Getting Paid: Setting The Hourly Rate in Your Private Practice. Is It Time To Set A New Fee?7/25/2022 Is it time for you to reevaluate whether you’re charging the right amount for your psychotherapy services?
With all the talk about money and prices due to the increased costs of goods and services—and the recent rise in inflation—that everyone is experiencing, many therapists are seriously thinking about, wondering, or seriously considering raising the prices for their services. It’s one of the main topics of conversation in professional circles these days. Since so many therapists are thinking of or increasing their rates, they are also concerning themselves with how to balance the humanistic and business side of running, growing, and sustaining a private practice at the same time. Do you need a better way to set your hourly fee—one based on your values and what you need to earn from your practice in order to thrive financially and emotionally? If so, here are four very practical articles that can help with that. Each article offers simple strategies and good advice for how to set your rate so that you are paid what you’re worth and you don’t burn out meeting with clients. Some of the helpful things you’ll find in the articles:
Consider these articles as new tools in your Fee-Setting Toolbox:
Whether you decide to increase your prices or not, there will most likely be a thing or two in these articles that will help facilitate your decision and comfort with it. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com
1 Comment
The use of a ListServ is one of the most overlooked resources available to licensed and pre-licensed therapists whether you’re in private practice or working for an agency, community mental health, or other mental health services organization. Good for introverts and extroverts alike, a ListServ is a great way for members of an organizational community to interact with each other online.
Using a ListServ allows you to communicate with a large group of users with a single message—and extends your reach in the organization as well as the professional community. It’s a quick and cost-effective solution to delivering a message or request and sharing the value of your services and expertise whether you are looking for clients, a job, a referral, hours for licensure or certification, training, exam prep, an office to sublet, to share a resource or presentation, and much more. ListServ, e-tree, e–list, email forum, member-to-member email service or communication—whatever you want to call it—is an easy way for a group of people—members of the organization’s community—to get to know each other, communicate, connect, and interact with each other online through the organization’s specialized e-mail channel. On a ListServ, users post messages that other group members can see, which further encourages the development of a professional community and increases the engagement of people over time. Subscribers can either respond to the individual or the whole list. While the amount of traffic for each ListServ varies, if you find the number of messages overwhelming, you can easily unsubscribe. Since the purpose of an organization’s Listserv is to facilitate collegial interaction and the exchange of professional and clinical information within the organization’s community, ListServs are available to members of associations or chapters of an association at no cost! They’re a benefit of membership. Yes, that’s right, this useful and popular resource is free! How a ListServ Works Messages delivered through a ListServ are received by individuals through their email accounts. You must be a member to participate—access, see, read, and receive messages, post a message, or reply to a ListServ posting. When you post to a ListServ, you send your email to the ListServ’s central email address and then your email is automatically sent out to all members who have subscribed or opted in to receive the emails sent to the ListServ community. With one email, your message—request, announcement, question, comment or reply, etc.—is sent out to everyone on the ListServ. All ListServ members can view the original e-mail and read it and respond or read it or delete it without reading. Listserv messages include announcements for office space, groups, workshops, jobs, internship opportunities, specialized services, and resources; case consultation and sharing techniques; announcement of chapter events; updates on topics relevant to our profession; dialogue and discussion regarding clinical, professional, and ethical questions or topics; as well as announcements about professional development and continuing education presentations, conferences, and events—and more! When someone responds to a message, unless they reply directly just to the person who sent the message, the responses are also received and viewed by all members of the community. This creates an open communication network among the ListServ members, and de facto, a virtual group discussion. Should you feel you’re receiving too many emails from the ListServ community, it’s easy to opt out. When you do, the emails stop immediately. ListServs are easy to join and to opt out. Here are some ListServs available locally, check them out: CAMFT Chapter ListServs San Gabriel Valley CAMFT E-Tree Long Beach-South Bay CAMFT Member-to-Member Email Service LA-CAMFT Private Facebook Group open to members of LA-CAMFT and non-members who are in or affiliated with Mental Health. With 1200 plus in the group, it’s a great place to get the word out about things, make requests, and have discussions. Glendale Area Mental Health Professionals ListServ GAMHPA ListServ Los Angeles County Psychological Association LACPA ListServ American Counseling Association ACA ListServ Joining ListServs in professional organizations and making and responding to posts is a wonderful way to market yourself, your expertise, your practice, or your services. Try it out and see for yourself! Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com When therapists talk about how to make their practices more successful, the first thing they want to know is how to get more clients and referrals. Good question, right?
The best answer about how to get the word out about you, your practice, and your work so you can get more paying clients, is to make sure your practice and contact information is clear and readily accessible to potential clients, colleagues, and referral sources whenever they need it. It’s a well-known fact that prospective clients and referral sources will only contact you if they know what your services are and they can easily locate your phone number to call or text you—or your email or social media page to write or message you. Pre-Covid, when professionals did a lot of face-to-face networking, business cards usually did the job of getting a therapist’s name, services, and contact information in front of people. Online, websites, directory listings, and social media pages did the heavy lifting of providing the therapist’s contact details so people could connect with them and make an appointment. With just about all professional events happening virtually now, it’s rare for therapists to exchange business cards, flyers, and practice swag—pens, note pads, Post-its—so a clinician’s contact details aren’t always close at hand. Yes, the information is still online for people to look up with Google or another search engine but that takes another few clicks and more time. People are impatient these days. Think about how many times someone has emailed you or you read an email and wanted to contact the person by phone or text or look at their website or social media and none of that information was available, sometimes not even their last name because their email address didn’t include their full name either. Did you do a search or did you skip it? Most people skip it so these referrals and opportunities are lost. What can a therapist do today to get their practice information and contact details out and in front of everyone’s eyes so their services are always top of mind and people can easily access the details whenever they have a question, want to connect, send a referral, talk to you about an opportunity or schedule a session? Here’s where email signatures shine bright today. Email signatures are the savvy clinician’s new secret weapon for convenient online professional networking and practice marketing. Think about it. How many emails are you sending and receiving these days? Each person you write or reply to professionally or in your community has the power to become a referral source or a client—but only if they have the right information about your practice and how to contact you. Today, the quickest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to disseminate your contact information, let people know about your work, and fill your practice, is to make the most of your email signature. Email signatures are the new business cards. They’re one of the best ways to present you, your services, and your contact information so it’s available whenever needed. A thoughtfully crafted email signature is a small but powerful marketing tool that makes it easy for people to know more about you and what you offer—and to contact you or refer someone to you. It’s a recurring thing that recipients of your emails see over and over again and that develops trust and recognition. What contact info needs to be in an email signature so that prospective clients and potential referral sources can contact you or refer someone to you? Email signatures should include all the ways there are to contact you professionally. Here are some examples. The Basic Email Signature: Include each of these.
The More Complex Email Signature: All the above 1-7 plus any of these that your ideal clients, colleagues, and referral sources use and make it easy for them to contact you.
Depending on your target audience and preferred clients, you can also list new services, special offerings, free consultations, event information, specific blog content, awards, professional association positions, etc. Anything that delivers value to colleagues, prospective clients and referral sources, other professionals, community members, and yes, even friends, neighbors, and relatives, can be embodied in an email signature. It is absolutely amazing how much value can be put into such a few lines at the end of an email. Crafted with your client, services, and profession in mind, your email signature holds the power to create a positive, professional image, and reinforce and extend your branding and marketing efforts. An added bonus is that you don’t have to hire a graphic designer, an app developer or a coder to put together your email signature and add it to your email footer. Additionally, there are plenty of excellent templates, generators, and editors to explore, many which are free. Have some fun exploring other clinician’s email signatures and then crafting your own. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping professionals develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. The beginning of the year is always the time for resolutions, and this holds true for private practice, too. The top resolutions mental health professionals tell me they’re making this year are still the same ones as last year increasing practice income, cultivating new connections and referral sources, how to make dealing with insurance less time consuming and stressful, how to attract more ideal clients through branding, and publishing that book you want to write.
Oh, and I almost forgot—how to add coaching to your practice. So, here are the five best books to help you and your practice meet your goals for more and better with less stress in your private practice this year! 1. Increasing Practice Income If your New Year’s resolution is increasing the income in your practice by money, doing good, and having fun, then Chellie Campbell’s From Worry to Wealthy: A Woman's Guide to Financial Success Without the Stress is the one for you. Reading this will help guide you to creating a richer and more fulfilling practice based on your values, interests, and needs. So if you’re interested in more income, time off, time for home and family, charging a fair price while contributing to the greater good, From Worry to Wealthy is a practical and friendly ticket to fulfilling that resolution. While you’re checking out Chellie’s book, check out her other ones which are equally great! The Wealthy Spirit and From Zero to Zillionaire. 2. Cultivating New Connections and Referral Sources If you are not a natural networker—most therapists find networking challenging—and would like your own personal guide for what to do to make new connections with others and to cultivate new referral sources, How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—In Person and Online by Susanne Roane will give you the guidance you need. This small book is the encyclopedia of how to easily and practically make connections with others whether you’re online or in person—just reading the table of contents is reassuring and encouraging! So whether you’re interested in opening lines for greeting and meeting, tips for introducing yourself and your practice or how to build bridges, bonds, and business relationships, check out How to Work a Room and find the answers you seek. 3. Make Dealing with Insurance Time Consuming and Less Stressful If your practice depends on insurance reimbursement as either an in-network or out-of-network provider, Barbara Griswold’s Navigating the Insurance Maze: The Therapist's Complete Guide to Working with Insurance—And Whether You Should is for you. Navigating the Insurance Maze is the must have reference for every therapist. This easy-to-use manual guides you through what every therapist needs to know about insurance—and answers the questions you have. Joining plans, instructions for claim forms, how to get more sessions approved, how to make appeals, common therapist mistakes, and how to stay out of trouble are all part of the great value of Barbara’s seventh edition. It’s well worth the price. 4. Attract More Clients Through Branding If your resolution for this year is to attract more clients—more ideal clients—to your practice then you'll be really interested in reading or listening on Audible to Robin Fisher Roffer’s Make a Name for Yourself: 8 Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success. Robin says it best on her Big Fish Marketing Website because it greets you with the words, “We guide you to write, tell, and live your greatest story.” Her book does just that. Make a Name for Yourself shows you how to easily identify your own unique traits and talents for career success and personal fulfillment. This friendly, fun, practical, and easy to apply book is like attending a workshop and learning the 8 steps that “unearth your authentic self to develop a brand that reflects your natural talents, abilities, and passions.” I recommend this book to practice coaching clients and every single one has said that they were very surprised by how much they enjoyed reading this book and how effective it was in helping them to identify what attracted the clients they love to work with—and to more easily and authentically, write, tell, and share the story of who they work with, why, and how they successfully work with those in their practice. 5. Publish That Book You Want to Write If writing and publishing that book you’ve been wanting to write is your resolution for this year then Sylvia Cary, LMFT’s The Therapist Writer: Helping Mental Health Professionals Get Published is the book you’re going to want. As Sylvia tells it, getting a book published can lead to more—more attention, referrals, business, and money. She’s also right when she says it’s one of the quickest ways for a therapist to become known as an expert. The Therapist Writer is a practical, useful, easy to use guide that helps you make your book idea into a completed manuscript. With Sylvia’s guidance—and she knows the ropes since she’s a local LMFT as well as a writer and book coach—you’ll figure out what to write, how to get it written, and how to market and sell it once its complete. If you’re wanting to have your book published, then this little volume belongs on your bookshelf. This is the book I recommend to those I train and coach who have a book on their wish list. Make yours happen this year by getting this one. Bonus: How to Add Coaching to Your Practice If you’re interested in how you can add coaching to your practice this year then David B. Ellis’ Life Coaching: A Manual for Helping Professionals is a good choice for you to purchase. This is one of the best overall coaching books I’ve come across, read, and used. It’s written to assist the currently practicing mental health professional—one who’s already been specifically trained as a counselor, minister or social worker—begin practicing as a life coach. Life Coaching, like the other books in this list, is a practical, easy to read and apply, step-by-step guide that helps therapists add coaching to their practices. One of the reasons I like this book is that David B. Ellis has an interesting approach to coaching. He doesn’t view it as merely skills training and advice, he views coaching as assisting people in creating their own solutions, arriving at their own answers, and discovering options for themselves through using a coaching framework and approach. This is a way of working that therapists can appreciate as well as enjoy when doing coaching work with clients. So now you have this recommended list to aid you in your goals for the year. Yes, it’s the same list I recommended last year. After looking over the books, I decided to share the list again because it is such a good one. Have fun in looking over these resources and choosing the one or ones that are right for you. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping professionals develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. The holiday season is a great time for marketing and networking that’ll fill your practice with the type of clients you love to work with by keeping you and your practice at the forefront of people’s minds. This type of marketing and networking works equally well for pre-licensed as well as licensed professionals.
What???? Yes, it’s true, Holiday Season Marketing works. Even during the pandemic. No mask wearing, vaccination or social distancing required. It doesn’t involve Zoom, video or phone. You don’t have to drive anywhere, park, register, pay for admission, dress professionally or talk to anyone . . . It doesn’t even have to cost much or take much time. What type of marketing and networking is this? Drumroll please . . . Sending a holiday card—or greeting. By email or snail mail. With or without a handwritten note or signature. Yes, a printed message and a printed signature works equally well. Emailing or Snail Mailing your referral sources or colleagues or mailing list an actual physical card or e-card or a short email message with or without a holiday template will keep you connected to your referral sources, colleagues, and even those new professionals you’ve met on Zoom or other online or in-person event. When you’re top of mind to colleagues and referral sources, you get referrals. Hate that idea? Then send a personalized email greeting message on a plain email or holiday email template. Three or four sentences will do. A hello greeting, wishing them well for the holiday or holiday season, thanking them for their client or job referrals—or expressing some kind of gratitude for the year or season, then closing. Sometimes professionals will send this type of email to a segment of former clients (who they have permission to email) and attach a pdf of or link to a helpful article or one they wrote. You’d be surprised how many of these clients send a referral or make an appointment for a session. It works equally well even when there is no holiday or holiday season. The type of card, message, greeting doesn’t matter, it’s the contacting and connecting through the card, e-card, email, newsletter, etc., that makes the difference. You don’t even have to send this to very many people for it to be effective—5 or 10 or 20 cards will do it. No need to send 100 for this type of marketing and networking to be effective. It can be personalized or not—this just depends on you, your budget, the amount of time you have, the type of practice you have (branding, niche), the type of referral sources and clients you work with. Think about it . . . It’s very budget friendly at any price point in any budget. While it takes a little time and effort to send these, it usually adds up to less time, effort and money than you were spending before stay-at-home orders—remember when you were driving in traffic to an early morning event that you paid $35-50 or more to attend? If you don’t want to do this yourself, and your marketing and networking budget allows it, you can hire a virtual assistant to send the e-cards or to snail mail cards signed, addressed and sent online or send actual snail mail cards that are put together—put in the envelope, addressed, stamp affixed, and mailed at the post office. If you don’t want to pick out the card or the printed message you can have the virtual assistant do that, too! Needless to say, to carry out sending a virtual or physical card you need to have the person’s email or physical address. Don’t forget many have given up physical offices but still have the address on their website or directory listing. If you aren’t sure that they are still at the physical location, then an e-card or email message is probably the best choice. For those who don’t want to spend any money or write anything or for those are on social media and want to only do a Facebook or Instagram holiday card or graphic, that’ll work, too—especially for those professionals near or far that you don’t have an email or physical address for. However, don’t rule out the power of receiving a snail mail card you hold in your hand and know the person made an effort to send to you—or an animated e-card that makes you laugh or feel calm and peaceful. People remember. A caveat . . . in picking out your card or writing your email message, be sure to be consciously inclusive of others who may not celebrate the same holiday as you do during the holiday season. While you don’t have to tailor your cards or messages specifically to your receiver’s holiday—although doing so is a nice touch if you are sure what holiday they celebrate (Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Christmas, etc.). Remember to check out the words as well as the graphic so that you don’t inadvertently send a word or visual greeting that includes a Christmas tree or Santa Claus to someone who doesn’t celebrate or believe in those traditions. An alternative to sending a holiday season greeting is to skip that altogether and send a New Year’s card. Either works. Cost Sending a snail mail card costs $2-$8 per card with envelope depending on the cost of the card itself, whether or not you have your name and or greeting printed on it and add postage on top of that. So, $3 to $10. And you have to buy stamps and take them to the post office to mail. Postage is 58 to 88 cents per envelope (Square envelopes are 88 cents—sigh . . . square cards are my favorite). There are also snail mail cards (Paper Source, MOMA, Hallmark, etc.) that can be bought ($3-$10) and sent online—with your actual signature and or note and no post office trip to buy stamps or send. These often play a song or have a pop-up graphic. E-cards cost less. Most e-card services are less that $50 per year for an unlimited number of cards that can be sent throughout the year, not just during a holiday season (Jacquie Lawson, 123 Cards, Doozy, etc.) An email message without any holiday graphic or template will do just fine and costs zero dollars. An email message with a holiday graphic or template can cost zero dollars (free plans) to $10 per month or $100-$120 per year (Canva, Adobe Spark, etc.) depending on the graphic app you use. The cost for most therapists to do this at the low end is going to be under $50; at the medium price point, $100-$150; at the higher end $200-$250. I just bought my Holiday Season and New Year cards for this year. Total cost of customized printed Paper Source cards to send 60 total for Holiday Season (preprinted message, name and website as signature, with envelopes) and New Year (no printing)—both for me to address and add postage to: $135. (Disclosure . . . I bought early for a 40% discount and free shipping.) Last year I sent 20 beautiful pop-up cards from MOMA and the total cost was $50. The cost of sending a an online or physical card--if you don't choose the no cost email option—is about the same as attending two or three in person networking events. It's more than likely that this year, you, like most therapists, spent a lot less on networking and marketing because you didn't attend any or attended just a few in-person networking events or attended online events. That same amount of money—the amount you would have spent on gas, parking costs, and registration fees—can go toward covering the costs of your holiday card and message. Try this out. It can be fun and creative. Consider sending some type of a card or greeting. If you even get 1 referral and only 1 session you will have covered your cost. Besides the cost for these cards is a tax-deductible business expense. A win-win. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com Currently with so many online video meetings, presentations, and events, most therapists are having to introduce themselves quite a lot. Get more clients, referrals, and job opportunities by making a positive professional impression when you introduce yourself, online or in-person, by including the right information.
Read on for tips to make the most of your introductions, tips that reveal little details you may want to include when you introduce yourself. As you read the following information, be sure to remember:
Tip 1: When you introduce yourself include all the information a person might need to find or contact you with a referral, job opportunity, speaking opportunity or something else:
Sometimes it may be possible to add an additional short sentence about you that personalizes your introduction a bit more. Sample: Tina Duvall, LMFT. At the Beverly Counseling Center I specialize in working with teens and young adults who have eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and anger management issues. Send me your angry teenagers, the angrier the better! They’re my favorite clients to work with. Tip 2: Whenever you ask a question verbally in an online group of more than five or an in-person event:
1. Whether online or in-person, it makes it easy for the speaker, moderator or person monitoring the chat to quickly pair your name with your face. Yes, you’re right, Zoom and other video features often have your name below the screen view of you. However, when you state your name first, the speaker or person monitoring the chat doesn’t have to take their attention away from looking at and listening to you, to read and process your name—and neither do the participants. Not only do people appreciate this, they tend to have a positive impression of you and they have a better chance of remembering your name the more times they hear you say it. 2. Both in-person and online, stating your full name allows the speaker to know you by name and to address you by name while answering your question. Any speaker appreciates being able to interact with a question asker by name—it makes the speaker look good without having to ask your name. Also if the speaker, or audience member, wants to connect with or contact you after the presentation, knowing your full name makes that possible. This is true for both online and in-person events. 3. Audience members appreciate knowing your full name. For in-person events, an audience member or the speaker may want to connect with you before you both leave and it makes it easier to find you at the venue or online after. Ditto for video. When someone knows your full name it makes it easy to look you up online. People may contact you with referrals, job opportunities, speaking or workshop presentation invitations, etc. 4. Don’t hurry saying your name to get to your question, take your time. We all need a moment, whether in-person or online, to shift our focus from one person to the next when someone is asking a question. If you hurry through your intro, it doesn’t allow people that extra moment they need to be able to register your name and your presence as well as the question you’re asking. 5. As you’re stating your name, this is the moment when everyone’s attention is on you. Utilize it. It’s a prime marketing moment for people to see you, hear you, and pair you with your name both online and in-person. A clear, focused, unhurried stating of your full name and professional designation before your question allows both the speaker and the audience members to experience you and hear your name and have the opportunity to remember it. Doing this activates people’s focal attention, which is a good thing. Tip 3: Type your name and contact information into the chat box after you introduce yourself online in a Zoom or other group video call. Full name, professional designation, place you work, location, website, email, phone, and pronouns if that fits for you; and three or four words about who you work with. Nothing else or people won’t read it. No more than 3 or 4 words or initials (EMDR, SE, TRM, etc.), or people will ignore it. Sample typed into chat box: Shuri Moore, LMFT, Santa Monica and Online, ShuriMoore.com, ShuriMore@gmail.com, 310.123.4567, GenZ & Millennial Women. Pronouns she, her, hers. In the chat at the end of your contact info you could also add something about how to contact you, i.e., Contact by email or text is best. Tip 4: Whenever you are at an in-person event and introduce yourself or ask a question from your seat at a small table, STAND UP.
Tip 5: For professional events, make sure your screen name is your full name, not just your first name or nickname.
That’s all for today on how to make the most of your introductions to fill your practice and further your career. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. Therapists are always wanting to know what they can easily do to keep their practice full, their clients happy, their income high, their expenses low, their license safe, and their services competitive.
Here are the top three things therapists can do to have a robust practice, a professional support system, and peace of mind:
1. Join and Get Involved in Your Professional Association Whenever I tell therapists that belonging to and getting involved with their local, state, and professional associations by attending events and volunteering is the number one thing that will save them money, get them known in their community, keep their practices full, their referral sources plentiful, and their clinical work up-to-date legally, ethically, and clinically—and more, they are very surprised. Invariably a very lively, interesting, and informative discussion about how professional associations help meet the needs of therapists in practice follows—a very eye-opening one for those who haven’t been aware of the how the benefits of membership, participation, and volunteering sustain therapists and their practices. Most therapists look at joining a professional association as a necessary evil that takes money out of their pocket for dues so they can get member pricing for continuing education hours—and access to general legal advice if they have a question or problem. Professional associations are so much more than that. Check out the short articles in this section to discover why joining and volunteering for your local, state, or national professional organization is a really good use of your time, energy, and money—and how it will keep your practice profitable. I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 1. 23 Reasons To Join Your Professional Associations Today 2. Important Reasons for Getting Involved with Psychology Associations 3. Benefits of Joining Professional Organizations for Counselors 4. 3 Reasons to Get Involved in Professional Organizations 2. Find & Join A Peer Consultation Group Having a regular peer consultation group is one of the joys of being a therapist. The mental health professionals I know who belong to these groups and attend regularly consider them vital to their own wellbeing and that of their practice, too. Having a place among peers that’s safe and confidential where you can share about yourself professionally, your clients, and your practice, offer feedback and have interactions with other professionals in the group, enhances clinical learning through exposure to multiple perspectives and new ideas—and keeps burnout, professional isolation, and loneliness at bay. Peer support is of great value at any stage of your career—and the peer interaction further develops your professional sense of self. Clearly these group experiences are crucial tools for success as a therapist. Sharing about cases, clients, clinical and professional experiences; therapy and marketing and business strategies/issues/tips; emotional and social support, and more—this is what peer consultation is all about. Get some for yourself. Read on and find out which of these short articles speaks to you and your practice needs. 1. For Therapists: How to Find a Peer Consultation Group 2.The Power of Peer Groups 3. 9 Benefits Of A Peer Consultation Group 4. Peer Consultation: If It’s Wednesday It Must Be Group Night 3. Set Up A Professional Will for Your Practice Having a plan in place that takes care of your clients and manages your practice’s clinical and business affairs should something happen to you that interferes with you doing that is what a professional will is all about. While putting a professional will together takes a little thinking and planning, it brings peace of mind to the practitioner when it’s in place. Knowing that your practice will be taken care of and that your family members won’t be burdened with having to figure out what to do to legally and ethically to take care of your clients and manage your practice due to your illness, disability, or death, will bring you peace of mind. Here are 5 short articles that describe and detail what Preparing a Professional Will For Your Practice entails. See which one is the most helpful and informative for you and your practice. 1. How (and Why) to Prepare a Professional Will for Your Therapy Practice 2. Therapist's Guide For Preparing a Professional Will 3. Prepare for the Unexpected by Having a Professional Will 4. Your Professional Will: Why and How to Create 5. How to Prepare for the Unexpected: Creating a professional will can help you protect your patients and put your affairs in order Now you know some of the secrets I use that keep me inspired—and my practice full, my referral sources plentiful, and my clients receiving top-of-the-line clinical services. See which ones work for you. ©2021 Lynne Azpeitia Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com orwww.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. Private practice success is on therapist’s minds—and wish lists—wherever I am these days. Associates want to work in a good paying supervised private practice. Students and trainees want to know what they can do now so they’re in the best position for private practice when the time comes. Licensed therapists want affordable offices, many clients, and enough income to pay their business expenses, have a vacation, and to support themselves financially.
Each therapist wants to have an affordable, successful private practice in a preferred location when the time is right—and everyone wants to know how to make this happen as quickly as possible. LMFTs, LCSW’s, LPCCs, Psychologists, and Associates have many effective, low cost, and practical tools at their disposal to build, develop, or revitalize their private practices. While trainees and students are not permitted to work a private practice, there are many things they can do today to set things up for the time they’re permitted to practice privately when licensed or as a Registered Associate under supervision. The information shared here comes from my full time private practice experience, as well as time spent teaching, training, supervising, and doing private practice coaching with licensed mental health professionals—and lessons learned from interacting with LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, Psychologists, Associates, Psych Assistants, trainees, and students during the past 10+ years while being an active participant in several professional organizations as well as a board member and event attendee. How Do I Get Started? I have no clients and can’t afford a full-time office. Licensed Therapists are smart about private practice. We know how costly it can be to set up an office full time on our own, so we share offices and rent space to each other to defray our costs and to keep each other company. Entrepreneurial therapists sometimes lease a suite with a few offices and then rent them out to therapists full time, part time or hourly—or start a group practice and hire Licensed Therapists on salary or pay a per hour rate to serve the clients referrals that the group practice generates from business marketing efforts. There are many options for licensed therapists to choose from to begin a private practice. Here are some:
Many in the therapist community are under the impression that the most common type of private practice for a Licensed Therapist is a full time one, where they lease their own office. While this was largely true until the early 2000s, the most prevalent form of private practice today is where the Licensed Therapist is employed full or part time at a counseling related entity and has a part time private practice in a shared office or one rented by the hour, half or full day. If you want a full time private practice where you have your own office, you don’t have to start with that. You can start your practice while working full or part time and renting space hourly and then gradually build up your practice. You can increase your office time as your client flow increases. When you have enough clients and can afford the overhead then you can move to a full time practice with your own office if you choose. Many therapists have transitioned to full time private practice this way. How do you find these office leasing or subletting opportunities? Get to know those who share or rent out office space in an area where you’d like to have your practice. While you can look at ads in professional publications or postings on Social Media Websites for Therapists, most offices are rented by word of mouth or through professional connections. Get to know these professionals in your community and before you know it you’ll have the office setting that’s just right for you. Private Practice Success Factors Ultimately, private practice success depends on these six factors: 1. Location of your office—Physical or OnlineIs it where your clients are and can easily travel or go online to see you? 2. Your referral sources, including your website, webpage, and/or directory listing(s) and social media. Can potential clients and referral sources easily find you and contact you online right away when they need your services? 3. Parking—If you’re in a physical location. Video Platform—If you’re online. Is parking easy and inexpensive for clients. If this seems silly, think about places you’ve stopped going because parking is difficult or expensive. Is your video platform easy to access and use? Is it reliable? Does it freeze or lose audio or have tech difficulties often? 4. Knowing your numbers
I hope you’ve found this information to be helpful and encouraging as you create, maintain, or upgrade your private practice. Private practice success is doable but it does take planning, skill, and ongoing effort. I wish you much success in your private practice endeavors, whether online or in person Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. Therapists want to know the secret to private practice success—filling one with enough clients to pay for the business, support ourselves, take a vacation, and save some money. Private practice success is doable with planning, skill, and the right kind of ongoing effort.
Five Key Tools for Private Practice Success
1. Your Introduction What you say or write when introducing yourself online or in person is a very useful tool for letting people know who you are, where you work, who you work with—vital info for those looking to employ you, refer clients or have you as a therapist. You may be surprised to learn how many therapists introduce themselves by just saying their first name—not where they work or who they work with as clients. How can people find you or know who they can refer without this info? Say your full name, license or professional status, type of work, office location or work place, and who you work with—or would like to. This gives people the right information to connect and refer. Introductions don’t have to be fancy, just key information delivered in a calm, friendly, professional manner: Eric Hernandez, Registered Associate MFT, at the West Hollywood Counseling Center where I counsel gay men and their partners under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Cohen. Lisa Chan, MFT Trainee, with School Counseling Services. I counsel middle school students and their parents in Silverlake. Tina Martinez, LCSW is my supervisor. Matt Samson, student at Pepperdine’s Encino Campus. I’m interested in working with men and anger management in the Culver City area. Jen Harvey, Licensed MFT. I work at Harbor House in Van Nuys treating adults with addictions and have a Telehealth/private practice in Sherman Oaks working with teens and their parents.. If you’re typing the intro online, list your website last, so people can click on it. Getting the word out about your services is a community service. Make sure your community knows how you can be of service to them—and how to find you when they need your services. 2. Your Business Card, Email Signature or Online Profile For in person interactions, your business card, including your email address, is a good marketing and connecting tool for clients, colleagues, referral sources, other business people, and professionals. Online, your email signature or social media profile info is your business card. Licensed therapist’s business info:
Your email address is a must. Clients, colleagues, and others want to be able to connect via e-mail, text, phone. Use a business, not personal, email on your card. Save time, make a good impression, by not having to write it on the card. Make sure the printing is large so it can be read quickly and easily. Associates and Trainees wanting a business card including this information should check with their supervisor and the organization they work for about their requirements. For an Associate or Trainee business card for networking, I recommend the personal calling card format:
You can pass the calling card out to colleagues and others so they can contact you about jobs, organizations or other information. I don’t recommend you give it to potential clients, just use it for networking purposes—it makes a better impression than writing your info on a piece of paper. 3. Your Contacts, Referral Sources & Resources Who you know, those who know you, and those who refer to you are a valuable resource in filling a practice. Building your contact list, email list, referral sources, followers, and resource list is a long-term project. Start today! Students who start this will have a good head start—don’t wait until you’re licensed to build the list of people who you know, who know about you, and the work you do. Who’s on your contacts list? Colleagues, licensed and pre-licensed therapists you know, counseling centers, current and former supervisors, graduate program instructors, business people you do business with, medical and dental professionals you do business with or refer to, friends, family members, neighbors, members of your church/temple/mosque, members of organizations you or your family belong to, social contacts, community contacts, etc. Online these are your social media contacts—followers, friends, members of the groups you have or belong to. Each is a potential referral source for your practice. Find a way to keep contact and keep them current on you and your practice. Whenever they send you a referral, thank them with a handwritten note or an e-mail or even a call—no client name necessary so confidentiality isn’t an issue. 4. Your Website or Other Online Presence You’ll most likely need some online presence to maintain your practice since most clients who are willing to pay or use their insurance find therapists online. Think of your website or webpage, blog, podcast, TikTok, YouTube Channel, FB Page, Instagram, etc., as your online office. Ask any therapist with a thriving practice—most will report a high percentage of clients come from sources online. Think about it, people save time by searching online. Give prospective clients a website or other page to become informed about services. Even if they find you in a directory, prospective clients will look at your website or other web presence before they contact you. Many therapists think a website is expensive. This is not the case. You don’t need to spend a lot for a website to attract clients. However, you do need at least a page or a few pages/videos/audios for clients to find or check you out when they’re referred. Clients like to see a picture or video, read something about you, your services—and e-mail you from your website. If you are going to have enough paying clients, having a website or page is a necessity. There are many free or very low cost services for creating a professional looking website. It’s fairly easy, no coding necessary. Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, and others provide these. Check them out—ask colleagues or friends about their experiences. If you decide to pay for a website, contact therapists you know who have websites you like—ask who designed it, what they paid—or search online and see who designed the websites you like, then contact them. If you are pre-licensed—especially if you’re a student—I suggest you have at least a page with your name, license status, contact information—with your own domain name. If your page says that mentions or counseling you’ll have to include a supervisor’s name and information. If you don’t want a webpage or think that you can’t afford to spend any money, consider a blog. Blogs are free at Blogger.com—you can direct people to that to check out your practice information. TikTok, FB, Insta, YouTube are free, too. 5. Your Online Listing in a Paid or Free Directory Having a listing in a few online directories helps. Do consider that paying for a directory listing can be a good investment in reaching potential clients. Clients find you when you’re listed in a therapist directory since they advertise and promote aggressively so they’re first in online searches. If you don’t want to pay for an online listing like Psychology Today, there are many free directory listings. CAMFT and AAMFT Clinical members have a listing as a membership benefit. Listings are also not limited to licensed therapists. Many sites have pre-licensed listings, but you must include supervisor information. I hope you’ve found this information helpful and encouraging as you create, maintain, or upgrade your practice. I wish you much success in your private practice endeavors. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. Talking with clients about therapy services, cost, and payment—and the importance of making and keeping regular appointments—is a vital part of therapy. Finding the right words to use professionally and clinically to convey the value of these services and the appropriate cost, timeframe, and involvement—is key to the success of every therapist’s private practice.
However, today many therapists are finding that they must spend significant time and energy to reset a client’s, or prospective client’s, expectations for therapy with regard to cost, frequency, duration, participation, and involvement in the therapy process. As a result of these challenging money-driven clinical conversations, many therapists have reduced their rates significantly—and are undercharging and being paid too little for therapeutic services. Unfortunately, it is a common misperception that charging as little as possible is the best strategy for attracting new clients and filling a practice. However, undercharging and underearning can seriously harm your practice if you are mainly providing low-cost offerings to clients—you and the work you do aren’t valued by many of these low-paying clients, you still need a lot of clients, and any new client makes very little difference to your income. If you’re in private practice you have a responsibility to work with enough clients who can pay your rates and keep you and your practice solvent so you can do the work you were meant to do instead of spending all your time and energy trying to fill a practice. Therapists are tired of undercharging and underearning. They want to work less, earn more—and make a bigger difference. More and more therapists are seeking out clinical and practice coaching so they can take charge of clinical money conversations and refocus them on the value, relief, and life/relationship/health changing/enhancing, conflict/anxiety/depression reducing benefits that clients are seeking from one-on-one therapy work with a trained professional—and they charge more and are paid accordingly. Their income increases, they attract more clients, they fill their practice. Therapists deserve to earn a good living for the work they do. The Wording You Use Can Make Difference in Your Income As in any clinical endeavor, the words you use to describe your services do make a difference. In this case, the amount a client is willing to pay for therapy with a trained professional—and in order to receive the desired result/relief/outcome. Yes, the meaning your words convey can either increase or decrease the amount of money you are paid for therapy. You’ll find that most people will pay in full and out of their own pocket for your services, when they believe you are the professional who can give them what they want—and the wording you use to describe your services conveys that. Money Talk: Words & Phrases to Consider Here are some examples of words that can make a difference in income when a clinician talks, writes, or communicates about therapy or money matters—and how and why these words can affect the perceived value, and subsequently, the amount a person is willing to pay for the therapy services provided by a clinician. This information applies equally to face-to-face conversations in real time or virtually, to emails, texts, social media postings, and what’s printed in marketing materials or is on your website. Each one of these words and phrases can have a direct effect on the amount a client pays for your clinical services. As you read the following information, be sure to remember:
Many therapists, clients, and lay people refer to therapy as: help, support, advice, listening, guidance, appointment, etc. When it comes to the amount of money a client is willing to pay for each of those ‘services,’ the perceived value and worth is low since these are things that non-professionals—friends, colleagues, neighbors, parents, siblings, online forums, etc.—can, and do, provide. Exceptions to these are: professional help/support/advice/guidance. These have a higher perceived value of worth to clients. Contrast the words: help, support, advice, etc., with the following ones that have a higher perceived value and worth: session, service, psychotherapy, counseling, treatment, recovery, consultation. Now combine them: psychotherapy session . . . therapy session . . . counseling session . . . psychotherapy services . . . therapy services . . . therapeutic services . . . professional services . . . depression treatment . . . anxiety treatment . . . bipolar treatment . . . trauma recovery . . . professional consultation . . . etc. These terms mean business. They are definite and professional—and position you as trained and capable professional of delivering the services they need. Other terms can be added when appropriate: licensed, certified, approved, supervised by, etc. Yes, clients will pay you more for your service when these words are added. Here are two examples of lower perceived value wording: my services, services I provide. However, when you add other words to those phrases you come out with higher perceived value: psychotherapeutic /psychotherapy services I provide. Add another certifier to that and you then have the highest perceived value: psychotherapy conducted by a licensed psychotherapist/clinician. What word or terms do you, and your clients, prefer—or use—to talk about or describe the services you provide? Which would you or your clients pay a higher amount for? 2. Ask, Get, Take, Accept, Charge I ask $ . . . What I ask is $ . . . How much do you get for a session? I can take $ . . . The fee I accept is . . . I charge $ . . . What I charge is . . . What do you charge? Are you asking or is it the cost? Are you asking or is it the price? Be professional and definite: “The cost is . . ." not “What I ask is . . .” State what the cost is for. “The charge/price/cost for/of the 60-minute session is . . .” Here it’s important to remember that a client doesn’t “give you money,” a client pays for services rendered. You earned the money by providing services to the client—services provided by a highly-trained professional as we have quite a bit of education, training, skills, and experience, not to mention licensure or supervision by a licensed person. Therapists deserve a fair rate of professional compensation. Here are some alternative words and phrases to consider when stating the prices for services in your practice. Using these terms positions you and the services you offer as confident and of high value and worth: The PRICE is . . . The COST is. . . The RATE is . . . The AMOUNT for that is . . . The session price is . . . The session cost is . . . The session rate is . . . The Price/Cost/Rate/Amount/Charge for that service is Decide for yourself what fits you, your clients, and your practice best. Try a few of the phrases out. See what fits you best. 3. Free, discounted, reduced, lower “No charge,” “no cost,” and “complimentary” are better terms for practice success than the word “free” which seems to mean to people that your services aren’t worth much and they should expect to receive all your services “for free,” all the time. Discounted, discount, and reduced rate are popular words but aren’t the best for practice success as they train people to always ask for “a discount” or reduction. A better choice in wording is “special” price/pricing or “introductory’ pricing, “a special offer” or even, “a limited time offer.” With these words and phrases, people associate your services as something of worth that are available at this pricing for a limited amount time. Sometimes people ask if you have a “lower” fee or if you will “lower” the fee or even, “What’s your lowest fee?” Some better alternative words and phrases are an “adjusted” fee or “special pricing” or “professional courtesy” pricing or even “college student, unemployed, etc.” pricing. It’s important for mental health professionals as a profession to not train people to expect us to always reduce, discount, lower or charge the lowest fees just because a client wants but doesn’t actually need an adjusted fee. It’s important that therapists, as a profession, maintain a reputation for being paid well for the good work they do—work that’s worth every dollar they’re paid. It’s not a good thing for therapists to be known for charging the lowest rates in town to anyone who asks even when they don’t need a price adjustment. 4. Fee Scale—Prices, Pricing, Rates, Fee Range When talking numbers around the amounts you charge for your services, most therapists find it’s better received to refer to pricing, prices, and rates, as a “price range” instead of a “fee scale.” Using the term “price range” is associated with “a range of services and pricing.” People seem to understand that concept easily. “A price range” connotes choices and options whereas “fee scale” suggests some type of ranking or judgement. That’s enough for today about money matters and getting paid. Try a few of these out and see what happens. Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com. |
Lynne Azpeitia, LMFTFor 10+ years Lynne Azpeitia has helped therapists to live richer and happier lives through her workshops, private practice and career coaching, and her practice consultation groups which train, support, and coach licensed therapists, interns & students how to create and maintain a successful, thriving clinical practice and a profitable career Archives
February 2022
Categories
All
|
|
|
Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT (310) 828-7121
AAMFT Approved Supervisor
Coaching Clinicians for Practice & Career Success
Online and In-Person
3025 W. Olympic Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90404
&
Phone, FaceTime & Video Sessions Available for Coaching
Coaching, Workshops, Training & Consultation
www.lapracticedevelopment.com
Psychotherapy
Online and In-Person
&
Business, Personal, & Creative Coaching
Specializing in Coaching & Psychotherapy for
GIFTED, TALENTED & CREATIVE ADULTS
www.gifted-adults.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2017-2021 Lynne Azpeitia All Rights Reserved