Thursday, December 29, 2011

The To-Do List

As I've written, the process is daunting, at least for someone like me. I'm making use of two high-tech tools to move forward:
  1. The to-do list
  2. "Next steps" list
"Next steps" are simple things you can do - "Call potential supervisor," "Check licensing rules" e.g. And they are useful because they are simple and specific. It is easy to get overwhelmed by a task like, "Set up business" or "Make website". So you break it down into specific steps. If you do a step every day, you will eventually complete the broader task.

That said, master to-do lists are useful too. So, just to give a sense of what's potentially involved just in getting off the ground, I thought I'd post my current to-do list (not necessarily in chronological order, or in order of priority). Am I missing anything?:



Groundwork
  • Find qualified supervisor
    • Get paperwork completed for license application
  • Decide on target customers:
    • Kids, families, couples, adults, men, all?
  • Decide on name of practice / business
    • Based on my name; location; theme?
  • Decide on location:
    • Chose neighborhood options
    • Find office available at appropriate times
    • Choose when I want to work
      • Rent it
Misc. expenses and purchases needed
  • Toys, materials for kids, families
  • New professional clothes
  • Small business software
  • Business cell phone
    • Smart Phone for traffic checks and emailing?
  • Transport: Bike, car
  • New computer (I need it but this can wait)
Business side of things
  • Decide what type of business (leaning towards LLC)
  • Get business license
  • Get business credit union account (checking, credit)
    • Credit card system?
  • Malpractice insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Set up record keeping system
    • Excel? 
    • Business software?
  • Comprehend insurance system (for future)
  • Learn more about general business expense rules
Marketing
  • Website and email address
    • Choose URL
    • Hire someone?
    • Wordpress?
    • Other services?
  • Local therapy listings
  • Use my current contacts
  • Make new contacts
  • Business cards
    • Logo?
    • Design
    • Get printed
    • Leave in good spots
      • Cafes
      • Other?
  • Beef up LinkedIn Profile
  • Spread the word elsewhere
    • Local listings (various)
    • Facebook?
    • LinkedIn?
    • Friends?
    • Family?
Licensing
  • Find Supervisor
  • Register as Associate
  • Continuing Education hours
  • HIV AIDS Training
  • Complete hours
  • Transfer hours from my old job
  • Complete Paperwork, get approved for exam
  • Take Clinical Exam
  • Get my license
Paperwork issues
  • Prepare disclosure form, and policy statement
  • Develop a good system for records 
  • Prepare list of referrals (Psychiatrist, other therapists)
There, that's not so hard.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Barriers and resistances

Having just written a bit about anxieties, I thought I'd get a little more specific. True, there is a general fear of the unknown that makes it difficult to move forward with changes. But when I think about it, I can break the fears down into more specific categories. I think it is good to be aware of what barriers we face before we begin.

Here are five that I've recognized - some are practical concerns, some cut to the core of how I view myself:
  • Confidence in myself as a clinician ("Am I really ready to do this?" / "Who do I think I am?")
  • Confidence in myself as a businessperson ("Where do I start?" / "What if I fail?")
  • Finances ("Can I afford to invest in a business at this time?" Of course, on the flip-side, we have: "Can I afford to continue to have no job and no income?")
  • Indecision about making key choices (such as: fees; locations; focus; etc.)
  • Licensure issues (It's complicated; I'll expand on this later)
I'll probably go into these in more detail as I move forward.

Why starting a business is like having a baby

It occurred to me, today, that starting a private practice couldn't  be any harder than having a baby. Granted, I am a father so I didn't have to carry a child inside me, or squeeze it out, or nurse him once he was born. But I've done a lot - from buying strollers to choosing diapers, to changing diapers to waking up at all hours of the night, and so on. Prior to the birth, my wife and I went through a period of planning; decision-making; and preparation. We were a bit nervous about our preparation and readiness, and it was hard to imagine what it would really be like. At that point a baby was all theoretical. Once our son was born, the theory faded and we just did what we needed to do, day by day, and everything went great. Anxiety usually comes from the unknown.

I tell myself that my new business endeavor is similar: a lot of preparation; a lot of unknowns; some anxiety or uncertainty; no instruction manual. But, 
once the groundwork had been laid and once I start seeing clients, the fear of the unknown should fade (or maybe be replaced by new fears) as the reality takes on its own momentum.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Where I am starting from, more or less

Hello!

Everybody is in different circumstances when they decide to take on a big project. I figure it my be helpful, as I start out, to lay out my own particular situation, and how it has let met to start a private practice. There are a few big reasons I came to this decision at this point in my life:
  1. I recently moved to a new state, leaving a stable clinical social work job, after two years, to find that I can't find a job at an agency in my new town (trust me, I have tried for the last four months). But I still need to accumulate hours to get my clinical license here! 
  2. Even if I were to find a job, I don't really want one! The idea of working at an agency again (except maybe an imaginary perfect agency) - working for a boss; going to staff meetings; huge caseload; low pay - does not sound very appealing (this is, of course, why so many social workers, and psychologists go into private practice)
  3. Meanwhile, I need money!
One event finally pushed me over the brink and led me to decide that 2012 would be my first year of practicing privately. Having spend a few months applying to many jobs and interviewing at fewer, in November, I applied for a position that I really wanted; I interviewed for it twice, it seemed hopeful, and I waited patiently through the Thanksgiving lull to get news. Weeks passed. I remained optimistic. Then, after a month of hoping, the job fell through: They cancelled the whole damn position due to funding (which was, somehow, more frustrating than outright rejection).

It was at that point that I decided to take matters into my own hands.

It is true that pride is involved. I didn't go into social work to get rich, or even to start a private practice. I just wanted to work for an agency that I like, doing work that I felt was valuable to others and earning a decent living. Being rejected for positions that I feel I am qualified for is disheartening. Worse is when you don't get a job for a position you don't really even want: that's just demoralizing - no, I'm just going to call it soul-killing.

I feel some guilt for what feels like cashing in and abandoning the essence of social work by starting a private practice (throughout the field of social work, in school and beyond, there is a very weird attitude towards private practice and money in general. Social work has a foundation in social justice and service, and, if we are being honest, private practice is to a large extent about money and comfort of the therapist; yet tons of social worker go into the field with private practice as their goal - even if they don't admit it).

Despite the pride, after a while I just felt like saying to the whole world of mental health agencies, the following:
"Well, if you don't want me, then fuck off!"
It felt like the whole job hunt was demeaning, like I was begging agencies to give me a job I didn't really want, and I was being rejected (I think a lot of people feel this way about "going into the office" - it just doesn't seem like the right thing to do, it's not natural, but we are conditioned from early on that that's what we do when we grow up).

So (setting the guilt and the pride aside for another day), I am also kind of glad to be pushed to this next step, because, in a lot of ways, agencies are not nice places to work in. More generally, work is not a nice place to work in. I want a life I feel good about - where I can have a flexible schedule, take my own initiative, make my own decisions about my life. I want to be free, but also to survive. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Introductions and purpose

Hello, my name is Justin. I am a social worker (MSW), and I have just begun making plans to open a private therapy practice. I have no license in the state I now live in, and I have no business experience whatsoever. Nevertheless, I am excited about my prospects!

2012 will be my Year of Practicing Privately. And, if all goes well, so will the years after 2012, too.


Purpose of this Blog

But I am also daunted by the process. How do you go about doing this? A lot of therapists started out when there were different licensure laws on the books, and when insurance authorization wasn't such a big deal. How does one get nuts-and-bolts advice on where to start?

Without many peers to get advice from, I went to the web in search of blogs or articles about the process of starting a private practice. I couldn't find anything.


Yes, there are books, and a few good "how to" blogs; I'll certainly be making use of them. But I wanted something more practical, more down-to-earth: What is it really like? What weird challenges do you run into along the way? (I've got a few technical questions about licensing that I can't find the answers to anywhere). I wanted a description of the
process - the ups and the downs - not just the end result.

I couldn't find anything like that, so I thought I'd start it myself. Why not? Maybe it will motivate me, and help me brainstorm new ideas; maybe it will help others who are going through the same process; maybe I can get some advice from you, readers! Because I am no expert; I'm the opposite of an expert. This isn't a
guide to starting a private practice; it is a story of starting a private practice: at least it will be if all goes according to plan (if not, it will be a story of not starting a private practice).

So, if you are interested, please keep an eye on my progress!