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.
Change Therapy is a free eBook designed to introduce new business development ideas and concepts for the mental health profession. It is written by my colleague, David P. Diana, a licensed professional counselor and Director of Business Development for a large behavioral health care company.
You can download the book for free at www.davidpdiana.com. Enter your name and email in the sign up section on the top right hand side of his website.
Do you pride yourself as a Jack or Jane of all trades i.e. “I work with everyone!” ?
If so, you are confusing what you do with how you market. What you do and who you work with may very well include a large variety of issues and clients. However, if you have too many empty time slots on your calendar, your generalist marketing may be your problem.
There was a time when marketing yourself as a generalist was the hallmark of a go-to therapist. It was thought that she could do it all. But things have changed and so should you.
Today, clients want an “expert” and nicheing lends itself to the perception of expertise.
Marketing yourself as a generalist makes you forgettable. And, marketing yourself as someone who has a special interest in X, makes you memorable.
Nicheing allows you to market your services in a more focused way. That translates to less money, less wasted time, and more strategic contacts.
So the real question is . . . What’s keeping you from nicheing your practice TODAY?
"Mental Patient Strapped to Chair" by Curious Expeditions
If you are in need of diagnostic codes from the DSM-IV or the ICD-9-CM, check out this handy little website at DoctorCodes.com. By entering the first part of a diagnosis, the site will give you the correct diagnostic code! Quick and sweet! Just make sure you are entering the correct diagnosis to begin with!
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 . . . .
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.
Casey Truffo has extended a generous offer to you on her website . . . . Until 9 pm Eastern / 6 pm Pacific on Sunday December 13th, Casey is inviting you to download her entire 300+ page book, Be a Wealthy Therapist, Make a Living While Making a Difference. You can take advantage of her offer right here.
When I left employment to begin my own private practice in 1991,
"Question Marks on the Wall" by Lone Black Rider / Filip Bunkens
I started by identifying therapists that I believed to be highly successful. Then, I picked up the phone, introduced myself, and asked if I could take them to lunch or coffee to pick their brains about being in private practice. Whether you are just starting out in private practice or are wanting to revitalize your practice, that’s a good place for you to start, too.
Most mental health professionals will be flattered if you call. Let’s face it, it’s an ego boost when someone else thinks that you are successful. And, many mental health professionals really enjoy mentoring others in the field.
Once you’ve made your phone calls and scheduled your lunches, here are 20 questions for you to ask:
How long have you been in private practice? This is really important. you want to identify therapists who have longevity in the field. They are who you can really learn from.
How did you learn what to do when you were ready to go into private practice? If it worked for him, there’s a good chance that at least part of his learning can work for you, too.
What do you know now that you didn’t know when you got started about being in private practice? You might as well learn it now rather than wait.
How did your clients initially learn about your services and how do your clients learn about your services now? You want to know about how it was in the beginning for them. Back then, they were probably on a shoestring budget at best (perhaps like you are now) and still they survived. In the process of learning what they did back then and what they do now to get clients, you’ll most likely hear how their income and their efforts have changed and refocused.
What mistakes did you make in your early years of private practice? Find out now so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
What critical decisions did you need to make about your private practice and why? You may choose to make different decisions but it is often helpful to understand why someone in private practice makes the decisions that they make . . . about policies, workload, billing and fees, etc.
Did you ever have a mentor? Do you now? And, how did you find one? One of the fastest ways for you to jump start your practice is to have a personal mentor to shepherd you on your journey. Hiring a business coach is one way to find a mentor but it is certainly not the only way.
How much time do you set aside to work on the business (not the clinical) of private practice? Successful therapists in private practice spend time visioning, developing, and implementing new ways to grow their businesses.
What is your biggest challenge now? Challenges continue throughout the life cycle of a private practice. Challenges happen; they do not disappear.
How long did it take you to turn a profit? The Small Business Administration says that most small businesses fail within the first 5 years and that most successful small businesses take 3-5 years to turn a profit. I’ve certainly taken it take less time to break even or fail. However, be wary of those who promise that you’ll be earning big money fast. Research clearly shows to slow and steady is the way to build a strong foundation for a long-term practice.
What do you believe causes a practice to succeed?
What do you believe causes a practice to fail?
What type of clients do you see? Remember this when you need to refer a client of your own to another therapist.
What type of clients do you refer out? If this is a population / issue that interests you, make sure this therapist knows that. If it is not, then keep an ear open so that you can refer another professional to this therapist. This is how you network.
What resources can you recommend to me as a new therapist that can help me get started on the right track? He may have a favorite website on developing a private practice or an online diagnostic code finder. He may know another therapist looking to share an office or a CPA who can help you set up your quarterly tax payment. Or, he may have a favorite book or magazine or office supply store to send you to.
What do you do to take care of you? Balancing work and home (much less children and additional schooling) is one of those topics that is hardly addressed while you are in school. Take time to identify now how you will put systems of self care in place.
How has your practice changed over the last X (number) of years? It’s important to understand about the life cycle of a practice. Once it’s up and running, it doesn’t necessarily stay up and running at that level. Change happens . . . a group practice moves in next door, the local school system has an unexpected need for counselors, an army base closes, you get new clinical training, etc. Your practice’ life cycle will be different than the therapists’ that you are interview but it is helpful to be reminded that change happens and what you need to do to recognize it as another opportunity for growth.
What is the hardest thing about being in private practice? Again, what is hard for him may not be hard for you but knowing about the challenges helps you prepare for them from the beginning.
How is your personal life affected by being in private practice? Your professional life and your family’s lives will be impacted by your decision to practice mental health. When you are in private practice, that impact is even greater.
What precautions do you take to keep you and your clients safe in your office? This is another area that is not adequately addressed in graduate school. There are many things you can do to increase your safety. Learn about them now.
Remember to take pen and paper with you so that you can take notes. I’m sure you’ll think of more questions along the way!
If you use this list, I hope you’ll drop back in and let me know how the questions worked for you. Are there other questions that would be helpful to ask other therapists?
And, if you are a therapist who has been in private practice for a while, why don’t you drop in here and answer all 20 of these for us. It’s a good way to introduce yourself and your practice to our community!
New therapists often use the terms “supervision” and “consultation” interchangeably. The problem is that they refer to very different relationships and obligations. Do you know the difference between supervision and consultation?
Supervision is hierarchical. It often occurs
"Hierarchy" by brka / Kristijan Brkic
within the context of your schooling, employment or post-graduation when you are attempting to satisfy client contact hours for licensure in your state. If you are under supervision, then you are required to comply with any directives given to you by your supervisor.
Consultation occurs between colleagues or peers and is often used as a way to expand a therapist’s ideas for working with a client. Consultation is also considered a risk management tool but obligates you to take no specific action other than that based on your own professional judgment.
I was researching online when I ran across this video, Beyond the Shadows of Stigma. It is a compelling 8-minute video that all health care practitioners should see.
But, I was even more taken by the power of the technique, called Photovoice, that was used to create the message. It was new to me. By putting photojournalism into the hands of marginalized group, it appears change can happen — education, empowerment, hope and possibilities!
I’m sharing this with you because as my mind is whirling with the possibilities of how to integrate this into my professional and community work, I thought you, too, might see possibilities!
How might you integrate Photovoice into your work to help your private practice grow?
And, as a matter of fact, not everything that’s called “therapy” is actually therapy!
Here’s an interesting website that talks about The Healing of Magic. If you are looking for new tools to augment your work, perhaps you can find some creative ones here.
"The Tools of Artist, Leo D’Lázaro in Havana, Cuba" by Ontario Wanderer / Dean Gugler
For those of you who are blogging to build your businesses, check out Gina Trapani’s great list of 10 Tools to Make Your Blog Smarter, Faster, Better. She posted it here at Fast Company.
And, by all means, introduce yourself and leave us a link to your blog!
"Up, Up and Away! 236 / 365" by mollyjolly / Maria Johnson
continue to run into difficulties with their ex-spouses. One of my current clients has introduced me to an email tracking system called DidTheyReadIt. This system has helped her verify to the court that she has made appropriate efforts to communicate with her ex-spouse concerning custody issues.
According to the website,
When you use DidTheyReadIt, e-mails that you send are automatically and invisibly tracked. The instant the recipient opens your message, DidTheyReadIt automatically notifies you.”
The email receipt that you receive tells you what time your email was opened, how long it remained open, and where geographically it was viewed. Here is a sample of the receipt they send.
If you or your client has a need to “prove” compliance with timely email communication, this tool may be a useful option.
Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC has maintained a private clinical practice since 1991 and founded Private Practice from the Inside Out in 2003. She has spent almost 20 years consulting and teaching marketing strategies to health care professionals like you. You can learn more about her clinical practice at her website.
Email Tamara
from the DSM-IV or the ICD-9-CM, check out this handy little website at 
