Rethinking the Traditional 60/40 Split with Brittany Schank, LCSW | WP 205

Whitney Owens sits down with returning guest Brittany Schank, LCSW, and owner of Solace Counseling, to talk about why the traditional 60/40 split model stopped working in her group practice. Brittany shares what it was like to realize her clinicians were sometimes taking home more than she was, why the numbers were no longer sustainable, and how she transitioned toward salary and per-session pay.

They also discuss the hidden costs of running a group practice, why higher percentages do not always mean a better opportunity for therapists, and how work-life balance, support, and strong practice culture can matter just as much as compensation. Brittany also shares her new I'm Here client check-in app, designed to make the waiting room process easier for both clinicians and clients.

00:00 Welcome + episode introduction
04:26 Meet Brittany Schank
05:19 Why the 60/40 split stopped working
09:26 When resentment signaled a needed change
14:31 What your practice offers beyond pay
16:03 Moving from splits to salary
23:58 Why pay percentages can be misleading
26:29 The reality of starting your own private practice
29:48 Changing pay structures for existing clinicians
33:16 The "I'm Here" client check-in app
36:03 Where to connect with Brittany

Watch on YouTube

Meet Brittany Schank

I'm Brittany Schank. I'm a licensed clinical social worker, and I own a group practice called Solace Counseling up in Fargo, North Dakota, home of extremely friendly people and extremely unfriendly winters. We've got 11 clinicians now, which still catches me off guard some days, since this thing started as just me and a caseload.
Somewhere along the way I also started a directory that connects therapists with clinical supervisors and consultants, because finding the right supervisor should not feel like online dating.

And most recently, I built an app called I'm Here. It's really nothing fancy, just a simple way for clients to text that they've arrived so nobody has to sit in an awkward waiting room making eye contact with a stranger. I built it because I was tired of that problem in my own practice, and it turns out a lot of other practices had the exact same headache.

Outside of all that, I'm a mom to four kids and married to my husband Landon, who is also the COO of our counseling practice (we met working together, so when he joined full time it felt like a full-circle moment). In my free time, you can find me watching my kids play while in cozy socks and an oversized sweatshirt and sweats, drinking an iced coffee, beating my kids in a game of Uno, or out catching the biggest fish!

Brittany's Links

I'm Here

WP122 | Leading with Wisdom: Adding Supervision to Your Practice with Brittany Schank, LCSW

Links and Resources

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