How to Grow a Practice Without Losing Yourself with Dr. Kristen Wynns - Group Practice (R)evolution - 15
“It's all that extra attitude and just how we bring ourselves into the world right now that is just so contagious, for good or bad.” ~ Kristen Wynns
How Kristen Wynns built an award-winning practice without insurance panels and with a good dose of humor.
Group practice owners have a decision to make right now: continue treading water or get more creative in how they operate. While neither is particularly easy given the state of the world, I always advocate for the latter. Imagination and a bit of courage (even the false kind) are foundational to this (r)evolutionary process.
The field of therapy is lucky to have many examples of group practice owners who embody innovative leadership. One of those is my “conference bestie”, Dr. Kristen Wynns, author, speaker, and founder of Wynns Family Psychology, a North Carolina-based practice that has served the needs of children, teens, and their parents for over 18 years. When she’s not guiding the culture at Wynn’s four locations, Kristen hits local stages as a comedian, empowering others to use laughter to heal, build confidence, and connect.
Kristen’s professional trajectory offers a blueprint for creating and sustaining healthy growth. “It's funny, I never said or had this vision of a group practice with multiple locations and multiple providers. It was just a natural evolution,” she explains. 18 years later, Kristen’s busy reevaluating what her practice and her team need.
Three things I hope practice owners take away from this conversation:
You’re the owner, not the micromanager. Sure, if something within the practice isn’t working well (referrals, records management, marketing, etc.), you are responsible for addressing the issue until it’s resolved. But how you delegate tasks, build team confidence, and accept feedback is what either inspires or discourages your team.
Fiascos often lead to fresh starts. Kristen is a big believer in talking about failure. Her practice was born out of one! While humans are terrified of making changes, sometimes you’ve just got to take advantage of a surprise reset, even if you don’t think you’re ready.
Times change. So must your practice. New tech! New employees! New competition! Build in time for periodic recalibration.
I recognize that the anxiety of just existing right now is way more than any of us bargained for. Practice owners don’t have to try everything, all at once. But we have to try something.
Kristen agrees. “I think it's important as the leader to show up.”
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Dr. Kristen Wynns is a psychologist, author, comedian, and speaker who blends mental health expertise with humor. As founder of Wynns Family Psychology, an award-winning private practice with four locations in NC, and “Kiki” on stage, she empowers others to use laughter for healing, confidence, and connection.
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