therapy private practice business plan

What to Include in a Private Practice Business Plan

Takeaway: In private practice, you’re more than a therapist–you’re also a business owner. Whether you’re just starting your private practice or want to revamp it, having a solid business plan can help.

In this post, we’ll answer all your questions about creating a private practice business plan: what it looks like, why you should have one, and what to include.

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Congratulations on your decision to start your own private practice! This is a huge step in your career that deserves to be celebrated.

At the same time, it's okay if you have mixed feelings. I've been in your shoes before, and I'm all too familiar with the anxiety, overwhelm, doubt, and imposter syndrome that can come along with building a counseling private practice.

These feelings don't dictate your worthiness as a therapist or your ability to build the modern practice of your dreams, though. With a solid business plan, you'll have the confidence and inspiration you need to create your private practice.

therapy private practice business plan basics

You might feel a little hesitant or uncertain when thinking about a business plan for your mental health private practice-that is, if you're anything like I was when I was first starting out. After all, our grad school training focuses on providing counseling services, not conducting market research or calculating financial projections for a business.

However, your therapy practice is a business. Like any other company, it needs a business plan to really succeed. Here, we'll cover the business plan basics for your counseling private practice: what it is and why you need one.

what is a business plan for a therapy practice?

A business plan is exactly what it sounds like: a document that outlines all the details of your business. Think of it as your roadmap for starting and growing your practice.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration ( SBA ), a traditional business plan usually includes information about your business itself, the services you offer, your marketing plan, and financial information.

Your business plan should be a living document. Your personal, financial, and professional needs may change, and so can your ideal client. Keeping your business plan up to date will make it as effective as possible.

Oftentimes, more detail is better. Having a clear picture of your future practice can help you work toward your business goals and attract more potential clients.

With that being said, there is no right or wrong way to create a business plan for your counseling private practice. You can use whatever format and components make the most sense to you.

why should i have a business plan for therapy practice?

Some therapists might feel resistant to creating business plans. You might wonder what the purpose of writing out your business plan when you've already conceptualized it in your head. You might think that formal business planning feels unnecessary for a counseling private practice. Maybe you simply feel lost and unsure where to begin.

I get it-I've been there. I can say for sure that having a business plan has been super helpful for growing my modern practice-and it has been for the hundreds of therapists I've helped, too. Here are just a few benefits of business planning when building your practice.

1/ it defines your ideal client

When creating your business plan, you'll hone in on your ideal client. This isn't about excluding people from your private practice-it's about identifying who you work best with so you can be the most effective therapist you can be.

Consider what season of life your ideal client is in. Are they in the day-to-day of raising young children, or are they adjusting to an empty nest? Are they navigating the transition out of college, or are they at the peak of their career?

From here, you can gain perspective on what your ideal client's strengths and struggles are. Of course, each individual is different, but it's likely that you see themes amongst the people you work with.

Once you identify your ideal client, you can then formulate a marketing plan to help you reach them. (For more on therapist marketing strategies, read my blog post here !)

2/ it reminds you what you have to offer

Part of your business plan is identifying which services you'll offer. On the surface, this might seem obvious-as a private practice therapist, obviously you're providing therapy services. However, there's more to it than that.

Do you offer therapy for children, adults, or both? Do you offer individual sessions, couples sessions, family therapy sessions, or group sessions? What modalities or approaches do you offer? Will you see clients in person or provide virtual therapy? How long will your sessions be?

Your offerings are unique. Taking the time to write them in your business plan can help recenter you when you lose sight of that.

3/ it gives you a structured financial plan

When you have your own counseling private practice, your cash flow will be much different than if you worked for an agency. Chances are, you won't have the same amount deposited in your bank account every Friday.

This can definitely have its benefits. As a sole practitioner, you get to make all the financial decisions. What are your rates? Will you accept insurance or cash pay only?

I recommend taking the time to make an intentional financial plan as part of your business planning process. This will ensure that you can reach your financial goals instead of just winging it and hoping for the best.

4/ it allows you to return to your business goals as needed

Your mission statement is the cornerstone of your business plan-and your practice. Like any job, having your own business isn't all rainbows and butterflies. There are times when work feels tough and times when it feels lighter-especially as a therapist.

Having a mission statement within your business plan can be incredibly grounding. When you're in a challenging season or just having a rough day, reviewing your business plan can help you remember why you started and where you want to go.

CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN FOR MENTAL HEALTH PRIVATE PRACTICE

Now that you know what they are and why they're important, it's finally time to create your own business plan! Hopefully, these prompts will get your wheels turning and help you visualize the modern private practice you want.

Again, there is no right or wrong way to make a business plan. If you'd like some structure, though, I have a private practice business plan template available as a free download here . In it, I include tons of prompts and brainstorming space to help you make your practice come to life.

what to include in a business plan for your therapy practice

Ready to dive in? Here are some of my top suggestions for things to include in your counseling private practice business plan!

1/ mission statement

Like we discussed, your mission statement is the foundation of your entire therapy practice. It encapsulates your "why": why you started your business, who you want to help, and what your goal is.

Our motivations are often complex. However, I highly recommend boiling your purpose down to one simple sentence. It gives you something to ground yourself throughout the entire process of building your practice. You may even consider keeping your mission statement somewhere you can see it often.

I also recommend identifying your values alongside your mission statement. This can just be a bulleted list. For example, do you value accessibility? Maybe you can offer a few sliding-scale spots if so.

3/ information about your ideal clients

Your business plan should also include information about the potential clients you hope to work with. It can be difficult to narrow down your ideal client, especially if you've worked with a variety of populations in the past. However, doing so can give you a clearer picture when growing your practice.

Try to be as specific as possible. Consider their age, gender, location, and other demographics along with their problems, goals, and where they're looking for help.

4/ details of your offer(s)

Again, getting clear about what you offer can help you structure your business-and your marketing plan. Think about where, when, and how you'll meet clients. Will you offer weekly sessions or biweekly sessions?

It's also important to consider the types of therapy you'll offer. Most therapists use a variety of different approaches, but you'll likely resonate with some more than others. Do you need additional training to hone your skills in these areas? This is worth considering as you get up and running.

5/ competitive analysis

I'm a firm believer that there is room for everyone in the counseling private practice space. With that being said, it's wise to get a sense of what your competitors offer. It can help you get a sense of what's currently working in your niche-and what's not.

When thinking about competitors, take a look at their offerings and marketing strategies. What services do they provide? How are clients accessing those services? How are they reaching clients? If you can identify a gap in the market or something you might approach differently, you can use that to your competitive advantage.

6/ legal information

This isn't the most fun part of building your practice, but it's necessary. You can also work with a local attorney to help you through this process.

Start by deciding which type of business entity you'll register as. For example, I started off as a sole proprietor and then formed a Corporation as my business grew. Depending on which business entity you choose, you may also need to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) through the IRS.

You'll also need to choose your practice's name. Check with your state registry to make sure that the name you want hasn't already been taken.

7/ finances

Finances are an important part of any business plan. Here, you'll decide what your rate is. You'll also make decisions about whether to panel with insurance companies or accept private pay only.

There is no right or wrong choice-do what aligns with your values as well as your professional and personal goals. When setting your rate, you'll also want to consider the cost of running your business, household bills, savings, and other expenses.

You can also factor in a growth plan. Will you increase your rates on a regular basis? How can you diversify your income? Of course, your practice isn't all about the money, but it's an important part of your business-and wellbeing.

8/ logistics

When developing your practice, you'll also need to consider the day-to-day logistics. What practice management software will you use? Do you need to furnish your office? Figuring out these details can help your practice run smoothly.

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Ready to get started?

GET SUPPORT WITH CREATING YOUR PRIVATE PRACTICE BUSINESS PLAN

Want personalized advice and support as you build your practice? I've helped dozens of other therapists create modern businesses through private practice coaching for therapists . If you're interested, I encourage you to reach out today.

If you’d prefer a self-paced comprehensive roadmap to building a modern private practice, check out my course The Crafted Practice (I also have an Established Therapist Toolkit for the therapist who has already built their practice and is just looking for the modern marketing and diversifying income support!)

The Ultimate List of Private Practice Counseling Requirements

The ultimate guide to starting a private practice in counseling.

Developing A Business Plan for Your Mental Health Private Practice

Business plans act as the foundation for any type of business and are important for setting benchmarks to measure success. But how do you write a business plan for a mental health private practice? Valant takes a look at the components of a business plan and translates it into an easy-to-use framework for both mental health professionals looking to start their own private practice and those looking to expand their current practice. Check out our guide to creating an effective private mental health practice business plan below.

Mission Statement / Vision Statement:

As behavioral health providers, you all are in the business of saving lives. But what makes your services unique? What value are you bringing? Make sure when you are drafting your mission statement you answer these four questions:

• What does my practice do?
• How do we do it?
• Whom do we do it for?
• What value does your practice bring?

Description of your Practice and Service:

What is your service delivery model? What kinds of patients do you want to see, including age range and presenting problems? How many hours per week do you wish to work and on what days? What types of services will you provide (e.g. therapy versus medication management)?

Legal Framework:

The three basic choices for your psychiatric business entity are: sole proprietorship, LLC, and S corporation . The choice is based mainly on relative costs, tax implications, and general business liability (rather than professional liability). If you do plan to expand to a group practice, you should probably consider an LLC or S corporation so you have the option of continuing under the same tax ID number, but we recommend consulting with a local accountant and lawyer with experience working for other health care providers before deciding.

Mental Health Practice – Operations Model:

Operating processes can be broken up into four categories: facilities, front office, back office, and insurance.

Facilities refers to your plan for location, furniture, phone, internet, hardware, and any other tangible item or service that enables you to provide your clinical services.

Front-office refers to your plan for handling non-clinical patient facing interactions such as your intake process, administrative phone calls, reception and scheduling, eligibility and verification checking, handling of patient payments, no show and cancellation policies, and prescription management policies and procedures.

Back-office functions are dominated by medical billing but could also include transcription services and handling of documents.

Insurance refers to the package of insurance that you’ll need, including general liability, professional liability, or any other insurance you might want for you or your staff (medical, dental, and long and short term disability).

An electronic health record has the potential to influence and streamline all operation models, so it is important to have the right EHR in place.

Watch our product videos to see how Valant’s EHR and practice management system streamlines operations for mental health private practice

Team refers to internal staff and outside consultants such as a lawyer, accountant, bookkeeper and medical biller. We recommend developing a strategic employee incentive system that addresses benefits, compensation, appreciation, and recognition. One of the most costly expenses your practice can endure is staff turnover. Want to learn more including recruiting tips? Watch our webinar “How to Recruit and Retain Top Talent in your Mental Healthcare Practice”

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We would love to show you how Valant can help your practice.

Starting Your New Practice

Chart a Path to Start a Successful Practice

Developing A Business Plan for Your Mental Health Private Practice continued…

Marketing Strategy / Generating Patient Flow:

Especially for new practices, it’s important to dedicate a certain number of hours each week to marketing your private practice , generating patient flow, and supporting your practice’s capacity goals. Many practitioners find that word-of-mouth marketing and/or referrals are their most effective sources of new patients; in today’s saturated therapeutic market, however, establishing a digital presence may also be necessary.

Building A Website

With that in mind, building a website (or hiring a professional to build one for you) is the natural first step in promoting your practice online. Your website will act as the home base for all of your digital marketing efforts — meaning, every other digital marketing initiative you try should direct traffic back to your website. As the foundational piece of your marketing strategy, your website should be intuitive, attractive, and optimized for search engine visibility.

It will also be important to support your website with new, high-quality content once it is built out and launched. Starting an informative, active blog can be a fantastic way to highlight your expertise, reach engaged audiences, and support your positioning in search engine results.

Referrals & Directories

In most cases, the two most common means for finding new patients are to 1) utilize and nurture a referral network and 2) be on insurance contracts. This makes sense in practice; people trust other people to give honest referrals of a practitioner and their practice. They also want to ensure the provider is on their insurance network before moving forward.

With that in mind, you will need to develop referral sources to generate patient flow and to build the kind of practice that you want. Your referral sources will know your strengths and weaknesses and will refer accordingly.

In the online space, users often look to directories, insurance networks, and review sites to determine whether a provider is a right fit for them. Having active, complete profiles or listings on as many directories as applicable ensures you’re considered in the most relevant patient-provider searches possible. Additionally, directories and review sites act as an opportunity for current patients to leave reviews, providing invaluable feedback to support your practice’s long-term success.

A few examples of relevant, high-traffic directories you could sign up for include Google My Business , Psychology Today , GoodTherapy , or most social media platforms. Depending on the supply and demand characteristics in your area, however, being on insurance contracts and having profiles on insurance networks is sometimes all that is needed. 

Generating Patient Flow:

The two most common means for finding new patients are to utilize and nurture a referral network and to be on insurance contracts. Depending on the supply and demand characteristics in your area, being on insurance contracts is sometimes all that is needed. But, in most cases, you will need to develop referral sources to generate patient flow and to build the kind of practice that you want. Your referral sources will know your strengths and weaknesses and will refer accordingly.

Financial Model:

It is not necessary to have fancy financial projections to start and successfully operate a small psychiatric private practice, but it’s important to have an idea of what your net income will be and to understand the variables. Let’s break down the equation: net income = revenue – expenses.

Revenue Revenue = Average fee per face to face hour x hours worked It’s easy to overestimate this number by overestimating collections rates, fees paid by insurance for a unit of service, show rate, and patient flow. We recommend budgeting for 20% less than whatever you come up with in your plan, at least until you get validation from real revenue.

Expenses Expenses = Facilities + Front Office + Back Office + Insurance

A basic rule of thumb for expenses is that they represent anywhere from 15-30% of total revenue for a solo practice. If you employ staff or outside services for front office and back-office work, they tend to be divided pretty equally between the three. If you do not employ staff, then these expenses are more heavily loaded on facilities. Make no mistake, you are paying for those front office and back-office functions with your time. This is where the concept of opportunity cost applies. The cost of your time is dependent upon either the value you place on your time or the revenue you could generate by seeing patients during that time. However, opportunity cost does not explicitly appear in your financial statements.

If you would like to learn more about these financial metrics, we recommend reading our blog Financial Metrics 101

Behavioral Health Performance Indicators

20 Important KPIs for Private Practices

Private Practice Business Plan Template

Private therapy practice tips:.

• Don’t sweat excessively about location. You will probably move within 2 years. At that point, you’ll better understand your needs. You’ll also better understand the nature of your local market and the level of competitor saturation ; especially in areas where therapy is popular, it’s important to identify your niche and find an area where you can assert yourself as the local expert, rather than offer the same expertise as competitors in your neighborhood. Modern telehealth technology also makes the location of your practice less important. By offering virtual sessions in addition to in-person visits, you can reach a larger network of patients, regardless of their proximity to your practice. Learn more about Valant’s telehealth software .
• Networking always pays off in terms of building the type of practice you want. Start early since that is when you will have the most time.
• Most small business owners overestimate revenue, especially during transitions. Make sure that you have other sources of cash during your ramp up including other part-time work, savings, or a line of credit.
• Understand the opportunity cost. There are many things in life that you love and do well. If you don’t love medical billing, don’t do it. That time could be better spent elsewhere.
• Start with a behavioral health care focused Electronic Health Record. By using an EHR focused on your specialty, you’re eliminating spend on features and functionality that is not going to be pertinent to your practice, plus gaining efficiencies in having technology workflows that are intuitive for your discipline. It’s easier to build it into the fabric of your practice from the beginning rather than switching later.

At Valant, we’re focused on providing great technology — as well as the business knowledge you need — to help your practice run smoothly and profitably. Want to learn more about Valant’s EHR and practice management suite for behavioral health?

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Related Resources

How to Open a Counseling Private Practice

Opening a counseling private practice can be very profitable. With proper planning, execution and hard work, you can enjoy great success. Below you will learn the keys to launching a successful counseling private practice.

Importantly, a critical step in starting a counseling private practice is to complete your business plan. To help you out, you should download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template here .

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here

15 Steps To Open a Counseling Private Practice :

• Choose the Name for Your Counseling Private Practice
• Determine the Type of Counseling Private Practice You Will Launch
• Develop Your Counseling Private Practice Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Counseling Private Practice
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Counseling Private Practice (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Counseling Private Practice with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Counseling Private Practice
• Buy or Lease the Right Counseling Private Practice Equipment
• Develop Your Counseling Private Practice Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Counseling Private Practice
• Open for Business

1. Choose the Name for Your Counseling Private Practice

The first step to opening a counseling private practice is to choose your business’ name.  

This is a very important choice since your company name is your brand and will last for the lifetime of your business. Ideally you choose a name that is meaningful and memorable. Here are some tips for choosing a name for your counseling private practice:

• Make sure the name is available . Check your desired name against trademark databases and your state’s list of registered business names to see if it’s available. Also check to see if a suitable domain name is available.
• Keep it simple . The best names are usually ones that are easy to remember, pronounce and spell.
• Think about marketing . Come up with a name that reflects the desired brand and/or focus of your counseling private practice.

2. Determine the Type of Counseling Private Practice You Will Launch

The next step is to determine the type of counseling private practice you will launch. The four main types of counseling private practices are:

• Couples Counseling : This type of counseling helps couples to build better relationships, identify and resolve conflicts, and improve communication.
• Individual Counseling : This type of counseling helps individuals to address issues such as depression, anxiety, anger management, trauma, and more.
• Group Counseling : This type of counseling works with multiple people at the same time to address issues like relationships, substance abuse, and more.
• Psychiatric Services : This type of counseling provides mental health assessments and medication management.Once you have decided on the type of counseling private practice you will launch, you can move onto the next step in the process.

3. Develop Your Counseling Private Practice Business Plan

One of the most important steps in opening a counseling private practice is to develop your counseling private practice business plan . The process of creating your plan ensures that you fully understand your market and your business strategy. The plan also provides you with a roadmap to follow and if needed, to present to funding sources to raise capital for your business.

Your business plan should include the following sections:

• Executive Summary – this section should summarize your entire business plan so readers can quickly understand the key details of your counseling private practice.
• Company Overview – this section tells the reader about the history of your counseling private practice and what type of counseling private practice you operate. For example, are you a solo practice or do you have a team of counselors? 
• Industry Analysis – here you will document key information about the counseling private practice industry. Conduct market research and document how big the industry is and what trends are affecting it.
• Customer Analysis – in this section, you will document who your ideal or target customers are and their demographics. For example, how old are they? Where do they live? What do they find important when purchasing services like the ones you will offer?
• Competitive Analysis – here you will document the key direct and indirect competitors you will face and how you will build competitive advantage.
• Marketing Plan – your marketing plan should address the 4Ps: Product, Price, Promotions and Place.
• Product : Determine and document what products/services you will offer 
• Prices : Document the prices of your products/services
• Place : Where will your business be located and how will that location help you increase sales?
• Promotions : What promotional methods will you use to attract customers to your counseling private practice? For example, you might decide to use pay-per-click advertising, public relations, search engine optimization and/or social media marketing.
• Operations Plan – here you will determine the key processes you will need to run your day-to-day operations. You will also determine your staffing needs. Finally, in this section of your plan, you will create a projected growth timeline showing the milestones you hope to achieve in the coming years.
• Management Team – this section details the background of your company’s management team.
• Financial Plan – finally, the financial plan answers questions including the following:
• What startup costs will you incur?
• How will your counseling private practice make money?
• What are your projected sales and expenses for the next five years?
• Do you need to raise funding to launch your business?

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4. choose the legal structure for your counseling private practice.

Next you need to choose a legal structure for your counseling private practice and register it and your business name with the Secretary of State in each state where you operate your business.

Below are the five most common legal structures:

1) Sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is a business entity in which the owner of the counseling private practice and the business are the same legal person. The owner of a sole proprietorship is responsible for all debts and obligations of the business. There are no formalities required to establish a sole proprietorship, and it is easy to set up and operate. The main advantage of a sole proprietorship is that it is simple and inexpensive to establish. The main disadvantage is that the owner is liable for all debts and obligations of the business.

2) Partnerships

A partnership is a legal structure that is popular among small businesses. It is an agreement between two or more people who want to open a counseling private practice together. The partners share in the profits and losses of the business. 

The advantages of a partnership are that it is easy to set up, and the partners share in the profits and losses of the business. The disadvantages of a partnership are that the partners are jointly liable for the debts of the business, and disagreements between partners can be difficult to resolve.

3) Limited Liability Company (LLC)

A limited liability company, or LLC, is a type of business entity that provides limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners of an LLC are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The advantages of an LLC for a counseling private practice include flexibility in management, pass-through taxation (avoids double taxation as explained below), and limited personal liability. The disadvantages of an LLC include lack of availability in some states and self-employment taxes.

4) C Corporation

A C Corporation is a business entity that is separate from its owners. It has its own tax ID and can have shareholders. The main advantage of a C Corporation for a counseling private practice is that it offers limited liability to its owners. This means that the owners are not personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. The disadvantage is that C Corporations are subject to double taxation. This means that the corporation pays taxes on its profits, and the shareholders also pay taxes on their dividends.

5) S Corporation

An S Corporation is a type of corporation that provides its owners with limited liability protection and allows them to pass their business income through to their personal income tax returns, thus avoiding double taxation. There are several limitations on S Corporations including the number of shareholders they can have among others.

Once you register your counseling private practice, your state will send you your official “Articles of Incorporation.” You will need this among other documentation when establishing your banking account (see below). We recommend that you consult an attorney in determining which legal structure is best suited for your company.

5. Secure Startup Funding for Your Counseling Private Practice (If Needed)

In developing your counseling private practice plan , you might have determined that you need to raise funding to launch your business. 

If so, the main sources of funding for a counseling private practice to consider are personal savings, family and friends, credit card financing, bank loans, crowdfunding and angel investors. Angel investors are individuals who provide capital to early-stage businesses. Angel investors typically will invest in a counseling private practice that they believe has high potential for growth.

6. Secure a Location for Your Business

Having the right space can be important for your counseling private practice, particularly if you’d like to meet clients there. When looking for a location, there are several factors to consider, including how much space is needed, how accessible the space is to clients and how much it will cost.

To find the right space, consider:

• Driving around to find the right areas while looking for “for lease” signs
• Contacting a commercial real estate agent
• Doing commercial real estate searches online
• Telling others about your needs and seeing if someone in your network has a connection that can help you find the right space

7. Register Your Counseling Private Practice with the IRS

Next, you need to register your business with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which will result in the IRS issuing you an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Most banks will require you to have an EIN in order to open up an account. In addition, in order to hire employees, you will need an EIN since that is how the IRS tracks your payroll tax payments.

Note that if you are a sole proprietor without employees, you generally do not need to get an EIN. Rather, you would use your social security number (instead of your EIN) as your taxpayer identification number.

8. Open a Business Bank Account

It is important to establish a bank account in your counseling private practice’s name. This process is fairly simple and involves the following steps:

• Identify and contact the bank you want to use
• Gather and present the required documents (generally include your company’s Articles of Incorporation, driver’s license or passport, and proof of address)
• Complete the bank’s application form and provide all relevant information
• Meet with a banker to discuss your business needs and establish a relationship with them

9. Get a Business Credit Card

You should get a business credit card for your counseling private practice to help you separate personal and business expenses.

You can either apply for a business credit card through your bank or apply for one through a credit card company.

When you’re applying for a business credit card, you’ll need to provide some information about your business. This includes the name of your business, the address of your business, and the type of business you’re running. You’ll also need to provide some information about yourself, including your name, Social Security number, and date of birth.

Once you’ve been approved for a business credit card, you’ll be able to use it to make purchases for your business. You can also use it to build your credit history which could be very important in securing loans and getting credit lines for your business in the future.

10. Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits

The business licenses and permits you need for your counseling private practice will vary depending on the state you operate in. However, there are some general licenses and permits that are typically required for most businesses, including:

Business License : A business license is a permit that is required to operate a business within a certain jurisdiction. In order to get a business license, you typically need to submit an application and pay a fee.

Tax Identification Number (EIN or TIN) : An EIN (or TIN) is a number that the IRS issues to businesses for the purpose of tracking their payroll tax payments. Most banks will require you to have an EIN in order to open up an account.

Sales Tax Permit: A sales tax permit is a permit that allows businesses to collect sales tax from their customers. In order to get a sales tax permit, you typically need to submit an application and pay a fee.

Nearly all states, counties and/or cities also require:

• Zoning Approval : typically at the city or county level, this provides authorization for construction or use of a building or land for a particular purpose
• Health Facility Licensing & Certification : to ensure safe rendering of healthcare services
• Fire Department Approval : a process by which the local fire department reviews and approves the installation of a fire alarm system.

Depending on the type of counseling private practice you launch, you will have to obtain the necessary state, county and/or city licenses.

11. Get Business Insurance for Your Counseling Private Practice

Business insurance is essential for protecting your counseling private practice from potential risks and liabilities. Some of the most common types of business insurance include:

Commercial Property Insurance : This insurance protects your business property from damages, such as fire, theft, and vandalism.

General Liability Insurance : This insurance protects your business from third-party claims, such as injuries or property damage.

Professional Liability Insurance : This insurance protects your business from claims that arise from professional services you provide.

Business Owner’s Policy : A business owner’s policy is a package policy that combines general liability and property insurance into one policy. This can be a helpful option for small businesses who want to simplify their insurance needs.

Find an insurance agent, tell them about your business and its needs, and they will recommend policies that fit those needs. 

12. Buy or Lease the Right Counseling Private Practice Equipment

When starting a counseling private practice, there are a few key pieces of equipment that you will need. This includes:

• A desk and chair for your office
• A computer and printer for your office
• A phone for your office
• Medical supplies, such as bandages, gauze, and tape

You can lease or buy the equipment you need for your counseling private practice. If you have the funds, buying the equipment will save you money in the long run. However, if you don’t have enough funds to purchase the equipment outright, leasing can often be a good option.

13. Develop Your Counseling Private Practice Marketing Materials

Marketing materials will be required to attract and retain customers to your counseling private practice.

The key marketing materials you will need are as follows:

• Logo : Spend some time developing a good logo for your counseling private practice. Your logo will be printed on company stationery, business cards, marketing materials and so forth. The right logo can increase customer trust and awareness of your brand.
• Website : Likewise, a professional counseling private practice website provides potential customers with information about the services you offer, your company’s history, and contact information. Importantly, remember that the look and feel of your website will affect how customers perceive you.
• Social Media Accounts : establish social media accounts in your company’s name. Accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or other social media networks will help customers and others find and interact with your counseling private practice.

14. Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Counseling Private Practice

The software you need to run your counseling private practice depends on the type of practice you plan to have. However, some of the most common types of software used in counseling private practices include:

Computer-based billing software : This software allows you to track payments, generate invoices and manage your billing.

Client management software : This software helps you keep track of client information, appointments, treatment plans and more.

E-mail marketing software : This software helps you cultivate customer relationships by sending targeted e-mails about your services.

Research the software that best suits your needs, purchase it, and set it up.

15. Open for Business

You are now ready to open your counseling private practice. If you followed the steps above, you should be in a great position to build a successful business. Below are answers to frequently asked questions that might further help you.

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How to Open a Counseling Private Practice FAQs

Is it hard to open a counseling private practice.

Counseling private practice can be a very rewarding career path. 

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can give yourself the best chance of success.

How can I open a counseling private practice with no experience?

If you have no experience in the field of counseling, you may want to consider first working as a counselor's assistant or intern. This will give you the opportunity to learn about the counseling process and how to work with clients.

You may also want to consider taking some courses in counseling theory and techniques. This will help you develop the skills you need to run a successful counseling private practice.

Finally, make sure you are well-organized and have a good business plan in place. This will help you manage your counseling private practice effectively and efficiently.

What type of counseling private practice is most profitable?

Couples counseling private practices tend to be the most profitable, as couples counseling typically involves two people, so it can lead to higher fees than individual counseling. Other types of counseling private practices that are often profitable include substance abuse and addiction counseling, family therapy, mental health counseling, and career and executive coaching.

How much does it cost to open a counseling private practice?

Opening a counseling private practice can be a relatively affordable endeavor. The average start up costs for a counseling private practice vary. These costs include the cost of office space, marketing materials and services, and software. Of course, these costs may vary depending on how large your practice is and how much equipment you need to purchase.

What are the ongoing expenses for a counseling private practice?

The ongoing expenses for a counseling private practice can vary depending on the size and scope of your business. These expenses often include rent or mortgage payments for the office space; internet and phone bills; costs for equipment maintenance and repairs; marketing materials; insurance premiums; website hosting fees; professional association membership fees; and taxes.

How does a counseling private practice make money?

A counseling private practice can make money in a number of ways. The most common methods include charging clients by the hour, charging for sessions in advance, and offering package deals. Counselors can also charge for phone consultations, provide consulting services, or offer workshops and training seminars.

Is owning a counseling private practice profitable?

Yes, owning a counseling private practice can be very profitable. However, the profitability of a counseling private practice will vary depending on the specific industry and services offered.  

Some of the key things you can do to make your counseling private practice more profitable include:

• Offering a variety of services
• Charging a fair price
• Investing in marketing and advertising
• Maintaining a high level of professionalism
• Optimizing your website for SEO to increase online visibility
• Providing outstanding client service

Why do counseling private practices fail?

One of the main reasons that counseling private practices fail is a lack of planning. This can include not having a detailed business plan, not doing research on the industry, and not targeting the right customers.

Another reason is a lack of marketing and sales skills. This can include not creating a sales process and not have a clear and strong value proposition.

The last main reason is a lack of financial management skills. This can include not having a realistic budget, not tracking expenses, and not investing in the business.

Who are key players in the counseling private practice market?

The counseling private practice market is made up of a variety of different players, including small businesses, large enterprises, and even individuals.

Some of the key players in the market include:

• BetterHelp  
• TherapyAppointment
• Insight Counseling Centers
• National Institutes of Health

However, there are many other players in your specific target market, and it is important to research the market to identify the key players that may have the most direct influence on the success of your business.

How much should I charge for my counseling private practice services?

Counseling private practice fees can vary depending on the type of counseling private practice services being offered, as well as the size and scope of the project.

However, some common counseling private practice fees include:

• Hourly rate – $75 - $150
• Flat rate – $350 - $1,000
• Retainer/Monthly Agreement – $800 -$2,500

The best way to determine the right fee for your counseling private practice services is to research the rates of similar businesses in your industry, and to also consider the value that you will be providing to the client.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Starting a Private Practice  

Therapy business plans

A successful business of any kind needs a business plan. A counseling or any type of therapy kind of private practice is no different. To build a strong and successful private practice, you need a therapy business plan.

What is a therapy business plan?

A therapy business plan is like a treatment plan for your practice. It outlines your business goals and how you plan to reach these goals. A therapy business plan typically looks at your goals for your practice and your game plan to reach them over a three to five-year period of time.

Why do I need a business plan for a therapy or counseling practice?

Graduate school most likely did not teach you about running a business. Taking the time to create a well-thought-out therapy business plan can help to ensure that you have a profitable practice and will address the many components of your practice. The therapy business plan will outline for others how you plan to grow and serve as a benchmark for you.

Creating a therapy business plan will help create focus, actionable steps, and organization to reach your goals. It will help plan out the growth of the practice which makes it more likely that you will achieve financial goals and business success.

Your therapy business plan should serve as a guide that continues to live. You should review it annually and make any necessary changes or revisions. Then, as your practice changes, your life changes, or your plans change, the therapy business plan can serve as the foundation for guiding you through whatever happens in the future.

A therapy business plan will also help you to qualify for any funding you may seek to run your practice. Most banks, investors, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) will require a business plan to prove that you have financial worthiness and a plan to return your funding.

What to include in a therapy business plan

Business plans are unique and individualized to each business. You will uniquely tailor your business plan for your practice to the goals, visions, and steps applicable to your practice and growth. Most therapy business plans include some specific components.

Mission statements

Your practice mission statement defines your purpose for the practice.

Some areas to address or consider when writing your mission statement include:

• Why do you want to do counseling?
• How can your practice help other people?
• Who do you want to help?
• How do you want to help?

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Description of your business, this section should include information regarding the structure of your business as well as information about your practice:.

• Type of business entity/structure
• List of owners, partners, etc.
• Specific niche of the practice
• Specialized treatment approaches
• Potential caseload
• Individual or group practice
• Number of therapists
• Any staff members
• Any information related to the history of the business
• Your background
• Background of other relevant owners, partners, etc.

Services offered

What services do you plan to offer in your practice? The information should include how much you plan to charge and how these services relate to your business growth and development. Do these services present you as an expert? Do they set you apart from your competition? How do they best help your clients in your niche?

Market research

Research and describe what you learned to demonstrate the need for your services. Research should demonstrate a need for your practice services in the geographic area you would like to have your practice.

Information to research, consider and describe in the plan includes:

• Statistical information regarding the target population in your geographic area
• Are there other practices that target your niche?
• Are there other practices that offer similar services or specialty treatment modes?
• Can you demonstrate a need for your practice in your geographic area?

Marketing plan

What marketing strategies do you plan to employ? How will you market your practice? How much money will you spend on marketing?

You can incorporate various strategies for marketing in your business plan such as:

• Networking memberships and events
• Social media marketing
• Website development and maintenance
• Therapist’s directories

Plan of operations

The business plan should describe how you plan to run the business. It should include all the procedures and systems you have in place to keep the practice operating smoothly.

Some information to describe here includes:

• Hours of operation
• Location of the practice
• Face-to-face sessions, telehealth , or a hybrid model
• Important roles of team members within the office (administrative, receptionist, etc.)
• Important roles of team members outside of the office (accountant, attorney, website developer, etc.)
• Electronic health record
• Safety information

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You have many legal obligations in regard to running a practice.

The business plan should address how you plan to protect the business legally:

• Attorneys on retainer or accessible
• Insurance (liability, commercial, cyber)
• Maintaining licensure
• Lease agreements

Financial Plan

The financial plan component of your business plan describes the financial picture of your practice. It should outline the expenses and earnings of the business. It should also project your financial outlook for the next five years based on your expected growth.

The details in this section will vary depending on how long your practice has been running.

If you have already been running your business, then you incorporate business reports such as:

• Profit and loss
• Balance sheets

If you have a new practice, project this information on a monthly or quarterly basis for the first year and then annual projections for the remaining years.

The financial plan should clearly outline the earnings potential of the practice which also includes if you plan to accept insurance or run a self-pay practice. You should list the expected rates of income for the different types of sessions based on insurance or your self-pay rates.

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Goals and growth.

The concluding section of your business plan should describe specific goals you have for the future growth of the practice. You should write specific and measurable goals.

Goals could address:

• Number of clients served
• Adding other therapists or providers
• Adding staff
• Expanding into new populations, modalities, or specialties
• New certifications or trainings

A business plan serves as an important foundation for growing a secure and stable practice. Take the time to research business plan examples online. You can visit the Small Business Administration for some examples. While it can seem like an overwhelming process, take some time to allow yourself to imagine how your practice will grow as it builds.

As you build your therapy business plan, including how you will address day-to-day tasks can also propel business success. An EHR and practice management solution , like TheraPlatform can help. They offer a 30-day free trial . No credit card required. Cancel anytime.

United States Small Business Administration. “ Write Your Business Plan .” Accessed November 20, 2022.

More resources

• Therapy practice names
• Building a private practice through caseload management
• Identifying your ideal client
• Private practice marketing
• Therapy resources and worksheets
• Therapy private practice courses
• Ultimate teletherapy ebook
• The Ultimate Insurance Billing Guide for Therapists
• The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Private Therapy Practice

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• Free mini video lessons to enhance your private practice
• 9 Admin tasks to automate in your private practice

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Therapy private practice names

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Counseling Private Practice Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Counseling Private Practice Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Counseling Private Practice business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Counseling Private Practices.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Counseling Private Practice business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Peaceful Minds is a private counseling clinic that provides family and marriage counseling to residents living in or near Tigard, Oregon. The clinic primarily services couples and families with a variety of concerns, such as communication problems, mental illness, major life transitions, and affairs. The clinic employs highly-experienced counselors to assist clients with their mental health, help them navigate life challenges, and improve their quality of life. Counseling sessions can be conducted in-person or remotely, and an affordable sliding scale fee system is offered to families earning below the local median salary.

Peaceful Minds is led by Lydia White, who has been a marriage and family therapist for ten years. She has worked in other private practices around the community and has sustained a very positive reputation. Lydia is trained in Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) and will use that as her primary means of helping clients. However, she will employ other therapists who provide other forms of relationship and family therapy.

Product Offering

Below is a list of the counseling services that Peaceful Minds will offer to its clients:

• Marriage counseling: This service helps married clients to overcome challenges in their marriage/relationship. Marriage counselors can help married clients with communication problems, issues with intimacy, resolving major conflicts, and more.
• Family counseling: This service helps families work through their challenges and conflicts as a whole. Some example issues include integrating blended families, healing from divorce, and working through grief.
• Individual counseling: By request, clients who are part of family or couples sessions can have one-on-one sessions with the therapist to work further on their concerns. In these sessions, therapists help clients work through their emotions and thoughts concerning their marriage/family problems. Therapists can also help clients treat and cope with any mental health challenges they live with.

Clients will also receive a complimentary initial intake to ensure they find a therapist that can help them with their goals. All sessions are offered in-person or remotely, depending on the client’s request.

Customer Focus

Peaceful Minds will primarily serve residents that live in Tigard, Oregon and the surrounding areas. Tigard is one of Oregon’s largest cities and has a large population of families, married couples, and divorced couples. The city also has a very high median salary, which means that many residents have the disposable income to invest in counseling. The demographics of Tigard show that there is an enormous target customer base that will benefit from our services.

Management Team

Peaceful Minds is led by Lydia White, who has been a marriage and family counselor for ten years. She primarily utilizes the Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) technique to help her clients with their marriage or relationship concerns.

While Lydia has never run a private counseling practice herself, she has worked in private clinics for the duration of her career. She began her counseling career in 2013 shortly after completing her Master’s degree from Portland State University and obtaining her counseling license.

Success Factors

Peaceful Minds will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Affordable sliding scale fee: Counseling is an expensive investment for many clients. That’s why Peaceful Minds offers an affordable sliding scale fee structure to families who make less than the local median income.
• Remote or in-person sessions: Some people are eager to meet their counselors in person again, while others feel more comfortable connecting remotely. We allow clients to determine what form they want their sessions to take. We will only override this policy if another pandemic or public health concern occurs.
• Specialization in marriage and family matters: Very few clinics in town specialize in marriage and family counseling. Peaceful Minds will focus primarily on these matters, attracting this clientele from our competitors.

Financial Highlights

Peaceful Minds is currently seeking $300,000 to launch. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the office space and purchasing equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs. Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

• Clinic interior build out and design: $50,000
• Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $20,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
• Marketing costs: $50,000
• Working capital: $30,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Peaceful Minds.

Company Overview

Who is peaceful minds, peaceful minds history.

After surveying the local client base and finding a potential clinic location, Lydia White incorporated Peaceful Minds as an S-Corporation on February 1st, 2023.

Currently, the business is being run remotely out of Lydia’s home office, but once a lease on the office location is finalized, all operations will run from there.

Since incorporation, Peaceful Minds has achieved the following milestones:

• Found a potential commercial space and signed a Letter of Intent to lease it
• Developed the clinic’s name, logo, social media accounts, and website
• Determined space design and required equipment
• Hired a virtual assistant to help with bookings and schedules

Peaceful Minds Services

Industry analysis.

The past few years have seen a revolution in the counseling industry. The importance of mental health and the benefits of talking with a counselor to cope with life’s challenges is on the rise. More than ever before, people are eager to work with a therapist as they navigate their challenges and improve their quality of life. This is creating a greater demand for therapists and counselors all around the nation.

There have also been some major shifts in marriage and divorce rates over the past few years. Divorces escalated during the pandemic, and marriages have been in decline for decades. We have also seen the rise of diverse families, such as families with same-sex parents and blended families. All of these changes create family, relationship, and marriage challenges that are far more diverse than decades past. Luckily, the stigma around therapy is dissolving, so more people than ever before are looking to counseling for help with their relationship or family matters.

Another recent change in the industry is the transition to remote services. Many people get their counseling sessions online through phone or video chat therapy, and this trend is expected to continue. However, now that the pandemic is over, more people want to go back to in-person sessions. Clinics that provide both options will have more resilience in the future.

A significant challenge that private practices face is major online therapeutic services. These services connect clients with therapists online from anywhere in the world. These essentially are “gig” opportunities for therapists and have gained popularity for several years for their affordable cost and convenience.

However, there has been significant pushback against these services due to the lack of quality counseling received and shady payment practices. As a result, many clients are returning to private practices to find therapists they can develop a true relationship with.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Peaceful Minds will serve the residents of Tigard, Oregon and its surrounding area. Peaceful Minds will primarily target clients who are married and have families. The community of Tigard has a large population of married couples, so there are many clients that could utilize our services. The community also has a significant proportion of affluent and middle-class residents that will be willing to pay for quality services.

The demographics for Tigard, Oregon are as follows:

Customer Segmentation

Peaceful Minds will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Married couples
• Millennials

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Peaceful Minds will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Riverside Therapy Center

Riverside Therapy Center has been a popular therapeutic clinic in town since 1988. It is a larger clinic, employing dozens of therapists, all with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. They offer counseling for individuals, couples, and families and have psychiatrists who can help with medication management. Clients who go to Riverside can get help coping with a diagnosis, navigating a major life transition, or working through conflict with their partners or family.

Tigard Mental Health And Wellness

Tigard Mental Health And Wellness was established in 2002 to address the mental health concerns of the community. Like Riverside, it is a larger clinic with many therapists to choose from. These therapists come from many backgrounds and offer a variety of treatments and counseling for many disorders and situations.

Portland State University Counseling Services

Portland State University offers affordable therapy offered by Portland State University. It is run by students who are training to become licensed therapists but do not have a license yet. They are supervised by their professors, who are trained, experienced, and licensed therapists. Because licensed professionals do not conduct the services, they are offered at an affordable rate and only to clients who are in the lowest economic brackets of the community.

Competitive Advantage

Peaceful Minds will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Peaceful Minds will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Convenient location
• Qualified and highly trained team of counselors and therapists
• Diversity of counselor team and clientele
• Comfortable, relaxing atmosphere
• Sliding scale for low-income families
• Option for remote or in-person sessions

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Peaceful Minds is as follows:

Website/SEO

Peaceful Minds will develop a professional website that showcases pictures of the clinic and the services we provide. It will also invest in SEO so that the company’s website will appear at the top of search engine results.

Social Media

Lydia White will create the company’s social media accounts and invest in ads on all social media platforms. The company will use targeted marketing to appeal to our target demographics.

Doctor’s Offices

Lydia will visit multiple doctors and primary care offices to ask them to refer our clinic to any patients looking for services. We will ask them to keep a handful of our brochures on hand and hand them out to whoever requests a counseling clinic or is in need of one.

Ongoing Customer Communications

Peaceful Minds will maintain a website and publish a monthly email newsletter to provide tips on common marriage and family challenges.

Peaceful Minds’s pricing will be moderate so clients feel they receive great value when utilizing our services. We will bill our clients’ insurance companies first and then charge our clients directly for whatever their plans don’t cover.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Peaceful Minds.

Operation Functions:

• Lydia White will be the Owner of Peaceful Minds and oversee the general operations of the company. She will also provide therapy services to her initial client base.
• Lydia recently hired a virtual assistant named Sanuye Grant. She will help with scheduling appointments, basic marketing tasks, and other general administrative duties.
• As the company’s clientbase increases, Lydia will hire several other counselors with diverse counseling techniques and backgrounds to meet her clients’ needs.

Milestones:

Peaceful Minds will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

• 07/202X Finalize lease agreement
• 08/202X Design and build out Peaceful Minds
• 09/202X Hire and train initial staff
• 10/202X Kickoff of promotional campaign
• 11/202X Launch Peaceful Minds
• 12/202X Reach break-even

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

Peaceful Minds’s revenues will come primarily from therapy services. The company will bill the patient’s insurance for services provided, and the remainder will be billed to the patient. In cases where insurance is not accepted, the entire service will be billed to the patient.

The major cost drivers for the company’s operation will consist of salaries, supplies, equipment, the lease, taxes, and marketing expenses.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and pay off the startup business loan.

• Year 4: 100
• Year 5: 150
• Annual rent: $100,000
• Average counseling session cost: $150

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, counseling private practice business plan faqs, what is a counseling private practice business plan.

A counseling private practice business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your counseling private practice business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your Counseling Private Practice business plan using our Counseling Private Practice Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Counseling Private Practice Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of counseling private practice businesses , some examples include: Clinical psychology, Industrial-organizational psychology, Marriage and family therapy, and Social work.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Counseling Private Practice Business Plan?

Counseling Private Practice businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Counseling Private Practice?

Starting a counseling private practice business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Counseling Private Practice Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed counseling private practice business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. A solid private practice business plan should include market research on the counseling industry, potential market size and target customers, your mission statement, information about the services or products you will offer, marketing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your counseling private practice business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your counseling private practice business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Counseling Private Practice Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your counseling private practice business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your counseling private practice business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Counseling Private Practice Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your counseling private practice business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation.

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your counseling private practice business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Learn more about how to open a successful private practice :

• How to Open a Counseling Private Practice Business

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Free Business Plan Template

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How to Write A Counseling Private Practice Business Plan?

Writing a counseling private practice business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

Introduce your Business:

Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers.

Market Opportunity:

Counseling services:.

Highlight the counseling practice services you offer your clients. The USPs and differentiators you offer are always a plus.

Marketing & Sales Strategies:

Financial highlights:, call to action:.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

Business Description:

Describe your business in this section by providing all the basic information:

Describe what kind of counseling practice you run and the name of it. You may specialize in one of the following counseling practice businesses:

• Individual counseling
• Couples counseling
• Family Counseling
• Group counseling
• Career counseling
• Mental health counseling
• Trauma counseling
• Describe the legal structure of your counseling practice business, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.
• Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.

Mission Statement:

Business history:.

If you’re an established counseling practice service provider, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved over time, etc.

Future Goals:

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

Target market:

Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.

For instance, adults seeking therapy or families & parenting would be an ideal target audience for a private practice business.

Market size and growth potential

Competitive analysis:, market trends:.

• For instance, the integration of technology or digital tools has a booming market; explain how you plan on dealing with this potential growth opportunity.

Regulatory Environment:

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your counseling practice business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

Describe your cuisines:

Mention the counseling private practice services your business will offer. This list may include services like,

• Assessment and evaluation
• Individual therapy
• Couples therapy
• Family therapy
• Group therapy
• Psychoeducation
• Crisis intervention
• Consultation and workshops

Additional services:

Customized approach, expertise or specialization:.

In short, this section of your counseling practice plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

Unique Selling Proposition (USP):

Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies.

For example, a client-centered approach, holistic approach, or personalized treatment plans, could be some of the great USPs for a counseling private practice business.

Pricing Strategy

Marketing strategies:, sales strategies:, customer retention:.

Overall, this section of your counseling private practice business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your counseling practice business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

Staffing & Training:

Operational process:, equipment & software:.

Include the list of equipment and software required for counseling private practice, such as furniture, therapeutic tools, teletherapy tools, etc.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your counseling private practice business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

Founders/CEO:

Key managers:.

Introduce your management and key members of your team, and explain their roles and responsibilities.

Organizational structure:

Compensation plan:, advisors/consultants:.

Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea.

This section should describe the key personnel for your counseling private practice services, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

Profit & loss statement:

Cash flow statement:, balance sheet:, break-even point:.

Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.

Financing Needs:

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your counseling private practice business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

This sample counseling private practice business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful counseling private practice plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our counseling private practice business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a counseling private practice business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful counseling private practice business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your counseling private practice business.

How to get funding for your counseling private practice business?

There are several ways to get funding for your counseling private practice business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are

Small Business Administration (SBA) loan

Crowdfunding, angel investors.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your counseling private practice business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your counseling private practice business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your counseling private practice business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any counseling private practice business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software .

About the Author

Vinay Kevadiya

Vinay Kevadiya is the founder and CEO of Upmetrics, the #1 business planning software. His ultimate goal with Upmetrics is to revolutionize how entrepreneurs create, manage, and execute their business plans. He enjoys sharing his insights on business planning and other relevant topics through his articles and blog posts. Read more

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Counseling Private Practice Business Plan

• Previous Post

As Mental Health Professionals, you pursue your passion – Helping People. However, your practice is also your business! If your business is not successful, you won’t be able to pursue your dream of helping people for long.

If you’re wondering how to start a private practice, the first step in the process is to create a Counseling Private Practice Business Plan.

Why a business plan? Have you ever gone on a road trip for vacation? What did you do to make your vacation as fun and exciting as it could be? You planned! Is my car ready for the trip? Do I know where I am going? Do I need hotel reservations? What is the best route to take me there? Do I have the tools to make my trip successful: map, GPS, a good functioning car?

A Business Plan is just that – planning out all the details of where you want your practice to go and what you need to make that trip a success. Whether you are a sole practitioner, a group practice or part of a major company, you need a plan

iTherapy Team

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Comments (15).

Thank you, kind people

Thank you for your interest. We hope we can continue to be a resource for you and your counseling private practice.

I LOVE it. I know biz plans are so important. So I really look forward to the step-by-step help. Thanks!

Thank you! We are glad to help. We look forward to continuing to help each step of the way. Check back periodically for more post and information to help your office or online counsling practice grow.

This is a very kind gesture. I think it is wonderful that you are lending your expertise to the counseling community. ? Bravo

Thank you! We are excited to help the industry. We are listening to our providers and finding ways to help them and the industry grow.

I have a LMSW and I am also an ordained minister , so is there a possibility of someone like me obtaining a private practice ?

Thank you for your question! I forwarded your contact info to one of our specialists to help you.

This is going to be a good experience and a great learning opportunity

We sure hope so! We are listening to our providers and others in the counseling community. We want to help you and the office and online counseling industry continue to grow.

Where can I find additional updates? I’ve already completed the checklist and information on who to serve. What’s next?

We’re working on the next part, which is a SWOT analysis (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats).

Robyn, this site will give you some ideas too https://www.dramberlyda.com

Please tell me what kind of certifications are needed to do private practice in USA? I have a PhD in developmental psychology from India.

Thank you Priya for your inquiry. Certifications will vary state-to-state in USA. You will have to determine which state or states you want to get certified in order to narrow down patient base.

For example, here are some links for North Carolina: 1. Mental health license requirements https://www.google.com/search?q=north+carolina+mental+health+license+requirements&oq=north+carolina+mental+health+lic&aqs=chrome.3.0j69i57j0l4.8303j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

2. LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) license: https://www.humanservicesedu.org/north-carolina-lpc.html

3. Licensure Information: https://ncpsychology.org/pdfs/Handout_Licensure_Information_North_Carolina.pdf

Hope these help!

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The Practice of Therapy

Resources, tips and advice for success private practice.

• PsychCraft LLC
• Starting Phase
• Growth Phase
• Scaling Phase
• Money Matters In Private Practice | The Course
• G-Suite for Therapists E-Course
• Accounting Templates for Google Sheets
• Love the Work, Hate the Job | The Course
• Paperwork Packet
• Session Note Helper 2.5
• The “Works”
• Profit First Resources
• The Full Focus Planner™
• Private Practice Office Set-Up
• Private Practice Start-Up Guide
• Start Your Website
• Podcast Notes
• Starting Up
• Creating Websites
• Productivity
• Facebook Live
• Private Practice Marketing
• Online Therapy
• Office setup
• More Resources…
• FOCUS GROUPS!
• LISTEN TO THE PODCAST!

In that blog post I did last year on the business models in private practice , I talked about the difference between a business model vs. a business plan.  I used a clinical analogy that most of us in the field can relate to:

Business Model = Treatment Approach

Business plan = treatment plan.

A business plan is simply roadmap that outlines how you will grow your practice. B usiness plans are a statement of business goals, reasons they are attainable, and plans for reaching them.  They can be either detailed or more general.  A good practice business plan will help keep you on track and help guide where to put your energy.

The thing to think about in creating a business plan for your practice, is that it really is essentially a map for how you will get to where you are going.  So the first thing to figure out is where you are going, then work backwards from there to create your business plan.  After-all, if you don’t know where you are going, how are you going to get there?!

Think about is where you would like to be with your practice a year from now.  Where would you like to be 5 to 10 years from now?  A place to start is to think about your personal goals and aspirations.  For most, part of this is financial.  Other parts of this are probably more about your personal values and what you see as your mission in life.  In other words your “why”. The first step is to get some clarity about all of this for yourself.

Other than personal goal setting or reaching certain income level, business plans are also often used to get financing for your practice.  And the reason anyone would need financing would be to have the capital and income they needed to help grow their business to a certain level or to be self-sustaining.  Banks and other lenders are going to require a pretty in-depth and comprehensive business plan before they will loan you the money.  Without going into a lot of detail about this, here is a great resource from the Small Business Administration on business plans:   https://www.sba.gov/starting-business/write-your-business-plan

Whether you are going to try and get a small business loan or not, (and I would say avoid doing this if at all possible)  it is still a good idea to have a business plan that you can work from and that will keep you on track.  It is also a good idea to write all of this down.  Here are some steps to take in creating a simple business plan for your private practice.

Create a mission statement and vision for your practice

What are your values and how do you want your potential clients to be treated with they come in the door?  What do you strive for as a person and as a mental health practitioner?  This can also be your “why”.    These will be the guiding principles that will be what grounds you and from which you operate your practice. Write this out.

Financial Plan

Know your KPI’s.  One of the main components for any business plan is to know your financial goals and have some KPI’s, Key Performance Indicators. You would then track your KPI’s to see how you are doing in achieving your financial goals. Usually this is simply having a specific dollar amount you want to achieve.  Other KPI’s might be around the number of sessions held or how you spend your time.  Regardless of what you have as your KPI’s, have a way to track and look at this often.  One of the best ways to figure out your KPI’s is to work backwards from the numbers you have set as your goal.

So for example, if you have set a goal for yourself to be making $100,000.00. We can break this down more.  Working “backwards” from $100,000.00 we can figure out what you would need to do each day in terms of seeing clients and having sessions:

$100,000 ÷ 12 (months)  = $8333.33 a month

$8333.33 ÷ 4 (weeks) = $2083.33 a week

$2083.33 ÷ 5 (days) = $416.66 a day

$416.66 ÷ $100.00 (per session rate) = 4.16 sessions per day

In this example we have used “gross numbers”.  You will need to factor in your time off and other expenses.  You will need to do more than just have 4 sessions per day at $100.00 per session to reach the goal of $100,000.00 in take home pay.  So to cover your expenses and time off, you will either need to see more clients, raise your rates or both.  In other words, you will need to bring in more than $100,000.00 if you have set that as your goal.

Track and know your expenses  

In order to have a solid business plan, you need to know what your expenses will be.  Office rent, phones, office equipment, and advertising are just a few of the expenses involved to run a practice.  But there are several other expenses to take into consideration.  These are what I call the “Hidden Expenses” (Again, here is the blog post I did on this subject) .  The point being, know what your projected expenses will be in order to factor that in with your business plan and budget.

Plan your cash flow  

Sometimes it is hard to predict when we will have a high volume of clients vs. a low volume.  Generally most practices slow down around holidays. If you are not seeing clients, it also means you are not bringing in any money and your expenses are still there.  So you need to plan for times when your case load and volume of sessions go down.

The best way to handle this is to have a buffer or savings that will cover those down times.  Put into your financial plan regular savings. Treat it like you were paying a bill; something you owe to yourself.

The other thing to consider as you think about cash flow is to consider ways to diversify your income.  In other words, do more than just see clients to bring in the amount of money you need to reach your financial goals.  (More about diversifying income here) .

Create and keep a budget  

With your projected income and expenses, create a budget that will help you track your KPI’s, expenses and cash flow. Look at this and update it often.

Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is the primary tool for bringing in new clients. If you were to tell someone what you do and what kinds of people you work with in your practice, how would you describe it?  In other words, what is your “elevator pitch”? Your marketing plan is driven by a clear concise message that you get out to the public through your marketing efforts.   Investing your time, effort and resources into your marketing plan is where you will get a ROI, (return on investment). The ultimate goal of any marketing plan is to bring in new clients.  So learn all you can about marketing your practice and then put a plan into action.   More on marketing here…

Growth Plan

As you grow it might mean having to spend money on things that will facilitate that. For example, moving to a new office or adding support staff.  Investing in your private practice can be done either financially or in terms of time. And the old adage of “you have to spend money to make money” is true.  But you need to know how to invest wisely. Learn what is going to be the best ROI with both your time and money. Also what will truly help you grow.

This is where having a long term plan comes in.  Where would you like to be 5 or 10 years from now with your practice?  What are the small steps and investments you will need to make in order to reach those long term goals?  Put plans and actions in place in your business plan now to help you reach those long term goals.

Business plans can seem intimidating to some.  But the time spent in developing a good business plan for your private practice will be well worth it. Let it be a living document that changes and grows as your practice grows. Refer to it often so that it can be a roadmap for your growth.  The good news is that you can tweak it anytime you want  to….and you should!

Some other good resources

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A One Page Business Plan for Your Therapy Practice

Profitability

THIS POST INCLUDES:

1. Keep Your Business Plan Simple 2. Parts of a Business Plan 3. How to Complete a Business Plan 4. Sample Business Plan: Art Therapy Practice 5. Additional Business Planning Information 6. Free Download Business Plan Checklist

KEEP YOUR BUSINESS PLAN SIMPLE

Many people have a perception of what a business plan entails. They may think business plans are only useful for large companies or businesses you want to get a loan from a bank and need to explain their financial position.

A business plan involves much more than looking at the financial aspects of your business. It involves defining your clients, assessing your strengths and weaknesses in your business, and identifying the resources you need to execute your goals for your business.

Your business plan should be written using simple language. A business plan should be written so that it encourages you to take action on developing parts of your business that need your attention such as resourcing, marketing , and financial planning.

Many business plans are written for the benefit of a board of directors, however, if you are a private practice therapist, your board of directors is you. Therefore it is important to write your business plan using language that will motivate you and help you solve problems that may exist in your private practice.

If you are running a private practice and you are the sole employee, it is easy enough to create a business plan using a one-page process. While it is important to undertake these important administrative and planning aspects of your business, it’s also important that you keep momentum on running your business so that you don’t get too distracted by onerous administrative tasks.

It’s also important to remember that a business plan is often a changing process. As your private practice develops, you may want to change parts of your business that suit your goals at that time.

It’s a good idea to review your business plan at least once a year so that you can make any amendments and future goals for the year ahead. In the first year of your business, you will want to pay close attention to your business plan and possibly review it every month, however, once your practice is established you can undertake a review process less frequently.

A business plan is simply about being prepared.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN

The content of your business plan should always be based on providing information that helps you progress in your private practice. It is good to include information that is simple, concise and provides actionable steps.

GENERAL BUSINESS PLAN

Essentially, the most important parts of your business plan will include:

• Why do you want to start a private practice
• What are the mechanics of your private practice – income, expenses, staff, administration etc
• What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis)
• What is your marketing plan

These 4 areas are fundamental parts of your business plan. Your business plan should be specific to your private practice, however, we’ve created a sample outline below of the most important details that you should consider based on the above 4 fundamental parts.

DETAILED BUSINESS PLAN

• Private practice name:
• Date of this plan:
• My mission for my private practice:
• My business goals (should be specific and measurable):
• Income avenues:
• Initial cost set up:
• My strengths:
• My weakness (and how to manage them):
• Opportunities for my private practice:
• Threats to my private practice succeeding:
• Marketing Plans:

HOW TO COMPLETE A BUSINESS PLAN

Completing a business plan takes some time and effort. Essentially you are working on a document that is based on goals, expectations, and unknowns. It can feel difficult to determine exact details to include in your business plan when there are so many unknown variables.

From this perspective, your business plan is simply a guideline to get you started. It should always be viewed as a process that requires adaptability and flexibility as you become more experienced in running your private practice.

The business planning process can be overwhelming especially if you are more interested in client work instead of administrative work. In many ways creating your business plan is an introduction to running your private practice.

At times when running your private practice, you will be required to do administrative work that feels more tedious compared to the client work that you want to do. It is good to note any resistance you feel when creating your business plan as it may be a good way to assess your desire to run your private practice with many of the non-client work tasks that you will be required to undertake.

Set a time limit on creating your business plan. We’ve introduced 13 sections above in the detailed business plan. You could dedicate an individual time slot for each detailed item so that you don’t get too overwhelmed with researching a lot of information at once.

The first 3 items are simple information recording items and should only take you seconds to record. If you haven’t already named your business or subsequent website name, then you may want to spend some time on working out what your private practice should be called.

Whenever you name anything whether it be your private practice, services types, products, or workshops, you should always name items from your client’s point of view. Any names should be easy to spell, pronounce, remember, and understand in terms of purpose. Consider the demographics of your ideal clients and be guided by what language and words might mean to them. For example, if you want to appeal to elderly clients, you may not want to name your business: Artz4U

As you work through each item on your detailed business plan, remember to record all information in one central area. A lot of software integrates, so you should be able to combine both word processing documents and spreadsheet documents in one primary document. A program such as Evernote is a good tool to use for creating your business plan because you can access it at any time across multiple devices. Evernote is fairly robust in creating written text, tables, checklists, audio, and more.

Evernote is a useful program to record all of your business information in as a central database. This means you can access information about your private practice at any time. Evernote is also a great way to store and record information from external sources (eg. Internet) that you can use to help develop your business.

You may want to read our previous post about using Evernote for blogging to see how you can also use Evernote for your business planning process. 10 Useful Tips to Use Evernote for Blogging

Evernote is free for a basic account, however, you can purchase a premium subscription for additional features. You will easily be able to use a free Evernote account to create your business plan.

SAMPLE BUSINESS PLAN: ART THERAPY PRACTICE

Included in this section is a sample of how to create your business plan using the parts of a business plan listed above. This sample is simplified to give you an idea of how each section should be used.

It’s important to note that your financial information such as income, expenses, and initial set up are usually specific to your first year. Each additional year after will be different as you may not have the same ongoing costs as you did in your first year. You will also most likely have your lowest income year in your first year until your practice becomes more established.

It is is a good idea to extrapolate your financial calculations out for at least the first 5 years so you can get some perspective over the short and long term success of your private practice. This will also help you plan for any initial savings that you need to inject into your business in the first year. Being financially prepared will help reduce the stress that you feel around meeting income goals.

The more elaborate your business goals are, the bigger your business plan will be. This business plan is a simplified version to get you moving and taking action on establishing your private practice.

All names, websites, and financial information is fictional for illustration.

PRIVATE PRACTICE NAME ABC Art Therapy

WEBSITE www.abcarttherapy.com

DATE OF THIS PLAN January 2019

MY PRIVATE PRACTICE MISSION To help clients experiencing anxiety and depression. A focus on adolescents and building self-esteem.

MY BUSINESS GOALS

• Become an expert in art therapy and anxiety/depression in my area.
• Create workshops for adolescents and building self-esteem
• Develop a workbook for adolescents that can be purchased online and at workshops

INCOME GOALS (per year)

• General client sessions – 4 clients per day x 4 days x 50 weeks x $80 per session = $64,000
• Workshops – 4 per year x 10 clients each x $80 = $3200
• Workbook – $20 x 200 sales per year = $4000

TOTAL INCOME YEAR 1: $71,200

NOTE: Your income will most likely be more varied as you may choose to take on reduced fee clients or charge more for additional services such as report writing etc. You may also set initial client session goals for the first year and increase them each year after.

EXPENSES (ongoing per year)

• Bank Fees $100
• Accounting/Legal $200
• Education/Courses $300
• Telephone/Internet $500
• Insurance $320
• Office Supplies $800
• Art supplies $2500
• Professional fees $150
• Repairs and maintenance $150
• Subscriptions $150
• Advertising $1500
• Wages (inc. Tax, superannuation/401k, retirement) TBA

TOTAL EXPENSES: $14,470

NET PROFIT: $71,200 – $14,470 = $56,730 (allocated to wages, taxes, retirement planning etc)

NOTE: In the expenses section, we’ve written TBA under Wages etc. You may want to calculate the wages you pay yourself as a set amount at the start and then your income and expenses will need to allow for that level of wages to be paid. Alternatively, you may want to calculate your income and expenses initially, and then allocate the remaining profit to pay your wages.

INITIAL COST SET UP

• Plastic desks x 5 $100
• Plastic folding chairs x 10 $100
• Lounge chairs x 3 $500
• Art room decor $200
• Desktop computer $1200
• Printer/scanner $300
• Art room supplies $1000
• Website and general admin $500

TOTAL SET UP COST: $5,100

• Writing content – good for creating workshops and workbooks
• Public speaking – good for public marketing and networking
• Specialty in working with adolescents (note various training obtained)
• Setting procedures
• Financial acumen – need to hire a bookkeeper/accountant. Set a schedule for reviewing data
• Marketing – undertake a free online course to determine the best methods of marketing online and offline
• Easily distracted – can become distracted by pursuing multiple goals. Set a plan and meet with an accountability partner to stay on track
• I am a sole practitioner – investigate income insurance

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MY PRIVATE PRACTICE

• There are 3 high schools in my immediate area where I could offer my workshops or work with the school counselor on developing programs.
• There are only 2 other therapists who deal specifically with adolescents in my area – neither of them provides art therapy services.

THREATS TO MY PRIVATE PRACTICE SUCCEEDING

• There are 8 other therapists who focus on anxiety/depression treatments. Approach each of them to network for referrals.
• Illness and professional burnout – implement regular self-care and supervision
• Cash flow problems – develop a nest egg to pay bills

MARKETING PLANS

• Networking with other therapists in my area
• Contact GP’s and other allied health professionals
• Network with high school counsellors for workshops
• Facebook advertising
• Art therapy association directory
• Counselors association directory
• Build website content and create email list with newsletter
• Social media posting – establish social media plan

ADDITIONAL BUSINESS PLANNING INFORMATION

Below is a list of previous blog posts that will supplement the information about business planning in this blog post. Read these blog posts to dig deeper into each aspect of running your art therapy practice.

ADMINISTRATION

• How to Backup Your Important Business Files
• Practice Management Software to Use as an Art Therapist
• 10 Steps to Set Up Your Art Therapy Practice

ART THERAPY HELP

• How to Set Up Your Art Therapy Room
• Link List: Useful Therapy Resource Websites for Forms, Templates and Tools
• Excel (spreadsheets) vs Accounting Software To Record Financial Information
• How to Record Income and Expenses for your Art Therapy Practice
• Strategies to Increase Profit For Your Therapy Practice
• 10 Ways to Increase Your Therapist Income
• How Do I Create an Ecourse for my Therapy Practice
• How To Organise an Art Therapy Group
• What to do when you have no clients booked
• Where to find Clients for your Art Therapy Practice
• 5 Essential Marketing Templates for your Therapy Practice
• Create A Sales Funnel for an Art Therapist
• Design a Simple Layout for Your Art Therapy Website Design
• How to Build an Email List for your Therapy Practice
• How to Create a Free Offer to Build Your Email List
• How to Create an Annual Social Media Plan in 60 mins
• How to Get Started With Google Analytics in 5 Easy Steps
• How to Plan Your Marketing Strategies
• Link List: Online Marketing Courses to Improve Your Marketing Skills
• Review of Free Social Media Schedulers
• The Best Marketing Methods for Art Therapists
• Tools for Organizing Your Social Media Content
• Understand the Marketing Cycle of Your Art Therapy Practice
• How to Establish Your Business Network
• Professional Networking for An Art Therapist
• 10 Useful Planning Tools for Your Business
• 10 Useful Tips to Use Evernote for Blogging
• How to Plan A Productive Year as a Therapist
• Planning Template for Your Art Therapy Practice
• Task Management Software For Art Therapy Planning
• Self-care for the Art Therapist
• Using Art Therapy For Your Own Self-Care

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Moscow city prosecutor leaving for private practice

Erin Tomlin took a leap of faith in March when she submitted her letter of resignation as the Moscow city prosecutor. After four years of working for the city, she decided to resign her position without quite knowing what she was going to do next.

“It’s one of those things that I’ll look back on in the future and think, that was crazy,” said the 37-year-old.

It worked out for Tomlin, though. After hearing the news that she was resigning, Tim Gresback contacted her and offered her an associate’s position at his personal injury firm in Moscow. Tomlin will be joining him in the middle of June with the potential to one day inherit the entire practice, said Gresback.

He went on to say that he has been an attorney for 30 years, but has never mentored an apprentice before and hopes to be a good role model for Tomlin.

Tomlin will turn over the reins today to new city prosecutor, Liz Warner.

“Erin has a reputation for working hard, smart and with heart,” Gresback said, who first heard of Tomlin when she was a law student at the University of Idaho in 2012.

“It’s a natural transition,” said Tomlin about her upcoming move.

She added that she was especially excited because she will still be a voice for victims who are seeking help.

“That’s what I’m passionate about,” she said.

As city prosecutor, Tomlin said she tried to provide resources for those who found themselves in misdemeanor court.

“Misdemeanor court is where the rubber meets the road for our community,” said Tomlin, adding that people from all different backgrounds end up in misdemeanor court.

Many times, instead of dismissing a case or recommending jail time for someone who may be struggling with mental illness, Tomlin said, she tried to get them the help in less obvious ways. Instead of punitive measures for minor trespassing and disturbing the peace charges, she said, she made an effort to reach out to resources in the community equipped to handle mental health issues.

“I believe in the ‘it takes a village’ approach,” she said.

In her time as city prosecutor she took a special interest in domestic violence cases. Her goal, she said, was to stop the violence before it got to the felony level.

“It’s hard because the criminal evidence isn’t always there at the misdemeanor level,” she said.

Instead she identified other resources such as the University of Idaho Women’s Center or school counselors if children were involved. There are a lot of programs in the community that don’t get used enough, and every time she hears about a new one she adds it to her growing list, she said.

“I always ask myself, what’s in my tool box, what can I put in it,” she said.

Tomlin was awarded the UI’s 2017 Virginia Wolff Distinguished Service Award for her efforts in raising awareness on the issues surrounding victims of domestic violence and her advocacy to increase resources and training among service providers and community members.

Tomlin received her master’s degree from the Martin School of Political Science in May 2017 and will also be also be joining the board of the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Idaho’s Second District in June.

Traveling the "The Road to 10G" in the Pacific Northwest

I was a young guy fresh out of the Marine Corps when I took a job in my wife’s hometown of Atlanta as an installer with a cable company.

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The Ritz-Carlton Moscow Hotel's large MICE venues are as sumptuously fitted as the hotel's other public spaces, combining classical opulence with state-of-the-art technical capabilities to provide unique and prestigious venues for major business meetings or banquets and celebrations.