CYW'S Start Their Private Practice
by Natalie Daniel  |   Business Startup  |   1 min read
I've decided to create a list of resources you can use to build your business.
The list is something I wish I would have had when I first started out.....instead I put in hours of research looking for the best ways to get started
First item on the list is the college of social work and social service workers
The Link To Apply If You're A CYW
Summary Of What's Needed To Apply
Info On Starting A Private Practice
Speak To Someone At The College About Private Practice
Now that you've decided whether to register or not to a college, you'll want to decide on a business name and get it registered
Picking a name can be tough, but it's an important part of the planning....maybe the most important part.
Selecting the right name helps people find you easily.
Here are the links to help you generate a name
Name Generator
Inexpensive Sites Done For You
Next up you'll want the list for getting ready to accept your first client.
you'll need to have legal documents, secure files, and the ability to schedule clients.
Business Tools
Setting up your business tools and putting them in practice is an exciting step, here's what I did, and what I use.
First you'll need a place to host secure video sessions. The college is very clear about the way we handle personal health info.
After lots of research the company that had the most bang for my buck, and had everything I needed was Noustalk.
Noustalk has an ability for clients to book sessions, and for us to record the session.
Noustalk also allows us to process credit card payments, invoice them, and secure our notes.
If you have a supervisor there's also an option to audit the sessions and review them.
In order to process payments and invoice clients you'll want to sign up for a free Stripe account also
Here is the link to Noustalk below
How To Get Insurance
We all know that as a business you'll benefit from having insurance. Your new business is going to need to be insured.
There's a few steps to getting insurance that will make things easier and less expensive.
First you'll want to register to Ontario Association Of Mental Health Professionals (OAMHP)
Registering has some benefits like reduced cost to trainings, however the biggest benefit is reduced insurance.
To sign up to OAMHP see below, and then visit the link to Mcfarlan insurance for OAMHP members
Get Your First Client
Getting your first client isn't the easiest task but it's one of the most important ones.
Without clients the whole process sort of crumbles.
Here is where we put all our work to the test.
Once you have your first client, your work and the clients experience will speak volumes and you'll quickly turn one client into three and three into seven.
The first place I head for clients, is Psychology Today.
In order to have a listin on Psychology Today, you'll need a membership number to one of the two colleges.
If you don't have your number yet, you can use your supervisors number and write to Psychology Today explaining you're in the qualifying status with your application to the college.
When you apply to the college you'll be given your number however it won't show up in the database as active yet.
Lots of supervisors to group consultation and group supervision, which allow for them to monitor cases, and provide additional support to cases. They essentially become responsible for your caseload.
Many supervisors charge a fee in private practice to supervise. The benefits are utilizing their college membership number and tapping into their area of expertise.
The other added bonus is allowing clients to use their health care benefits if they have coverage for mental health workers or coverage for work completed by associates.
While it sucks to have a monthly payment, it's a tax write off and it's a tool we need for those vital clients.
The first 6 months of listing is free if you send me your email and request an invite.
natalie@attunedwalk.com
Next I list with a place called Affordable therapy.
The platform is hosted by owner Katie McCowan you'll want to email her and ask if you can join the listing for the Toronto area. herekmccowan@gestaltmail.ca
Even though clients are in the Toronto area, I've never had an issue as most sessions are hosted in the secure video platform.
The last method of obtaining clients is done through social media.
I use my facebook account to obtain clients for my coaching practice.
The method of how to set up your personal facebook or to make another account and keep it as your professional facebook can be found on youtube
I also built a group, and learned how to attract clients from larger groups that need supports.
Learning how to grow your own business using organic growth strategies so you don't need to pay for advertising is extremely beneficial, maybe that's a whole new course in that I'll create next.
I've collected a whole bunch of the best facebook groups that have helped me with questions I've had as a new private practice owner, you can find those groups here
