Steps to Launching Your Private Practice
Many clinicians are recognizing their worth- and starting to move away from larger companies. Large companies have continuously underpaid and underserved mental health workers for decades- and this decade is no different. Along with being underpaid, many therapists face issues getting their own mental health days, time off, securing benefits, and slowly get locked in the negative cycle of mismanagement. Is that enough of an explanation why private practice can start to sound amazing?
There are some fears to overcome before starting a private practice. Such as, risking not having steady pay, paying out of pocket for health insurance/expenses, holding the risk of a company, becoming responsible for your practice policies, taxes, deadlines, oh my! And yet, for many of us, this fear is not enough to bend to the big companies & concede our value.
A good reminder is if someone else can- so can you. Of course, if you prefer a group, clinic, or continuing to be underpaid by big business- that is up to you! It is a risk to launch any business, including private practice. Although, if you are willing to dedicate to your practice, the benefits seem to outweigh the cons in our humble opinion.
Some benefits of private practice include:
Setting your own schedule
Setting your own wellness, vacation, mental health days
Setting your own rate
NOT getting underpaid
Onboarding clients within your niche’s and area of expertise
Being free of the hierarchy of requests, overbooking, etc
Can you think of any more positives to add?
Let’s play devil’s advocate
Now granted, a lot of these things can happen in a group practice setting as well. Private practice is not the only beneficial route- but it is a great alternative if you are consistently burnt out and underpaid. Do what you know will benefit you in the long term. Statistically, APA writes, “Studies estimate that anywhere between 21 percent and 61 percent of mental health practitioners experience signs of burnout (Morse et al., 2012).” You do not have to be that statistic! Some people know they don’t want to handle the business side, they want to show up to work, and leave. That is fine, this is about recognizing what system is going to prevent long term burnout or compassion fatigue for your personal career. Therapists are already in high demand, it would be a shame to lose more people in this field of study because of something as preventable as burnout.
Back to Private Practice…
On the other hand, some people want the control of private practice. You are your own boss, you navigate your own business structure, pay, taxes, marketing, etc. There is a lot of freedom. Some people even have their practice “on the side”, and have another job so they feel less overwhelmed by the risk of not having consistent paychecks. Others build the practice to a consistent level so they don’t worry about the potential of irregular pay. Compared to overworking at a large company, this can seem like a pretty sweet set up.
So now that I decided I want to own a practice- what’s next?
Next is you continuing to believe in yourself! Keep that energy going as you start to set up your practice. If you live in Washington and want step by step instructions on the stepping stones of applying to the DOH, applying for business licenses, all the way to launch day- check out our Launching Your Private Practice ebook! It has thoughtful steps and a full checklist of everything to work on to launch your practice. Or if you prefer to get personalized support, contact Simone for a 1:1 strategy session!
