Private Practice Blog for Therapists
Hundreds of articles on building, growing, and sustaining your private practice — written by therapists, for therapists. Not recycled generic business advice.
How Therapists are Killing the Field of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapists- you matter. Psychotherapy is powerful. However, if we as a profession don't start making some changes, our profession is going to die off.
A Rant From a Therapist:
(Shared with permission) "I have this friend back home who worked at a medical office that shares a reception area with several therapists in the building. They have repeatedly mentioned that most of the therapists –regularly– run late to their sessions because several of the clients think they are the receptionist for their therapist and often ask, "What's taking so long?," "My appointment was at such and such time," etc. They noted that even when there's gaps in-between clients, the therapist will take off somewhere and show up late for the next appointment despite having a time gap to recuperate the time offset that happens when a session in a series of appointment get messed up from someone being late. They also noted that they have witness these therapists say, "Sorry I'm late. I had an emergency" so frequently over the last year that they are suspicious of the legitimacy of the excuse."
The receptionist was reluctant to ever pursue therapy for himself. Why? Because he had the impression that therapists aren't professional or able to be relied on. Through a series of circumstances he finally reached out, made an appointment with a therapist- not one in the building, and showed up on time. And guess what? The therapist was almost an hour late... and they had an emergency...
Did The Therapist Have an Emergency?
How to open a 2nd location for less than $50...
Have you ever wondered if expanding to a second location would help improve your private practice? Do you have clients who struggle to attend sessions regularly due to weather, work schedules, or babysitting issues?
Creating a second location that your current clients can easily access can be a great way to create amazing customer service, but also to create more continuity in the psychotherapy treatment.
So how can you create a second location for less than $50?
Websites for Therapists: Where to get FREE photos
So... you've got a website... you are starting to think about blogging. And you think- I really need some photographs for my website. Where do you go? Can you find free photographs? Can you just grab them from Google? What about Creative Commons License? I'm going to help today. But first, let me tell you how I paid over $1,000 for ONE picture and how you can avoid my rookie mistake
16 Reasons Therapists are Attending the Most Awesome Conference
Kelly, Joe, and I were all together in Orlando, Fl for the American Counseling Association's Annual Conference. As we were chatting, we thought we'd ask a question to the attendees who've already signed up for the Most Awesome Conference for Therapists. The answers we received gave us chills!
Reason #1: Connecting with Therapists Who Practice Abundance
I signed up for the conference because being around fellow business owners that practice abundance and encouragement fills me up! The greatest benefit so far is expanding and deepening the online relationships I've made. Anna Osborn, LMFT www.annaosbornmft.com
Reason #2: This is a rite of passage
4 Awesome Lessons from the American Counseling Association Conference
#1. Get to know people.
Don't just focus on trading business cards or looking for people that can support you- focus on really getting to know people you are drawn to. Let relationships develop naturally and you might be amazed at some of the opportunities that will develop. Example: I met an amazing presenter and private practice owner from Russia and was able to sit down and interview him about positive psychotherapy and the challenges of developing a private practice in Russia (not much different than the rest of the World!) To do this week: Call 2 people in your area and really attempt to get to know them.
5 Awesome Social Media Resources for Therapists
We had over 300,000 people see our information on Pinterest alone. Can you imagine how that kind of exposure could impact your counseling practice?
The truth is, you aren't advertising your counseling practice, you are just making it easy for people who desperately need you - to find you! Have you ever run into the store for 3 quick items only to get lost in a maze of poorly marked aisles or items tucked away on end caps? It is frustrating to know exactly what you want, and what you need- and not be able to find it!
This week as our Spring 2015 bootcampers are completing their JumpStart program, several of them are already scheduling clients from a few simple exercises on LinkedIn- without paying a dime for ads, or doing anything crazy. Social media is a powerful way that you can make it easy for clients to find you! Here are 5 resources on social media to get your social media plan on track!
How to drop an insurance panel
You have decided to get off insurance panels. The cost of either time, effort or both has outweighed any benefit. So let’s talk about how to drop insurance panels in a way that eases you into a full cash pay practice.
Mindset. We always start here. Write down your “why” of getting of insurance panels.
4 Steps to Creating an Awesome Event
We talk to a lot of therapists who want to create awesome workshops, trainings, conferences, webinars, or other types of events. We thought today we would share our top tips to creating an amazing event (no matter what type it is).
Costs for Websites for Therapists
You want to get a website for your private practice but what is this really going to cost? Doing research online you can find sites ranging from free, to a lifetime membership fee to several thousands of dollars for a custom designed site (sometimes more than $10,000) That is a huge range, so let's break down what you need to know.
Are You a Great Psychotherapy Networker?
I'm in a lot of groups online and offline for therapists who are in private practice. What I've seen consistently is that many therapists don't know how to be great networkers. Many vacillate between hiding in the shadows, or taking over the room. So how do you become a great psychotherapy networker? Here is your 10 step plan to getting great referrals from your networking activities.
- Focus first on getting to know other people. Not just their name, not just grabbing their business card- make a connection. Ask probing questions- find out what they are really fired up about. Or, find out if this is someone you wouldn't want to refer to or network in the future! Notice how you feel around this person. Remember, you are great at connecting and assessing.
You are invited to the book club for Irvin D. Yalom's new book
To be successful in private practice long-term, you need to strive to be an amazing therapist, No, you don't have to be perfect, but you need to want to be exemplary. I had the honor of reading a pre-release copy of Irvin D. Yalom's new book Creatures of a Day.
Wow.
This book is hands down the most clinically dense book I've ever read. The storytelling format is so incredibly reach, and really speaks to the feeling of what happens in psychotherapy. Yalom shared in our interview with him that each of these stories is meant to teach psychotherapists and psychiatrists alike powerful clinical lessons.
Websites for Therapists: Your Dictionary of Terms
The truth is, unless you are already established as a therapist in private practice, are getting the right referrals, and are getting ready to retire- you probably need a website. Today, I'm going to share some definitions and terms to help orient you to the beautiful vocabulary of the internet, websites, and marketing!
Website
A website is simply a page that you access through the Internet that allows anyone, anywhere to be able to read the same material, in the same format.
“BST was the best investment I have made in myself. I went from working 45-50 hours per week to working 25 hrs, doubling my income,” Cyndi
What if this really could change everything?
You don’t have to decide today.
Just get on the interest list and we’ll walk you through what Business School for Therapists is, what it includes, and how it’s helped thousands of therapists get their life (and income) back.