Building your Private Practice
posted 24th July 2023
Building Your Private Practice is Like Building a House
Are you at the start of your journey to create your own Private Practice? Are you feeling a little overwhelmed and lost on where and how to start? Have you already started and got lost somewhere down the rabbit hole? This is the blog for you ...
I love a visual analogy! Something I can hold in my mind while figuring out a concept, so this is what you have here. You're Private Practice is like building a house and I know you want to focus on the pretty furnishings and the artwork you want to hang on the walls, but every good builder will tell you that you need to start with strong solid foundations.
Inception Stage
When you are creating your Private Practice the inception section is your house foundations. Before we even talk to a client, we need somethings in place. These include your:
- Business Plan
- Niche
- Ideal Client
- 5 Year Plan
- Brand Identity
- Support Needs Identified
You need to know where you are going and why. You need to know who you want to work with and have a clear idea of who your clients are so that you can talk directly to them in your marketing. You need to know who you are as a therapist, what your 'brand' is. You also need to know what support you need in place to make you the most successful therapist you can be in Private Practice. It is a rare breed that can do all of the things you need for a Private Practice to thrive, without training or support. It's okay to be supported and it's also okay to take some time to work out what that support might look like.
Creation Stage
Once you have these ideas firmed up you can move onto the creation stage, building the walls of your house. These include:
- HMRC Registration
- Accounts Set Up
- Lone Working Policy
- Supervision Set Up
- Therapeutic Will
- ICO Registration
Setting these things up now means you are giving your business structure and complying legal requirements. Your house is now starting to look like a house.
Development Stage
You then move on to the development of your business, or the furnishings stage. This is the metaphorical table & chairs; it fills out the space and moves it from a blank box to a functional space.
- Enquiry Preparation
- Contracts
- GDPR Statement
- Client Info Form
- Welcome Email
- Clinical Notes
These are fundamental blocks of your practice that you probably recognise from placements and other settings. But do you know what you need to include? Do you feel confident and comfortable with yours?
Action Stage
Then we move on the really exciting (and sometimes daunting) stage of action. This is where we open the front door of your house and actually let people in. You need to tell people about your house and what you have to offer. I know it can feel a bit icky to be 'salesy', but you have the skills to help people and they won't know unless you tell them and guide them in how you can help. No hard sell. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just the front door, that lets people in. This stage includes:
- Marketing Plan
- Social Media Accounts
- Website
- Directory Listings
- Canva
- Bio Links
Feeling overwhelmed just looking at the list? You need to break it down into manageable chunks. Just do a bit at a time and get the support you need to guide you through this process.
Expansion Stage
Then the truly nice fun part; expansion with is essentially hanging up beautiful works of art and filling you house with gorgeous plants. This is often the stage I notice practitioners rushing into without those previous foundations being properly laid. In this stage we focus on:
- CPD
- Accreditation
- Professional Development
It's about expanding where you currently are, with a deeper understanding of the clients you serve. It's about expanding your knowledge and expertise. This could be in adding new skills or areas of your work or it could be deepening the areas you already work in. It is so easy at this stage to over speculate and over stretch to the point of burn out or being totally overwhelmed in all of the many options. But if you have taken some time to get here and work with a coach who can support you in truly understanding what you want for your business and where your skills lie, you can make some really smart and supportive choices that enhance your practice and your business.
Abundance Stage
And now, after all of that work you can think about the abundance stage of your practice, nurturing and planting up your garden. I imagine this as the summer season, sitting in a full green garden, enjoying the sun with a cool drink and a book; knowing that you are surrounded by the fruitful labour of your hard work. This stage might see you create:
- Passive Incomes
- Courses / Workshops
- Group Memberships
- Books
Of course, your summer season might be a full practice, or even a full-enough practice. This season might look different for you, but I really believe you can reach it with the right foundations and support.
I can support you through all of these stages and offer online 1:1 sessions. More details can be found here.
And just like that you have built a beautiful home!
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