26: 8 Myths Therapists in Private Practice Face

Therapists face so many hurdles--internal and external--that prevent them from growing profitable private practice that sustain them financially. In this season 1 finale, I'll tackle where these myths come from and what you can do to overcome them. I'll be back with season 2 soon!

In this season one finale, I’m covering the eight myths I’m fairly certain all private practice therapists hear. In this podcast, I’m breaking down why these myths are problematic and how they hold private practice owners from growing their practices.

1. You didn't go into this field to make money Therapists have at least a graduate degree in order to practice therapy. This means, in addition to a bachelors and 2-year speciality graduate degree, there are also several years of practice underneath the umbrella of a supervisor. We are the only mid-level healthcare provider that is routinely told they shouldn’t make money.

2. Therapists who go into private practice are in it for the wrong reason This fuels the myth that therapists should be martyrs and that the only way to be a good clinician is to make pennies. This simply isn’t true! Many private practice therapists have to go into private practice because agencies, school, or hospitals don’t have space for them to practice in their niche.

3. You'll never get a full caseload if you don't accept insurance I wish our healthcare and insurers actually made it worth my while to accept insurance. The reality is that most insurance providers reimburse at low rates, make it difficult to get payment, and claims are often rejected. You can absolutely have a full caseload if you don’t accept insurance.

4. You have to work nights and weekends if you want to be full This is an ok thing to do ONLY when you are starting out, if it works for you, and is time-limited. AKA maybe do it for the first 3-6 months, then shift to your ideal schedule (unless of course, nights and weekends are your ideal schedule, then be my guest!).

5. Taking time off means you'll harm your clients In private practice, most of us aren’t seeing super high-risk clients.

6. If you don't hit 6-figures, your practice isn't successful Barf. We don’t use blanket statements with our clients as therapists; don’t fall for the notion that you need to be hitting a certain blanket number to be successful.

7. Disclosing things about yourself is un-therapeutic Lead with who you are helps to build trust from potential clients and helps you to stand out from other therapists on therapist directories.

8. You can't raise your rates or your clients will see someone else You are charging speciality rates because you are a specialist. Not everyone is an ideal client, and that’s ok. If someone leaves you (to date, none of my clients have left me over a fee raise) then there are plenty of other clients who can afford you and will pay your full fee.