Meet Alison Maratos: A Group Practice Owner Who Knows the Realities of Leadership
One of the things I love most about this work is connecting with other practice owners who are both willing to share their stories and deeply invested in supporting others. Alison Maratos is one of those people. She’s a seasoned social worker, a group practice owner, and someone who has built her business with heart, integrity, and a clear-eyed understanding of the challenges that come with leadership.
I’ve invited Alison into the Group Practice Connection community not just because of what she’s accomplished in her own practice, but because of how she shows up for others. She brings wisdom, humour, and honesty — the kind of perspective we need when the realities of running a practice feel heavy or overwhelming. In this post, I want to introduce you to Alison, share some of her journey as a group practice owner, and highlight what she brings to our community. You can learn more about her by heading over and listening in to our recent podcast episodes.
From Social Worker to Group Practice Owner
Alison’s professional journey began in social work, where she spent many years supporting individuals and families. Like many of us, she didn’t necessarily plan to become a group practice owner. She started her own private practice, and as demand grew, she found herself faced with a choice: either turn clients away or expand her team.
What I love about Alison’s story is that she’s so candid about being an “accidental” group practice owner. She didn’t sit down with a business plan that mapped out hiring, leadership, and scaling. Instead, she followed the needs of her community and her passion for providing accessible, quality care. That path eventually led to building a group practice where she could serve more people while also creating opportunities for other clinicians. And through that, she recognized her need to create healthy and effective systems that embraced her passion to ensuring her team provided excellent, ethical care for their clients.
The Challenges of Leadership
One of the themes Alison and I talked about is how unprepared many of us feel when we first step into leadership. You can be an excellent clinician — deeply skilled, empathetic, and effective in the therapy room — but that doesn’t necessarily translate into being ready to lead a team, manage people, or handle the business side of practice.
Alison describes her early years of leadership as a steep learning curve. She struggled with the tension between wanting to create a collaborative, supportive environment and needing to hold clear boundaries as the practice owner. She wrestled with difficult decisions, especially when it came to staff expectations, performance issues, and the financial realities of running a business.
And like so many of us, she learned some of her biggest lessons the hard way. She’s open about the mistakes, the second-guessing, and the times she wondered if she was cut out for this role. That honesty is one of the things I value most about her — she doesn’t gloss over the tough parts. Instead, she uses those experiences to help others feel less alone.
Finding Her Leadership Voice
Over time, Alison grew into her role as a leader. She learned that being a good boss doesn’t mean being everyone’s friend, and that strong leadership actually creates more safety and clarity for a team. She started to step into her authority with confidence, while still keeping her values of compassion and collaboration at the centre.
She also developed a knack for “keeping it real.” She’ll be the first to say that running a group practice isn’t easy, and that it takes resilience to keep showing up when things don’t go as planned. At the same time, she reminds us that it’s possible to lead with authenticity, to stay grounded in your values, and to build a practice that feels sustainable.
Beyond Her Own Practice
In addition to running her own group practice, Alison has branched out into supporting other practice owners. She’s created The Practice Companion, a business where she offers workshops, mentorship, and support around leadership, ethics, and business growth. She also works as a Fractional Clinical Director, stepping in to provide guidance and oversight for group practices that need extra leadership support.
These roles give her a unique perspective. She’s not only navigating the challenges in her own practice, but also seeing patterns across many other practices. That bird’s-eye view allows her to speak with authority about what’s working, what’s not, and where owners often get stuck.
What Alison Brings to Group Practice Connection
When I think about what Alison contributes to our community, a few qualities stand out.
Candour: She doesn’t sugar-coat the hard parts of leadership, and that makes her insights incredibly trustworthy.
Practical wisdom: She blends her clinical background with real-world business experience, offering strategies that are grounded and doable.
Ethics and integrity: Alison cares deeply about creating practices that are not only profitable, but also ethical and values-driven.
A sense of humour: Let’s be honest, sometimes we just need to laugh about the absurdities of running a business — and Alison brings that lightness.
Inside Group Practice Connection, Alison shares her knowledge in workshops and conversations, but perhaps more importantly, she offers presence. She shows up as a fellow owner who “gets it,” who has been there, and who can sit with the messy, complicated parts of this work.
Why This Matters for You
If you’re a group practice owner, you already know that the journey can feel isolating. There’s pressure to have all the answers, to be both clinician and CEO, and to keep things running smoothly even when you’re figuring it out on the fly. Having someone like Alison in our community means you don’t have to carry it all alone.
Her story reminds us that leadership is a process — one that evolves over time, with mistakes, course corrections, and moments of clarity. She models what it looks like to lead with courage and humility, to prioritize both the business and the people within it, and to keep growing along the way.
Closing Thoughts
I’m grateful to have Alison as part of Group Practice Connection, not just for the expertise she shares, but for the way she embodies leadership in action. She’s a reminder that you don’t have to be perfect to be effective, and that showing up authentically can be one of the greatest gifts you bring to your team.
If you’ve been looking for a space where you can connect with other practice owners, learn from leaders like Alison, and get the kind of support that helps you build a sustainable practice, I invite you to join us inside Group Practice Connection. You don’t have to do this alone — and with voices like Alison’s in the room, you’ll find encouragement, clarity, and practical strategies to help you thrive.
