3 Strategies for Therapists Working in Private Practice
Starting a private practice is a thrilling experience, giving you the freedom to work with the clients you want and adding more flexibility to your life. However, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes in to the smooth management of any business, and going it alone can be daunting.
Here are our three winning strategies for any private therapist or wellbeing professional to help you move forward with confidence.
1. Join & Work From a Clinic
For any private practice, location is a key consideration. The type of environment that your sessions will be held in dictates the clients you attract and the amount of money that you can charge per session. Your place of work can also make you feel confident and will provide you with the space to grow your business, if you choose correctly.
Joining and renting a room in a clinic, such as our therapy rooms in Guildford, is an ideal option for wellbeing professionals. Our rooms come equipped with all you need to run your practice, giving the impression of professionalism from day one with minimum set up needed on your side. You will also be working alongside other private therapists and counsellors that may already have a more established client base, so this is a great way to network. Another benefit is that you don’t need to be concerned with security issues as processes and protols are already in place, leaving you free to focus on your fledging enterprise.
2. Market Successfully
How you market your business is essential to securing new clients. In wellbeing industries, word of mouth is often how a lot of therapists find work, and so attending networking events with other clinicians and doctors is a great way to receive referrals.
The internet is also an ideal place to showcase your expertise and target your clients, so use it as a channel for showcasing your expertise. You could write useful blog content for example and share on your own site and email to connections. Your social media presence should also not be forgotten; be sure to engage with any online therapy or wellbeing communities to become well-known and seen as an expert in your field and share regularly.
Ensure you claim your free Google My Business listing to boost your local visibility online. You can also include opening hours, contact information, services offered, images, videos and more to help boost your brand via your listing.
3. Perfect Your Money Mindset
Therapists help people, and because of this, many private clinicians struggle when it comes to pricing their services. They feel guilty for accepting payment from people in need and build the mindset that asking for money is bad. As a private therapist, you need to address this from the get-go and see your work as a fair exchange – you are helping your client with your knowledge and expertise, and they are helping you by giving you an income to live on. Perfecting your money mindset allows you to set your prices right and create the right dynamic with your clients.