Being trained in a Graduate program in the field of marriage and family therapy is not an MBA, luckily, you don’t need an MBA to start a business.
When you become licensed and are ready to open a private practice, you will need to decide what type of business entity you want to open.As an Associate, you can’t own a private practice until you are licensed. I chose an incorporation for the tax benefits and the ability to have paid associates. Investigate the legalities and the resources you will need financially. My first foray into private practice included renting an office on an hourly basis which was a great way to begin.
I would recommend making a decision about the hours you want to work and the amount of time you want to devote to this new endeavor.
If you’re anything like me, you’re hungry and need to make money. Even still, I recommend putting parameters around your time. Although it might be hard to tell a potential client you don’t work a particular day or evening, you will also have the experience of a client respecting your boundaries, while taking needed time for yourself.
Although many therapists advertise that they do everything and specialize inevery modality, every issue, as an experienced therapist; I’m doubtful about that. I would recommend that you choose a niche. I recently spoke to someone in a training program and we were discussing the life they want to lead. Do they want to be in a specialty that might require hours in the evening and time away from their family and include ahigh liability? I think these are all important to consider when we decide what population we want to work with.
You need to get your ducks in a row. There’s an enormous amount of paperwork required. Make sure you’re following all the guidelines that we’ve been given. There’s the informed consent, a good faith estimate, and a thorough intake form. You must provide telehealth consent form and of course the billing and financial . Since switching to telehealth, having the paperwork sent and saved electronically has made it very easy to stay organized.
Let your paperwork reflect who you are. I remember the days of many a form on my lap as I was trying to sift through and attend to the client; I’m so glad I don’t have to do that anymore. More than anything else, be clear about your rates. Collecting your fee and possibly negotiating a sliding scale, isn’t easy for a lot of us. I would urge you to learn this as soon as possible. We provide an invaluable service. Believe it. Let your clients know that you value what you do.
And perhaps, most importantly, being a professional in your community means a number of things that, you likely didn’t consider when you started this journey. You will see clients out in the world. You will attempt to lead your own life in your community, and that will bump up against current or former clients.
We should also address the fact that our license often comes under scrutiny. We have a code of ethics and an expectation of behavior that’s pretty intense. You are working hard for this license. Respect the code of ethics.
I had a dear friend who decided the solution to seeing clients ‘in the wild’ was to live in a different town from where he worked. It gave him freedom to be himself in his own community, and maintain his professional stature as a psychologist. Not everyone can do that, and in some cases, living in another town doesn’t make much of a difference.In my many years of licensure. I’ve seen clients almost everywhere I’ve gone, including at ‘weddings, in the grocery store, at the dentist office and just out shopping.
You are a public person and you hold many ideals. There are also the assumptions that the clients have about you. Be true to who you are and address this issue right at the start with your clients.
Above all, seek to understand your clients. Most of us do what we do as a defense mechanism, a trauma response or a habit we had modeled for us. The greatest skill we bring to our clients is our true self, warts and all. We have many tools in the toolbox but they aren’t worth much if we are in a hurry to solve or diagnose.
Maureen Houtz, LMFT, brings many years of experience to the Pre-Licensed committee. Since her licensure in 1986, Maureen has taught at the university level, supervised Associates, worked as a subject matter expert for the BBS, mentored other LMFTs, and directed a counseling center. Currently, Maureen lives and works in Long Beach and is serving her second term on the CAMFT Board of Directors as one of the Clinical Directors-at-Large.
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