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Are you afraid that niching down will drive clients away? What if, instead, it brings the right clients straight to your door? And how can clarity about your purpose be the key to sustainable growth?
In this podcast episode, Brandon Shurn speaks about why niching is important and positions your practice for success with Dr. Christen Mullane.
Podcast Sponsor: Headway
I want to thank Headway for sponsoring this episode. If you run a group practice, you know that accepting insurance can be overwhelming. Between credentialing, billing, and payroll, the admin side can easily take over your week.
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Meet Dr. Christen Mullane
Dr. Christen Mullane, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, certified meditation teacher, and the founder of Ginkgo Leaf Health Services. She specializes in trauma-informed therapy for individuals navigating the emotional toll of medical events—offering compassionate support to patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals alike. With a practice grounded in empathy and evidence-based techniques, Dr. Mullane helps people reclaim safety, trust, and joy after medical stress and trauma.
She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee and has been practicing since 2012, bringing deep expertise in health psychology and medical trauma treatment. Her work through Ginkgo Leaf blends mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapies (for insomnia and chronic pain), and trauma-focused interventions like Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure. Her unique programs—such as the RISE group—offer healing through resilience-building, mindful coping, and intentional support.
Visit Ginko Leaf Health Services and connect on Facebook and LinkedIn.
In This Podcast
- A practice focused on medical trauma
- Expanding the practice into a group
- Don’t be afraid to niche
- Expanding the practice
- Christen’s key takeaway
A practice focused on medical trauma
Dr. Christen Mullane’s practice Ginkgo Leaf Health offers general therapy but specializes and niches in caring for patients and clients who have experienced medical trauma.
A lot of where we have decided to specifically niche is for people who have been through adverse medical events directly, or who are caring for [other] people through them. (Dr. Christen Mullane)
The niche of working with clients who have experienced medical trauma and adverse events is at the heart of their practice.
In Brandon’s previous episode with Dr. Mullane, Christen explains how she traveled around the country working in different medical settings for years. It was through her experience that she saw a client need for care when medical trauma occurs.
I’ve walked this path and I’m trying to bring whatever wisdom I’ve gained from my lived experience to other people who might be going through similar things. (Dr. Chisten Mullane)
Expanding the practice into a group
I kept hearing from people that I was the only one doing this kind of work … I don’t think that’s totally true, but I do think that [there is] the lack of the visibility or the lack of providers naming this as what they do … So, [clients] were finding me. (Dr. Christen Mullane)
While there are other health psychologists out in the world, and other therapists and clinicians who treat medical trauma, the niche itself is not well-known or often clearly marketed.
Therefore, Dr. Mullane was able to make herself more visible and attractive to clients that needed her practice’s services because she was making her niche known.
Due to all the interest that she received, Christen decided to expand her practice from solo to group to accommodate the influx of clients and referrals.
Don’t be afraid to niche
It was precisely because Dr. Mullane was clear about who she helped in her private practice that she was able to scale it from solo to group, all thanks to not being afraid to niche.
If we’re too niched, one of the fears I would hear a lot of the time … is, “Am I going to drive people away?” And the answer is actually, “No.” I think that [niching] offers a lot of clarity so that people can feel a full-body “Yes, this is the person I’ve been looking for who is languaging things in a way I need them languaged.” (Dr. Christen Mullane)
While Dr. Mullane’s practice, Ginkgo Leaf Health, still takes clients who need general therapy and support, they stand out from the crowd by placing their focus on the fact that they specialize in assisting clients with medical trauma.
It is impossible to be an expert in everything in the DSM5. That’s an unreasonable ask, so pick something! Pick something, and really do the work to own what it’s like to step into being an expert in that, and then set up your practice in a way that you can [continue] to read the research and stay up to date. (Dr. Christen Mullane)
Generalists are necessary, but you can still take general clients for therapy that sit in the periphery of your niche while your niche is the thing that you make the most known.
Expanding the practice
When Dr. Mullane was considering expanding her practice from solo to group, she decided to hire one 1099 contractor to test things out.
The other reason I [went with 1099] is because … I knew my first hire would be somebody who already had a full-time job in the hospital. This was a step towards feeling out whether a group practice was for me, and that’s why I chose 1099. I don’t think I’d be opposed to W-2 employees in the future now that I have done this step. (Dr. Christen Mullane)
Hiring a contractor was a great way for Christen to test the waters as to whether or not she wants to scale her practice. It went well, and now she is considering changing her recruitment model to W-2 and hire employees in the future.
In terms of marketing her practice, Christen uses online directories, social media, and networking to put the word out about her business.
Christen’s key takeaway
Don’t be afraid to niche. Step into your role as an expert, and create systems that support the kind of clinician you want to be.
Check out these additional resources:
- Critical Questions: Will You Continue Seeing Clients? | GP 297
- Visit Ginko Leaf Health Services and connect on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- 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]