Becoming skilled and referring to others
Renting an office
What other steps can you take to lay the groundwork for your private practice? It's important for you to consider not only how to get patients but also how to be helpful to them once they arrive. I will have more to say about that at the future.
What can you do to obtain referrals? The key to obtaining referrals is first, to do really good work, that is to become a talented clinician. The second is to refer to others. Of course this must sound like a vicious circle. How can you become skilled if you don't have patients and how can you refer if you don't have referrals?
O.K. Take a deep breath. Contact any experienced clinician and ask them if you can rent their office one or two evenings a week. If they say, "no", ask them if they know anyone who is interested in renting to them. Be sure to pick a location by the metro. If you are in the D.C. area, your practice development will be easier the closer you are to Dupont circle. Bethesda and Rockville are more challenging though by no means impossible.
Now, you have established an address. Print up your cards with your cell phone. Change the message so that they don't get your favorite musac and hipster message. Say something like, hello, you have reached Ms. Mary Smith, Licensed Professional Counselor or Dr. Mary Smith, Clinical Psychologist. Your friends will tease you but you want to present a professional image.
Establish a web presence. (I'll say more about this in the future.)
When you attend workshops, network. Talk to others. Tell everyone that you have opened a private practice and that you are accepting referrals. More importantly, ask them about themselves, their practice and find out what sorts of referrals they are seeking. Ask THEM for their card. If it doesn't have an email address, ask them for their email address.
When you discover people who you feel are skilled and who you like, refer to them. Still wondering how you are getting referrals? We'll get to that. But, today's recommendation is that you begin to identify people who you feel are talented clinicians, who you like and refer to them. These may include your internship supervisors, your teachers, alumni from your program, people who you meet in your postgraduate training program and people who you meet in workshops. How do you get to know them? Tell them that you'd love to have coffee to get to know them better for so you can refer to them. When you go to coffee, ask them about their practice and tell them about yours.
Best to all, LVF
(c) January 12, 2010, Dr. Lynn Friedman, All rights reserved.
P.S. The waiting list to take this class has grown. Therefore, Johns Hopkins has added a second session to be taught the last weekend in April. Already practicing professionals and graduate students from elsewhere may enroll as special students. The course will run from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm on Friday and Saturday. Information about registration may be obtained through the university.
P.P.S. A list of all blog posts can be found at: Dr. Lynn Friedman's, developing a private psychotherapy practice
P.P. P. S. there are any eager beavers in the crowd, check this out: www.drlynnfriedman.com/psychoanalystadvocacycons.html Although it's written for psychoanalysts, many of the suggestions will apply to you.
Confidentiality Policy: Please note for reasons of confidentiality and copyright all letters to the blogger will be summarized and edited. Also, I will not write about real patients. Instead, I will create fictionalized vignettes. When you pose a clinical question, please ask it in a general way. DO NOT write about real patients. Thank you.
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Lynn Friedman, Ph.D.
Psychologist, psychoanalyst, work-life consultant
Faculty Associate, Johns Hopkins University
5480 Wisconsin Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301.656.9650
Follow the private practice blog
http://www.corporationsonthecouch.com
Dr. Lynn Friedman welcomes referrals for supervision or consultation, feel free to call her.
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