A Clinician's Guide to Private Practice

This post could be endless. It could go on and on and on about tips, tricks, hints, and how to's. I'm not going to get into that today. I just really want to cover how you can introduce yourself to Private Practice and 5 secrets to watch out for.

You aren't being paid a salary.

 Entering private practice can be extremely scary. Most often, you will not find a role in private practice that is salary. There are a number of reasons for this, but just bear this in mind when you're applying for a role.

You should participate in marketing.

 You will need to step out of your comfort zone and get your hands dirty. Referrals come from a good relationship. A good relationship is only generated upon meeting and liking you.

You should do your share of the work.

 As a previous owner of a psychology private practice, my clinical team treated the administration as equals. If you are asking the administration team to do more than 2 things for you a day, its too much. Understand their role as support, treat them kindly and do things yourself.

Understand your due diligence.

You're a specialist. However, not necessarily well sought out after (You know, like a brain surgeon). What I mean by this is that you deserve a client's full fee payment. With that said, if a client drops off, you need to follow up. You, the clinician. Not the admin team or no one. You. If you're not comfortable with this, then I suggest finding a mentor or supervisor who can assist you with client follow up calls.

This isn't a 9-5

If you think you can rock up at 9 and leave at 5....you'll have a huge shock. The people who can afford to pay your fees work. They aren't going to take time off to see you. If you're new to private practice, keep in mind that you will need to be available on evenings and weekends. Not forever, I can promise you. Once you build your quality of service you have a steady stream of referral sources, you can work whatever hours you wish (You'll have become well sought after!)

Dip your toes in. If you're unsure of what the expectations of private practice are, don't give up your day job! Find a practice that you can test it out. See what all of the hype is about. If you dream of working for yourself, setting your own hours, and taking as many holidays (for as long as you want) then private practice is your gig. It's not easy but it's worth it.

Apply knowledge liberally. #outsidetheboxthinking

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