Why I Left Education After 18 Years, and What I've Been Building Since
Updated: Sep 16
Eighteen years!
Since kindergarten I had always wanted to be a teacher... I was, and I LOVED it! Then I noticed I wanted nothing to do with teaching math, and wanted everything to do with students' social emotional learning. And I LOVED that!
So why did I leave after 18 years???
I didn't leave because I was burned out by the kids; I left education because I knew I wanted to have a bigger impact than the system would allow. And honestly... I wasn't being paid what that work was worth!
For 18 years I showed up in classrooms and school counseling offices across 3 New Jersey public school districts. It was AMAZING work, and meaningful, but of course there's a ceiling in public education. You're navigating between kids taking tests and lunch duty, along with sitting on 7493809 committees, helping staff with their concerns, and explaining that you're not a guidance counselor (I'm sure that resonates with many of you out there!).
Eventually I stopped trying to work around the red tape and hurdles, built Free to Be Mindful, and went full time into private practice and entrepreneurship.
What I found there surprised me...
What Nobody Tells You About Private Practice
I thought the hardest part was finishing the 4,500 hours required in the state of New Jersey to become a Licensed Professional Counselor and navigating filing for licensure with the state. I had the clinical training, the credentials, and a lifetime of experience. What I didn't have was a roadmap for the rest of it.
There is an entire layer underneath clinical work that nobody teaches. Billing, scheduling, pay structure, marketing, networking, and the dreaded loneliness! In addition to all of that, when specializing in working with kids, there's the delicate balance of treating the kids but being responsible to the family, and including the child's school and other professionals when needed. All of this combined determines whether a child walks out of your office wanting to come back, or if the parents will refer you to another family while chatting on the playground.
While I later found a group of women which later became the Latinx Practice Collective, which I am a proud co-founder of, at first I had to figure most of it out on my own. I invested a lot of energy and resources into my professional growth, along with A LOT of time. And as we know... time is money.
The Questions that Kept Finding Me
I am a big believer in being generous with others coming behind us in the field. From the very start of my private practice journey, I found myself being approached by therapists in different pockets of life - in social media groups, after speaking engagements, and in conference hallways. The question were always the same...
How do you sustain a full cash pay practice?
How do you build school relationships that send referrals?
How do you fill social skills groups?
How do you integrate a therapy dog in your practice?
How do you run multiple businesses, host a podcast, show up in different spaces, while raising kids, without losing your mind?
Eventually it became obvious... this needed to be something bigger than voice notes in the DMs.
What The Kid Clinician Is
The Kid Clinician is a business consultation brand for licensed therapists who work with children. This isn't about learning a new modality to use with clients. Instead The Kid Clinician focuses on all the things grad school skipped, which can all be boiled down to owning a practice that runs on your terms and leaves room for a life.
As a first-generation Latina with 20+ years across classrooms, school counseling offices, and private practice, I carry a perspective most training programs don't have. I've sat on every side of the table that surrounds a child, which is the foundation everything here is built on.
Where to Start for Yourself
If you've made it this far... hi, I'm glad you're here and I already like you.
Here are three ways to take a next step, wherever you are right now:
Start with the Free Guide. The First Week Secrets Every Child Therapist Needs to Know covers 3 concepts we do before a new child client ever walks through the door that change everything about whether they want to come back. Download it here.
Stay Connected. Follow along @thekidclinician on Instagram and get on the mailing list - you'll be the first to know about everything coming (I can't want to share with you!)
Book a Discovery Call. If you're ready to talk through something specific in your practice, Business Strategy Package spots are open. The discovery call is free and there's no commitment until you decide it's the right fit. Click here to learn more.
I'm so glad you here!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a business background to run a successful child therapy practice?
No, most licensed therapists never receive business training in graduate school, which is exactly the gap this covers.
What's the difference between clinical skill and running a sustainable practice?
Clinical skill is what happens in the room. A sustainable practice is everything around it - pricing, referrals, systems, that determines whether that clinical work is financially and personally sustainable long-term.
Vanessa De Jesus Guzman, LPC, NCC is a business strategist for licensed child therapists and the founder of The Kid Clinician. With 20+ years working with kids across classrooms, schools, and private practice, she helps therapists build the business side of running a child therapy practice.
She's been voted one of New Jersey's Favorite Kids' Docs, and hosts the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. She's been featured on the Today Show, Univision, Parents, and other national publications.
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