How I Moved to Private Practice and Never Looked Back

I won't bore you the details of my reasons for studying psychology in the first place (suffice to say, it's no wonder I was so self sacrificing and helping others, given my childhood), so, Ill jump straight into my career...

My first job as a psychologist was at Hobart Risdon Prison, working for a service, which managed risk, largely in the male medium and max security divisions. A baptism by fire indeed. I realised that most of what I had learned in university wasn’t going to be of much use, from day 1, as most of the inmates I saw, had poor to no literacy levels, extreme trauma backgrounds, disabilities, head injuries, substance use issues and were constantly in fight or flight mode, trying to survive in prison.

CBT wasn't going to cut it.

I learnt so much about myself as a psychologist and how to make assertive decisions, when met with a lot of conflict by other staff members, with conflicting viewpoints.

After 2.5 years of this I moved onto a slightly more relaxed pace at Adult Community Mental Health working in some of the most disadvantaged suburbs in the Hobart area and also some rural communities. I loved this job and enjoyed working with a multidisciplinary team. For the first time I was able to apply my clinical psychology skills to help people, with trauma, personality disorders, bipolar disorder and severe anxiety disorders, for the most part. However, this over time, became frustrating as the model of care we worked in became less understanding of the need to provide long term intensive psychological care, as opposed to medication reviews and case management.

My First Entry into Private Practice…

My feet became itchy and I felt stifled, as I knew psychological treatment, was where it was at, to treat mental health issues! Go figure. I began to dabble in private psychology practice – I approached a local GP practice and asked them whether they would be keen to have a psychologist practice from their rooms. They said yes! We negotiated a small fee for the room and I bulk billed all my clients (it was back in 2009 – the rebates have only changed by about $6 since 2009).

I worried I wouldn’t get enough clients.

I worried the Drs wouldn’t like me.

I worried my clients wouldn’t turn up.

I worried that I didn’t know what I was talking about.

None of which came true 😉

In fact, the opposite was true 😊

I was inundated with referrals. I liked the Drs and they appreciated my input for their patients. My clients, for the most part, did turn up (although I had no cancellation policy in place and definitely had no boundaries around it) and my clients, seemed to improve or handled complex situations much differently than they ever had.

Then, I had my first baby. I went on maternity leave for 12 months. I transformed into another being entirely. I became fiercely interested in parent’s mental health, starting from the birth space, hearing terrible stories of trauma and disempowerment during childbirth. Then the overwhelm from the birthing room continuing straight into parenthood.

Thus, I began running Hypnobirthing Australia classes – really psychology skills and neuroscience applied to childbirth.

I bloody loved it and began to develop more confidence. I began to see that being a psychologist, was so much more than just offering people individual psychology sessions.

I also realised that I could use marketing to share my knowledge and help change people’s lives. That psychology and marketing can work together, without being unethical.

Then, I returned to practice and ran Hypnobirthing Aus classes. Had another baby. Then ten months into mat leave, I found my own rooms to rent on the Eastern Shore. It was the first place I looked at and it felt right. I signed a lease. I WAS FUCKING TERRIFIED. I lay awake at night stressing I wouldn’t be able to pay the rent. I started seeing clients. I did marketing. A psych friend started seeing clients for half a day (also in government and eventually left to jump into PP full time too!!! And now she has her own practice. The things that can happen when you take a leap 😊). Another friend who did hypnosis also started seeing clients for a day and a half. Bit by bit it became easier to pay the rent. I stressed less. I had enough money, I had enough clients, I had enough referrers. I enjoyed my job.

Gradually, my boundaries got better.

I stopped changing my schedule to meet my clients needs. I stuck to my own calendar.

I got better at enforcing a cancellation fee.

I eventually employed some admin support (Can’t believe it took so long).

I took on a Masters student to supervise.

Other psychs came into the practice.

I supervised more Masters students

I hired more admin staff.

I wrote a book and ran a group for overwhelmed Mums.

I started using an excellent accountant (as it was up shit creek at one point, I’m not going to lie).

I renovated my rooms to make 4 rooms.

During COVID19 I took on another lease to make 6 rooms.

I hired more staff.

I took on more psychs.

I became more specialised with the clients I saw.

And now I have a psychology practice with 12 psychologists (13 if you include me) and 5 admin staff (whom are all bloody awesome).

So, none of my fears came true.

But I have definitely worked my way through some stuff to get where I am.

I have great accountants, I have supportive husband who now also works in the business, I have excellent business coaches whom keep me accountable, ensure I look after myself and keep me looking ahead to help the business to thrive, I go to therapy, I have supervision. I have developed water tight boundaries.

All these things stop me from burning out and keep me enjoying my job every day.

What fears do you have about private practice?

Do you worry you’ll burnout?

Do you worry you won’t get enough clients?

Do you worry you’ll see too many clients?

Do you worry you won’t make enough money?

Do you wonder if solo PP or group PP is right for you?

I’d love to hear what your current concerns are! Let me know and Ill do my best over the coming weeks to offer you some advice about your current pain points, via blogs and my newsletter, as you think about moving into private practice or if you’re new to PP.