The biggest challenge for me (and most therapists, I think) was how to get clients for my practice. In the beginning, I attempted the route of the seasoned therapists I had around me. I tried to get onto insurance panels as they were. I tried to market myself to doctor’s offices as they did. I did a lot of networking with potential referral sources such as victim compensation, etc. I didn’t have very much luck with any of these efforts.

The solution came out of promise I made to myself that I would use the office time and childcare that I was paying for towards building my practice. Even if I had no clients, I went to the office each week. Sometimes I did the activities mentioned above. Other times, I worked on my website and continuing to hone and whittle down to my current specializations. Through this practice marketing, particularly in building my online presence, I eventually began to see a steady stream of clients.

Now, I am glad that those insurance panels didn’t accept me as a provider. I am glad that I’ve identified my niche so clearly that I know that physicians aren’t really going to be a source of referrals for the population I serve. I’m so happy that my professional development has brought me so many gifts, including connecting me with other therapists in my niche with whom I have wonderful mutual referral relationships.

I would say to get really clear about who you would be happy to have coming to see you as clients. The more you can develop clarity around that (and not say “I’m a generalist!”), it makes all the other efforts clearer. You know what to market, to whom you’re marketing, with whom you need to network, etc.

Understand and accept that to be in private practice means having and developing your marketing muscles. For me, I’ve come to put a pretty positive spin on this fact. I look at my marketing efforts as burnout prevention. It uses a totally different part of my brain than therapy does. I get a kick out of putting in marketing effort and seeing the results.

Build in some structure for marketing. If you rent office space, use that time. Websites and marketing take time. You don’t have to spend a lot of money if you’re willing to put in the time and develop the skills. I didn’t start out knowing how to create a website. I taught myself that and gave myself the patience and grace to flounder around in the process.

If you are clear that this doesn’t interest you, then consider going the insurance route, joining a group practice, or allocating a portion of your budget to outsource all of your marketing.

I think therapists need to stick together more. With all the different licenses, we are a pretty fragmented group. If we were to unite more, we would have much more influence to handle any of the changes that may come our way. For example, uniting around ACA, state regulatory bodies, creating policies and procedures in our practices that are sound and provide protection legally without going overboard with paranoia about being sued, etc.

I am considering joining professional organizations that are not license-specific. Also, I try to stay informed about current events and changes that influence our industry while not giving in to the worries that therapists can sometimes develop around these changes.