Deb Legge

I just finished my slides for my presentation at ACA in New Orleans later this month. I can’t wait to share this information on how to build or develop a sustainable (from the start, or from an existing) Private Practice. Most private practitioners go into it for what we can get quickly – autonomy, flexibility, more say over our work, and more money in our pocket. We often don’t think about what will happen as our careers as private practitioners mature and we reach critical points including: “What do I do when my book is full, but I want to make more money?”, “How can I start to ramp down my hours and not lose the revenue?”, and “How can I ever afford to retire?”.

One of the questions I get in my work as a Private Practice Mentor is “How do I make sure the referrals keep coming in?” Actually it is one of my favorite questions to answer. Those who know me know that I’m all about providing VALUE. I want to be a valuable resource to my clients (in my private practice and in my mentoring practice) and my customers (referral sources). So I answer that question with a question – “How can you become a valuable resource to your potential customers?

In my last blog post, I addressed the first of two topics of interest for private practitioners, provided by Jeffrey Freiden, admin for the American Counseling Association FaceBook Page (you’ll surely want to become a member of this page). As promised, here is my response to Jeffrey’s second suggested topic. Securing a place to practice is one of the most important decisions you will make as a private practitioner. There are many factors to consider when making this decision; I tend to use a lot of checklists and ask a lot of pointed questions of my clients when we address this topic in our coaching sessions.

I recently put out a call for questions about Private Practice and I’ve gotten quite a response! Jeffrey Freiden, admin for the American Counseling Association FaceBook Page (check it out, it’s a great resource) suggested two topics for people in Private Practice. Today I’ll tackle the first one (which as it turns out, is a good follow-up for my last ACA blog post). Once you decide that you would like to be on insurance panels and accept third-party payment for services, the next step is to get that ball rolling. That is the point where many folks put it on the “to do” list, along with the other things that seem too darn complicated. And there it sits.

Licensing of Counselors is relatively new in New York. As a Private Practice Mentor, I am helping more and more NYS LMHCs start their part-time or full-time private practices. In my work, I find there are more and more opportunities for LMHCs to be included on insurance panels and to receive third-party payments. One of the most common questions I hear from those I mentor struggling with is: ‘Should I take insurance or should I have a private pay practice?”