TWO THINGS EVERY THERAPIST NEEDS TO HEAR GOING INTO THE NEW YEAR

I just did my very first online training of the new year. I hosted an online training on New Year’s Day, all about mastering and getting better at Solution Focused Brief Therapy. I’m super excited about a thousand people signed up and it was an amazing time. But there was something I didn’t say that I want to say and I’m going to use this opportunity to say it.

When we go to graduate school and we learn these approaches, they teach us at the technique level. They teach us the techniques associated with an approach, and that’s how we learn it. And we think once we understand the technique, then I don’t need to learn anything else. And as therapists we become people that collect techniques.

But I was watching a video recently of Michael Jordan being interviewed. And in this video, Michael Jordan was talking about how he became so successful off the basketball court. And he started talking about, I knew that the foundation of what I did was basketball. I had to take care of that. I had to become great at basketball and that would lead to other opportunities. So he said I obsessed about becoming great at basketball. I didn’t focus on the other opportunities. I just knew that stuff would come if I got as great at basketball as I could possibly get.

And I’ve heard this interview before, actually, but this time it hit home a lot differently because I think about the life I’m currently living.

In a couple of weeks I’m gonna go to L.A. and start filming an interview style show that’s all about Solution Focused Brief Therapy. You guys are gonna love it. We got some really cool people that are gonna be interviewed on this show and it’s gonna be great.
And I thought about some of the places that I’ve been. I’ve gotten to travel to over 30 countries teaching Solution Focused Brief Therapy.

And the books that I’ve written.

I’ve just thought about my life and I was like, wow, there’s a correlation between what Michael Jordan said. Because I knew if I just get really good at Solution Focused Brief Therapy, if I let that be the centerpiece, if I get really good at helping people transform their lives while using Solution Focused Brief Therapy, the external opportunities will take care of themselves.

For me, it was never about traveling around the world. Speaking was never about writing books. Certainly was not about signing television contracts. For me, it was all about the work because I wanted to make a difference. And Solution Focused Brief Therapy was the greatest opportunity for me to do so.

But I think two things, which is why I want to make this video, and why I think this video is important.

Number one, I think therapists, because our job is so stressful, because our job is so low paying, I think therapists over focus on creating other opportunities, instead of understanding the opportunities come when you really get great. You got to learn these approaches, whatever approach you’re doing. I’ll talk about Solution Focused Brief Therapy because that’s where I’ve dedicated myself. But you’ve got to learn these approaches on such a deep level, and stop trying to just like collect techniques, and instead start trying to become masterful at the thing that you do.

Instead of trying to like, “How do I increase…?” Like if you look on social media and some of the therapy Facebook groups, constantly people are like, “How do I diversify my revenue?”, “How to become a speaker.”, “How do I work with celebrities?” someone recently posted.

I want to scream.

Just get great at what you do.

Really focus on greatness instead of trying to collect techniques or try to collect credentials.

Really focus on getting really, really good at what you do, and those opportunities will come.

So that’s the first thing.

The second thing is I think sometimes therapists, they don’t dream big enough. They don’t understand that, that thing that is in the back of your mind, maybe it’s speaking, maybe it’s writing a book, whatever. It’s possible. Now again, the pathway is through getting great, but it’s possible.

And sometimes I don’t think therapists dream big enough. I don’t think therapists allow themselves or give themselves permission to think about “What could come my way if I got great at these things?” because it’s so much bigger than revenue. It’s literally life altering if you do it.

Now I’ve spent my whole career advocating for people to not just try to become technical, and not just try to become someone that is like “When I go to learn these approaches, I just want to learn the techniques and you know, combine these techniques with Etsy.”

No man, become great. Become really, really great, and it will change your life.

Become someone who is masterful in an approach, and it doesn’t just increase your revenue, it doesn’t just make you more money, but it helps you impact more lives. And I know that’s the whole reason you got this field anyway. But more than anything it puts you in a position where all of your dreams can come true.

Even some dreams that you’re not currently dreaming about will come into your life. I know that because I lived it.

And it was so interesting listening to Michael Jordan through that perspective this recent time, and realizing, “Oh, I accidentally did the same thing Michael Jordan did.”, except not about basketball. I did it about Solution Focused Brief Therapy.

So my challenge is for you to do that, too. And if you’re ready to change your life in this way, let’s make 2026 the year that you do that.

So subscribe to my YouTube channel, go to my website, join my email list, and I promise you I will show you how do you become masterful in Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and change a whole lot of lives, including your own.