Finding the perfect therapy job… or rather creating the perfect therapy job

Kourtney and her husband Justin are occupational therapists and owners of Functional Freedom LLC, a mobile out patient therapy practice providing OT, PT, and SLP services in patient homes. They are also the owners of Therapy Business Freedom, providing mentorship and courses to therapists that want to start their own businesses. Their flagship course “So you Want to Start a Mobile Med B Therapy Business” is available HERE.

Written by Kourtney Randsdorp, OTR/L, BCB-PMD

Therapists often have a similar starting story. They went to school to help people. They are driven by empathy. They are warm, accepting, and committed to helping others evolve towards their highest potential. But what happens when a therapist realizes their profession of serving others is not serving their own wants, needs, and desires? 

Therapists have been particularly susceptible to tolerating less than ideal working constraints. Perhaps the “helper” in them, leads them to “just deal with it” when it comes to accepting job demands that funnel directly to burnout. Without a union, their voices are all saying the same thing, but not cohesively in a way that is loud enough to have an impact on the large employers.

So what does a therapist do when they have the skills, motivation, and passion for their area of therapy, yet they cannot find a job that allows them to balance career aspirations with personal quality of life? They stop looking for the needle in the haystack job, and they create their own!

No need to go deeper into student debt for an MBA. Although a perspective therapy business owner is going down road less traveled, it has certainly been done by many before. My advice- find people who are doing what you want to do, living how you want to live, and then work backwards. Be curious and resourceful. Fight the temptation to complain about your current job, and instead let your current frustrations ignite the grit to create your dream job. Invest in a mentor, and watch how their investment in you has an exponential return. 

As a private practice therapy business owner, myself, I can truly say taking this path has been the single best decision I have ever made personally and professionally. I would encourage any therapist who is unhappy in their career to consider becoming an entrepreneur. There is no greater reward than creating a destiny you love, finding the stability that comes from work/life balance, and creating jobs for other therapists where they finally feel valued and respected.