Now comes Josh Greene, of San Francisco, California, who since 2000 has been a shop owner, restaurateur, and unlicensed therapist. The store he owns is his own apartment; all contents therein (including handmade gifts from an ex-girlfriend) are for sale. The restaurant he owns is also located in his apartment (this guy MUST have an absentee landlord and nice neighbors; on the other hand, it IS in San Francisco, so it would probably be almost impossible to evict him). Diners are attended to by a professional wait staff while he prepares a four-course meal behind closed kitchen doors. Greene states he has no license to do any of these things, but several thriving careers. You can, too, he says; here's how:

1. Create a visual identity.
2. Appropriate language at will.
3. Create the proper work environment.
4. Advance your public image through self-promotion.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until the desired effect is achieved.

Says Greene: "No matter how far-reaching your reputation, client trust must be earned. To convey that I am listening to the intimate details of a patient's family and dating history, I nod solemnly and cross and recross my legs. This leads to a probing of deeper issues and a cathartic release. Sometime there is screaming." More? OK:

"Clients cannot help but be curious and often ask questions of a personal nature. In the fashion of unlicensed therapy, I tell them about myself. If they want to spend their hour talking about me, that's OK."

This guy is SO great! Back in the day, when I was a GP/family doc, before I went into anesthesia, I realized after about one day that 99% of my patients, with "presenting symptoms" of back pain, headache, insomnia, restlessness, fatigue, etc., were basically lonely, bored, and depressed, and came to see me because 1) it was free on their health plan, 2) it got them out of work for a while, and 3) I had to listen to them even if I really didn't want to! It took a couple months of this, 35 patients a day, to convince me that I would go crazy if I continued doing this. I went into anesthesia as a refuge/response because NO ONE talks once I push the drugs and stick an endotracheal tube down their throat!