How To Announce Your New Private Practice in Mental Health

Aug
22
2011

Ask Tamara . . .

Are you thinking about leaving your currentImage of Red Question Mark place of employment to venture into private practice on your own?  If so, you may share Barbara Salkewicz concern.  Barbara is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Brick, New Jersey who wrote me earlier this month.  She says . . .

Hi Tamara,

Hope this note finds you enjoying a great summer! Once again thank you for all the generous advice and information you give to all of us. I have been doing preliminary planning to start my own practice for some time now awaiting the alignment of the planets so to speak.

Well, recently I was offered an office to rent in a local psychiatrists office for a very nominal fee. This fee includes not just the office space but her staff for appointments and billing etc. My question is what is the most appropriate way of letting my current clients know that I am starting my own practice.

I am currently on vacation and would like to get things moving as I am sure a good portion of my clients will follow me and I would naturally like to have this base to start with. I have been experimenting with various letters but would value your input tremendously.

Thanks so much for your help!”

How wise of you to leverage the relationships that you currently have with your clients!  It’s the honorable and right thing to do.  According to the American Counseling Association, your employer does not have the relationship with your clients; you do!

Barring any non-compete clause that you may have signed with your employer, you have every right to take your clients with you.  One of the best ways to do this is to send out a celebratory announcement to each one of them with the details of your transition.  What that may look like is this:

Barbara X is please to announce the opening of her new private practice . . .

Location:  4452 South Edgewood Terrace, Fort Worth, TX 76039

Telephone:  817-446-6869

Hours:  Monday – Thursday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

New Clients & Referrals Welcome!

And, even better . . . follow up your big announcement by hosting an fabulous open house – inviting your friends, colleagues, and potential referral sources – to meet the psychiatrist you will be sharing an office with and to show off your great new location, too!  (On Thursday, I’ll be talking with you about how to host a flawless open house.)

If you’ve already taken the leap to move into private practice, I hope you’ll take a moment to share your experiences and how you handled letting your clients know that they were welcome to follow you to your new office.


If you liked this post...
You'll love my updates! Sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.
Name Email

Disaster Planning For Your Private Practice

Jul
18
2011

Whether you are just starting your private practice or you are a seasoned professional, you and your office are not immune from fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes and other natural disasters.  That’s why I’ve invited Julie Uhernik, RN, LPC to guest post today.

______________________________

A Guest Post by Julie Uhernik, RN, LPC

(If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.)

Natural Disasters

This year has seen an unprecedented number of natural disasters which have affected thousands of lives either through direct experience of disaster or through collective knowledge of and concern for the many affected. The response of counselors to assist disaster survivors has been tremendous. Many counselors have partnered with the Red Cross and other disaster relief organizations to bring mental health assistance to survivors, their families and fellow responders.Image of Pop Nature

Professional organizations such as the American Counseling Association (ACA) have made Disaster and Trauma Response a primary area of focus, assisting counselors to obtain knowledge and information on best practices in this rapidly emerging field.  However, one important consideration that has not received quite that same amount of attention is a professional’s response to a disaster that directly impacts the counselor and their clients.  To put it simply . . .

  • What will you do if your office is destroyed by a tornado or hurricane?
  • Have you made provisions  for your practice or agency in Counselor Professional Preparedness Planning?
  • Does your agency or practice have a plan in place should the unthinkable occur?
  • What do you need to do to protect your clients, your family and your greatest counseling asset…yourself?!

Standards of Care

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention** recommends that we all  “Get a Kit, Make a Plan and Be Informed”.  The newly revised ACA Code of Ethics Standard C.2.h. (Counselor Incapacitation or Termination of Practice) requires a transfer plan to be in place to assure that clients have access to both counseling and their records during the period of time in which you are unable to provide counseling services. This standard would presumably include therapists whose offices / agencies were destroyed in a disaster.

It is recommended that your Professional Preparedness Plan include:

There are many important things to ponder before a disaster occurs.  As a counselor, are you ready?

**See PDF file Adapting Standards of Care under Extreme Emergencies

_______________________________

Julie Uhernik, RN, LPC offices in Parker, Colorado.  She specializes in disaster mental health and trauma and provides consulting services related to emergency planning and response. If you would like to contact Julie, you may reach her at http://www.JulieUhernik.com.


If you liked this post...
You'll love my updates! Sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.
Name Email

What They Don’t Tell Mental Health Professionals About Vetting Referrals In Graduate School

Jun
27
2011

Did you know that as a mental health professional, you are ethically required to vet the professionals that you refer your clients to?


I’ll bet they didn’t tell you that in graduate school - at least not directly.  That’s why I’m always amazed at my colleagues who are always posting things like “I’m looking for a licensed therapist in Florida who is on United Health Care’s panel to refer a 10 year old boy with Bipolar Disorder to.” What I’m really thinking is “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”Image of Caution!

That may fly for your managed care company. Remember?  Their code of ethics and priorities are not the same as yours. However, you should know that according to Barton Bernstien, JD, LMSW and other mental health attorneys that I have spoken to, there have been suits of malpractice won against mental health professionals for making referrals to poorly vetted professionals.

What’s an ethical psychotherapist to do?  Here’s what I recommend:

  • Keeping your client’s clinical needs in mind, always recommend to the best professionals that you can.  After all, isn’t that what you would want as a consumer?
  • Know who you are referring to.
  • Give your client all the information that you can to help him make an informed choice.
  • Don’t blindly choose from a list or a “directory” of providers.
  • Verify the credentials of the professional that you are referring to.
  • Only refer to professionals that you know to be ethical and competent.
  • And, most importantly, don’t refer to someone if you are not willing to bet your license on the professional that you are referring to!

Here’s the deal . . . . Our clients trust us.  They believe that we have their best interest at heart.  To throw a dart into the online directory and then refer to that professional with no additional knowledge is like throwing your client to the wolves.  Think about it!  How many therapists do you know who exaggerate their skills, are clueless about their limitations, or make blatantly false claims about their results?

Perhaps you noticed . . . this is just one more reason that networking both online and face to face is part of any responsible mental health professional’s job.  It’s how we meet, learn about, and responsibly expand our resources for our clients.

That’s how I go about vetting a potential referral. Do you have additional steps to take when vetting your referrals?

[A special "thank you" to the Private Practice Network of Denver's rich online discussion on this topic earlier this month.  It was the inspiration for this post.]
If you liked this post...
You'll love my updates! Sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.
Name Email

What To Do When It’s Time To Raise Your Fees

May
16
2011

Once you’ve worked hard to build your Image of Piggy Bank w Blackboardpractice and you’ve been on your own for several years, at some point you are going to need to raise your fees.  (Uh-oh . . . another area that didn’t get talked about in graduate school!)

It’s not a dilemma that you will face often but it is important to know how to handle it when the time comes.  Here’s the steps that I take and the choices I make when it’s time to raise my fees.

Step 1
How much do I need to raise my fees?

I have raised my fees about 10% each time I have raised them.  Whatever your increase, be prepared to justify the amount.

Step 2
Whose fees are going to be raised?

That’s right – you have choices.  Barring any contractual constraints, you may choose to raise the fees only for new clients, for all of your clients, or for only certain hours or types of services (like groups or family therapy).  I have chosen to keep my fees the same for current clients and increase fees just for my new clients.  When a client terminates with me and then returns for services 12 months later, s/he is charged my new (and higher) fee.

Step 3
How should I inform my clients and how much notice should I give them?

Once I decide that I am going to raise my fees, I mention this to my clients at the end of counseling sessions.  I let them know that they will be receiving letters from me that will formally notify them of my intent to raise my fees on a specific date.

It is important to provide ample notice to each of your clients.  I typically give a full 90 days notice in writing.  You may choose to give less notice but I would recommend always giving at least 30 days notice in order to allow your clients ample time to reassess their financial situation, make other financial arrangements, or find another therapist if needed.

Step 4
What’s the result of my change in fees?

After initially mentioning my intent to raise fees and again after mailing the written notice of my intent, I make a point to check in with each of my clients to make sure that they understand why, when, and how much fees will increase.

At the same time, I am also checking out how that fee increase is affecting my client . . . . Is it met with understanding or apprehension or resentment or something else?  The truth is that all of us have lots of emotional baggage related to money.  Therapists do.  And, our clients do, too. Changes in money – plus or minus – typically bring up baggage.

Taking care of yourself – financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually – are what you are ethically required to do.  That means that if you are successful in private practice for the long haul, you will need to raise your fees at some point.  When it comes time to raise your fees, don’t let your money-related baggage get in the way. 

If you liked this post...
You'll love my updates! Sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.
Name Email

The Ethical And Legal Implications of Mental Health Services Online

Mar
7
2011

Image of Business People & Online Network

I was toodling around the Internet tonight when I stumbled across my colleague, David P. Diana’s website.  Bless his heart for writing this post on providing mental health services online.  In one little post he has listed 8 not-so-light-reading links on the ethical and legal implications of providing therapeutic services online.

Do you know of others?  If so, please share them here as we all continue to learn about providing therapy online.

If you liked this post...
You'll love my updates! Sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.
Name Email