Lessons Learned After One Year in Private Practice   

It just so happens that today my biweekly Tuesday blog post falls on the exact date that I opened the doors of my private practice! July 17, 2017 was the first day I saw clients in my own business.  So happy one year anniversary to us! 

In the past year, I have formed a business and expanded into a group practice.  I went from being a solo clinician going out on my own to hiring another therapist to be able to better serve the referrals I am receiving.  Through it all, I have appreciated your support.  The kind words, the encouragement, the “shares” and “likes”.  I hope that you are receiving helpful information from the business, and that you are more aware of how to strive for and preserve overall mental wellness.   

In reflection, here are some life lessons I’ve learned over the past year in private practice.  I hope that they can be valuable tips to you too! 

Be Willing To Grow And Ask For Help. I fully admit I don’t know everything. A year ago, I had no idea what was required to work with insurance companies as a private mental health practice.  I just knew others who had done it and figured I would be able to figure it out too!  Throughout this process, which was more than a year in the making, I have consulted with other private practitioners and other entrepreneurs. I regularly meet with others to “pick their brain” and get a sense of how they think, procedures they have in place, what’s working and what’s not, etc.  I would recommend that you consider surrounding yourself with people from which you can learn.  Always be looking for ways to learn and grow in your abilities.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Embrace Change.  Changes can be scary. Don’t we all like knowing what to expect?! Life is so much easier when our day to day is the same.  But, that can become immensely boring!  I would challenge you to work at not letting that fear of change stop you from doing the things that will help you pursue your dreams.  If you can learn to act despite fear, you might accomplish great things! 

The Next Important Thing. Starting a business is overwhelming.  Really stressful, with multiple moving parts to focus on and try to control.  I had to form an LLC, decide where to host my website, build my website, set up encrypted emails, contract with insurance companies, set up a bank account, go through the design process for a logo, finalize practice policies, write practice documents, decide on an electronic health record, find a way to send/receive faxes, decide on a phone system.  And, that’s just the short list!  Some of these tasks were of course exciting and fun, but when you have a huge list, it can be daunting!  And, yes, there were times I worked all day seeing clients, and then worked until midnight on this list, and never felt like I could get it all done.  The way that I stayed (mostly) relaxed through all that was focusing on the next important thing. By breaking down the tasks into more manageable steps, I was able to avoid being overwhelmed. Ask yourself, “what needs done next?” or “what is the most important thing to do next?” and then focus on that.  Sometimes all you have to do is focus on what needs done next. And then the next thing. And not get overwhelmed by the enormity of it all, by instead focusing on small steps. You can accomplish a lot by just focusing on the next important thing, and one small accomplishment at a time, you can get to where you want to be. 

Again, a sincere thank you for your support and encouragement as I formed the business, started writing this blog, and expanded into a group practice.  I’m working to live my dream, and I hope to help inspire you to do the same! 

The mental health therapists at our office offer counseling for a variety of issues including trauma using EMDR, depression, anxiety, grief, and couples counseling. We work with teens, adults, and couples. We also offer online counseling services which can be great for people with busy schedules or for people who live in parts of Pennsylvania with limited counseling options. You can check out our website to see the full list of counseling services that we offer. Or, Request An Appointment here.