This is the first in a series of blog posts: The Top 10 Questions Therapists Ask Me.
#1: Can I make good money as a therapist in private practice?
The short answer is yes. If this weren’t the answer, I wouldn’t want to be a business coach for therapists!
I think when therapists ask this question, they are usually wondering a couple of things:
1. Are there clients out there who want to pay for therapy? and
2. Do I have what it takes to build a full practice?
I'll answer the first question first. Yes, there are clients out there who want your help.
Many therapists have full practices and are turning clients away every day.
I know a lot of therapists with full practices who are making 6 figures. Yes, there are plenty of clients out there who want your help. In the last two years, roughly 27% of adults in the U.S. have received mental health treatment. People in your city or town are looking for a therapist right now. They want to work with the right therapist for them, the person who will really understand them and offer hope and help. You would need a very small number of those people to work with you in order for you to run a full practice.
Now for the second question: Do I have what it takes to build a full practice?
You will need to do some inner and outer work to have a full practice. It is not about being a better therapist. If you are already helping people to find relief and to gain peace or fulfillment or better relationships, then you’re already doing the clinical work (although I know you’ll keep on working throughout your career on being a better and better therapist because that’s just how you are).
You need to be a better entrepreneur.
If that sentence makes you uncomfortable, it is probably because you haven’t been taught how to integrate being a good therapist with being a good business owner. In order to have a full and fulfilling practice, you will need to grow your entrepreneurial mindset and skill set in an authentic and ethical way.
Private practice is not for everyone, but if working in private practice is your dream, then learning how to build it is worth it. You get the freedom to do your work the way you do it best, set your own schedule, choose your clients, and make a good living.
I’ve got a free assessment you can take right now to find out where you are now and what you need to do to have the practice you want. Click here to get started.
Next time I'll answer question number 2: How do I decide what to charge? I'll see you back here next week.