The Private Practice Pro - Kelley Stevens

When I first realized this simple truth it blew my mind 🤯 I know some very talented clinicians who have empty practices. If your ideal clients can’t find you, they will never know how awesome you are! So, tell me in the comments, what is one thing you can commit to doing to market your practice this week?

Do you work from home, in an office, or both? I'm curious to know! Tell me in the comments 🧐

✨Here are my top tips for preventing loneliness as a teletherapist ✨

1. Schedule at least one lunch per week with another therapist. This is a great marketing opportunity but also forces you to get out of your house and connect with other people.
2. Consider, starting for joining a therapist consultation group. If you don’t want to start one of your own, I highly recommend tell the therapist net work.
3. Take time to really figure out whether providing therapy from home works best for you. Some people love working from home. That’s me 🤗But other therapists thrive in office environments and don’t be afraid to get an office if that’s what you and your clients need!

Send this to your therapist bestie who always procrastinates their CEUs 🫣 Oh and if someone could send this to me in October that would be great 😂

❤️Double tap ❤️if you agree. And comment the words WAITLIST LINK to score a spot in my new marketing course launching January 8th!

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Creating strong connections with other therapists, doctors, lawyers, and community leaders was a game-changer for my private practice AND clients. 💼🌍 Although I’m a massive fan of online marketing, I believe the most SUSTAINABLE and quickest way to build a full practice is through relationship building 🌺

Imagine this: a therapist friend refers a client to you because they know your expertise perfectly matches that specific client and is outside their scope. In return, you send clients their way, ensuring they receive care from a specialist in their pain points. It's a beautiful cycle of support and collaboration that uplifts everyone involved. 🙌❤️

So, reach out to fellow professionals, attend networking events, invite other therapists to coffee, and build professional friendships. Together, you can create a web of support, deliver exceptional care to your clients and make a lasting impact in your community🌟❤️

Who else finds it tricky to balance your private practice and home life? I do! One of the hardest parts of a career as a private practice therapist is learning to set healthy boundaries between work and home! Often we feel guilty for enforcing our no-show policy, refusing to schedule appointments outside of our normal hours, or not providing phone support between sessions. However, through the years I've found that having strong boundaries around my time and my clinical work actually helps me to be a better clinician. It models boundaries for my clients and allows me to rest and prevent burnout. What is one boundary that helps you stay balanced? Tell me in the comments!

Hey Therapists 👋 Creating a therapy office requires us to balance coziness with professionalism 🙌 What office accessories can you not live without? Tell me in the comments!

Therapist, please tell me what your historically slowest month of the year is. Do you notice any trends in your business?
📱  I was talking to one of my therapist besties on the phone today, and she was expressing fear that she had a couple of clients leave and hasn’t had many referrals in the last few weeks.
✌️ She is genuinely one of the most successful therapists I know, and I see her as an example of what it means to have an established well, running practice.
🥰 What’s the lesson here? All therapists experience ups and downs in their census and referral flow. That’s just a normal part of doing business! The secret is to not panic during the low times. Stay consistent with your marketing, continue reaching out, and soon you will be flooded with clients again. Enjoy the slow times. Rest.

Hey therapist, I’m curious to know your answer to this. There’s no right or wrong, so please be respectful in the comments.
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 Today, in my stories, I shared how I respond when a client asks my age. I had multiple people reach out and ask how I would respond if a client asked if I believed in God.
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In my private practice, I typically take this question on a case-by-case basis. I don’t have a one size fits all answer.
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So I wanted to hear from you! Let’s put our brains together and respectfully discuss ways to answer this question in session.

Have you struggled with the two niche dilemma? Tell me in the comments! If you’re still struggling to figure out your niche, commebtbthe word NICHE and I'll DM you the link to check out my niche workbook.

When I first opened my practice, I believed that I needed to attend every networking meeting, have 10k followers on Instagram, and have 30 or 40 therapists who referred to me. My supervisor (a highly skilled clinician and business person) told me that the secret was to have just 4-5 quality referral sources who trust your clinical skills and value your professional friendship. It took me a few years to really understand what he meant by that. Lasting referral relationships can take time to cultivate. Often the best referents are other professionals who have come to trust and value your clinical knowledge, skills and experience. If you haven't yet found people who constantly refer to your practice....try these things:
1. Take time to really get to know a few other therapists, doctors, lawyers, or school counselors who you know and respect.
2. Make sure you really get to know them. Learn about their career histories, families, and passions.
3. Go out of your way to reach out to them and send them articles or books that might interest them.
4. When they send that first referral make sure to call them and thank them for the referral. If they are also involved in the case make sure to give them updates and provide the best clinical care possible.

I asked you guys to tell me your private practice goals! What stood out to me was how different each of your goals was! Building a business is a lot like building a life; we are all at different points on the journey ✨ So, no matter where you are on your journey, I hope you take a moment to dream BIG and start planning out your next steps!

Thank you for this great private practice marketing tip Make sure to save this guys!

SAVE this post 🙌
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I LOVE getting DM’s from therapists sharing their secrets to private practice success!
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Yesterday, I got a DM from Destiny Morris of , sharing exactly how she filled her cash pay Private Practice! No gatekeeping here! Let’s support each other! In the comments, tell us how you filled your private practice!
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Destiny is a therapist in CA who specializes in first responders. You can contact her at

🔥 Tell me your 2024 predictions! And let's chat in the comments 🔥

Use the code: FRIDAY for a whopping 50% discount on my Private Practice Roadmap Course and Essential Paperwork Packet!

What's more? The Roadmap Course is getting an exciting bundle of fresh videos this January, and if you secure your purchase now, you'll receive these updates for FREE before the price hike!

Act fast! we're opening up a limited number of slots for this sale and once those slots are filled, the sale will be closed.

FAQs:
- Please note, this code can't be applied retroactively
- If vou're a therapist just starting in private practice or looking to launch your practice, this course is tailor-made for you. Stay tuned for my upcoming marketing course in January, ideal for those aiming to grow and fill their established practices.
- One more reason to love it - you can log in repeatedly, and every time the course receives a fresh video or update, you'll snag it for free.

Private practice requires us to wear many hats. We are entrepreneurs, business owners, clinicians, bloggers, teachers, writers, and more! Comment below and tell me what hats you wear in your business.

Please take a moment to share how you tackled health insurance in your practice in the comments. ❤️ This is one of the biggest things that holds therapists back from opening their practice 👍When I first started out, I was so afraid to not have health insurance 😳But then one of my friends connected me to local health I insurance agent 👍I got quotes, realized I could afford the plan I wanted with the money I would earn in private practice, and took the leap 😁 It was so much simpler than I made it out to be in my mind. So simple in fact, that I actually kept my own health insurance for a year even after I got married. The secret to tackling the health insurance question is RESEARCH. Find an insurance agent in your state that will give you quotes on what your personal health insurance will cost. Then, you need to add this to your private practice BUDGET! Next, you need to contact your CPA and find out if you can write off your health insurance (hint: my CPA allows me to write mine off). It is so much simpler than you might imagine if you take the time to do the research!

🎉 Use the code LASTCHANCE50 to get a whopping 50% discount on my Private Practice Roadmap Course and Essential Paperwork Packet!

🚀 What's more? The Roadmap Course is getting an exciting bundle of fresh videos this January, and if you secure your purchase now, you'll receive these updates for FREE before the price hike! 📈

🔥 Act fast! This flash sale will come to a close at the stroke of midnight on Sunday, so don't miss out 🎂 🍰

🤔 FAQs:
- Please note, this code can't be applied retroactively 😢

- If you're a therapist just starting in private practice or looking to launch your practice, this course is tailor-made for you. Stay tuned for my upcoming marketing course in January, ideal for those aiming to grow and fill their established practices.

- One more reason to love it - you can log in repeatedly, and every time the course receives a fresh video or update, you'll snag it for free. 📺🔄

https://theprivatepracticepro.thrivecart.com/the-private-practice-roadmap/

Did anyone ever tell you that you needed a doctorate to have a successful practice? I want to hear your thoughts on this in the comments. When I was in grad school, a colleague told me I'd never have a successful practice without a doctorate 🤪 I wanted to continue on with my education, but I already had massive loans from my masters...I wasn't willing to risk taking on more. I knew I didn't want to do assessments, teach in a tenure track position, or do research. I wanted to have a private therapy practice. Right after graduation, I started working in a group private practice, and I was SHOCKED when I learned the doctorate level therapists charged the EXACT SAME as the masters level therapists. A doctorate degree is an incredible accomplishment. And I often think about going back to school 🍎 🎓, but NOT because it will allow me to have a more successful practice.

Therapists tell me one piece of hidden work that you do to run your private practice? Here's mine. I keep a spreadsheet of everyone who refers to my private practice, notes about our relationship, and the last time I spoke with them.

I really love hearing your thoughts on these topics! Let me know what you think in the comments. There are many myths in the world of therapy. One of the biggest myths is that it is impossible to make a good living while remaining ethical as a therapist. I believe that as therapists we have the unique opportunity to make a good living while serving others.
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Here are a few ideas of how to do that:
1. Open cash pay private practice but maintain 5 sliding scale spots in your practice.
2. Open a primary cash-pay private practice but decide to be on one insurance panel to create greater accessibility for individuals who want in-network services.
3. Open an entirely cash-pay practice but find other ways to give back such as (hosting a free psychoeducational podcast, donating a percentage of your profits to mental health nonprofits, or volunteering a couple of hours a week at a community mental health center.)
4. Open an insurance-based practice, and expand your earnings by offering online courses, serving as a guest speaker, writing books etc.
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Every therapist must decide on their own boundaries, schedules, niches, and fees. But I'm here to tell you that it completely possible to make a good living as a therapist while still giving back to your community and practicing ethically.

Save this post to reference while looking at your webpage. Now is the time to take an unbiased look at your private practice webpage. Is it cluttered? Is it just a giant list of your accomplishments? Your website should be a warm and inviting place where your ideal client can clearly hear how you are uniquely gifted to help them! If you haven’t already done it, ask a good friend to give you objective feedback about what you could do to make your website better. Remember your webpage is one of the only pieces of marketing material that works hard for you while you doing other things. So make sure it really speaks to your ideal client!

SAVE THIS POST. Are your private practice's finances organized, clear, and easy to understand? If not, now is the time to get things organized. The first step is opening a business checking and savings account. These accounts help you to keep your private practice and personal expenses separate. I enjoy having business savings account because each month I can transfer the money I need to save for taxes into that account.

Comment below and tell me what it felt like when you got your very first private practice client. Anyone, new to private practice, read the comments for wisdom. 🙌 Often, we look at other therapists in private practice think things like:
1. I can't do what they do.
2. They must have some special skill I don't have.
3. They must have a lot of startup money.
4. They must have tons of clients.
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But the truth is that every single private practice therapist started with just ONE client. I love private practice because it allows us to be entrepreneurs with minimal startup costs. While other businesses require huge cash investments, you can start a private practice with relatively little cash put down. Now, I do recommend having savings or an alternate income stream while you build your business...but in the grand scheme of businesses, private practices require relatively little overhead. This means that you can start out small. You can start with just one client! If someone tells you that it's impossible to start a private practice....run.I'm here to tell you it isn't impossible. Private practice is just a series of steps you take to build a business! And one of those first steps involves seeing your first client! You got this.

I refuse to sacrifice my financial health to compensate for the inadequacies of a broken healthcare system. What does that mean? I'm no longer willing to work for a salary that prevents me from making student loan payments. I refuse to accept insurance reimbursements that are incommensurate with my training, experience, and education. Instead of working for less than I deserve, I vote for politicians that fund mental health programs. I keep four $15/session spots in my practice for low-income clients. I donate to mental health non-profits. While these actions alone are not sufficient to solve our country's mental health accessibility inequities, I am no longer willing to sacrifice my financial health to compensate for the lack of responsibility taken by insurance companies, our government, and tech companies.

Do you feel lost on where to start with your online marketing? I suggest picking one or two online marketing tools and sticking to them. Consistency is key when it comes to marketing your private practice online. I've tagged some of my favorite online resources below ⤵️
1. Here are some of the mental health podcasts I love. Check them out
2. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) connects journalists seeking expertise to include in their content with sources who have that expertise.

🙌Save this post 🙌to reference when you write your about page. Sometimes our "about" page is the first glimpse clients get about us 💕 Your goal is to convey to your ideal clients that you are uniquely equipped to help them face their struggles. When writing your about page, don't forget to keep this in the front of your mind. Comment below and tell me who your ideal client is and how you help them thrive!