Private Practice Journeys

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Cindy Norton, a licensed marriage and family therapist associate, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about systems – using practice management software (i.e., an electronic health records system) such as Simple Practice is essential to run an efficient practice. Also, Cindy recommends reading the book, "Profit First" to learn about the importance of paying yourself first as a private practitioner and learning how to manage your money. * Learning about personal branding – branding is two things: 1) what you can see (e.g., y

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Debby Simmons, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about systems – selecting a phone system is necessary for a group practice, but you don't have to spend a lot of money. Debby went with Grasshopper, which is a cloud-based system.  She also incorporated clinicians she hired into her practice management/EHR system (Simple Practice) that she had been using when she was in solo practice.  * Learning about personal branding – Debby decided to brand her practice as a holistic p

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Amanda Petrik, a licensed clinical professional counselor, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about systems – Amanda recommends using an electronic health records system such as Simple Practice to keep track of finances and other things pertaining to her practice. She decided to start using an EHR system to use her time more efficiently.  The time she has saved is now spent seeing clients and generating more money for her practice.  There are many EHR systems on the market…do your research and ask other therapist

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Lisa Duez, a licensed clinical social worker, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about systems – it is important to keep track of money you are collecting from clients (and/or their insurance companies) as well as the amount of time that passes after you have provided services to clients and being paid for those services to stay on top of things. QuickBooks for Self-Employed is the tool Lisa uses to track her income and expenses.  It is also important to keep track of referrals to evaluate the effectiveness of your ma

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Cindy Norton, a licensed marriage and family therapist associate, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning from experience – Cindy learned that there can be ebbs and flows (with regard to the number of clients she sees) during the first year of private practice. During the summer months clients may have other stuff going on (e.g., vacations) that prevent them from scheduling appointments.  Cindy has felt a little uneasy at times wondering whether she'll be able to make enough money to pay her bills…such is the experience of

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Debby Simmons, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning from experience – Debby has taken on a third office and has hired more people – including a massage therapist - to work for her due to space limitations. Debby wanted to make sure that new hires shared the same philosophy and "clicked" with other members of the practice.  Bringing on new people can change the dynamic of a previously formed group and so it's important to hire people who are aligned with the values, attitudes and belie

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Amanda Petrik, a licensed clinical professional counselor, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning from experience – Amanda clarified her niche and updated her website to reflect this change. As a result, she has found that more of her ideal clients have contacted her to schedule appointments.   Amanda has gotten off from some insurance panels and is doing some self-pay, which has worked out well so far. * Learning how to adjust – Networking/connecting with people is very important to build your practice. Amanda sent

  On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Lisa Duez, a licensed clinical social worker, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning from experience – At some point in time, it may be necessary to hire an office assistant/manager to help out with scheduling, verifying insurance benefits, billing, etc. as "bootstrapping it" does not remain feasible when your practice grows * Learning how to adjust – Lisa has decided to be the "customer service therapist" (i.e., to be the one who returns calls quickly, provide top-notch service, etc.). * Learning about social media mar

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Debby Simmons, a licensed marriage and family therapist and Jeff Zimmerman, a licensed psychologist and an expert in private practice development discuss methods of developing Debby's group private practice.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * When Jeff consults with therapists who want to go into private practice he asks about their vision (e.g., "Why is it that you want to do this kind of work?"). * Debby's website gives Jeff a sense of who she is and what her practice is all about. Also, it communicates uniqueness given her holistic approach to helping clients. * In group practice, it's important to be integrated a

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Cindy Norton, a licensed marriage and family therapist associate and Lynn Grodzki, a licensed clinical social worker and an expert in private practice development discuss methods of developing Cindy's private practice.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Lynn started out in the business world and then transitioned into private practice. She also works as a business coach. * Lynn is strategic in her approach to helping therapists develop their private practices by having them complete a free survey on her website, which gets them thinking about themselves and their goals (http://privatepracticesuccess.com/). * Dealing

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, John Clarke, a licensed professional counselor and an expert in private practice development, discusses methods of starting and developing a private practice.  Give it a listen and find out how you can take your private practice to the next level!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * John started a private practice in San Francisco and recently moved to Charlotte where he has started another private practice. * John uses Yelp (https://www.yelp.com/) to market his practice and considers it to be an underutilized resource. * Private Practice Workshop.com was started to offer great content to therapists via blogs, etc. * Blogging – John blogs on both of his websites. One set of blogs is for his clients and the other set of blogs is fo

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Lisa Duez, a licensed clinical social worker, and Allison Puryear, an expert in private practice development discuss methods of developing Lisa's private practice.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Be sure that you are taking on clients that are ideal for you and will not take an emotional toll on you over the long run. * It's easy to get sucked into "scarcity thinking" (i.e., thinking that clients will not continue coming after you get off to a good start), but the evidence (e.g., tracking referrals/clients) will prove that false. * Outsourcing (e.g., virtual assistant) is a possibility when your client load increa

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Amanda Petrik, a licensed clinical professional counselor, and Joe Sanok, an expert in private practice development discuss methods of developing Amanda's private practice.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Joe helps therapists who are interested in going into private practice "identify and solve their pains." * Joe helps therapists identify which phase of private practice they are in and how to progress to the next phase (or build on the final phase): Start-up phase - $0.00 - $50,000 gross – attract ideal client; hustling and bootstrapping; keep risks and costs low Growth phase - $50,000 - $100,000 gross – how do

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Debby Simmons, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about a niche – Debby learned about eating disorders in her roles as a teacher and therapist and made this the focus of her doctoral dissertation. It subsequently developed into a niche area for private practice.  Attending conferences on niche areas also helps to develop your expertise, which can help in this regard.  Niching is a good way of generating referrals. * Learning about your personality – Personality can change

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Lisa Duez, a licensed clinical social worker, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about a niche – Lisa believes it is important to identify a niche because 1) it is your strength and b) it is a way to draw clients to you. It is important to engage in self-reflection prior to taking the plunge into private practice to identify your strengths and interests and possible areas in which to specialize. * Learning about your personality – Lisa perceives herself as an extroverted "go-getter." She believes that engaging with people/

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Amanda Petrik, a licensed clinical professional counselor, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about a niche – Amanda believes it is important to find out what you like to do and are good at in relation to counseling and that people will start making referrals to you as a result because you are "known" for helping certain types of clients with certain types of issues. She has felt less burned out since paring down whom she counsels. * Learning about your personality – Amanda is a Type-A personality (time-managed, organized

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Cindy Norton, a licensed marriage and family therapist associate, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning about a niche – Cindy believes that niching helps you stand out as a therapist in the community and contributes to success as a private practitioner. Sometimes it takes a little while to figure out what area that you want to specialize in and may not become apparent until you have worked with a wide variety of clients. * Learning about your personality – Cindy has found that being organized is an essential personality trait

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Debby Simmons, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month.  Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning to manage time – Debby starts the day at 7:00 a.m. and sees clients until 12:30 p.m. Then she exercises/engages in self-care/goes to appointments for herself/does online teaching in the afternoons.  This gives her a chance to rejuvenate.  In addition to the clients that Debby sees during the day, she sees clients two nights a week. * Learning to develop successful habits – An important habit for Debby is "putting herself o

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Lisa Duez, a licensed clinical social worker, discusses what new and exciting things have happened in her practice since last month. Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning to manage time – Lisa has learned not to allow her business activities to bleed over into her weekends. Working smarter and not harder is key. Also, learning how to work within time frames is important. * Learning to develop successful habits – Lisa has found that being disciplined is her most important habit as a private practice owner. Making "to-do" lists and prioritizing activities are also important habits. * Learning how to care for yourself – Lisa

On this episode of the Private Practice Journeys podcast, Amanda Petrik, a licensed clinical professional counselor, discusses what new and exciting things have happened since starting her practice. Give it a listen and find out why you'll want to follow these therapists on their journeys into private practice!  Get the show notes on the "Private Practice Journeys" podcast page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Join the Private Practice Journeys Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/704499516382080/?ref=bookmarks Learning Along the Journey * Learning to manage time – Amanda is still in the process of adjusting to the pace of private practice schedule as she came from a community mental health center environment in which everything was fast paced. Seeing client after client in private practice can be exhausting, but working in community mental health prepared Amanda for this schedule. * Learning to develop successful habits – Amanda sets priorities and is self-disciplined. She uses her time wis