The Practice of Therapy

Gordon Brewer
This episode is brought to you by blueprint health. Blueprint health is a measurement based care platform for mental health providers. You can find out more about them by going to practice of therapy.com/blueprint health. And also this episode is brought to you by therapy notes therapy notes.com, the leading electronic health record system for mental health providers in private practice there who I use in my practice, check them out at practice of therapy.com/therapy notes.

This is the practice of therapy podcast with Gordon Brewer, helping you to navigate your private practice journey.

This is the practice of therapy podcast and this is episode number 207. Hello, everyone. I'm Gordon Brewer glad you've joined me and I'm really excited for this episode and that I've got somewhat of a celebrity join me with me. I say a celebrity but a lot of people have run into and know about Ernesto Saygus moonbot. And I'm so happy to have Ernesto on the podcast. Ernesto has been one of those private practice consultants has been around for a while. And I finally got to get together with Ernesto. Back in October it was it was just kind of a twist of fate that there were several private practice consultants that were just kind of hanging out in Asheville, North Carolina, and Ernesto was there. And we had just a wonderful conversation just about his life and what he's doing in his in his businesses, and what it means to be an entrepreneur and some of the conferences that he's been putting together. And anyway, so Ernesto agreed to be on this podcast and I'm looking forward to you hearing our conversation where we just talk about life in general and also just what it means to be a business owner and an entrepreneur in this whole mental health space. And just just the importance of that, and what it what it can bring to our lives into other people's lives. And so anyway, looking forward to hearing from Ernesto and, and all that he brings to the table. But before we get to Ernesto and my conversation with Ernesto, you know, as we're, you know, it's hard to believe we're in December already, as this episode is coming out. And as I'm preparing for the first of the year, for the new year, one of the things that I felt like was just going to be real important for people is being able to kind of get to some degree a fresh start with things I know, at least that's what's where my head is, is one of the ways in which I think is just a great way to do that is to get involved with a focus group or a mastermind group. And I've got one that is going to be starting in January of 2022. And I'd love for you to find out more about that. And join me for that. And you can go to practice of therapy.com/focus Group to learn more about that and and to apply focus group is just simply a way a small group of people getting together regularly to talk about their businesses and the things that they're working on. And I've just gotten a lot of great feedback from the ones that have facilitated in the past, and people have found them, at least what they tell me is they find it very helpful. And you're not only going to kind of learn from my years in private practice, but also others that are in the group. And my experience with focus groups or mastermind groups, has has really helped me developed, developed some really lasting friendships and colleagues over the years. And every time I've been involved in one, it has just really helped my practice exponentially. So if you'd really like to get focused in this next year, and really tune in to what you need to do to kind of level up your practice, or grow your practice or really kind of work through some of the questions you have and the difficulties that might come up. This is a great way to do it. So be sure and check it out practice of therapy.com/focus Group I'd love to have you apply and Consider joining me in in January of 2022. That's hard to believe too. So but anyway, love for you, I'd love for you to apply. Also, before we get to my conversation with Ernesto, I'd love for you to check out and listen to more about our sponsors for the podcast. And that is therapy notes. New find out more about them by going to practice of therapy.com/therapy notes. And they are the leading electronic health record system for mental health providers there who I use in my practice. And I'm just thrilled that they are sponsoring the podcast and also find out more about blueprint health, you can go to practice of therapy.com/blueprint health, and they are a measurement based practice, a measurement based platform for mental health providers, it's a way to really hone in on doing some evidence based and database,

research and data on what you're doing with your clients. So be sure to check them out. And again, love for you to hear from them now. You know as your practice grows, the systems and processes you have in place will keep your practice running smoothly. That's why it's important to have an electronic health record system that is specific to mental health providers. therapy notes is a complete practice management system. With everything you need to manage patient records, schedule appointments, meet with patients remotely, create rich documentation, and bill insurance all right at your fingertips. Their streamlined software is accessible, wherever and whenever you need it. There are who I use in my practice. And then I mentioned that they are one of the top rated EHRs for mental health providers. Their support is also second to none. So be sure to check them out at practice of therapy.com/therapy notes. And be sure to use the promo code Gordon just gr do in and you can try them out for two months for free. That's therapy notes.com. And this episode is also brought to you by blueprint health. You know one of the best ways to serve clients in your practice is through measurement based outcomes. In fact, more and more third party payers, aka insurance companies are demanding measurable outcomes. And with more and more emphasis on good mental health. Having a way to measure your outcomes just make sense. Introducing blueprint, the measurement based care platform that administers scores and charts, hundreds of symptom rating scales to give clinicians deeper insights into treatment progress, ultimately, by helping helping behavioral health providers to grow top line, practice revenue, increased clinician satisfaction, and deliver more effective care. So be sure and check them out by going to practice of therapy.com/blueprint health. And by going to that URL, you can also get your first month free again that's practice of therapy.com/blueprint health.

Well, hello, everyone and welcome again to the podcast. And I've been so pumped and excited for this episode for for a month now. Got the one and only Ernesto a second guess moonbot did I say wow. Yeah, yeah. So Ernesto, welcome. And I'm so pumped, and so glad to have you here.

Ernesto Segismundo
Thank you so much for having me. I know when we were the first time we met. I mean, I've been I've been seen you around on social media, the first time we met face to face. What COVID recovery time was a month ago in Asheville. That's right. That's Carolina. And that's what I got to know your story. Got to know your family a little bit and your background and it's really exciting to know a little bit more about you.

Gordon Brewer
Yes, say the same for me. And it's, you know, it's funny in this whole private practice consulting, entrepreneurial space. We cross paths but until we really get together it's just really Yeah, well, well, for me, it's just very life giving and affirming just to hear other people's stories and that sort of thing. So that just segues perfectly into why don't you tell folks, your story, Ernesto, and just kind of how you've landed where you've landed?

Ernesto Segismundo
You know, I love that you mentioned life giving, because that's exactly how I make connections with other people, make connections with businesses. And my story comes from a long line of trying to discover my path, professionally. And I became a licensed marriage and family therapist or a psychotherapist because I didn't want to go home to Hawaii. I grew up on the island of Hawaii, I had Island fever, I went to college actually wanting to be a pastor. And many people get shocked about that. But yes, I went to Biola University in Los Angeles, and I left the islands because I wanted to go out to school, get go to school, and also leave the islands. And so when I actually went to Biola, I majored in psychology and philosophy and Bible. But, you know, God had a way of making path a little bit different with for everyone. And so, here I am a psychotherapist, and helping other people in different ways, with their spirituality and their mental health. So, in 2013, that's when I got licensed as a therapist. Oh, I'm sorry, yeah, I got licensed as a therapist, and then went into private practice. And then videos came up. My supervisor at that time, invited me to a conference of all real estate agents. And they were using this thing called Video Marketing. And I was like, What the heck is that? And I decided to use videos for my practice at that time, and it exploded. And I had a friend out here, who's also a therapist and saw my videos and said, Hey, can you do a video for me? And so I learned on YouTube, how to create a video, how to edit a video, all these young kids were just amazing at what they do with video editing. And then, after filming my friends promotional video, she handed me a $500 check. And I thought to myself, hmm, there's a thing here. And so filmic calm came to be, it was birthed during that time. Wow. And now, I'm not only doing videos, I'm a videographer, professional videographer. I'm now also a group practice owner. I recently retired as a psychotherapist, and I also host conferences all over the the states on called the notch typical psychotherapist Summit, and also in Hawaii called the foundations of connection Summit. So life is good life is fun. And it's been a journey, you know?

Gordon Brewer
Yeah, yeah, I love your story. Because I think that, for a lot of us, when we get into this space, particularly a psychotherapist, we, we, we realize that our, our talents and our gifts can translate in so many other different ways to connect with people beyond just the traditional one on one therapy kind of setting.

Ernesto Segismundo
Absolutely. And you know, one of the things that I hold dear to me and my philosophy, and my belief is that clinicians are gifted and creative, but for some reason where we took the legal and ethics courses and exams and all of those things. It's almost as if it scared the human out of us the creativity out of us. Sometimes we put ourselves in a box when we hear the word legal and ethics and then when people on social media throw it at each other other psychotherapists out there, they become afraid and not trying new things. So you know, one of the things that many not your typical psychotherapist that I attract in my circle, are the disruptors are those that question or those that are innovative and do things on their own and not afraid to try new things. So I love the this idea where all of us can come together as not to take a psychotherapist at a summit at a conference or even at a beautiful restaurant in North Carolina, a fun restaurant North Carolina and just exchange ideas right and just encourage each other how to do that because, you know, if we don't show up, or ative side, an innovative side, I think the mental health community and the communities that we help is in trouble. They really need us to show up.

Gordon Brewer
Mm hmm. Wow. Yeah, I love I love that and one of the things that I that I love about that is really kind of conviction that I have now after being in being in this profession for oh gosh, I dare say how many years but I've been doing it a while and, and working with newer therapists, particularly those that are supervised for licensure, and that's sort of thing. One of the things is that I think it to go back to what you said, I think in graduate school, we get, we get kind of sold this idea that you have to do therapy in a certain way. And you have to do it this way, and stick to this theory. And, and, you know, don't get outside the box, because you could cause some harm. And that's just not, that's not true. And I think when people can be authentic, and genuine to themselves and find what works for them, they're going to be a much better therapist, and they're going to be much more effective in doing all of this stuff.

Ernesto Segismundo
Yeah, you know what one word that came up for me, as you were talking is the word alignment. And when new clinicians come out entrepreneurial clinicians, they want to do all the things that business, but sometimes it's not aligned with their values, with their beliefs, and with just their energy. And so one of the things that I do in my own counseling, with my EMDR therapist, is to help align everything about what I do, especially with myself, align the energy, align my spirit, my values, that even the people that I'm around need to align somehow it doesn't have to be perfect, but it needs to be aligned. And I think it makes our job, our careers or the path that we take much more natural and organic, when we are fully aligned with ourselves. Right. And I think, correct me if I'm wrong hierarchy of needs, or Maslow's? Basically, the the actualized self, I mean, just the journey towards the actualized self is something that I am very much in tune with. And I think, you know, when we do businesses, when we do podcasts, anything like that, I think the importance of alignment is, is needs to be forefront.

Gordon Brewer
Right? Right. A lot of that. So what what sort of what sort of things do you find that are helpful for you in just doing that in staying, staying in alignment and staying true to yourself, so to speak? Yeah, you

Ernesto Segismundo
know, many people who are somatic psychologists, psychotherapists will understand what I'm going to be saying, at this point, our bodies know, things, our bodies are wise, and they're very, very wise. Our minds just interpret what our bodies react to. Right. So one of the things that I've been really, really focusing on is how does my body react to certain businesses that I create to certain people that I'm around to certain adventures? And to even some of the posts that our colleagues are making on social media, right? What does my body do when I experienced those things? Now, if it's a sensation that makes me feel uncomfortable, makes my stomach turn? I ask questions like, why am I experiencing this? Body? What are you telling me? Mm body? Are you telling me to put some boundaries? What is it so just being curious about how my body's reacting, and many folks don't understand that when they walk in a room and they feel a sense of energy, their body's actually telling them something. And so once we are more in tune with that, I think we can find alignment, I think we can find that. And that's just my belief. I I remember this one time when I was doing a promotional video in Colorado of an equine therapist, and this therapist was actually very good at what was coming out of me. And I was just filming the promotional video. And for some reason, this horse sense and energy with me. And one of the things that was important for me was in order to edit her video, I said, Hey, can you kind of show me what equine therapy really is? And so she was really showing it for me. And she gave me the rope connected to the horse. And I remember holding that rope so tightly and this horse did not want to move, and my body reacted to the horse just staying still not moving. And she was like Ernesto, relax. You don't have to control Everything, as soon as she said that my energy level just wow. And that there's a lot of metaphors connected to me pulling that horse and for me to hold on so tightly to the, to the horses rope because of my mom's death and passing. And it was connected to that. And I was holding on to that rope, just like I was holding on to her dear life. And so that's when I started realizing, oh my gosh, just in literally 15 seconds, all of these things came up in my mom's passing and the metaphor of the horse and the or the metaphor of the horses standing there and me holding on to the rope so tightly. She was like, do you notice that you're holding on to that rope tightly? And this horse is not even moving? It's not going anywhere? Can you help me understand what's going on? And I was like, Holy crap. equine therapy. Yeah, hands down.

Gordon Brewer
Yes, yes. Oh, I love that. I love that. And I think it's, um, you know, the being in tune to ourselves is sometimes hard as therapists because we were able to tune into others very well. I mean, we do that kind of intuitively, I think, for a lot of boats. I know, just even in my own therapy, just being able to be more in tune with what's going on inside me. And just, and following that, but yeah, so you know, the the other. The other thing I'm curious about for you, or nesto, is how you've kind of blended this self journey with the whole entrepreneurial kind of thing. And yeah, so let's say more about that.

Ernesto Segismundo
Absolutely. So, you know, I noticed that when you start shining, when you're starts succeeding, there's two things that happens internally and outside of your world internally, you start figuring out all of these emotional responses like fear, resistance, imposter syndrome, all of those things starts coming up. And I was curious about why in the world was this coming up when every time I do something big. So one of the most profound experiences was when I hosted my first event on khoy, or at least did it, which was called the knotch foundation of connection summit in Hawaii, and it was like over 100 people showed up, they flew from the mainland to collide to attend my Summit, which was amazing. But during that time, I was doing a lot of self doubt, questioning, I was resistance, I got anxious. And so I noticed that the process of doing big will evoke big emotions within you. Right, and many mindset, and many everything, all the things. And when I started succeeding, what happened in my world in my colleague, it started, or it started getting smaller, people that were excited for what I was doing gravitated towards. And people who saw how big I was getting, started having a weird energy of don't be big, because it's going to make us feel insecure. So one of the things that I started noticing, in my entrepreneurial journey is that you attract and repel, you attract those people that want to be around you, that gives you that energy. And you there's a powerful exchange between you and them. But there's also repelling, you repel the people that unconsciously want to stay small. But they want you to stay small with them. As soon as I said, No, hell no, I'm not going to do that. They started unfollowing. Me, they started. Some even stayed and made snarky comments, did petty things like correct my grammar and my, my spelling on my emails, petty things like that. And I notice that those are the things that happen when you become big. And when you become show when you show up for people, right when you're when you're starting to align with the actualized. Self, professionally and personally. People are going to be uncomfortable with that not because they're uncomfortable with you, but because are uncomfortable with their possibility of succeeding. They can't handle that. They don't want to do that. So I've come to grips in my entrepreneurial journey to really come to grips with something like this, this phenomenon. It's hard for me to explain it in a way that is tangible. I think I'm doing a good job at it. But that's one thing that many of the people that I'm coaching now from an entrepreneurial perspective, is that the reasonable Why you're playing small, is because you're focusing way too much on the people that roll their eyes when you become successful, instead of the people that you are going to help that that's going to shine that's going to be around you that will benefit from, from your story and your message. So focusing on them. So that's where I'm at at this point.

Gordon Brewer
Yeah. Yeah. And that's, you know, that's one of the biggest barriers, I think, for people in their success is is exactly what you're talking about. We often refer to it as imposter syndrome. And I think, yeah, it's, it's, I know, in my own journey, that's been something I've had to overcome. And yeah, yeah.

Ernesto Segismundo
And you know, there's a thing where there's a natural thing to compare ourselves to other people. That's extremely, extremely normal. Right? It's what you do with it. That's gonna be important with what you do with it is basically what, you that either you rise up, or you cave to that pressure. Yeah.

Gordon Brewer
Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Love that. So what are the next big things for you are nesto? I mean, here we is, this episode is coming out where we're getting wrapping up. 2021 Oh, my goodness, that I know, it. Just all the changes that have occurred over the last two years. But so what's, what's on your Horizon?

Ernesto Segismundo
You know, one of the things that I've been really focusing on is living, I mean, part of my brand, and the way that I live life is just to have fun. You know, I'm at a point now where I can actually fly anywhere in the country, and just be with people. You know, I was just in Texas, in Houston, attending the Texas Counseling Association, and people asked me, Why are you here? Like, because I just want to be around good people. Like, you're not getting the C's? No, I'm just here. And I had a lot of fun. I just want to meet people and venture out. The next step for me is, I've been really focusing on my group practice, and growing the practice and hiring more people. In fact, today, I actually had five applicants, licensed clinicians. And I'm, I'm, my goal is by the end of January to have 20 clinicians working for me full time. Well, at least. Yeah, yeah. But huh. So that's my goal. Now. 2022 is a build of the previous years, right? I want more connection, I want more more benefits for my employees. And I just want to be around other people who are just like minded and just people who have fun, you know?

Gordon Brewer
Yeah. Yeah. It's so well, you know, I think with the whole pandemic, that's something we realize that maybe we took for granted. There's that connection. And and I think it's something that we've all craved. Oh, no, that was a no comments with all the great people, we got together with just kind of ad hoc and, and Asheville a month ago, and it just turned out that all the stars aligned and we were able to all get together. It's just how much we craved being able to have that, that contact and that commit and that connection on something other than a video screen. I mean, it's just, yeah.

Ernesto Segismundo
One thing that came out of that meeting of that gathering was, there was no pissing context.

Gordon Brewer
That's exactly right. Yes, right. There was no,

Ernesto Segismundo
here I am. Here's what I've done. Here is how big I am and make sure that I'm big in your eyes, right? There's none of that. It was like, Hey, do you like that salad? No. Do you want to try this chocolate? Was that good for you? Yes. Awesome. We were just or, you know, what's your favorite place that you've traveled to? You know, it was that type of conversation. It wasn't anything else. But that. Yes, I just absolutely love those moments where we can just talk about these things. So that was really meaningful for me.

Gordon Brewer
Right? Right. And that the same same for me was same experience. I will say that the vast majority of the folks that are in this whole private practice consulting counselor on entrepreneur space, we are just my experiences were very giving a very generous with what we do, and it's in the system, yeah, there's no like you said no pissing contest going on there. There's no sense of competition or whatever. And then it was

Ernesto Segismundo
cool to, to exchange. I'm sorry. It was cool to exchange ideas, right? Like, maybe this can work. And it's like, wow, thank you so much for that there's a genuine excitement and love for your fellow person to succeed. Right. Right. Which is, which is that's the type of energy I want to be around all the time.

Gordon Brewer
Right, right. Well, it speaks to as well, just the power of vulnerability. You know, I'm big. I'm a big fan of Brene. Brown, and just that whole, that to be vulnerable is an act of courage. And I think when we can do those courageous things of being around people and letting the guard down, it, it just, it does nothing but help us grow. It's how it's in fact, it's how we do grow. I mean, you've got to get outside your comfort zone to grow at all. So Wow. So, Ernesto, I want to be respectful of your time. And yeah, you know, I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful that we're going to be doing this more regularly. And oh, hang together. Yes. So tell folks more about how they can get in touch with you and your channels and all the great stuff you're doing?

Ernesto Segismundo
Yeah, absolutely. So the the best thing is to find me on social media, especially Facebook, I'm always engaging on Facebook, I give a lot of free content on there as well, too. And if you want to reach me, you can reach my website, filmic comm that's f y l mit.com. That's how you can see some of my work. And you know, the other thing too, is I have summits all over the United States, like I talked about with the notch, typical psychotherapist and the foundation of connection Summit. Come out, come to those events. It could be my event, it could be other people's event, but come and just hang out most likely I'll be at those events. But especially with the ones that I host come out and have fun.

Gordon Brewer
Yes. So yeah. So folks, be sure and go over and check it out and follow Ernesto, you will not be disappointed. I'm looking forward to our one of your next events. Ernesto. So I'm sure I hear you're going to be back in Nashville again. Is that?

Ernesto Segismundo
Yes, I will be that's still in the works.

Gordon Brewer
Okay. Okay. So that's close enough for me. But also, just a real kind of big turn here. Ernesto filled me in on so great credit card deals to where you can lots of miles. I've got to get back with him on that. But that say, Yeah, Ernesto, you are just just a delight to know. And I'm so glad you're my friend. And I hope you can get you back here.

Ernesto Segismundo
Blessings to you. Thank you so much for having me on.

Gordon Brewer
Well, I'm so grateful that Ernesto joined me for the podcast. And as you can tell, just by our conversation, he is just one of those people that is so positive and so upbeat, that just makes you feel good. And so Ernesto has got a great gift in that way. And I'd love for you to go over and check out his stuff. And we'll have links here in the show summary in the show notes for his Facebook pages, and also his his website. And if you are a subscriber to the podcast, or if you are on my email list, I promised that I'll get you information for upcoming events with Ernesto. And you can go to just go to practice of therapy.com and sign up for my email list. And you'll get a free private practice startup guide. And Ernesto has got a lot of great free stuff as well. So be sure to check all of that out. And as I mentioned at the beginning, I'd love for you to consider maybe joining me for a focus group, the focus group that is going to be starting in January of 2022. And I'd love for you to apply and consider joining me for that I think it would add you know, like like I learned with hanging out with Ernesto and other people in this space of focus group has just one of the best ways to do that. And it will I promise you, you'll get the return on your investment of that. So if you go to practice therapy.com/focus group, you can find out more about that and how to apply and everything there. And also, as usual, be sure and check out our sponsors for the podcast therapy notes. And you can find out more about them by going to practice of therapy.com/therapy notes and also blueprint health and you feel good or practice of therapy.com/blueprint health, you can find out more about them as well. And also be sure and use those links so you can get access to the discounts. And so that's it for this episode. You know, we're, we're winding down the month of December already. And I'm going to take the last two weeks of December off from podcasting. But we'll have a fresh start at the beginning of the year, the New Year 2022. And so I think there'll be one or two more episodes after this one for 2022. But anyway, Take care, folks, be sure and take time to follow us or subscribe to the podcast wherever you might be listening to it. And be sure and tell your friends about it if you're enjoying it. So take care folks hope you have a good rest of your week or weekend.

You have been listening to the practice of therapy podcast with Gordon Brewer. Please visit us at practice of therapy.com For more information, resources and tools to help you in starting building and growing your private practice. And if you haven't done so already, please sign up to receive the free private practice startup guide and practice of therapy.com. The information in this podcast is intended to be accurate and authoritative concerning the subject matter covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host guests or producers are rendering legal accounting or clinical advice. If you need a professional, you should find the right person for them.