Tips in Transitioning from Working at a CMH Agency to Private Practice

A letter to all therapists that are just starting out in private practice.

Making the jump from working at a community mental health (CMH) agency to private practice is SCARY! I have worked as a therapist for three years at multiple community mental health agencies. The only benefit from working at a CMH agency includes getting a consistent paycheck, free supervision hours, and gaining the experience I needed to help me feel more confident as a therapist. Some days I still face imposter syndrome, but that is common in the mental health field.

One tip that is CRUCIAL in my opinion is to keep your full time job until you build up your caseload for your private practice. I worked at a CMH agency for five months when building up what little caseload I have now. I worked Monday-Sunday. During the week, I saw my clients from my primary job and on weekends I tried to build up my caseload for the private practice. Do NOT do what I did and work your life away. If I were to go back, I would at least have one day off. If you work at a 9–5 job, you can squeeze in your private practice clients in the evenings or in the mornings. If you do have to work on weekends, I would suggest working from 9:00–1:00. This will give you time to practice self-care in the afternoons and evenings.

The SECOND tip I have is to remember that if you do not see your clients in private practice, you do NOT get paid unless your private practice has no show protection. This means that you get paid whether or not your clients show up to your session. Some companies offer half of your normal rate for no shows and late cancellations. ASK your company if they offer no show protection and what their rates are.

The THIRD tip I have is to remember that YOU ARE YOUR OWN BOSS. You can choose when to schedule your clients. YOU ARE THE EXPERT! It is freeing in some ways and intimidating in other ways. A lot of companies that I came across handle the marketing and administration for you, so you can solely focus on providing therapeutic services to your clients.

The FOURTH tip I have is to ask about insurance. It is a common misconception to think that private practice companies do not offer insurance. Some do, but they are really expensive. (At least where I work at, it is really expensive).

The FIFTH tip I have is to search for passive income (like blogging for example haha). Building a practice…

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