From Dream to Reality: 5 Tips on How to Start Your Own Private Practice

Last reviewed by

February 9, 2023

In this video and article, Dr. Bruce Bassi shares valuable insights and tips for starting a private practice, transforming the dream of owning a successful private practice into reality. These tips go beyond typical courses, aiming to help private practice owners avoid potential mistakes they might learn the hard way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Prioritize tasks that take a long time to develop, such as building relationships with referrants, improving search engine optimization (SEO) ranking, and establishing mentorship.
Ensure all tech partners sign a BAA if they store or transmit PHI for your private counseling practice.
As a private practice owner, it’s crucial to focus on the business aspects of running your own practice. Continue implementing healthy habits to prevent burnout in your journey as a business owner.

Stay tuned for more advice on how to become a thriving private practice therapist and navigate the challenges of being a business owner in the mental health field.

1. Cultivate referral streams

[00:00:19] Bruce Bassi: To establish a successful private practice, it’s crucial to consider and cultivate multiple referral streams. Private practice therapists should actively develop their professional network, leveraging connections with people who already know and trust them to recommend clients for their private counseling practice. Additionally, consider joining professional directories, such as Psychology Today, to expand your reach and connect with your ideal client base.

2. SEO

[00:00:34] Bruce Bassi: As a private practice therapist starting a private practice, prioritizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website from the start is essential. It takes months for web crawlers to discover your site and gather data on user interactions.

You may also need to spend time making adjustments based on the insights provided by various SEO tools.

As a private practice owner, you’ll need to consider business expenses such as website development, practice management software, and your own health insurance.
Consider hiring a professional graphic designer and choosing a reputable website host to ensure optimal website responsiveness and speed, crucial factors in SEO.

For a fast, efficient website, consider using a WordPress plugin like Oxygen. Oxygen is a design system that works in conjunction with WordPress to help private practice therapists create visually appealing websites to attract their ideal clients.
Regarding basic SEO, follow these tips: Start with keyword research to identify phrases and terms potential clients are searching for on Google.

Optimize your website’s content and structure with these target keywords, including meta descriptions and header tags, to improve your search engine ranking. Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to enhance your site’s visibility and credibility. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of internet traffic originates from mobile devices.

Lastly, regularly create engaging, high-quality content that provides value to your target audience. This will improve user engagement, decrease bounce rates, and increase dwell time – essential ranking signals for search engines.

As you embark on this journey, remember to establish a business bank account and obtain an employee identification number to manage your counseling practice’s finances effectively. To ensure success, focus your marketing efforts on reaching your ideal clients and determining how many clients you can manage while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Healthcare professional speaking to a patient in a Private Counseling Practice

3. Tech partners

[00:01:23] Bruce Bassi:

You’re also gonna start to figure out your vendors and who they are and obtain business associates agreements or BAAs from these companies.

For example, you’re going to have both email and a secure email system such as Paubox.

I use Google Workspace for email, and then I havePaubox on top of that. I have a referral link in the video description below if you want $250 off of Paubox‘s services.

You’re going to also need HIPAA secure phone system with a BAA from them. You’re also going to get an EHR system, and they’ll provide you a BAA, and then you’re also going to get a fax system, usually it’s through your phone system.

And then whatever forms you use. Such as Jotform, and I have a referral link for that. You can use JotForm to securely collect, in a HIPAA-compliant fashion, patient information from your website, for example, or from any consent forms that you send them if you’re in virtual practice. Again, that’s email, phone, a fax system with the phone, then your EHR system, and then a form system to collect information on your website or elsewhere.

What is a BAA? A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is a legally binding contract between a covered entity (such as a healthcare provider) and a business associate (such as a data storage company). The purpose of a BAA is to ensure that the business associate will appropriately protect and handle any protected health information (PHI) that they may access or process in the course of providing services to the covered entity.

Health care professional having a counseling session with a client in a Counseling Practice

4. Business Commitment

[00:02:17] Bruce Bassi: Next, you’re going to need to understand that you probably need to spend about 10 to 20 hours per week on the business aspect of things. You can probably spend an unlimited amount of time on any one small component of a website, or an EHR system and optimizing your website, optimizing marketing, writing a blog, et cetera, et cetera.

But I just wanted to say it’s probably gonna be a major component of running a practice. And then when you feel like that’s taking up too much of your time, then it’s probably time to hire a virtual assistant.

Avoiding Burnout. It’s important to set boundaries and establish a work-life balance to prevent burnout. This could include setting specific working hours and making time for self-care activities like exercise, hobbies, and spending time with loved ones. Delegating tasks and responsibilities to employees or outsourcing certain functions can help alleviate stress and reduce workload for the small business owner. Regularly taking breaks and practicing mindfulness techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing, can help improve focus and reduce stress levels. Seeking support from a mentor, business coach, or support group can provide valuable perspective, new ideas, and a sense of community for the small business owner, helping to prevent feelings of isolation and burnout.

Private Practices owner reviewing material on a tablet

5. Find a mentor

[00:02:44] Bruce Bassi: Lastly, fifth, I would say find a mentor. A mentor is going to be somebody who can guide you pretty easily and quickly through something that you’re probably struggling with that they encountered five years ago, and they can tell you about it in five seconds.

How to find a mentor? One way to find a private practice mentor is to reach out to professional organizations and associations within your field, as they may have mentor matching programs or can connect you with experienced practitioners. Networking with colleagues and attending conferences or events in your industry can also provide opportunities to meet and connect with potential mentors who can offer guidance and support in your private practice.

Hopefully, this video was helpful. If you’re interested in private practice education, please subscribe. My name’s Dr. Bassi. I’m in private practice in psychiatry, and I look forward to seeing you in the next video.