Mindset

Stop Thinking, Start Testing

There's an epidemic of overthinking in private practice. But overthinking isn't caution — it's what happens when you've run out of data and don't realize it.

Close-up of a person in white sneakers stepping onto the first of a flight of stone garden steps

There is an epidemic of overthinking in private practice — in most businesses, in fact.

I've seen it in countless conversations with practice owners. Therapists new to private practice can agonize over setting a fee, picking an accountant, or what marketing approach to take. In experienced clinicians, it can show up when stretching into unfamiliar territory: making sense of reports, trying to build a referral tracking system, weighing whether to hire an associate.

I deal with it too.

When I'm stuck on a decision, my instinct is to think harder. Analyze more. Map out every scenario.

But most of the time, I've already run out of data. My mind is just recycling the same information in circles.

The move that actually works? Take a baby step. Not a big commitment — just a small action in one direction.

Send one email. Test it with one client. Consult a colleague. Try the thing for a week. Just do something different.

The world gives you a reaction. Your instinct feels a little different. A colleague gives you a new perspective. And suddenly your mind has fresh data to work with instead of the same stale loop.

I've talked with practice owners who spend weeks or months agonizing over a fee increase, a scheduling change, or how to talk with a client about late cancellations — when the real progress is just trying something small and seeing what happens.

Overthinking isn't a sign you need more time to decide. It's a sign you need more information — and the only way to get it is through action.

Overthinking is a big part of why we're building Nesso — to put the right information in front of you at the right time, so you can make decisions with confidence and move on.

Get early access to the Nesso EHR, coming early 2027 →

Or take a small step today. Nesso Notes — the first product on our path to the full EHR — is available now: fast, compliant notes so your backlog, and the guilt, are gone.

Start your free trial of Nesso Notes →

About the author
Fletcher Dennison, co-founder and CEO of Nesso
Fletcher Dennison

I'm the co-founder and CEO of Nesso. My partner, Will, and I started Nesso after years of hearing therapists say the same thing: nothing prepares you for the business side of private practice. We can't change what grad school teaches — but we can make running a practice easier to learn and manage. Prior to starting Nesso I was SimplePractice's COO, CPO, and first employee.

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