Private Practice: Is It Right For You?

I am assuming that you have been thinking of setting up a private practice for awhile now. Maybe you are a recent graduate and it is your goal to launch right into private practice work; or, perhaps you are ready to transition from your position as an ‘employee’ with an agency, hospital, school or other institution into your very own private practice. Or, maybe you have had a foot in both worlds for too long – that of employee and juggling a very small private practice on the side.

How would you know if full time private practice was right for you? Well, can you envision yourself in private practice: having your own office, seeing clients, marketing to your target niche of clients, evolving in your practice with different revenue streams, and, managing your business including your revenue and expenses?

Take a few moments to sit with this vision. Let it marinate among your thoughts and notice your feelings. Are you smiling, are you positive? Do you see yourself as a competent professional running your own business?

Yes? not sure? Let me ask you a few more questions.

Can you identify yourself as a self-starter? Do you have the ambition and passion to succeed? Are you by nature positive and enthusiastic? Can you weather setbacks? Do you have a creative and disciplined mindset? Are you willing to market yourself as a skilled professional? Are you able to reach out for the help that you need i.e. seek the advice of the right experts?

Success in private practice comes to those who have the passion and the ambition to pursue their desired goals. Passion can be described as positive energy filled with enthusiasm, motivation, resilience and perseverance. Passion and ambition merge into a focused action plan for a desired outcome.

Ambition is the better half of achievement. Ambition is the action that can realize and monetize your achievement. As Mental Health Professionals, you have the credentials that prove your academic achievement, it is now up to you to realize your professional goals which include a secure income (whether as an employee or in self-employment).

Successful private practitioners are committed to be the best that they can be to their target niche of clients. This includes a branding and marketing plan. Success in private practice comes to those who are willing to face the adversities that pop-up from time to time signaling time to make a decision or a shift of some sort.

Private practice can be lucrative if your passion and ambition align. Today, private practice is about running a small business with ‘a grow and learn’ mindset. It is about embracing the notion that you are an entrepreneur. Embrace this notion and your professional confidence will soar, your private practice will grow and the money will follow.

Take a moment to download my free eBook https://clairesuttoncourses.com/launching-your-counselling-career/