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#thrivingprivatepractice#whattheresearchshows
Sean B. Stokes, Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT-S
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Review of the Literature
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Review of Literature
Lit on Private Practice is scarce (Harrington, 2013)
This lack of research could be due to lack of collaboration between academia and clinicians
Journal of Mental Health Counselors devoted one issue to this topic (vol. 35, 2013).
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Review of the Literature There is some concentration on forms of
practice.
Sole proprietorship, partnerships, corporations
Additional focus on how to start up and maintain practice.
Picking a space, networking, finding niche
Burnout rate is lower than those in community health settings
Creating positive environment important
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Review of the Literature
Colburn (2013) points to need to diversify
Services offered can bring potential income and greater presence in community
Look to add services that take little to no further certification
Contract with community organizations
Offering group services and testing services
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Review of the Literature—Business Mindset
Key elements of success (Horak, 2009; Rossi, 2009)
Private practice is blend of healthcare and small business
Entrepreneurial innovation
Have to become more comfortable with fact you own/operate a business
Learning to run a successful business
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Review of the Literature—Business Mindset
“Those practitioners with the spirit of an entrepreneur are the most successful in private practice (Walfish & Barnett, 2009, p. 17).
Entrepreneurial mindset gives clinicians better chance to create opportunities to grow practice and network with others
Hard for clinicians to get minds set of for-profit business
Very little training offered while in Masters program
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Review of the Literature—Business Mindset
Developing a SWOT analysis is fairly straightforward. List five items in each of the following categories that best describe your practice.
1. Strengths. What makes your practice effective, different, or special?
2. Weaknesses. In what areas does your practice need to improve?
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Review of the Literature—Business Mindset
3. Opportunities. Where are there opportunities for you to enhance your practice and improve your chances of achieving your goals?
4. Threats. Aside from internal weaknesses (item 2), what are real threats to the success of your practice?
Stout, Chris E.; Grand, Laurie C. (2007-07-31). Getting Started in Private Practice: The Complete Guide to Building Your Mental Health Practice (Kindle Locations 983-987). Wiley. Kindle Edition.
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Review of the Research
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Demographics
Average number of therapists in the practice => 1.6
Average number of fully licensed counselors / therapists => 1.5
Average number of intern / associates => .33
Average number of clients / week => 16.25
Average fee collected => $83.00
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Demographics
Average degree => Masters
Average license held => LPC
Average number of years in practice => 10
Average business structure => PLLC
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Defining a Thriving Practice
Most common answer received was having a practice that generated more income than expenses and allowed the participant to be “as busy as they wanted to be.”
Other answers including have at least 20 clients a week, having a full calendar booked at least 3-4 weeks ahead, and having a good name in the community.
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Defining a Thriving Practice
Top three responses: Generating sufficient income
Generating an appropriate number of referrals
Receiving positive client feedback
Subsequent responses: Being well-known in the community
Being emotionally and/or spiritually rewarding
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Training Received
All but two respondents stated they had received little to no training in their Master’s degree program regarding starting or running a private practice.
Two respondents stated they were in the business world prior to becoming therapists / counselors which helped in setting up their practices.
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Main Sources of Income
Majority of respondents reported that they have a mixture of private pay, insurance and EAP contracts.
Majority of respondents reported they take credit cards and that the convenience for the client outweighed the cost of accepting the cards.
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Marketing
The number one answer for marketing approaches was meeting other professionals face-to-face to generate referrals (e.g. Networking with others). Other professionals included clergy,
attorneys, doctors, psychiatrists and other licensed professionals in agencies and private practice.
Additional networking opportunities included memberships in local professional associations / organizations.
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Marketing
Second answer was relying on word-of-mouth referrals from clients / former clients.
Third most popular answer was having a good website along with internet presence.
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Marketing
Many participants noted that they teach classes or give seminars in their communities.
Examples included speaking or teaching at: PTA meetings
Lion’s club / Kiwanis / Rotary club
YMCA / YWCA
teacher in-service trainings
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Social Media
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Smart phones and social media expand our universe. We can connect with others or collect
information easier and faster than ever.
~ Daniel Goleman
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Social Media Usage
Facebook => 6
Twitter => 2
Instagram => 1
LinkedIn => 5
Psychology Today => 11
Google+ => 2
Tumbler => 0
WordPress / Blogging => 4
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Additional Social Media Outlets & Use of Technology
YouTube
Foursquare
Radio
Increasing the Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
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Participant Quotes
“I’ve found the most beneficial thing for me in developing my practice has been building relationships…with peers…who often refer to me.”
“Don’t work in isolation. Don’t be afraid of reaching out to others in the profession.”
“Find your market niche. Gain a business acumen and don’t be embarrassed to talk about money.”
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Take-away from Research
Have to do face-to-face marketingHave to have entrepreneurial spiritHave to have business acumen
Have to think of the practice
as a business
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Putting It All Together
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Developing a Business Plan
Goals
Short-term goals
Long-term goals
Business Structure
Financial Goals
Service Description
Pricing Structure
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Developing a Business Plan
Networking / Marketing
Who?
What?
Where?
How?
SWOT Analysis
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Resources
The Therapist’s Advertising and Marketing Kit by Laurie C. Grand (2002).
Getting Started in Private Practice: The Complete Guide to Building Your Mental Health Practice by Chris E. Stout and Laurie C. Grand (2007).
Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals by Lynn Grodzki (2000).
Practice of the Practice | A Start-up Guide to Launching a Counseling Private Practice by Joseph R. Sanok (2012).
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ReferencesCohn, T. (2013). Building a practice in rural settings: Special considerations. Journal of Mental health
Counseling, 35, 228-244.
Colburn, A. (2013). Endless possibilities: Diversifying service options in private practice. Journal of
Mental Health Counseling, 35, 198-210.
Harrington, J. A. (2013). Contemporary issues in private practice: Spotlight on the self-employed mental
health counselor. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 35, 189-197.
High, L. (2007). Legal issues in private practice Family Therapy Magazine, Sept-Oct, 36-39.
Horak, J. (2009). Can a marriage and family therapist think like an entrepreneur?, Family Therapy
Magazine, Nov-Dec, 44-46.
Kelley, L. (2006). How to motivate clients to show up for appointments. Family Therapy
Magazine, Oct-Nov, 35-37.
Lent, J. & Schwartz, R.C. (2012). The impact of work setting demographic characteristics, and
personality factors related to burnout among professional counselors. Journal of Mental Health
Counseling, 34, 355-372.
Rossi, P. (2009). The practice of private practice. Family Therapist Magazine, Nov-Dec, 34-39.
Walfish, S., & Barnett, J.E. (2009). For optimal success, think like an entrepreneur. Family
Therapy Magazine, Nov-Dec, 17-20.