Starting a private practice can be exhilarating. You have more financial opportunity and control over your work schedule! But managing it on your own can be stressful. Suddenly you need to answer calls, reschedule appointments, and collect payments. Your work-life balance can easily become lopsided with too much work.
The good news is that when you start a practice there are steps you can take to help maintain your work life balance. For example:
Have a dedicated phone line for clients to call that’s not your personal number. You’ll have more control and maintain boundaries by keeping calls and contacts out of your private life.
Use a practice management system (PMS). Examples include TherapyNotes, SimplePractice, and TheraNest. Although you can make do with a daily planner or Google Calendar, I recommend investing in a proper PMS. These systems are designed for mental health professionals and are loaded with features to save you time and effort. For example:
–Store clients’ credit cards inside your PMS and run the payments after every appointment.
–Send out intake forms through your PMS for clients to fill out in advance. This is more secure and efficient than sending forms via email or having clients fill them out in the office.
–Set up automatic text reminders through the PMS to help avoid no-shows and mix-ups.
These are just a few ideas for new clinicians. If you already have a busy practice and feel overwhelmed keeping up with the office work, then the next step may be to hire a “back office”.
Good luck!
Office Stream is a “back office” service for psychotherapists in private practice. We offer live phone reception, intake setup, scheduling, and billing. We strive to take care of all administrative aspects of the practice so that therapists can save time, earn more money, and focus on therapy.
