Mind Your Business

Merging Meaningful Work with Financial Wisdom

Julius A. Austin, Jude T. Austin, II

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781394444502
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781394444519
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Clinical Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This is the course every counselor wishes they had in grad school. Blending real-world wisdom with practical tools, this book demystifies the business side of therapy—without sacrificing heart. Whether you're a student, associate, or seasoned clinician, this down-to-earth guide helps you earn a living while staying true to your calling.

Covering topics like financial literacy, legal and ethical essentials, marketing, innovation, supervision, and retirement planning, it offers real-life examples, expert insights, and mentorship you can actually use. The book moves beyond private practice basics to explore diverse income streams, administrative must-knows, and modern challenges like cybersecurity and hustle culture.

Written in a candid, mentor-style voice by Drs. Jude and Julius Austin—both practicing clinicians and counselor educators—this is a business book that gets it. You won't find empty jargon or cookie-cutter advice here. You'll find clarity, encouragement, and a roadmap to build a counseling career that's both sustainable and deeply meaningful. From developing your own business-savvy to "securing the bag", this guide is full of the financial and business wisdom that every counselor wishes they had received in graduate school. It moves beyond private-practice basics to explore diverse income streams, administrative must-knows, and modern challenges like cybersecurity and hustle culture.

Offering tangible examples, expert tips, and mentorship you can actually use, this down-to-earth guide helps you earn a living while staying true to your calling.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Preface
• 1 The Counselor as Businessperson
• 2 Insights and Trends Within the Counseling Marketplace
• 3 Our Earning Potential
• 4 Getting Out of the Hole
• 5 Professional and Legal Considerations
• 6 Traditional Business
• 7 Nontraditional Business and Side Hustles in Counseling
• 8 Administrative Duties
• 9 Marketing Strategies for Counselors
• 10 Taking Advantage of Counseling Innovation
• 11 A Trainer’s Paradise
• 12 The Business of Supervision
• 13 Evaluating and Improving Your Business
• 14 Generating Wealth Toward Retirement
• 15 Having Money on the Mind and Not in the Heart
• 16 Doing Good Business
• Conclusion: Putting It Together
• About the Authors
• Technical Support
• End User License Agreement