How to Start a Private Practice in Mental Health Counseling

By Selina Arvelo

How to Start a Private Practice in Mental Health Counseling is based on my experience starting a private practice in Westchester County, New York. The book was written in a brief but concise way to not boggle you down with too much information that would stop you from starting.
It is meant mostly for mental health counselors who are contemplating taking the licensure exam and have at least 2 years of experience working in the field. It is meant for the LMHC who is ready to build a business and needs a blueprint that will prepare you from start to finish.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098335465

Book preview

Copyright page

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and especially disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on products and services, please contact me directly at [e-mail] or The MHC Place, PO Box 569, Yonkers, NY 10705.

ISBN: 978-1-09833-546-5

Contents

Introduction

How to Use This Book

Chapter 1: Readiness to Act

Chapter 2: Building the Foundation

Chapter 3: What Is Your Value?

Chapter 4: Who Do You Want to Serve?

Chapter 5: Administration and Documentation

Chapter 6: Financial Stability

Chapter 7: Closing Thoughts

Appendix: Worksheets

Templates

Introduction

Congratulations. You’ve come a long way. You’ve completed your master’s degree in mental health and passed all of your exams. You’ve interned for two semesters, at least six hundred hours total, and passed the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) test to graduate. You found a place where you got paid to do the work you love and received sign-off on the hours required to take the state exam. You sat for the state exam and passed it. Woohoo! You are now a licensed mental health professional.

During the years of work in internship and in paid postgraduate work, you’ve gained the experience of working with all kinds of people, young and old, couples and families. You noticed during that time that you want something better for yourself and your clients, maybe because of increasing paperwork, longer work hours, growing caseload, or dissatisfaction with your employer. You wish that you could work with your ideal clients, but you don’t have a choice. You’re still not getting the raise you need and you’re waiting for paid training. If this sounds like you, then this is the eBook you need to create your own practice.

This eBook will help you create a business framework from beginning to end. You’ll learn how to stop yourself from getting stuck by overcoming obstacles. You will see what is needed now and how to get started, and you will also learn about what is coming up ahead as you navigate through building your practice. We will cover liability insurance and insurance panels. You’ll know what is required of you to successfully go through the credentialing process. You will create two workspaces: one to develop and create your business and the other where you will begin to work with your clients. Finally, you will learn about yourself, your ideal client, the claims process, and how to manage your business.

As your business grows, you will want to hire someone to help with the administrative side of your practice. You will understand the business well enough to know who to hire and how much to pay them. You’ll transition personally and professionally through the growth process.

The goal of this eBook is to show you how to start building your business, one step at a time. Just in case you need help and accountability, I also offer a six-week coaching program based on this eBook. Each week you will have coaching calls, chats, and emails to keep you on point with getting it done. Take a look at my website, https://themhcplace.com to find more about The MHC Coaching Program.

The eBook and the coaching programs are based on starting a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practice in New York State. If you live outside of New York and are certified as an LMHC, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), you can still apply this blueprint. This ebook doesn’t include information for LPS, LMHC, LCSW, or LMFT out of state with requirements for liability insurance, insurance panels, and articles of organization. That is outside of the scope of this ebook. You can reach out to your local professional associations and chapters, government agencies, or business institutions. For example, the American Mental Health Counseling Association covers therapists at a national level but the New York Mental Health Counseling Association is a chapter under the AMHCA that serves New York State Mental Health Counselors. Social workers can work with the National Association of Social Workers. For those of you who are unlicensed Mental Health Counselors, you can benefit from this information by becoming clear on what it takes to build a private practice so that you are ready to implement the steps when you pass the state exam.

If at any point you feel that there is something missing that you wish was included in this eBook, please talk to me through my contact page on themhcplace.com.

When you open your doors to your clients, I guarantee that you will fall in love with your profession all over again. It will show in the way that you offer your services. You’ll have more time and energy to take care of your business and personal life. Your earnings will grow quickly and, before you know it, you will have a six-figure business while providing service in an ethical and honorable way.

How to Use This Book

Read the book from the first chapter to the last, in order, as each chapter builds on the previous ones. Complete the worksheets after each chapter. You can use the