1. WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW
BEFORE STARTING A PRIVATE PRACTICE:
THE 5 THINGS MOST COUNSELORS MISS IN
THE PLANNING STAGE

2. YOU’LL NEVER MAKE IT IN THIS FIELD...

3. CIRCUMSTANCES = SUCCESS?

4. IT’S NOT UP TO FATE, IT’S UP TO YOU

5. WHETHER YOU’RE:
 About to start your private practice.
 Graduating in the next year and in serious planning
mode.
 An intern doing private practice lite in preparation
for doing it on your own.
 Have started your private practice but aren’t getting
the results you want…
 This is YOUR chance to have a clean slate and
build the foundation of a successful practice.

6. WHAT WE’LL COVER TODAY:
The 5 things counselors often miss in
the planning stage.
Why most people miss them (but you
won’t.)
The basic first steps of enacting the
knowledge gained from these 5 things.
Specific free (or low-cost) resources
you can use to help you achieve your
goals.

7. THE 5 THINGS MOST
COUNSELORS MISS IN THE
PLANNING STAGE

8. #1 CHOOSING A NICHE…TO MARKET TO

9. A NICHE
Again?

10. IF YOU DO NOT NICHE:
Cash Left On The Table Facts on Niche & Money
 Specialists can charge
more than generalists.
 People pay more.
 $80-90 vs. $125
 More clients come.
 Clients feel more
satisfied.
 Niches make you more
memorable to referrals.

11. IF YOU DO NOT NICHE:
You don’t know: No Sense of Direction
 Who to market to.
 Which referral sources
to connect with.
 Where to spend your
advertising money.
 How to design your
website.
 What language to use
in your copy….

12. IF YOU DO NOT NICHE:
 Serving the people you
were meant to serve.
 IF you are filling your
book (big if) they are
not with people you
want to be working
with.
You are not:

13. IF UNSOLVED:
This will keep you from working with the clients you
love the most.

14. WHY MOST COUNSELORS DON’T DO IT
 Don’t want to eliminate options.
 Don’t think of it.
Feels unimportant.
 Dislike “expert”
status.

15. WHY HAVEN’T YOU DONE IT YET?

16. NICHE JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME
Who?
Why?
Passion
Statement
Skills,
Experience
How? Methods

17. #2 EXPLORING LOCATION OPTIONS

18. COMMON MISTAKES
Pay too much for a location.
Eliminate an option too early.
Ignore mid-range options.
Don’t know where to look.
Don’t protect yourself.
Sign an unnecessary contract.

19. IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL
You could end up paying a ton more money than you
need to per month, and add stress & liability.

20. DETERMINING WHAT YOU CAN SPEND ON
YOUR PLACE
Questions To Ask Rental Budget
 How many clients do
you have to see to pay
for it?
 Remember to include
“hidden” expenses.
 How much space do
you actually need?
 Remember you can
negotiate!

21. OFFICE SPACE HIDDEN FEES
 Alarm services
 Electricity
 Water
 Repairs
 Janitorial staff
 Maintenance
 Future rent increases

22. CHOOSING OFFICE SPACE PRIORITIES
Outside Inside
 Accessibility to major
highways
 Bus route
 Traffic
 General appearance
 Parking space
 Signage
 Visibility
 Waiting room
 Separate entrance
 Receptionist area
(receptionist services?)
 Insulation, quiet
 Bathrooms
 Disability
accommodations
 Furniture

23. WHERE TO LOOK
Psychology Today Counselor Associations

24. OTHER OFFICE LOCATION RESOURCES
 Psych Office. http://psychoffice.net/
 Craigslist.org  “Office & Commercial” under
“Housing.”
 Can narrow by rent range
 Your local therapist support networks.
 Contacting local doctor’s offices.
 Real estate agents.

25. BOTTOM LINE
 Know your budget.
 Consider your needs both NOW & LATER.
 Negotiate.
 Don’t settle.
 Only sign a contact when you completely
understand the terms.

26. #3 SETTING INCOME GOALS

27. THE TYPICAL PRIVATE PRACTICE INCOME
PLAN
Let’s just see what happens!

28. MOST THERAPISTS WILL STAY AWAY
Because
 “I don’t wanna.”
 “I don’t know how.”
 “I’m not in it for the
money.”
 “It will work itself out.”
 “I’m better at the
creative stuff.”
Don’t Fence
Me
In

29. WHY THIS DOESN’T WORK
 “I don’t wanna.”
 “I don’t know how.”
 “I’m not in it for the
money.”
 “It will work itself out.”
 “I’m better at the
creative stuff.”
 You gotta.
 Doesn’t matter. You
gotta learn.
 But you do want to
keep your private
practice going, right?
 It won’t.
 This still has to get
done.

30. WITHOUT INCOME GOALS
You could end up unable to pay your bills.

31. THE COMPLETELY NON-COMPLICATED, UN-PAINFUL,
ARTSY-TYPE-APPROVED INCOME
PLANNING METHOD

32. A FEW SIMPLE QUESTIONS
 What Do You Need To Make?
 Gross: _____________________________
 Take-home: _______________________ (Profit)
 What Are Your Expenses?
 Rent: _________________________
 Professional Expenses: _____________________
 Payment Processing: __________
 Other: ________________________________

33. TWO OPTIONS:
 Your rate per hour
x (weekly hours
worked) = weekly
income goal
 Example: Weekly
income goal is $2000,
rate $90.
 So $2000/rate of $90 =
23 client hours a week.
 (Your rate per hour) x
hours per week =
weekly income goal
 Example: Goal hours
per week are 15, and
goal income is $2000.
 So $2000/15 client
hours a week = $135
hourly rate.
Solve for hours you must
work per week:
Solve for what your rate
needs to be:

34. SIMPLE, AND YET NOW YOU KNOW:
 How many hours you need to work per week, or
 How much you need to charge per hour.
 You can also:
 Figure out how many clients can cancel without
impacting your bottom line.
 Track your progress towards your goal from week to
week.

35. FREE BUDGETING APPS/SOFTWARE
Mint.com
BudgetTracker.com
BudgetPulse.com
Excel

36. #4 DOING MARKET RESEARCH

37. REALLY?

38. WHY YOU DO MARKET RESEARCH
 See:
 What everybody else is doing.
 Where there are gaps in your area (that you can
fill).
 What the going rates are for your area.
 Who potential referral partners might be.

39. MOST COUNSELORS SKIP THIS STEP
 Because they don’t think it’s necessary.
 Because they don’t know how.
 Because they don’t think about it.
 Because they feel inferior.

40. YOU MUST DO THIS IN ORDER
To know what you can charge that clients will pay (and
how you can stand out as a unique service provider.)

41. WHAT YOU NEED FOR MARKET RESEARCH
 Your zip code
 A computer with
internet access
 Lots of notepaper and
a few pens.

42. THE PROCEDURE
Search Make Note Of:
 Google “therapist”
“counselor” + zip code
(MFT, teen, play)
 Psychology Today
 Therapy Tribe
 Specific directories
 What they charge
 What they specialize in
 Picture quality
 Profile quality
 Lead with themselves
or lead with client?
 Marketing messages

43. THIS WILL:
 Not be the shortest endeavor
 Will be messy and a challenge to wade
through
BUT:
 It will save you money, time, and energy because
you will focus on the things that WORK and the
needs that are not being met.

44. EXAMPLE:
 Therapist Name: ______________________
 Zip Code: _____________________________
 Rate Charged: ________________________
 Population Served: ____________________
 Notes: ________________________________
_______________________________________
(Profile, Picture, Message)

45. AFTER YOU’VE DONE THAT
Stand Out Fit In
 Top 3 Underserved Zip
Codes
__________________
__________________
 What specialties seem
to need attention in
your area?
__________________
__________________
 Find the median of
rates offered.
 Profile pics that seem
most appealing.
 Successful marketing
messages.

46. #5 CREATING A MARKETING PLAN

47. WHY MOST COUNSELORS SKIP THE
MARKETING PLAN
Play It By Ear Don’t Need It

48. BUT WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE A STRATEGY
 You waste your efforts.
 You waste your money.
 You waste your time.
 You end up with one or two successes purely by
accident instead of a ton of success you created on
purpose.

49. YOU MUST DO THIS IN ORDER TO
Create a system to get clients in your door right away,
and on a regular basis.

50. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
 1. Make a plan. (Any plan.)
 Goal=Clients In The Door
 Plan=Steps that accomplish goal
 Limit to 2-3 steps at a time.
 2. Implement
 3. Measure
 What worked.
 What didn’t work.
 What has potential that needs to be watched.

51. 5 THINGS THAT MOST COUNSELORS MISS
 1. Choose A Marketing Niche
 2. Exploring Location Options
 3. Setting Income Goals
 4. Doing Market Research
 5. Creating A Marketing Plan

52. Save Your Spot!
tinyurl.com/biz-anxiety
BEAT PRIVATE PRACTICE ANXIETY! HOW
TO GET RID OF YOUR BUSINESS FEARS
ONCE & FOR ALL
Mark your calendars!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014.