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How does your leadership style affect clinician retention? Are you accidentally becoming the bottleneck in your own practice? And is your biggest growth challenge really a lead problem—or a conversion problem?
In this podcast episode, Brandon Shurn reflects on lessons from the Group Practice Conference, exploring leadership, clinician retention, revenue generation, and the systems group practice owners need to support sustainable growth.
Podcast Sponsor: POP Consulting
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In This Podcast
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Leadership Evolves as Your Clinicians Evolve
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Why Clinicians Stay (Or Leave)
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You May Not Have a Lead Problem
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Matching the Right Client to the Right Clinician
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Build Systems That Support Growth
Leadership Evolves as Your Clinicians Evolve
One of the central themes of this episode is the idea that clinicians’ needs change over time, and effective leaders need to evolve alongside them.
As therapists gain confidence and experience, they often begin prioritizing different things:
- Greater autonomy
- More schedule flexibility
- Professional growth opportunities
- Long-term career development
“Clinicians typically enter a practice to build expertise and specialize, but they only stay if the economic value proposition grows with them.” — Brandon Shurn
Brandon reflects on his own experiences working in agency settings and how those experiences shaped the culture he has intentionally built within his practice.
One area he prioritizes is autonomy.
Rather than dictating schedules or forcing clinicians into rigid structures, he encourages them to create schedules that support both their professional and personal lives.
Why Clinicians Stay (Or Leave)
Brandon spends time reflecting on what actually keeps strong clinicians engaged long-term.
For him, retention isn’t about making it difficult for someone to leave. Instead, it’s about creating an environment where clinicians feel valued, supported, and trusted.
“I don’t want them to feel like leaving is off the table. I want to support a person if they want to leave and start their own thing.” — Brandon Shurn
The episode explores several factors that contribute to retention:
- Work-life balance
- Schedule control
- Supportive leadership
- Professional development
- Open communication
Brandon also emphasizes the importance of creating a culture where concerns can be discussed openly rather than building frustration behind the scenes.
You May Not Have a Lead Problem
Many practice owners assume growth challenges are caused by a lack of referrals.
This episode challenges that assumption.
“Most practices don’t have a lead issue, they have a conversion issue.” — Brandon Shurn reading from the conference material
Brandon explores the idea that practices often focus heavily on getting more inquiries while overlooking what happens after someone reaches out.
Important questions include:
- Is your intake process effective?
- Are clients being matched to the right clinician?
- Are inquiries falling through the cracks?
- Is your intake experience helping clients feel confident about getting started?
The conversation highlights how improving conversion rates can sometimes have a greater impact than increasing marketing efforts.
Matching the Right Client to the Right Clinician
Another major topic is the importance of intentional matching.
As the first point of contact for potential clients, Brandon currently handles intake himself, which allows him to connect clients with clinicians based on clinical needs, personality fit, and specialty areas.
“Because I know the clinicians and their specialty and how they approach the work, I know who to connect the clients to.” — Brandon Shurn
The episode also explores how specialization can influence growth.
Rather than trying to serve everyone, Brandon has intentionally focused his practice around:
- Trauma
- Grief
- Anxiety
- Depression
This clarity helps shape marketing, hiring, and clinical development decisions.
Build Systems That Support Growth
Throughout the episode, Brandon repeatedly returns to one idea: growth becomes much easier when systems support it.
Several operational areas discussed include:
- CRM systems
- Referral tracking
- Outcome measurement
- Professional development planning
- Client matching systems
One of Brandon’s biggest current goals is implementing better systems to track referral sources, client journeys, and practice performance.
This serves as a reminder that sustainable growth often comes from strengthening existing systems rather than simply adding more clinicians.
Useful Links:
Check out these additional resources:
- Group Practice Conference Part 2: Leadership Bottlenecks | GP 328
- Practice of the Practice Network
- Group Practice Launch
- Group Practice Boss: www.practiceofthepractice.com/grouppracticeboss $149 a month
- PoP Group Practice Owners Facebook Group
- Free resources to help you start, grow, and scale
- Work with us
- Practice of the Practice Network
Meet Prof. Brandon Shurn
Brandon Shurn, Ph.D., LCPC, LMHC, AFC®, NCC, is a licensed clinical professional counselor and the founder of EmPower Me Holistic Counseling, a fully virtual Maryland-based practice. He’s also a full-time professor in Seattle University’s online Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. With extensive experience launching and directing university training clinics, Brandon now focuses on helping therapists design and grow impactful, sustainable practices. Outside of his work, he enjoys fitness, yoga, Wing Chun, golf, reading, and spending time with his family and dogs.
Visit Empower Me Counseling, and connect with Brandon on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Email him at: [email protected]
