Miles Halvorson of Fargo, North Dakota  asks,

Is it possible for a psychotherapist to start a private practice out of one’s home, rather than rent office space? What are the drawbacks and limitations?”

Hi, Miles!  Thanks for writing.  You ask a really good question.  The short answer is “Yes, it’s possible” but the longer answer is “. . . but I highly advise against it until you have considerable and varied experience behind you.”  Here’s some questions for you to consider when deciding whether or not to work from home:

Do you have a separate entrance to a professional and private home office and bathroom? You, your family, and your clients deserve a professional and private space in which to do your clinical work.

Where will clients wait to see you? Do you have a waiting room?  In their car?  On your front porch?  Will they have privacy from your neighbors while they wait?

How will you deal with door-to-door salesmen, postal workers and other deliveries that show up while you are in session? Those interruptions actually happen all too often unless you take steps to prevent them.

What plans do you have for dealing with threats or violence? Your unhappy clients, their unhappy spouses, and their unhappy friends can show up.  You need to be prepared with a way to keep everybody safe.

How will you handle clients who have lousy boundaries? Clients will call at 2 AM and they will show up without appointments and they may wander through your home or refuse to leave when they are upset.

How will you handle clients (or wanna-be clients) who decide to stalk you? And, how do you explain to your family and neighbors without violating confidentiality.  (Yes, this really does happen.)

How do you protect your non-work time when you are at home 24-7? Boundaries tend to come with experience  – lots of experience.

How do you protect your client records and your workspace from prying eyes? Will your office be off-limits to guests and other family members?  Even when there are sleepovers and you are needing the extra space?

Are you willing to put in phone lines and designate a computer solely to your work? You can’t expect to appear professional if your phone is answered by a 10 year old or by your partner.  And, neither can you share your computer with others if it has confidential information on it.

What are the tax implications? Yes, there are some financial benefits but there are also some financial costs to officing at home.

Here’s the bottom line . . . . Most clients that seek psychotherapy have a trauma history and most clients with trauma histories struggle with boundaries.  Until you have impeccable personal and professional boundaries of your own and are experienced enough to effectively manage your client’s boundary issues, I would advise you against hanging out your shingle on your own front door.

Related Post:  7 More Considerations for Working Out of Your Home