Your New Private Practice Can Survive Covid
A few weeks ago, a bomb went off in our lives. The Corona Virus showed up. In that moment everything was up ended. All we could do was watch as the pieces flew around us like a slow-motion car crash.
At this point, most of us have landed and managed to climb out of the wreckage. We now find ourselves wandering dazed, trying to understand what has happened, how bad it is, and what our new normal looks like.
For people just embarking on starting a private practice, this has been a rough blow. What does it mean for you?
Did you just lose your dream?
I have a few thoughts.
You are still a therapist.
Remember that you are a therapist. Whatever you have lost, or fear you have lost in this moment, you did not stop being a therapist. This virus can not take that away from you.
You will continue to do this work. If you make the choice to put your private practice on hold, you are still a therapist. If your practice takes longer to build right now, you are still a therapist. This moment does not define you. You are a therapist and you will continue to be one.
We need to adapt while being gentle with ourselves.
Here is what I know to be true about myself, when I do not know how to do something, even if it is not all that complicated to figure out, I resist. I feel anxious, overwhelmed, and want to walk away. It is hard to take even the simple steps to move forward.
But we need to right now.
We need to step outside of our comfort zones: learn new technology, get “creative” with our home “office” space, help our clients adjust to the new way of doing things. In the middle of this, it is crucial for us to be gentle with ourselves and respect that we are in a moment of collective trauma and uncertainty. We need to figure out how to protect our own energy with all these changes. You may need to adjust your schedule, build in downtime, or think about which types of clients you take on right now. We are all just doing the best we can in this moment, so be gentle with yourself and adjust things as you need to.
Reach out for help and support with all of this. None of us can do this alone right now. Find your peeps who can help, support, and encourage you. (BTW, I have no association with them, but if you need some help with technology right now, Person Centered Tech has wonderful resources for therapists.)
Clients still need us.
I think for many therapists the response to the virus was initially catastrophic. There was deep fear that we were going to lose everything. Understandably. But the reality is, as always, people are starting to find a new normal.
Sit up and start to look around.
Clients have not stopped needing us. In fact, as someone told me yesterday, they need us more than ever. As the dust settles, clients are starting to call again. Your new practice does not need to be doomed. People still need therapy. They need you. You just need to understand how and where to meet them in this new space.
In the past two weeks I have added two new clients and a prior client is coming back in. I turned away a third referral because it was not a good match for me right now (I set my own healthy boundaries for this time). People are stressed and they are starting to call for therapy. Be ready to be open to them.
Take Action.
Do you have some extra time right now and are you starting to feel like you want to take some action for your practice?
Call your referral sources and let them know you are still out here, able, and ready to see clients. Check in with them. The act of offering some support to them right now, even if it is just a “Hi, how are you doing with all of this?” may well prompt them to send people in need of support your way.
Revise your website and online profile to let people know you are accepting new clients. Let them know how you can be helpful right now.
Medical staff in hard hit areas need support right now. Find a way to connect with them. Many of them have excellent insurance coverage and if you bill insurance, many of them will be covered for telehealth sessions. If you do groups, reach out to see if you can organize some online support groups right now with staff. It is much needed.
Reach out to any former clients to check in with them. Many of them may be thinking about calling.
Get creative as your energy comes back. It is not the time to hunker down, it is the time to think forward in new ways.
Protect your space.
Stay reality based but protect your space from the doomsayers right now. More than ever this is a time to find the people who will support and encourage your private practice dreams.
Your practice can survive this time. You may even thrive. We are all in this together my friends. I am sending you love.
Jennifer
To find out more crucial information about the steps you need to take when starting your private practice check out The Master Course, Everything You Need To Know About Private Practice But Didn’t Know To Ask. To get the same information in more affordable, bite size pieces, don’t miss the Mini Courses!
I love helping therapists build successful private practices! For more great information like this to help you build yours, make sure to check out the Master Course and the Mini Courses. I’m here to support you and I want to help you reach your dream!
If you need some individual help with all of this, I’m here for you! I offer mentoring services for those who want some personal attention to help them build their successful private practice. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You can find out more on the Mentoring page.
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