Multiple Income Streams Success Story #1: Supervision

In the past, I've written about increasing revenue using multiple forms of income (income not related to direct client hours). I offered five key questions to find areas where you might be able to enjoy adding some extra income to your private practice. In this series, I want to share the successes of private practitioners who have used these concepts to find areas that not only increase their income, but help reach their ideal clients and also fuel their passions. Amy Tatsumi, MA, LPC, found that she could garner additional income and give back to the psychotherapy community by providing supervision to others training in her field. Amy estimates that 25-30% of her income comes from supervision and consultation services.

“I believe that supervision and consultation are the biggest ways that I can give back as a therapist. Supporting clinicians in their journey to become sound, connected, and grounded psychotherapists has a powerful ripple effect. The supervisee, as well as all of their future clients, are impacted by the supervision process in their growth and development. In my private practice, I offer both individual and group clinical supervision and consultation for post graduate candidates and post license and seasoned practitioners in art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy.”

To learn more about Amy and her services, visit amytatsumi.com 

You might find that the fee you can charge for supervision is similar to your hourly clinical rate. I recommend researching what the standard rates are for supervisors in your area. Be sure that you are meeting all the qualifications for supervising a particular discipline as requirements differ depending on the field (social work, professional counseling, psychology, marriage & family therapy) and on in which state you practice. It is common that supervisors meet requirements for a minimum number of years of licensure or have specialized training as a supervisor. It's also important to research and understand which groups of trainees you should or should not supervise.

Income from supervision can be accomplished in a few ways. I have found in my own practice that hiring interns to meet with clients has been a successful way of creating additional income for the practice. It allows your practice to see more clients than only having one provider. You can also provide direct supervision to clinicians from other agencies. There are many times when clinicians may not have access to the type  of supervisor necessary to meet the licensing requirements. They must then seek someone who can provide that. You can also provide supervision for other agencies themselves. Agencies may find that they have a need for someone to supervise employees for similar reasons that clinicians may seed outside supervision. Creating a relationship with an agency for supervision could be a consistent income stream. Consider all your options, then implement the style that works best for you.

If supervision isn't the income source you're looking for, don't worry; I'll be sharing other success stories and ideas for multiple avenues for revenue. I'd love to hear from you about areas where you have found the opportunity to generate income and, hopefully, some excitement for you.

Visit the new PrivatePracticeToolbox.net for webinars and consulting services

FREE Download Get 52 Blog Post Topics & prompts when you sign up for PPT list

Join my Private Practice Toolbox Facebook group and connect with 3200 therapists around the globe in 2 simple steps: 1) Click request to join the group and 2) Fill out this brief questionnaire before you’ll be added to the group.

Adventures In Private Practice: Pastoral Counselor Rev. Christopher L. Smith, LMHC

The Reverend Christopher L. Smith combines his spiritual insight as an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church with impressive mental health and marriage and family therapy training in his New York City private practice Seeking Shalom.

Christopher offers a variety of mental health, EAP, and consultation services with the overarching theme of helping clients and professionals seek peace in their life. See how Christopher balances his ministry and private practice.

Why did you decide to open a private practice? As someone who has been gifted in different ways and who enjoys the peace that comes from balancing different interests, I was interested in working on a part-time basis and to preserve some degree of flexibility.  The easiest way to do this while being able to maintain control over the way I would practice in helping others was to formalize my own practice.

Formalizing a practice in the same building that I also serve as a pastor both added a degree of efficiency in my work as well as adding to the quality care in a community (Harlem and Washington Heights) that was lacking in some of the services that I offer.

Clients that therapists find to be the most "difficult" are sometimes the ones who can teach them the most. What have you learned from your toughest clients? "Difficult" clients come in a variety of forms.  Difficult clients with complex symptoms motivated me to seek training, consultation and supervision in new areas strengthening the breadth of my knowledge and abilities.  Clients that are difficult in terms of their methods of interacting with people (especially those who are working on or need to work on personality disorders) strengthen my own interpersonal skills, especially around boundaries and providing clear expectations, which then makes me better able to work with a wider range of individuals.

Clients that are difficult because their situation touches on personal issues help me both develop better boundaries (remaining focused on the client and not working on my issues through the work with the client) and to learn of areas that I need to work on for myself in other ways.  Then there are those difficult clients that have helped me learn my limits whose tough issues had to lead to the end of the therapeutic relationship in order to protect my own physical safety.

What's your biggest pet peeve about private practice? My biggest pet peeve is the way that economies of scale cannot be reached in private practice, especially on a part-time basis.  This is exacerbated in my case, as New York requires me to practice through two professional corporations as I am licensed in two mental health professions that are not allowed to be practiced in the same professional corporation.

How did you discover or develop your practice "niche"? I was fortunate that my "niche" is what led me into being a mental health professional.  My motivation began within counseling and pastoral care work within the seminary building on other experiences that made this calling evident to me. While my career has involved practicing outside my "niche", there was no question that pastoral counseling would be the focus of my own practice.

What resource (book, website, person) helped you the most when setting up your private private? There was not one resource that most helped me while setting up my private practice.  My original private practice was small to help maintain my skills and was possible because of the support of a number of pastors.  In developing a larger (but still part-time) practice that is more formalized, a wide variety of resources were helpful.  Probably most critical, though, was the encouragement and faith of a number of people in my relationship circles.

What has surprised you most about being in private practice? The largest surprise has been that the clients that have been attracted to my practice have almost exclusively been ones within the area of my niche.  Prior to moving in this direction, most colleagues have talked about needing to start out with a broad base of clients to make their practices work.

Has your private practice helped you grow professionally? How so? Being in private practice has forced me to become much clearer and to be able to more concisely describe what I do professionally.  This clarity is clear professional growth.

Has it helped you grow personally, too? How so? Being in private practice the way that I am has helped in my overall balance.

Being a therapist can be emotionally exhausting. What do you do to care for your own emotional and psychological health? While I care for my emotional and psychological health in the standard ways (such as meditation, walking, music and friends) that are the case for other therapists whether they are in private practice or practicing in a different form.  As my practice is in the same building as another role, I do not have to see large blocks of clients without breaks.  I am able to see clients for a little while, then go down to my other office and do something different as a respite before coming back to work with another client or two.  Additionally, I take time each week to be out of town.  While away, I am engaged in another role but it also tends to provide sort of a weekly mini-retreat.

How do you cope with the inevitable stressors involved with being your own boss? These stressors are not things that I cope with as they are positive stressors for me.   Rather than coping with them, I enjoy the challenges and exploration of the possibilities.

What personal strengths have helped you succeed in private practice? Patience, self confidence, motivation, my own spiritual understandings of vocation and social networks are probably the personal strengths that have most helped me to succeed in private practice.

To learn more about Rev. Christopher L. Smith, LMHC visit SeekingShalom.org

5 Self-Care Tips For Therapists

You take good care of you clients but are you taking good care of you? Being a therapist in private practice is incredibly fulfilling and very emotionally draining. While it's an honor to be trusted with client's deepest fears, pain, and vulnerabilities, it can take an emotional toll. Therapists seem to be particularly vulnerable to putting our own needs on the back burner to attend to others. It's why we're good at what we do. It's also why prioritizing self-care is crucial to professional and personal success, and to avoiding burnout.

At work and at home (I'm a wife and mother of 4 children) I emotionally and physically nurture others, so I've had to work hard to figure out what I need and how to prioritize self-care. Here are some ways that I've learned to take good care of myself as a private practitioner.

1) Start and end sessions on time

Build in 10-15 minutes in between clients to take a bathroom break, do some deep breathing, have a snack, clear your head, or consult with another therapist. Don't give away your time to clients at your own expense or you'll end up resenting them because your needs aren't being met.

2) Remember to eat and drink

This sounds so basic, but I've had times when hours would go by before I realized that I was parched and famished! I used to book  8-10 clients a day without scheduling a break assuming that someone would cancel or no-show. On the days where no one did I'd work straight through. Exhausted and starving I usually grabbed junk food and a sip of water. I've learned to build in time to eat and drink so I can maintain my energy level.

3) Schedule transition time after work

Take a few minutes to clear your head so you don't bring the emotions of work into your personal time. If you have a commute you may want to listen to relaxing music on your drive home. There was a period of time where I'd work out at the end of my work day to help release the stress of the work day before heading home and that worked well. Take a few minutes to "shift gears" after work.

4) Get consultation and supervision

It's crucial to build in support for your emotional and professional needs in order to prevent burnout. Meet with colleagues to process countertransference and consult on difficult cases so you don't internalize your client's issues. This is particularly important for solo private practitioners to prevent isolation.

5) Solve recurring complaints quickly

If you have chronic complaints about your practice, act quickly to resolve them.  If you hate your office space, start looking for a new one. If you are overwhelmed by paperwork, reports, and managed care authorizations, consider hiring office help. Take action when something is bothering you so it doesn't drain your emotional energy.

One of the benefits of being in private practice is that you are in charge of your own schedule. Be sure to build your self-care into your schedule. We are modeling self-care for our clients so let's make sure we're practicing what we preach.

What do you do to "fill your own bucket" during your work day so you can continue to feel energized, to be effective with clients, to manage your practice, and maintain a personal life? I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions. Feel free to comment below.

photo credit: rofanator