Therapist burnout doesn’t start with big breakdowns - it starts with tiny betrayals of your time, your energy, and your vision.

In this episode, we get real about the emotional toll when you scale therapy practices, the identity shifts that come with leadership, and how to build a business that actually loves you back.

We don’t just talk about how to scale therapy practices - we unpack what it means to scale with integrity, values, and your own well-being intact. If you're craving more ease in your practice management while staying deeply connected to your mission, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we explore:

• How therapist burnout creeps in - even when your business looks successful on paper
• What we wish someone told us before stepping into leadership and practice management
• How to scale therapy offerings without abandoning your clinical identity or burning out
• Why alternative careers for therapists don’t always mean leaving therapy - and what that path can look like
• The moment we each realized our business no longer felt like ours - and what we did to take it back

Whether you’re managing a growing caseload, hiring your first employee, or questioning if this path still fits - this episode will help you gut-check your growth strategy and reconnect with the parts of you that got lost along the way.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Ever wonder if you're the only one silently struggling while running a practice? You're not. This episode dives deep into the raw reality of therapist burnout - and what comes after.

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on our personal journeys through therapist burnout, the emotional toll of leadership, and the hard-earned lessons we’ve learned from building and breaking our therapy businesses. We’ve led teams, scaled services, and weathered some serious storms inside our own group therapy practice models. And we know firsthand how often clinician mental health is sacrificed in the process.

Whether you're dreaming of launching a side hustle for therapists, reimagining your practice, or dying to explore fresh mental health business ideas, this is your space.

• How we recognized therapist burnout and why we finally decided to stop pushing through
• What’s missing in most conversations around clinician mental health, and how to center your own
• Why traditional paths aren’t sustainable - and how we started building mental health business models that actually support us
• How a side hustle for therapists can offer freedom and purpose when the 1:1 model starts to wear thin
• The real-life mistakes, wins, and mental health business ideas we’re exploring now

If you’re holding space for everyone but yourself, questioning whether you can keep going, or wondering if it's possible to run ethical, profitable therapy businesses without breaking down - this conversation is for you.

We’re sharing our stories not because we’ve figured it all out, but because we know someone else needs to hear them.

Subscribe and listen now. New episodes every Tuesday.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

If you’ve ever felt trapped by your own success, stuck in the grind of growing your therapy businesses, or secretly questioning your career while leading others - this episode is for you.

We’re talking about the real cost of therapist burnout, what no one tells you about running therapy businesses, and how we finally stepped away from the chair (emotionally, clinically, and sometimes financially).

In this first episode of Off the Chair, we share our personal stories of crashing, questioning, and rebuilding from the ground up. Each of us has navigated the highs and lows of running a group therapy practice, often while carrying the invisible weight of perfection, responsibility, and fear.

We created this podcast because we know firsthand how often clinician mental health gets overlooked in the rush to grow, lead, and serve. And we’re not here to sell you a formula - we’re here to walk with you through the messy middle of leadership.

• The behind-the-scenes reality of therapist burnout - what triggered ours, and how we knew it was time to make a change
• What it looks like to leave behind the “right way” of running therapy businesses and do it your own way instead
• How running a group therapy practice can lead to both empowerment and exhaustion - and how to find your center again
• The emotional and strategic impact of neglecting clinician mental health as a leader
• Why we believe successful therapy businesses don’t have to sacrifice your well-being or your values

If you’re building a group therapy practice, leading a team, or silently battling therapist burnout, we see you. Listen now and hear what happens when clinicians stop pretending, start healing, and finally get off the chair.

New episodes drop every Tuesday.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

When therapist burnout meets business overwhelm, something has to change. Off the Chair is here to spark that change.

In this trailer, we introduce our unfiltered mission: to talk about what really happens behind the scenes of building and sustaining a therapist business in today's broken mental health system.

We are Dr. Colleen Long, Dr. Jennifer Politis, and Erika Bugaj, LICSW - three clinicians who have led, scaled, and sometimes struggled with running a group therapy practice while navigating the messy middle of motherhood, leadership, and identity.

This show is not about perfection. It is about truth, transparency, and tangible strategies for therapists who are ready to think differently. We created this space because we know therapist burnout is real. Clinician mental health is often ignored. And the old model of doing more with less is no longer working.

Each week, we will share honest conversations, behind-the-scenes lessons, and real-time reflections that merge business strategy with emotional clarity. Whether you're building your first therapist business or trying to breathe life back into your established group therapy practice, we are here to remind you that you are not alone.

If you are a therapist who is tired of pretending everything is fine, a practice owner who feels like the business is running you, or a clinician who wants more freedom without selling your soul, this podcast was made for you.

Subscribe now and join us every Tuesday for honest insights on therapist burnout, clinician mental health, the realities of running a group therapy practice, and what it takes to build a sustainable and fulfilling therapist business.

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj