Ten examples of culture change in one organization
Using the history of the organization I led (Centennial Counseling Center, P.C.) I have highlighted ten examples of decisions our leaders made that changed our culture. In essence, our understanding […]
How to convert solid referral relationships into fan clubs
You have identified a prospective referrer and have begun to build that referral relationship. What do you actually want to say in that first meeting? What is your objective in […]
How to use meetings to build your workplace culture
Once your organization reaches a certain size, building a strong workplace culture needs to become more organized and formalized. Certainly, the leadership of every organization should spend time thinking about and then […]
Psychiatrist and non-psychiatrist ownership
There are profound differences between a psychiatrist and non-psychiatrist ownership. The largest practices tend to be owned by psychiatrists. They then hire other mental health providers as employees in the […]
Our Philosophy for Working in Community
As an organization we first tried to outline the matrix of values that guide decision making in a document. We created it in 2007. We named it CCC’s Philosophy of […]
Mandatory owner’s skills: How to know if you have what it takes
The owner’s skills will determine if a solo practice grows. Sometimes this is hard to face, but the organization will take on the character of the founder. There really is […]
Finding your community: The location and space
Space and location. These are one of the first decisions new practice owners make. In many ways, it is all about the location and then the spaces you have within that […]
The invisible library behind me
When doing therapy I sometimes imagine this massive invisible library behind my chair. It is full of theories, models, and ideas about helping my clients. And the bookshelves are stuffed […]
How many referrals do you need for a full caseload?
One of the early concerns when starting to build a practice is how to have enough referrals for a full caseload. I suggest that 1000 sessions per year is a good […]
Why join insurance panels
Should I become a provider on all the insurance panels in my area? One can find many practice management consultants promoting the “cash only” model of outpatient psychotherapy. There are […]
The benefits of creating demand in your community
Creating demand needs to be a constant focus when starting a practice. When any service is in demand, people are generally willing to pay more for it. Furthermore, they tolerate […]
Daily business demand #1: Scheduling
For the client who is scheduling an appointment, the process of therapy begins with a phone call. The client begins to learn about the therapy process from how the first […]
Daily business demand #3: Billing
When I was a solo practitioner, there were times when my insurance billing got months behind. Doing therapy was my focus. I ignored my paperwork until I was in a […]
Weekly business demand #4: Collecting
Collecting our fees comes before we can pay our bills. Practices of all sizes require efficient and consistent methods for collecting the money owed to the practice. With few exceptions, […]
Weekly business demand #5: Planning marketing
Marketing does not need to be done every day. . . but therein lies the trouble. We cannot ignore daily chores like scheduling, doing therapy, billing, and collecting. We know […]
A marketing video on a practice-wide marketing system
This marketing video lays out some of the details of how we developed a systematic way of marketing a mental health practice to the community. It includes a low-key method […]
The place of fear in decisions about practice
Fearful decisions are never a good idea. Yet I hear about them often when talking with those contemplating forming a new organization. Many fears seem to emerge at times of […]
How to estimate your private practice income
Estimating your private practice income can help define where to focus attention. The basic financial formulas are pretty simple. And even those with a math phobia can grasp the concepts […]
Creating demand by marketing
Practices succeed when they market services to the community they reside in a consistent, congruent, and appealing way. But creating demand by marketing does not come natural to many of […]
Spectacular belly flops in marketing
Me doing a belly flop: I approach the diving board with enthusiasm and commitment. I bounce high into the air, reaching the apex of my dive only to suddenly realize […]
Running out of tricks: Middle therapy
One of the frequent conversations that comes up in supervision is on middle therapy. Usually middle therapy is defined as the period after 20 sessions when things seem to find […]
Client Retention Part I: Is it good for clients to stay longer in therapy?
Several good things come from the ability of clinicians to retain existing clients, i.e. the art of client retention. From a business standpoint, clients staying in a clinician’s schedule helps […]
Client retention Part II: Beyond the therapist’s control
There are many factors that contribute to client retention. Many of the most powerful are not related to anything the therapist can do or not do. I am referring to […]
Client retention Part III: How to retain clients
In 2011 Centennial, the organization I managed, began tracking client retention numbers for our therapists. We then compared them to the practice as a whole. As we shared those numbers, […]
A different language: What tracking numbers can tell us
When I began my private practice, it was not difficult to keep track of the financial picture. Tracking numbers was kind of a game. The business had one checking account. […]
