My lists of subscribers and readers are swelling!  Thank you, thank you for passing along info about this blog to your colleagues and your professors (and to your massage therapists and your chiropractors and your physicians and all the other allied health professionals that you knew would be interested)!

If you are new to Private Practice from the Inside Out, I thought this post might be a really simple way to help you get to know me and start to get a a handle on the scope of information available to you right here.

My Very First Post

Working on Your Business – Working in your business is not the same as working on your business.  Here’s the difference and why it’s important to do both.

I Enjoyed This Post the Most

You Know Your Private Practice is In Trouble When You Say . . . . – If you hear any of these lines start to come out of your mouth, it’s time to check in . . . with yourself, with a coach, with a seasoned colleague that can help you get back on track.  Don’t let your practice suffer because you didn’t notice one of these 25 uh-oh lines.

A Post That Needs Your Input

Best and Worst of the Week -Need a place to vent and brag? Add your highs and lows in private practice here.

My Most Helpful Post

20 Questions to Ask Other Therapists – A tool to help you do your research before you hang your shingle out.

My Favorite Post

The Therapist’s Networking Guide: Introduction – This is actually a series on how to network effectively to build your private practice.

A Post You Shouldn’t Miss

Clinical Supervision and ‘Money Gouging’ – What your professors may not have told you about your clinical supervision and why clinical supervision costs so much.

A Post I Wish I Had Written

How to Conduct Your Own Annual Review – Chris Gillebeau at The Art of Nonconformity speaks my language.   This post talks about engaging in an annual self-review and goal setting.

If you are one of my regular readers and you missed some of these posts, subscribe to this blog (It’s FREE!) to receive email notifications of  new posts.

Tags: Assessment, Goals, Network, Private Practice from the Inside Out Annual Series, Work with Tamara

Every mental health professional needs consultation on a regular basis.  I wrote about that in my last post.  If you work in an agency or organization, it’s likely that consultation is built into the system.  However, if you have ventured out into private practice, you have to work a little harder to get your consultation needs met.

Many therapists choose to pay an individual counselor for their clinical consultation on a regular basis.  If that is what you prefer, then you can expect to pay whatever that therapist’s usual and customary hourly fee is for his / her consulting and therapeutic services.

However, here are nine benefits to creating a peer consultation group to meet your consultation needs:

1. As a solo practitioner, you remain isolated most of the day except for seeing your clients.  A peer consultation group allows you to meet some of your basic social needs.
2. It also exposes you to new / different ideas, perspectives, and energies.
3. It allows you to learn about other therapists’ business and clinical practices.
4. It may give you a broader range of professionals to refer to.
5. It exposes you to more professionals who may refer to you.
6. It exposes you indirectly to more resources in your community.
7. It can serve as a knowledge bank for clinical issues that you are not familiar with.
8. It can serve as a check point for potential ethical issues.
9. It’s free!

Have I convinced you yet of the huge benefits to participating in a peer consultation group?  In my next post, I’ll tell you How to Create a Peer Consultation Group that ROCKS!

Tags: Consultation, Ethics, Network

The First Year

This month marks the one year anniversary for this blog at Private Practice from the Inside Out and I owe you a bucket full of gratitude for helping me finish it up on such a positive note!  Thanks so much for dropping in, offering suggestions, asking questions, and supporting each other.  You have made it an awesome first year!   Here are some stats to help you see how our community has grown and how far we’ve come together in twelve short months!

• We’ve had 1144 individuals drop in to visit.
• Our online community here includes visits from 46 different countries / territories.
• Of those who have chosen to subscribe i.e. get updates by email to this blog, over 56%  of you have subscribed within your first 10 minutes of landing here.

Goals for Next Year

As for next year, I have several goals:

• I’m hoping that we’ll have well over 2000 visits to this site by then.
• I’m hoping that  folks who drop in here will find the information and community so supportive that at least 75% of those who choose to subscribe by email will do so in less than the first 10 minutes they arrive here.
• And, I’m hoping that I’ll have visits from at least 50 different countries!

In order to meet these goals, I need your help.  You can strengthen and grow our community by introducing your classmates, colleagues, instructors, and online peers to this blog.

Roll Call

And, finally, so many of you have written in asking . . . “Is there anyone here from . . .?”  This seems like the perfect time  for our first Roll Call!  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to drop in below and let us know who you are, what you do, where you do it, and anything else that you might care to share. (And, feel free to give your private practice a plug, too!)

That way we’ll all know who’s hanging out here in our online community!

I look forward to meeting you!

Tags: Anniversary, Goals, Roll Call

David from Longmont, Colorado wrote  . . .

Tamara, I attended your workshop at the Colorado Counseling Association’s Spring Workshop, The In’s and Out’s of Private Practice. Thanks so much for being so generous with your information!  I remember you encouraging graduate students to go ahead and get business cards.  I am a graduate student and don’t really know what I need to put on my business card before I graduate next year.  Can you help me out?”

Hi, David!  Thanks for attending our workshop.  I really enjoyed working with you guys!  Here’s a link to an earlier post on business cards.  For a graduate student, I would suggest that you include:

• Your legal name;
• All forms of contact information that you are comfortable sharing;
• A statement indicating the graduate program that you are attending – something like “Masters student, University of North Texas, graduating 2012″; and,
• You might also want to include 1-3 areas of special interest.

Once you get your business cards, pass them out liberally. They are your least expensive form of advertising and will help your colleagues and professors remember you years later.

Tags: Business Card, Work with Tamara

Are you a psychotherapist who uses Facebook and Twitter?  Do you blog or engage in other forms of social media?  If so, you need to consider the sticky situations that you may stumble into without any ill intent.  Here is one article by Dana Scarton in the Washington Post that highlights examples of what I’m talking about.

I’ve begun to look for mental health attorneys to join us here on occasion at Private Practice from the Inside Out to help us tackle some of these choice points in private practice.

Let me know if you think this would be helpful to you and if you have a favorite mental health attorney to recommend.

Tags: Boundaries, Ethics, Social Media

Earlier this month, I was asked to speak to a group of new professionals interning at Aurora Mental Health Center.  The topic was on why it’s important to join your state and national professional associations.  Just in case you are hesitating, here are 23 reasons that I believe you should join your professional associations today.

1. This is your number one career development tool.
2. This is how mental health professionals get things done.
3. Often there are special resources available to you.
4. This is where you go to learn how to be a professional.
5. This is how you stay informed about your profession’s standards of practice.
6. This is where you learn about professional trends and mandated changes in practice.
7. This is where you can build relationships and expand your network.
8. This is where you get continuing education at affordable prices via conferences, workshops, and forums.
9. Often those continuing education opportunities include a free breakfast, lunch or dinner.
10. This is how you protect and promote your own profession.
11. This is where you increase others awareness of your practice or your employer’s visibility in the community.
12. Student memberships are often reduced or no fee.
13. There are always opportunities here to give back to / build up your profession by your volunteer efforts within the organization.
14. There are often opportunities for community service.
15. This is where you go to stretch your own thinking and stay creative in your work.
16. This is where you learn what others in your profession are doing.
17. This is where you can easily establish yourself as a leader.
18. This organization may choose to sponsor your work, research, or workshop.
19. Many organizations offer members free listings and links on their websites.
20. This is who negotiates for the best and most affordable liability insurance.
21. This is where you get free advice on ethics issues.
22. Many organizations offer job placement services.
23. This will allow you to know other professionals to consult with and refer to (and vice versa) as your needs dictate.

I’m sure there are more benefits / reasons to join.  Can you tell me why you’ve joined your professional associations?

Tags: Ethics, Relationships, Workshop

Erin Blakemore of VOCO Creative wrote a great little post suggesting 10 easy ways to nurture those online relationships you are building.

Whether you call it “do unto others,” “cross-promotion,” or “backscratchin,” the results are the same.  Check out her tips and get busy building your private practice with social media!

Then, drop in here and tell us where we can find you and how it’s working for you.

Tags: Relationships, Social Media

I’ve mentioned in the past that one of the ways that I keep my marketing  fresh is that I borrow ideas from other professions.

This morning I was reading Erika Trimble’s blog, Physical Therapy Biz Success, when I ran across a great little post on setting priorities. She recommends the A-B-C-D-E Method for setting better priorities.

A = Critical and Urgent

These are the things that if you put off, will cost you your practice.

• Professional licenses and certifications
• The rent for your office
• Your mental – physical – emotional – spiritual health
• Transportation to and from work
• A way for your clients to contact you
• Securing your client records (to protect confidentiality)

B = Important

These are the things that really need to be done but they are not critical.  If you don’t do them in the short term, there are only minor consequences.  However, if you put them off indefinitely, the cumulative effect can bump these into the A = Critical and Urgent category.

• Vacuuming the office
• Networking
• Emptying the trash can
• Cleaning the windows
• Upgrading your computer to the most current Windows settings

C = Nice to do

These include all the niceties and, often, fun-to-do’s that can so easily distract you from your business-building tasks.  They may be of added benefit to you or your clients but if they don’t get done, you don’t incur negative consequences.

• Sending birthday / holiday greetings to your clients
• Heating up the coffee / tea pot for your clients
• Lighting the candle in your office
• Writing a new blog post
• Facebook chats
• Returning friends phone calls

D = Delegate

If you don’t do it easily and well, you need to give serious thought to delegating or contracting to get the task accomplished.

• Designing artwork for your new project’s marketing campaign (unless you are artistically inclined)
• Writing the copy for your website
• Billing clients / insurance companies
• Janitorial / building maintenance services

E = Eliminate when possible

These are often acts of repetition or 100% time wasters.

• Surfing the Internet
• Creating handouts for your clients over and over again
• Explaining your policies for payment, no shows, and late arrivals
• Some correspondence including letters of introduction, marketing letters, and reminder letters

As you are gearing up for 2010, make sure you take some time to re-think your priorities.  Assign each of your to-do’s an A, B, C, D, or E using Erika’s method of prioritizing and then let me know what changes for you.

What is it that  you think is important . . . to attend to, to delegate, and to eliminate as you build your private practice?

Tags: Critical & Urgent, Delegate, Priorities

I just discovered a free source for professional development (no CEU’s) at

"Podcast Subscribe" by Derrickkwa

CounselorAudioSource.net .  This website offers free weekly podcasts on topics primarily of clinical interest to counselors.

Additionally, if you would like to expand your resume to include your own podcasts on topics relevant to counselors, you can check out their guidelines and suggestions for contributing here.

Do you know of other free resources for the professional development of counselors and allied health professionals?  If so, please let us know!

Tags: Free, Podcast, Resume

As 2010 gets under way, I hope you’re planning for your professional development needs.  I am excited to say that will be attending (not presenting at) the annual conference of the Association for Women in Psychology February 11-14, 2010 in Portland, Oregon.  AWP is a terrific professional organization open to all mental health students and professionals.

If you are also planning to attend this conference,  I hope you’ll take a moment to let me know so that we can meet face to face and possibly share a bite to eat together!

Tags: Professional Association, Professional Development

According to Richard K. Harding, M.D.,

One does not escape war by leaving the war zone.”

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1057/751707089_c25111d1c8.jpg

And, here’s the reason why . . . .

From a business perspective, this is a potential niche for you.

Is anyone out there already working with veterans?  Care to comment?

Tags: Military, Niche

If you have been marketing to the educational community with little success, you may need to slow down and reassess your own educational history.  Your personal relationship with education may be getting in the way . . . .

Linda L. Lawless and G. Jean Wright suggest in their book, How to Get Referrals: The Mental Health Professional’s Guide to Strategic Marketing, that you ask the following questions when reviewing your educational history:

"Not My Hat!" by Alan Levine / cogdogblog

• Are there any teachers in your family? Are any family members employed by the school system?  What is their input to other family members regarding their work and the system?
• What has been the family response to their vocation?
• What educational levels have been attained by family members?  Did they attend public or private schools?  If private, was it religious or nonsectarian?
• What has been shared about their experience?  What was the quality of the experience?
• What has been your educational experience from kindergarten through graduate school?  Your siblings?  How do you rate it?
• Who were your favorite teachers?  Worst teachers?  In your experience and /or perceptions, what were the characteristics of each that made them “good” or “bad” teachers?  As you reflect on these relationships, what are you feeling now?
• What are your family’s belief systems, biases, prejudices, regarding education and the educational system (school taxes, the school board, election of board members)?
• Did any family members ever serve on the school board?
• What is your trust level of teachers?
• Do you have special training that would correlate with the experiences and needs of educational professionals?
• Do you have children in school?  If so, public or private?  How do you make decisions regarding your children’s education?

It is critical when marketing to the educational community that you feel comfortable and that they know that. Liberally share your unique school stories with other professionals in the educational community.  Use your unique experiences to help guide where you choose to enter the market.  If you attended a private or parochial school, consider focusing your energy on the same.

By taking the time to reflect on your own school experiences, you will increase your comfort and effectiveness in marketing to this community.

Related Posts

Another Strategy for Marketing to the Educational Community:
Collaborating with Your Competitors

Gathering Market Research on the Educational Community

Teachers Needs Vary and So Should Your Marketing Strategies

Tags: School, Stories

I’ve been reading Louis Baraja’s book, Small Business, Big Life: 5 Steps to Creating a  Great Life with Your Own Small Business.  In it he lists the  22 Temptations of a Small Business Owner that entrepreneurs often fail to notice and then stumble over while building their businesses.

That list got me to thinking about the many ways that psychotherapists and allied health professionals get tripped up on the way to building their businesses so I decided to share my list of 22 things you say (with a nod t o Louis Baraja) before you even know your private practice is in trouble .

You Know Your Private
Practice is in Trouble When You Say . . . .

1. “I’ve always been ‘Dear Abbey’ with my friends so I might as well hang my shingle out and charge for it!” Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean that you should do it professionally.  And, even if you decide that you want to work in health care, you need to take time to consider the huge differences between working for yourself and working for someone else.  Those differences matter.
   
2. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing business-wise . . . but I have a client!” The vast majority of businesses that succeed start with a plan . . . not necessarily a Business Plan but they all have a plan.  By that I mean you need to have an understanding of how the business fits into the larger plan for your whole life . . . and how it contributes to that bigger life plan.
   
3. “I haven’t thought about how many hours I want to work or how much money I want to make this year . . . but I know I want to help people. When you enter into private practice especially in health care, you need to begin with the end in mind.  The end matters and will actually dictate the choices that you make along the way.  By keeping your values and your priorities at the forefront  (including how many hours you want to work and how much money you want to make), you will be better able to stay focused on the tasks necessary to achieve your ideal business.
   
4. “I don’t have regular business hours.  I work late into the night on my business” and eventually “I’ve burned out.” It’s easy when you’re getting started to over-commit and over-invest in your business.  What I know is that you cannot give what you do not have . . . good boundaries, balanced life, energy and focus, etc.  Self-care is critical especially at the start of a new practice or a new project.  Reinforce those habits now . . . at the beginning.  And, if you don’t have them, find a therapist or coach to help you put them in place.  Otherwise, you will not survive the demands of private practice.
   
5. “My preference is to hire and network with people just like me.” I know that you’re more comfortable with people just like you (Me, too!) but they won’t help you long term take your business to the next level.  Differences in skills, experiences, and even politics will be assets to you in many ways.  As long as the people you hire and network with can share your vision for your practice, their differences can serve you well.
   
6. “My business partner and I constantly struggle with the direction of the business.” If that’s true, then you’ve got too many leaders in the room.  In your practice, your vision is the one that needs to be the guiding force.  Be cautious and be clear about why you want to partner with someone.  Often it is a better choice to hire or consult with individuals (assuming they buy in to your vision) rather than bringing in an actual partner (who has a different / competing vision on his own).
   
7. “I am constantly reinventing the wheel.” Take the time to create systems and templates to streamline your work so that as your appointment book begins to fill in, you are able to efficiently delegate or complete your repetitive tasks.    
   
8. “I work with everything and everybody.” Don’t say it!  Stay focused on your ideal client and market to him or her.  Of course, you’ll work with others but target your message and your efforts to working only with your ideal client and withing your niche.
   
9. “I need to work harder at ___________.” [fill in your weakness] Successful entrepreneurs delegate or manage their weaknesses; they focus on their strengths.  In fact, Marlane Miller in her book, BrainStyles, says that by focusing on our weaknesses, we just build stronger weaknesses.
   
10. “I can’t spend money until I start making money.” Wrong!  Have faith in your calling and invest in your practice.  If you aren’t willing to invest in you, don’t expect anyone else to invest in your either!
    
11. “My friend needs a little extra income so I’m going to hire her to do my accounting.” Hire people because they are exquisitely qualified and not because they are your friend and you want to help someone out.  You are running a business, not a social service organization.
    
12. “I’m really good at flying by the seat of my pants so I’ll just deal with it when it comes up.” Not a good idea.  Take the time to create a plan . . . a blueprint for your practice and for your life.  Then, stick to it.
    
13. “I don’t need to hire anyone to do anything.  I can do it all myself!  (And, besides, I’ll save money doing it this way!) If this is what you’re thinking, then you have some control issues to deal with.  You cannot do everything well and if you cannot do it well, you need to find someone i.e hire someone else who will do it well. 
    
14. “I’ll hang my shingle out and the masses will come!” No.  They won’t.  What will get clients is a strategic plan and follow through.  Who are you going to talk to about your practice? Where are you going to publicize your practice?
    
15. “In order to open my private practice, I need all the bells and whistles . . . a white noise machine, new office furniture, a posh location, special software to keep my progress notes in, etc.” Not really.  What’s going to prepare you to open your private practice is you laying the foundation for name recognition, building trust in the community, and following through on your commitments.
    
16. “I will work with anyone who will pay me.” Another bad idea.  Work with your ideal clients.  It’s your calling.  Refer the others out.
    
17. “This is too hard so I quit.” Many therapists throw in the towel and quit too soon because they didn’t go get the info that they really needed – the business and marketing info that you didn’t get in graduate school.  Take the time to learn the info . . . take classes, read articles, interview other more seasoned therapists, hire a business coach.  Learn what you need to know in order to jump start your practice. 
    
18. “I’m doing great so I’m not going to ask for feedback.” When you’re doing great, is the perfect time to ask for feedback!  Learn what you are doing well so that you keep getting that feedback.
    
19. “I know everything there is to know about being in private practice” or “There are things I need to know but I’m not going to pay another professional to get that information because  I’m not worth it or I’ll figure it out.” Again, quit fooling yourself and go get the help / info that you need.  Hire a counselor or an attorney or a coach or whomever.  Don’t just delude yourself into failing.  It’s not necessary!
    
20. “I don’t know how to explain to clients why they should work with me.” That’s a really big problem.  Then you need help learning to articulate what gifts you bring to your practice.  Sign up for a class, hire a coach, work with a copywriter or wordsmith.  It’s one of the single most important things you can do to build your reputation in the community.
    
21. “What’s wrong with my clients?  They aren’t getting better.” Well, that’s definitely a problem . . .  and it’s a bigger problem for you than it is for your clients!  If your clients aren’t getting better, you need to change . . . start or stop doing something, learn something new, talk with a consultant, etc.  Whatever you do, don’t blame it on “resistent clients.” 
    
22. “I don’t need an exit strategy because I’m going to be in this business forever.” Even if you do plan to be in private practice forever, you still need make an exit plan.  It will help you focus on building your practice up . . . to promote, to sell, or to expand.

Have you tripped up on these already?  Or, do you have other red-flag statements to share?

Tags: Priorities, Strategic Plan, Systems, Vision

If you are getting ready to start shopping for a clinical supervisor, here are 10 more questions you need to ask before you invite them to work with you.

"Question Mark" by Segozyme

1. What professional associations are you a member of?
   Don’t assume that they are telling you the truth.  Make sure that you verify their membership through your state licensing board.
2. How are you involved in these associations?
   Does she hold an office in the organization?  Remember to verify that your prospective supervisor is as involved as she represents herself to be.
   A supervisor who is actually involved in a professional association (rather than just paying her membership dues), is better able to help develop you as a professional in the field.
3. Why did you choose to join these organizations?
   Was it about the membership fee?  The purpose of the organization?  The benefits of membership?  This can tell you a lot about what is important to your prospective supervisor.
4. Do you expect me to be involved in a professional association?
   If so, then you will want to know which organization and how involved.
5. How will you monitor my client’s welfare?
   Your supervisor may monitor you through a one-way mirror, ask you to audio / video record your sessions for review, obtain self-reports from you, contact your clients, etc.  Most clinical supervisors use a variety of methods to monitor client welfare.
6. How do you insure my compliance with ethical, legal, and professional standards?
   This is a critical task for your supervisor and you want to make sure that she has a solid plan for this to take place.  In doing so, your client as well as you will be protected.
7. What do you expect of me as your supervisee?
   Yes, your supervisor will have expectations of you and the best way to meet them is to go in informed.  A professional clinical supervisor will have a written contract that stipulates your supervisor’s expectations (as well as your own).  Don’t accept a supervisor who does not have this in place.
8. What conflicts typically arise between you and your supervisee?
   Everyone has conflicts.  You want a supervisor who is aware of them and comfortable enough to talk about them openly and honestly.
9. How do you handle conflict when it arises with a supervisee?
   You want to know that your supervisor has basic problem solving skills.
10. How do you address counter transference between me and my client?
    As a new therapist, it is likely that you may not have much experience dealing with this predictable but sticky issue.  You’ll want a clinical supervisor who doesn’t flinch, judge or shy away from helping you develop skills to deal with issues of transference and counter transference.

Are you finding these questions to be helpful?

These questions came from the Institute in Counselor Supervision taught at the University of North Texas’ Counseling Program by Carolyn W. Kern, Ph.D., LPC, NCC and Cynthia K. Chandler, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT.

Related Posts

10 Questions You Must Ask Your Prospective Supervisor

Clinical Supervision and Money Gouging

Tags: Contract, Counter Transference, Professional Association, Transference

On Friday, Private Practice from the Inside Out

"Well Dressed Caterpillar" by HikingArtist.com / Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

kicked off its fifth Annual Series!  This year, we have participants representing body workers, attorneys, coaches, psychotherapists, and even professional nannies joining us!

Over the next nine months, participants will cover a wide range of topics  on marketing and practice development . . . all geared to help them get and keep high quality clients.

If you were unable to join us this year, but would like to stay informed about opportunities for 2010, drop me a line to let me know that you are interested and I’ll put you on my tickler list!

Tags: Private Practice from the Inside Out Annual Series