173 Helping Is Not A Business Model

Most therapists and supervisors do not struggle because they care too much. They struggle because helping quietly becomes the business model. In this episode, Jennifer Marie Fairchild and I unpack why overfunctioning, loose boundaries, and undercharging slowly erode authority, ethics, and sustainability in both counseling practices and supervision.

We talk about what we see every day in supervision contracts and group practice growth, how good intentions create real risk when demand is not assessed, and why resentment is often a signal that the structure is broken, not the therapist. This conversation is about naming the gap between wanting to help and actually building something that can last.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why helping is not a business model, and how overfunctioning shows up in supervision and practice ownership
• What supervision contracts reveal about boundaries, liability, and readiness to grow
• How expanding without demand harms associates, supervisors, and group practices
• What ethical support actually requires when supervising associates or growing a business

If you feel resentful, stretched thin, or quietly overwhelmed, hear this clearly: it is not a personal failure. It is usually a structure problem. Sustainable practices require clarity, limits, and systems that match the mission.

 if this conversation brings up questions about fees, policies, or where your practice might be leaking money, we've got a free resource for you that you can download: Stop Working For Free: The Therapist Fee Reset.

And if this episode raised questions about supervision contracts, ethical growth, or how to build something sustainable without burning out, you do not have to sort that out on your own. Those are exactly the conversations we have inside the Step It Up Membership, where we slow things down, get specific, and build practices that can actually support your life.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.