Starting a private practice is a dream for many in the telehealth industry.
And a nightmare.
If you’re in the same boat, don’t freak out.
It’s completely normal to be wary of some parts of starting an online therapy practice.
One of the biggest sources of nightmare fuel has to be the actual act of managing your own practice.
This is when you take off your therapist or psychologist hat and put on the boss hat.
While managing your own practice can be a bump in the road, there is no reason it needs to stop traffic!
Let’s take a look at the 6 core aspects of managing your own online therapy practice.
Set Goals and Make Your Plan
Before you can even think about managing your business, you need to have a clear idea of where you are and where you want to be.
Every goal is a new destination you want to reach.
And our plan is our map to get to those destinations.
Research how others run their business and compare it against what you do. It’s actually quite liberating to spend time researching and planning this side of your business, try to embrace it.
Your budget should naturally take shape as you form your plan.
Obviously, money is an important aspect of managing any business, especially one that just started, but good planning can help make up for the lack of starting funds.
There are a lot of time-saving apps that can help with making a plan and running your business.
Check out these apps that will help you do everything from online note-taking to billing to a whole lot more.
Don’t Forget Yourself
When you’re making your plan and drawing your map, don’t forget a very important part of it: you!
You’re going to face hardships managing your business; that’s just how it goes.
Handling those hardships and learning from them is key.
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Know the things you’re good at and the things you’re bad at. See yourself clearly on this road to success. What support will you need for it? That’s a big part of your plan!
You can see how other therapists practice self-care right here!
Discover Your Niche
Having a niche is imperative to attract interest, find compatible clients, and stand out from the crowd.
The more exact your niche is, the better.
Taking a general approach often ends up attracting no one.
When you have a specific focus, it filters out those who aren’t interested in your services anyway while highly appealing to those that match your niche.
Develop an evolving marketing strategy around that niche
Marketing isn’t as bad or as complicated as you might think.
You don’t need to be dishonest or pushy to market yourself and find real success through that marketing.
Your niche is a great start to your marketing strategy because that’s your focus.
When you know your niche well, all you need to do is express your expertise clearly and put that out where people can find it.
You can find more about marketing as an online therapist right here.
Connect and Engage
One of the best things you can do for your business is to be connected and engaged with others.
Did you meet…
some doctors at an event? Connect.
other therapists on a forum? Connect.
an IT guy at a bar (you never know)? Connect.
Grow the business side of your business.
You may get referrals from these new connections. Referred clients are much more likely to make an appointment than the average person coming in from online.
Networking doesn’t just happen. You have to do it.
Paperwork
Here’s the thing about paperwork; the better you get at it, the fewer hours you have to spend doing it.
Commit to being good at paperwork. Your online therapy practice needs a solid foundation of record-keeping, billing, documentation, and more.
I promise, getting good at it is MUCH less frustrating than cleaning up after bad paperwork.
Being a good business manager is key almost as much as being a good therapist.
Don’t let that get you down; you have the skills and resources at your disposal to manage your way to success – you get to be a good manager AND a good therapist.
