WP105 | Creating Sacred Spaces in your Private Practice with Blake Roberts MFT
In this episode of the Wise Practice Podcast, Blake Roberts shares his unique journey in private practice, one that extends far beyond the typical therapist’s role. With a background in art gallery management and website design, Blake brings a creative flair to his practice, emphasizing the importance of intentionality in both the physical and digital spaces he curates. He views private practice as an evolving work of art, intertwining his passions for art, entrepreneurship, and fatherhood. Tune in to hear how Blake’s approach to branding, space design, and creativity can inspire therapists to create a practice that truly reflects who they are.
Creativity, Fatherhood, and Crafting a Purposeful Private Practice
When Blake reflects on his journey in private practice, it’s clear that his approach goes far beyond the traditional therapist’s role. Three years into his full-time private practice, he describes a continuous process of figuring things out as he goes, learning to embrace the ever-evolving nature of his work. For Blake, private practice isn't just a career—it's a creative endeavor that intertwines the many facets of his life, from his passion for art to his deep commitment to fatherhood.
Blake's practice primarily serves men in their late twenties to mid-forties, with some teenage boys as well. His connection to his clients stems from his genuine love for the work, and as a father to a one-year-old daughter, he often finds himself reflecting on fatherhood when asked how things are going. Watching his daughter explore the world with boundless creativity serves as a powerful source of inspiration in both his personal and professional life.
Curating Spaces That Heal
Blake's background is anything but linear. Before becoming a therapist, he managed an art gallery for a local Christian artist, an experience that profoundly shaped his perspective on private practice. This gallery wasn’t just a business—it was a carefully curated space that blended art and retail, offering everything from original paintings to small note cards, all under a cohesive brand. The meticulous attention to detail in crafting an inviting space carries over into Blake's therapy practice, where he believes that the physical environment plays a significant role in the therapeutic experience.
Crafting Spaces of Safety
To Blake, the design of his therapy office is more than just aesthetics—it's an extension of who he is and how he wants his clients to feel. He meticulously considers everything, from the placement of furniture to the artwork on the walls, ensuring that the space is inviting and therapeutic even before the therapy begins. He views the office as an embodiment of the safety and congruence he wants to provide for his clients. This same intentionality extends to his online presence, where he emphasizes the importance of creating a brand that accurately reflects who he is as a therapist.
Building Trust through Authentic Branding in Private Practice
Blake’s background in art gallery management and his experience designing websites for therapists have given him a unique perspective on branding in private practice. He understands that the first impression clients get—whether through a website, business card, or physical office—needs to be integrated with who he truly is. This congruence between the therapist and their space, both digital and physical, helps create an atmosphere of safety and trust, which can be essential for the therapeutic process.
Entrepreneurship, Branding, and Creativity
His journey into private practice also speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit inherent in the work of a therapist. Blake identifies three key aspects of private practice: brand, entrepreneurship, and creativity. These elements are intertwined, and he emphasizes that neglecting any one of them can leave something vital missing from the practice. The creativity involved in private practice isn’t just about problem-solving or designing a space—it’s about finding ways to express who you are in everything you do, allowing clients to see your unique qualities from the very first interaction.
For Blake, the creative process extends beyond the therapy room. He views his practice as an ongoing work of art, something that evolves over time rather than being rushed to completion. He draws parallels to his time in the gallery, where the space developed character and depth over five years, evolving naturally rather than being forced into a finished product. Similarly, Blake encourages therapists to take their time in creating a space that reflects who they are, rather than feeling pressured to set everything up all at once.
Creating a Therapeutic Sanctuary
In his own practice, Blake’s creative approach has helped him craft a space that is both grounding and therapeutic, not only for his clients but for himself as well. As he walks into his office each day, the intentional design of the space helps him slow down, reconnect, and access the presence that is so essential in his work. By putting thought into everything from the artwork on the walls to the plants and candles, Blake has created a sanctuary that supports both his clients' healing and his own well-being.
Blake’s journey as a therapist is a testament to the power of creativity and intentionality in private practice. Whether it’s through the design of his office, the way he presents himself online, or his approach to fatherhood, Blake continually finds ways to integrate his passions and experiences into his work, creating a practice that is uniquely his own. In doing so, he reminds us that private practice isn’t just about structure and systems—it’s also about embracing creativity, evolving over time, and making space for the things that truly matter.
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Blake’s Resources
Instagram @blake.the.counselor
Links and Resources
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
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[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: Want to quickly grow your client base? Google Ads can do the trick. TherapyFlow specializes in creating and managing effective Google Ads. They have helped thousands of practices succeed with paid ads. And they can help you too. Whether you're new to ads or looking to improve. Don't wait, book a call at MyTherapyFlow.
com for a full practice marketing consultation today. Hi, I'm Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith based practice consultant, and I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. Want to grow your practice? Want to grow your faith? Want to enjoy your life outside of work? You've come to the right place.
Each week on the Wise Practice Podcast, I will give you the action steps to have a successful faith based practice. While also having a good time. Now let's get started.
Where she grows your practice, she don't play. She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice Podcast.
Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice
Podcast.
Well, our friends and thanks for spending time with me today on the Wise Practice Podcast. This was a great interview that I did with Blake Roberts. And so today you're going to be hearing about creating sacred space in your practice for your science. And that can mean a lot more than just your physical office space.
So we're going to dive into that today, finding God in the work that we do in our spaces. So I'm looking forward to sharing that with you. I love podcasting. I get to meet some really cool people through podcasting. And so you're a listener, You love the podcast. If you are interested in coming on the show, if you have something you want to talk about related to faith based private practice in business building, please reach out to me.
You can head to the Wise Practice Consulting website, click on podcast. There is a place there where you can sign an application to be a guest on the show. We'd love to have a conversation with you about that and see how it can be helpful for both of us, because I love meeting new people. And I love, especially those that listen to the show.
So I would love to connect with you. And in fact, I'd seen Blake all over social media. We just have mutual friends on social media. We'd never met before. And I thought he seemed like an interesting person. I knew he had a habit practice. And And so I was interested in meeting him. So that was kind of part of the reason I reached out to him about coming on the show and it worked out well and really enjoyed getting to know him.
So again, if you're interested in coming on the show, please go fill out an application. We'd love to have you. If you listen to the show on a regular basis and you haven't already, Please take a minute to rate and review the show. It means a lot to me when people do that. I read those personally and I guess things kind of loom.
So when I hear about people that listen to the show, love the show, it means the world to me. So looking forward to jumping into this episode with you with Blake Roberts on creating sacred spaces in your private practice.
Today on the wise practice podcast, I have my friend Blake Roberts in the house. He has a counseling and private practice just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He mostly works with mean and teenage boys, helping them to break generational patterns and foster healthy relationships.
Having been an art gallery manager, website designer, and photographer before becoming a therapist, He's also passionate about creativity inside the therapy room and beyond. Blake, I'm so glad you're here on the show.
[00:03:35] Blake Roberts: Yeah, Renee, it's good to be here.
[00:03:37] Whitney Owens: Yeah, you have a cool background there.
[00:03:39] Blake Roberts: Yeah, so I'm in my office, and in Broward, which is just outside of Nashville.
And this is like my little haven, I love it. I used to be in a space that, Was an interior office with no windows, which was cozy in and of itself, but moving to a windowed office is, is big. So yeah, I'm very, I love creating space, like physical space too. So this is my little, my little haven.
[00:04:03] Whitney Owens: Perfect. Love it.
Well, space is certainly very important when it comes to therapy in so many ways. So before we kind of start getting into branding, creativity, entrepreneurship, all these things, can you share a little bit with people about your practice? When did you start your private practice just to kind of get to know you?
[00:04:22] Blake Roberts: Yeah, i've been this I believe january will be three years of being in private practice and so still do I still Most days feel like what am I doing and I'm just figuring it out as I'm going and I'm getting more of a place of being okay with that being where I'm at. And maybe I always want some of that to just be open to evolving and changing.
And so, yeah, I, I am full time in private practice and I, like you said, I see mostly men. Kind of ages, late twenties to mid to late forties is majority of my clients and then some teenage boys. And I love, and I have funeral clients as well, but mostly men. I just love the work with them. And I have a daughter that's like nowadays when people are like, how's it going?
I immediately go to how is being a dad? That's like my, that's my life right now. She just turned one a month ago. So she's. Walking and exploring life and, um, really like as we're talking about creativity, she is embodying creativity in its purest form in a way that is very inspiring. And so my wife, we've been married for seven years this year.
She's on staff at church. And so she's been in that role for, I think she just had her nine, it was either nine or 10 year. I probably should know that because 10 years is a big number. I think it was nine years she's been in that role. So very You know, involved in that community as well. And like you mentioned before becoming a therapist, I managed and ran an art gallery, which is also sort of a retail store.
It was actually a small brand, which I'm sure it'll come up. And as we're talking. A local artist who's a painter, a Christian artist and has had found this little way to create this whole brand around his artwork. And so we had everything from, you know, 10, 000 original paintings down to a 3 note card created from his original artwork.
So it was sort of like this place where. Anybody can come and get something, no matter what stage of life that it was all under this umbrella of this brand that he created. And so that was, so that influences a lot of, I think, how I think about private practice and being in that world coming into. Into this.
And so played football before that I played college football. So kind of, I feel like I've lived like three different lives, the kind of athletic football player life, and then into art gallery manager and now therapist. There's threads throughout those three things, but they feel very distinct to me. I
[00:07:00] Whitney Owens: have so many questions I could ask you.
[00:07:02] Blake Roberts: Oh yeah, I'm sure.
[00:07:03] Whitney Owens: And I love football, but we, we won't go down. Yeah. I discovered that recently.
[00:07:08] Blake Roberts: Yeah. Yeah. Hearing your conversation with Neil, I learned that you're a football fan.
[00:07:13] Whitney Owens: Yeah. He's great. Oh, okay. So let's talk about creativity then. So, so it's kind of just sitting here listening to you share about kind of your background, the way you think, and I bet that really influences the way you think about your private practice when it comes to creativity in your space.
[00:07:29] Blake Roberts: And my, I think of it as like my physical space, which is my office, and then my, the digital space, I guess. So whether that's social media or my website or my newsletter or my logo, my business cards, like all of that is somebody's, that's their first impression of me. And that I think is a really important first impression that needs to be integrated with who I actually am.
Like I know a lot of therapists who are warm. And just like genuine people and like their presence is so inviting and then maybe their website or maybe even their office like doesn't translate. And there's something to be said about the congruence of those things that. Creates a sort of safety within the client that they may not even be aware of, like when I was at the art gallery, we were, I mean, very intentional and kind of meticulous of how the space was and things being organized and put back in their place and not for it to be perfect.
But when people are coming in and out of a space and there's this just feel to it, they can't really put into words of like something different about this space. It's almost like. Your nervous system just kind of eases into that a little more as if you walk into a room where, you know, like stuff isn't restocked and it's kind of all over the place that there's like your nervous, our nervous system, you know, it, it emulates the spaces we're in.
So I view this space not as like, I don't want this to just be cool and, and a space where somebody's like, Oh, that looks really good. But it. For it to be inviting and, and, and therapeutic in a way before the therapy actually even starts down to what I put on the wall and where the couch is, like I sit on my couch and pretend I'm the client when I'm designing this office and think through like what would be, you know, what would be, and that's not going to be true for everybody.
Everybody's going to have different experiences in the space and it's just a, it's just a way for me to be creative as well and make the space my own, which then. For me helps me be a better therapist because I'm more grounded and I feel more comfortable here and things like that. That translates from the website to the physical space and then hopefully it's like, okay, I, I am when they are working with me, there's, there's just a congruity to all of it, if that makes sense.
[00:09:59] Whitney Owens: I think this is great. Yeah. I love that you brought up the digital part, because I do think a lot of people do focus so much on their physical space. The digital is equally, if not more important, because that's how they're going to get into your practice. You know, a couple of years ago when I started the consulting business, I Which is a company that also bringing in website design and it's like, I don't, I need help with my logo and it was a whole thing.
It was a month, you know, weeks, even maybe a couple months of exploring in. I guess in my mind, I thought it would be, Hey, here's, you know, something about what my business is going to make a look, but it wasn't an exploration. And what, and it's exactly what you're talking about. It was like, what are the three words that represent me?
What are the color schemes that represent me? What are the patterns I had to pick out? Like pictures that represented me, that I was interested in. And then they, they used all of that to create a logo, which I love.
[00:10:56] Blake Roberts: Yeah,
[00:10:57] Whitney Owens: so exactly what you're talking about. And I think a lot of therapists miss that or they, you know, it's expensive when you're starting it.
[00:11:06] Blake Roberts: Right.
[00:11:06] Whitney Owens: So to put time, money, energy into
[00:11:10] Blake Roberts: the
[00:11:10] Whitney Owens: digital space and into your physical space is very challenging.
[00:11:15] Blake Roberts: Yeah. And where do you start and where do you invest? I designed websites for therapists kind of like towards the end of grad school, just because I was leaving the gallery and I needed some more flexible work around.
Practicum and internship and all of that. And just because it, like, it was stuff that I was doing already. I was managing sort of the online side of our business as well at the gallery. And so something that was easy for me and natural and fine. I don't do that anymore. Although I do have a template that I, people still find helpful that we can throw in the show notes to you and for your listeners, that's just like.
A place to start because it's important for that hall to translate. And I was thinking before we got on here of like these kind of three words that represent private practice as a whole, which is like brand, what we're talking about, entrepreneur or entrepreneurship, because if you're, if you have a private practice or even if you're thinking about starting a private practice, you are an entrepreneur and then creativity.
And I know for myself, even looking on the journey of. I'm starting private practice. Like there've been times where I've focused the future is a natural process on one of those and kind of neglected the others. But as I was thinking about those words before we got on here, again, there's, there's like a thread in all of those.
If I'm looking at just the definition, there's lots of definitions of ownership, but like somebody who identifies a need in the marketplace and then works to fulfill that. That's what we're all doing as therapists, identifying needs and then working to fulfill that need brand is like a product or a service that has a unique and like distinguishable or that's recognizable from the others in its industry.
That's what we're doing as practitioner creativity. Being the ability to, like, notice or generate ideas that may be helpful or useful in solving problems or communicating with others. It's like all three of those things are really important, I think, when it comes to building trust. Private practice in a way that if you neglect one of those, your creativity or your brand, even then there's something that is missing that really is unique to you, like as a person that then a client can see, you know, when you have, when you're, when you're full and somebody reaches out and you don't have any space, you send a list of a bunch of other therapists, their websites and people are just going to click through those.
And it takes, I don't know what the stats are now, but like a couple of seconds for somebody to make up their mind. And I hate that that's a reality because somebody can make up their mind about a therapist and it could not, what they make up is not true to who that person is or what that person is like.
But it's because their website feels like very corporate and they're not a very corporate person at all. And so that person kind of writes them off and there's like a real miss there for a, for a client that could be a good fit just because it's not the, the branding or the, the creativity that that unique person has is not translating into how they present themselves.
And that's, so I think we'd focus a lot of like the building and the structure and all of the things that it does take. It's a lot and it's overwhelming when you're building a practice, you know, this better than most of us probably, but like, The creativity piece of it is so important to, and I think is equally as important as like the structure, the practice or the systems or, you know, all those things.
[00:14:56] Whitney Owens: Definitely. I mean, yeah, all three of those things are constantly feeding each other, you know, either in a good way or a bad way. Yeah. Yeah. So let's, let's talk a little bit about the physical space. For therapists, their offices, how do they create, how do they create their space? What should they be thinking?
[00:15:17] Blake Roberts: The first thing that comes to mind to me is how would you want somebody to feel walking into your living room? Like this, this is a little bit more me than me and my wife together. Like our living room looks a little bit different just because we blend two of our styles together, but thinking through not only what you like and what makes you comfortable.
But how that could help the clients kind of like with website copy, when we're talking about, even when we're talking about ourselves and services we offer, we're thinking through how does this service or how does this interesting fact about me benefit the client? What is, what does it do for them? And so, yeah, creating something that is, I mean, in my mind for a therapy office, warm, Biding, how you would want somebody to feel walking in to your living room is one of the first things that comes to mind.
[00:16:15] Whitney Owens: Yeah, I think it's a great way to do it. I was always really big on not wanting to be in a sterile office.
[00:16:20] Blake Roberts: Yeah,
[00:16:21] Whitney Owens: I just, you know, and I have a cash pay model, so I feel like it kind of gives a different feel than going into an insurance based business that maybe has more clinicians, so anyway, but our offices are in these old historical homes.
in Savannah, it's gorgeous, and the oak trees are, you know, right outside the window and yeah, you come in and get a cup of coffee and you sit on a sofa, you know, and, and, yeah, with your therapist. Hmm. It's been funny though, over the years, and I think you'll probably appreciate this. When I had my first office, it was like I had no money.
I went to a thrift store to get my myself there. It was ugly bruise, but in fact, we just got rid of that stuff in the office and it was there for 10 years. It was at a point in the grieving process, he had someone else using the chair that matched and he would get up and it would like make all these, but like at a coffee table from Lamont's house and table from a grandmother's house, you know, some rug from target that was brown and, you know, I, it, you know, like I did whatever I had to do to get an office
[00:17:25] Blake Roberts: right
[00:17:25] Whitney Owens: now, as the practice has grown and have more money, that's more nicer furniture, aesthetics is so much better, it's more on par with what, you know, Our company is about, you know,
[00:17:37] Blake Roberts: yeah, yeah, yeah, there's something to be said about the like, I think a lot of think of some other therapists that I know that like they get an office and then it's like, I just have to do the whole thing all at once, get it set up and in that like rush process of that there, it doesn't, it doesn't give you the time to like really have character.
And so I think about the gallery, like I was there for five years and it developed so much over time and the fifth year, the physical space, like the aesthetic of that space was so different than it was four years prior, and there was so much more stuff and more character. But that's because he wasn't trying to rush it, like he just would find things and be open to things.
And if it fit and if it fit the vibe, then he would bring it in and kind of maybe let something go. And so I think there's something to be said about that too, like not just, you know, creating a space and filling it with stuff that you think you're supposed to, because that makes it a full space and just like letting it be, letting it be you, which you have to really Let the space be congruent with that and, and don't underestimate things like target or Facebook marketplace, or, I mean, a lot of this stuff in here.
In my office, people assume is like crazy expensive or, you know, I got a first designer or something and it's like, no, I, I just knew that I kind of wanted this thing and I just kind of looked on Facebook marketplace for four months and then I eventually found it. And so I didn't have it for four months, but now that I have it, it's much better than if I had just like got something that I was like, eh, that'll work because there's more to it.
[00:19:26] Whitney Owens: Yeah, we definitely have some office furniture from Facebook Marketplace.
[00:19:30] Blake Roberts: Oh, yeah. For
[00:19:30] Whitney Owens: sure. And I really appreciate.
[00:19:33] Blake Roberts: Sorry, you, you were just saying like, I'm so jealous of that space you have, because that's such a, that's the dream for me is to like have this old, there's so much character to that. A lot of us are in office buildings, like I'm in an office building on the second floor.
There's a bank below me, there's another bank above me, our, our, our waiting room is in the shared hallway and it's totally stuck in like the 80s and it's just very sterile and, but I have, I know, and I don't have control over all of that. But I have control of what is on the inside of my door and, and I literally can like see it in people when they walk into my room just as kind of like, because there's, you know, as therapists, we're, we're also, you know, just our presence, we have to be dependable and consistent and reliable.
Like that helps the client system. And I think for me, it's helpful to think of not just my, my physical presence being that, but also The presence of my space being able to contain that as well, which also kind of takes some pressure off of me.
[00:20:42] Whitney Owens: It's good. Yeah. That way to think about it.
[00:20:45] Blake Roberts: Yeah.
[00:20:46] Whitney Owens: Well, and I appreciate what you also said about going slowly.
And I, I do see therapists feel that pressure to fill things fast, especially group practice owners. When they get new space, they like fill these offices and like, don't, you know, when, every time I get new space, I do one or two offices, and I'm like, And wait a few months, do the next one, do the next one, because it's very expensive to furnish your office and put it together.
[00:21:09] Blake Roberts: Yeah.
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So maybe we can talk a little bit about the faith component of space.
[00:22:18] Blake Roberts: And so
[00:22:19] Whitney Owens: how do we, you know, invite the Holy spirit or provide a place for clicks to kind of experience God through our space?
[00:22:28] Blake Roberts: That's a great question. Yeah, for me, this space, what I'm talking about and what I hope for it to be with clients is actually.
In some ways become that space for me to, like, I don't, I don't have, I had an office at my home that then got converted into a nursery and we just don't have space right now to have a home office. And so, like, this has also become this sacred space for me to get here. Uh, at least 20 minutes early before client and so, you know, I have some different prayers that I, that I read to myself or just meditators for a second to, you know, I don't, I don't think we, you don't need to get into theological discussion about this, but for me, it's not necessarily inviting the spirit into this space, but it's trusting that the spirit is in me and also in this space because of all the attentionality I've put before.
And so when I come to the office 20 minutes before session, it's, it's a moment to orient myself to the, to the space and open myself up to being aware of the way that the spirit or the way that God is already in this space and already in the space of my client been walking in the door. And hopefully, prayerfully, I can be somewhat of a conduit, if that's the right word, or like a witness for how those two spaces being, or maybe three spaces, my, myself, and then the spirit in the room.
And then the spirit and the client, how those, how those three are like, I don't know, doing this kind of like cosmic dance together in a way that can be really healing for the client and myself. Not that the client needs to know how it's healing for me, but that I'm just participating in that. I
[00:24:20] Whitney Owens: don't
[00:24:20] Blake Roberts: know if I answered your questions.
[00:24:21] Whitney Owens: No, you answered it so well and I'm just, I'm just sitting in it, you know, and thinking about it and that is how it is with our clients. I even just had an experience yesterday where a client came in and he had, he had done something and it was very meaningful to me, the work he had done, you know, and I just was, I was very honest and I was like, I'm going to tell you something very personal.
What you have done has really impacted me and been healing for me. You know, and I said, why don't you send it because I didn't go into a lot of detail, but it was like, and I like, this is a space where God already exists. We are becoming more aware that and he is doing healing in our lives and always doing work.
That's when we do his work. I mean, I always think that owning a practice and being a therapist, I do it because I need God more,
[00:25:10] Blake Roberts: right? And it
[00:25:11] Whitney Owens: makes me find God more by doing the work.
[00:25:14] Blake Roberts: It's like any job, right? Like. I was at the gallery when I was going there all the time. It was, it was this space that for the people that were on vacation, Franklin or whatever walking in the door, they were like, this is magical.
And when I was there every day, six hours a day for four years, it's just reality that I actually lose some of the oneness of that space. And but I see these people coming in and I'm like reminded of it consistently, right? And so like with this, it's, it's the same thing. It's still at the end of the day, it's still a job very different, but it's like I come to this office every day and I see X amount of clients a day and a week.
And so that can just become repetitive and I can naturally lose some of the. Um, and so the, what I have put in here, like the paintings on the wall that say things or the books that I have or the candles or the plants, like it's, it's all, it's like going ahead of myself to set these things that are grounding for me that then just when I walk in here, it helps me slow down and then.
Access some of that wellness that can just get lost because you're just doing it so routinely and so naturally.
[00:26:39] Whitney Owens: Mm-Hmm. Yeah. I can't say I do this every day, but a routine I have is just lighting a candle. You know, and just remember God's presence is here and this reminds me of that when it was lit.
[00:26:51] Blake Roberts: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I do that. A client just used that actually earlier this morning as sort of a, a resourcing just to notice like the flicker of the flame and cause we were working through some really intense stuff. So there's, have you ever heard of the book, the artist's way by Julia Cameron? Oh, man, I'm not going to tell you you need to read it, but you need to read it.
And anybody listening, it's, it's been out for a while. I think there's even new iterations of it, but the, this, the subtext is a spiritual and so it's called the artist's way, a spiritual path to higher creativity. So it's in the New York times bestseller, I think it's, it's actually a workshop in a book.
And so you take it week by week and it's, I think she's a believer and it, it's, it's It goes through this. It's like this developing a relationship with your creativity in this very practical and very intentional way. And it's pretty therapeutic. I mean, I'll just read through some of the titles or chapter of like, Recovering a sense of safety, recovering a sense of identity, recovering a sense of abundance, a sense of connection, recovering a sense of compassion, a sense of autonomy.
So, like, all these, like, very therapeutic, um, it's very in line with, like, what we'll do as clinicians, but. in this way of reconnecting to the creativity or the creator in us and then how that reconnection can flow from us. Um, and it is, I highly, highly recommend it just for your own self and then how that could benefit clients.
She says your artist is a child and time with a parent matters more than money spent. And I definitely think that The artists within us shows up in the chair every day and it's, it's, it's an art where artists in some way of what we're doing and paying attention to these very opaque and kind of unseen things.
And so the more we spend time with that, I think that. The more it translates into the work we do with our clients.
[00:29:05] Whitney Owens: Yeah, it's beautiful. Actually just put it in the notes, send people that link in that book.
[00:29:12] Blake Roberts: Yeah.
[00:29:13] Whitney Owens: So is there anything else that kind of comes to your mind that we haven't mentioned about your space, you know, and creativity?
[00:29:20] Blake Roberts: I can share one thing real quick. I'll try to be quick. Um, we can cut it if it's too long, I started noticing with clients that there was sort of these two ways that they were coming into the room, one of which was this, like they were burned out, like they're trying, there's this issue, this presenting problem they have and the way that they respond to that by working harder.
Or by, you know, well, fill in the blank, whatever works until it doesn't. And then they come in, they're like, I don't know what to do. Everything I'm trying isn't working. And then these other clients come in and this presenting problem or issue. It didn't even, they haven't had really any response to it or the response was just shut down, kind of shows up more as depression, um, more like heavier.
And so there's like kind of this theme of these two things and at least my work is engaging that presenting problem or, or that relationship or whatever with curiosity and compassion and moving toward it in a way to move through it. And so I started thinking about that one day as it relates to our creative process.
And so whether it's this idea of like, I want to write a book or I want to do a course or I want to make my office in this certain way, we have this inspiration or this idea for that thing. And then that is followed by excitement, energy, inspiration, ideas, all the things. And and then there's like kind of two things that happen next.
One direction is that's followed by fear or shame. And then that excitement is snuffed, the idea is shut down, and then we just move on. And maybe that happens again with another idea. That's, that's more me. That's how it shows up in me. Lots of ideas, fear, shame about executing the idea, shut down. Or, same initial process, inspiration, idea, excitement, fear and shame about the execution of that.
And the response to that is similar to those first clients I mentioned, which is this energy spent attempting to ignore the fear, but this is more like hustle culture, like push through it, do it anyway, don't listen to the fear, create anyway, be consistent, all these things that are good, but that are like pushed and then that eventually leads to like burnout or lack of boundaries.
Or disconnection from ourself, like maybe we're creating things that aren't really authentic to us because we're just trying to power through so for whoever's listening as whether it's like an idea of starting a newsletter or writing something or creating your space, like there's this inspiration in this idea, there's the excitement and the energy around that, and then it's natural that an inferior shame will come or some other More vulnerable emotion, but then what would it look like to be curious and compassionate toward those feelings to move toward them and engage the stories they carry, which is really just, I think, with regardless of whatever modality you use, like that's a lot of what we're doing with our clients anyway, and we can use that same thing that we're good at doing with clients and use that same posture toward it.
The things that we want to create, whether it's in the office or outside of the office. And then from that place, we create what is authentic and what is self led and what is congruent and not just like what we think we need to create or what we think we should create.
[00:32:56] Whitney Owens: Well, I think it's so important that you shared it like that.
I hear you on that because I'm, I'm maybe a little bit of the opposite where I just hustle through it, you know, and I'm having to learn. Wait, slow down, what am I fearing? What's within me in this moment? And stop just doing things just to do them. Do them because I don't want to do them. You know, and you just get so into that culture.
You just don't slow down and think about it.
[00:33:22] Blake Roberts: Yeah. It's so, it's so easy to, and it's, and it's like encouraged and praised. Um, but at what cost?
[00:33:31] Whitney Owens: Exactly. Exactly. Well, this has been such a delightful conversation.
[00:33:37] Blake Roberts: Yeah. I mean, it's been nice
[00:33:38] Whitney Owens: and thoughtful. I enjoy that a lot.
[00:33:41] Blake Roberts: It flew by.
[00:33:42] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Yeah. And so, you know, what I hope is that therapists really take some time to be thoughtful about their space and.
And consider what it's like and what the client experiences. And I think it's good for us to even take an inventory of that on our website within our physical space and to do that on a very regular basis.
[00:34:01] Blake Roberts: Yeah. I'm always consistently revisiting my site and changing, you know, the, the wording on my homepage, just in what, what the market is saying and what works.
And also what feels more like the more I develop and grow, the more I like to Okay, that doesn't, I don't know if that really sits anymore. This feels more in line with me, which then if I'm connected with that, then that will fall into the ideal client that I want to work with. So. Yeah, consistently revisiting that is, is helpful.
[00:34:32] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So, Blake, if somebody wants to get in touch with you, has extra questions, what's the best way for them to do that?
[00:34:40] Blake Roberts: Just shoot me an email, hello at BlakeRobertsCounseling. com, or there's a contact form on my website, BlakeRobertsCounseling. com. If you don't go to that, um, I have a newsletter. On substack called more to the story, which I didn't even, we could have spent a whole episode talking about substack and the benefit of that for therapists.
If anybody has questions about that, they let me know. I've been there for a little bit and it's, it's a great place. And then, yeah, like I said, I have a template, a website, a Squarespace website template. If somebody just wants something to start with, they're comfortable doing a little bit of work. I really, it.
Probably cheaper than most templates, but it's just because I know how hard it is to get started and because it was something that was easy for me to create. I just want to make it something that's accessible and cheap for somebody who maybe that kind of thing isn't easy, though they could just get started with something.
So we can, I can send you a link to that for the show notes and it'll have like a. And I have that right here, actually. Oh, perfect.
[00:35:40] Whitney Owens: You did already send it to me. Yeah. The discount pink means WWP 100, the number 100, all caps WPP 100. And, uh, you can get the link there to get a hundred dollars off for private wise, right?
Displiciters love to be. That's awesome. And actually I am going to ask you, what is sub stack? Cause I don't know, and I'm going to have to ask you when we're done. So, okay. Yeah.
[00:36:03] Blake Roberts: I'll be, I'll be brief. It's, I would say that it is a newsletter platform or email platform. Think of like, uh, MailChimp or ConvertKit or things like that.
Flodesk and like a social media platform combined. So it's still newer, it's pub, it's public, but it was initially created for writers who have more long form content. The best way I can describe it right now is it's like a space for people who want to share content digitally, mainly long form writing, so newsletters, things like that, who are tired of social media, like Instagram and the algorithm and the ads and the condensed tech.
So there's no ads on the platform. It's a very like supportive, encouraging community right now, not very competitive, ad driven, all these things. And so I just wanted to. Really work on my craft of writing just as like a creative practice for me more and then and then share it And so it's been great for that And then there's all the the growths that I've experienced in terms of like numbers a guy uploaded 70 subscribers from my small email list that I had and maybe like a year ago It's up to like 420 subscribers now, which isn't a huge number but for me like That's been with a maybe once a month newsletter being sent out.
And most of that growth has just been organic within the, the app you're recommending it. So it's a good, it's a good way to build an audience, especially if you like to write long form content in a way that doesn't feel as draining as maybe some other platforms do.
[00:37:51] Whitney Owens: Right. Well, thank you for sharing that.
Sure, lots of good tips information. So make sure to check out the show notes Like I appreciate you taking the time to be on the show today
[00:38:02] Blake Roberts: So click on follow and leave a review And keep on loving this work we do with whitney owens and the wise practice podcast Whitney owens and the wise practice podcast
[00:38:20] Whitney Owens: Special thanks to marty altman for the music in this podcast The wise practice podcast is part of the site craft podcast network, a collaboration of independent podcasters focused on helping people live more meaningful and productive lives to learn more about the other amazing podcasts in the network head on over to site craft network dot com wise practice podcast represents the opinions of Whitney Owens and her guests.
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