when the weather is bad outside. If you're thinking about starting any type of private practice that is a bit outside of the box, or you're just genuinely curious about how nature-based services work, this episode is for you, 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.
All right, so before we get started, can you please share your name, your location, and the name of your private practice?
Yeah, so I am Carolyn Parker. I'm located right in the middle of Michigan in Malt Pleasant, Michigan. And the name of my practice is Stepping Stone Speech Therapy. And we focus on using nature as a therapy tool for students with disabilities.
I am so excited to be doing this interview with you today because one of the things that I try to do is show people that there's lots of ways to have private practices. And this is a very creative and cool way to be in private practice. So I can't wait for you to share with our listeners kind of what your practice is like. But before we get to what things are like now, can you take us back to the beginning of your career and when did you start thinking about private practice? their practice.
Yeah, absolutely. So I graduated 10 years ago now and I always knew I wanted to go into the schools.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Carolyn decide to start a nature‑based private practice?
0:00–6:48
2
What burnout signs pushed her to leave her school position?
6:48–11:21
3
How did Carolyn land her first private‑practice client?
11:21–14:56
4
How does she integrate nature and natural materials into speech‑language sessions?
14:56–19:06
5
How has word‑of‑mouth marketing fueled the growth of Stepping Stones Speech Therapy?
19:06–23:08
6
What does a typical day look like balancing school contracts and in‑home nature therapy?
23:08–28:07
7
What are Carolyn’s plans for expanding her practice in the next year?
28:07–31:38
8
What advice does she have for clinicians who want to think outside the box?
31:38–35:59
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Private Practice Success Stories
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She Told Her Dad She’d Never Start a Private Practice - Now She Has a Successful Clinic and Growing Team with Sarah Landry
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