Dr. Pia Khandekar on Building a Psychology Practice

I do think that intake process is actually like, really foundational to what I do with most of my clients. You know, I spend the first two, if not three sessions doing just like, a really thorough intake with this person. You know, we talk about everything from, of course, like, what's bringing them in the door currently, which is really important. But, you know, we do a really thorough, like, physical history and medical history and psychosocial review and look at all of the aspects of their environment and their physiology that might be contributing to what's bringing them in the door. Well, hello. Thank you so much for coming on the inflection podcast with me here today. Known you for a few years, Dr. Kendikar, and this is awesome that we finally get to do this. Thanks for coming on. Thank you so much, Anebi. I am thrilled to be here. Really looking forward to our conversation today. Of course, one of the things we've talked about, right, is typically for a lot of folks, we look at success as the tip of the iceberg, and we celebrate that as we should. Success is awesome. We look at a professional like you who's been in the space for over 18 years. Oh, my goodness. She's doing well. She's awesome. She's good at her stuff. And we forget all the years it took to get there. Well, I'm mildly obsessed with inflection points and the stories and the journeys that lead up to the present moment. And with that said, I'm very curious, like, for you. Were you always interested in psychology as a kid and, you know, like, it's what you wanted to do, or was it something that you were led to with a serious series of inflection points and fortunate circumstances along the way? So I think it's a little bit of column A and column B. I will say that as a child, I. I loved stories. I loved reading. I would constantly. I mean, I don't know what kid gets in trouble for reading, but I think I did. He's sitting there engrossed in a book, you know, under the covers with the flashlight kind of thing. So I loved. I always love story, and I always really loved hearing people's story. And so I had a sense that this might be something that would be of interest for me in the long term. There's a little bit of an interesting. In India, sometimes in the families, your family gets associated with a particular field of study or occupation. And so I knew from my family what lineage that, at least on my. My father's side kind of came from, like, a long line of teachers. And counselors, that's sort of what the, their background is in. And so I think, I really do think some of this might be just like part of my makeup, that this is something that I was drawn to. But I will also say that I was able to take my first psychology class in high school. And I just like, I really knew, I knew before I took it that I wanted to like, just dive in deep. And that was something that just solidified for me. Like, okay, I want to go study this. And so that, that set up my pathway pretty early. That is awesome. That is really cool that you got to do that in high school as well. Like, I've heard quite a few people say, you know, I had the opportunity to take this class or do a job shadow or something like that in high school and it really did help point or reiterate a direction they already knew they were heading down. So that's, that's really cool you had that opportunity in high school. Yeah, I was very lucky. It was like a two year class that they offered and just great foundation in all of sort of like the principles and, you know, because I think a lot of people sometimes choose a major in college because they don't know what else they want to do. But I went in. I was one of those few people that like, really, really was like, okay, I love this. I think I can make this work. And I'll also say, like, I, I think growing up as like the child of immigrant parents in this country in the 80s and 90s, it was, it was tough. And I definitely dealt with my own, I think, anxiety and sort of like feeling like an outsider a lot. And so I do think that those personal experiences of feeling other were also influential in wanting to get to a place where I might be able to help other people who'd gone through something similar. Amazing. I resonate with the feeling like an other. And I want to dive a little more into that, with the sense of otherness. One of the things immigrants sometimes face or kids of immigrants, it's this thing, it's like an identity issue where sometimes you move or your family moves and you feel like you're stuck in the in between where, where you move from. Right. Like India, in my case Nigeria. Like you steal, you steal from that culture, but now you're inheriting certain attributes of your new culture, but you're not totally in that culture yet. So people in the current culture might see you as you from elsewhere, but where you came from, they're not like you're no longer really One of us you're now from. You're not part of the new culture. So there's a weird in between feeling of I'm neither here nor there. I'm just curious, like, if that's something that you faced or dealt with. Because I've talked to immigrants and folks who've moved in. That's one theme that I have seen and I have also experienced. Yes, I think that is. I think that's exactly what I was experiencing. And at that time, there just weren't really words for it. It wasn't really. Now there's a lot more discussion about these kinds of things and it's much more like, there's a lot more education about it. But at the time, I think you're just kind of going through sort of muddling. I remember feeling like, I don't know that I feel totally accepted anywhere, and I don't know that that was anybody overtly like, rejecting me, but I just felt that. That sense of, like caught between these worlds. Yeah. And. And so I think navigating that and just not feeling like there was a settled ground as far as community was certainly, like, it leaves you with a sense of just feeling a little bit. Yeah. Like you're out floating on your own. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And for you, Right. Going through that, eventually you work as a psychologist, you have your private practice, you do consultations with different entities. Like, what was that journey like? Right. There's the schooling aspect, this internship or something like that, and getting experience, getting the reps to. To launching your business. Like, what was that? Other notable points through that story for you that you look back on and you know, you have aha. Moment from. Sure, sure. I mean, it was a, it was a long, it was a long journey to get here. And I think it's so interesting. There are like these moments that I, you know, are. Are just probably pure luck also that like, took you on the path that you didn't even know where, where you were going, but you think that you have a trajectory. And so I, I think doing the, the psychology degree in undergrad was kind of the first step. And even back then I had a lot of interest in kind of the physiological side of things. So I, I knew I didn't want to be a medical doctor, but I still took a lot of those kinds of classes because I thought it was important. And the reason I'm bringing that up is because it, I think that interest really directed my path. Later on, you know, I got. I went to graduate school at the University of Denver and got my doctorate in clinical psychology and knew that I wanted to sort of be somewhere at the intersection of the psychological and the physiological. So I just had a lot of interest in kind of, you know, neurobiology and psychopharmacology and those types of things which then I think put me on the path to working in hospital systems. And so that's sort of, you know, that's a choice point, I think. And so because now I'm in private practice, but for, you know, the last probably 15, 15 years, I was working really in big major hospitals and sort of like an interdisciplinary treatment team setting. Yeah. So I think that in its own way shaped my career path for sure. Amazing. Yeah, thanks for sharing that. I mean, it's really interesting you're building a psychology business, but along the way also taking, you know, courses in physiology and whatnot. Like to give you a more poll, I guess, like, perspective on the individual. That does raise something. One of the things I know you're passionate about learning and growth. I want to dive into that. Right. As a psychologist, what does that look like? How do you approach staying up to date with the latest research and just continue to grow yourself through it? Sure, there are lots of different avenues for it, but I do think working in these big systems forces you in great ways. When you're working with trainees, we've got interns and residents, and they're at the nascents in some ways the peak of their learning. And so if you don't keep up with the current trends, you can't answer their questions. And so it creates this beautiful environment where you're able to focus on your own professional development, learning, the new kind of interventions and the new research in a way that I think had I not been in that setting, I wouldn't have had to. So being in that system, like, sort of made it part of my daily routine. And I'm really grateful for that because now I think it's something that I crave and want to go out and do on my own, even though I'm still in those systems. But not in the same way that I was before. Yeah. So. So it's really helped me perpetuate that learning path. Nice with building Psych Pro. Consulting the name of your practice. Like, what was the biggest. If you had to go back in time to start again, what would you say you do differently? Because starting a business is no small undertaking and many times you'd make lots of mistakes along the way. God knows I have my fair share of mistakes with things. Things I have Built and, like, yeah, that's what not to do. So for you, like, does anything come to mind with that? Oh, my gosh, so many. I'm not trying to put you on blast. No, no. I think it's great. Because, man. Yeah. I look back and there are. You know, they never taught us anything about business in our doctoral program. Right. So, yeah, I think one of the things I would have done differently is I would have asked for help sooner. I would have asked for mentorship. I would have gotten involved with associations, because one of the things I think I thought I had to do was, like, learn it by myself. Yeah. And I was too embarrassed to ask people for help because it was like, well, you're a doctor. You should probably just know how to go start a business. Right. It can't be. It's something that you should be able to learn on your own, and it is not. And so the thing I would tell people is, like, don't feel embarrassed or ashamed. Like, reach out for help. Reach out for help and talk to people. Because there's so much wisdom in those communities. You can read all the books. It's kind of like doing therapy. When I think about it. I can read all the books. But until you're sitting with a client and until you get supervision and mentorship from another person, like, it's. That practice doesn't come to life. So, yeah, that's good. I don't know if you feel the same way, Amy B. I just totally. No. Like, in my case, working in corporate for a while, and, you know, you're like, I. I know business. I've read a ton of books. Like, I have a general idea. And then you get into it and you realize there's so many things. Again, we think about the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot that is visible that you look at business and, like, surely that's what it is. And then you realize there's a ton under the iceberg that you don't see that's cleanly abstracted away. And it was brutal going through those lessons. And think about cash flow projections. How do you forecast accordingly? And how do you get better at your books? There's so many boring stuff. Part of it, beyond knowing how to do the work itself, for why you started a business that I have found and learned the hard way. I really made a lot of mistakes. And when I talk to people now about business, I'm like, I'm gonna tell you all the things not to do. If you avoid some of these things that I have done. You're in a way better spot than I was. But yeah, totally resonate with that. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And I, I kind of have to shout out that the Better Business Bureau, that Main street accelerator, which is where I was we were first introduced. It was so influential in just opening my eyes to like there you're not alone in the struggle that there are lots of resources out there. You don't even know where to look in the beginning. So I think that that was. Yeah. Nominal resource. Absolutely. There is the. And I know many business owners face this right as the not knowing what you don't know is one of the most dangerous things. Right. Because it's in your blind spot and that's what. Where accelerators, you know, business accelerators like the one BBB had. I'm working on a similar resource, something like that. Just based on my struggles through it and having a team of peers who are going through the same thing or just went through that last week, for example, I can share with you. It gives you visibility into what might be a blind spot. And they're working with experts who've been doing this for 10, 20, for decades who can help you preemptively avoid some of those pitfalls. Goes a long way. You might never experience it because they already told you about it and you course corrected. But then like you don't know how bad it would have been because hey, you dodged a bullet. No a hundred percent. Communities like that and having a team, mentors, people you can reach out to highly recommend everyone. Yes. And to bring it back a little bit more to your business like the approach, you know, to therapy psychology has changed over the years. But just what is one thing, one tiny sliver that for you, you use that as an approach in your practice and that's very open ended. Right. As you go about engaging with your customers and those that need you, is there something creative that stands out there? Like this is an axiom that we roll with and I feel like you started saying that earlier already. I mean you're a psychologist and you're taking physiology classes. It tells me you have a mind for a whole person approach. But suddenly throw that out there for you. What does that look like if you engage with folks. Yeah, I know, I appreciate you. You teed it up for me nicely, I think. I do think that intake process is actually like really foundational to, to what I do with most of my clients. You know, I spend the first two, if not three sessions doing a just like a really thorough intake with this person. You know, we talk about everything from of course, like what's bringing them in the door currently, which is really important. But you know, we do a really thorough like physical history and medical history and psychosocial review and look at all of the aspects of their environment and their physiology that might be contributing to what's bringing them in the door. I think in my training that. And again in this hospital setting, I'll go back to that. We don't want to be treating something psychologically that could be physical. So there are often many things that we need to get ruled out or assessed. And I think giving people that pathway to like, as we're working here, there are some other things I want them to check out so that we can optimize them fully for their health. Because, you know, psychological symptoms overlap with lots and lots of different conditions. So I think being really thorough in that process that is if, if you can do a really good intake with someone and not, not rush that process, it sets the whole therapy up for I think a much better success. And oftentimes I find that in just sitting down and like hearing that part of the story, you get a connection with somebody also from the, from the get go that like. Yeah, again serves that purpose of supporting them through the harder work that they're going to do. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for sharing that. Sure. For, for those listening. So you're based out in San Diego, but you have some things online and ways to engage online as well. But for those listening and want to engage, you know, your services, like what places can they find you? So we. So the best place they can find us is probably our website which is psychproconsulting.com and on there we have our listing of offerings which include individual psychotherapy. I also do training and seminars. I do clinical consultation because that's one of my passions is sort of making sure that you can give back to other people who are maybe earlier in the process or needs someone to run cases by. So that's probably the best place to find us. We've got now three clinicians, there's three of us and we all do both in person, individual therapy in San Diego, but also offer online teletherapy services throughout California. And one of our clinicians is also licensed in Florida, so she offers telehealth in Florida. So those are the places that we're, we're best found. You can also Find us on LinkedIn. Yeah, yeah, I gotta shout that out. So. And I will put your links in the show notes in episode description. So folks can easily just click, click through and engage. But thank you so much, so much Doc, for coming on the show. Appreciate it. Thank you so much. Anevi. It's great to be here. I really appreciate the opportunity and hope that folks find some of this helpful. And yeah, reach out if they have any questions. Sounds good.