8 Biggest Lessons Of Private Practice in 2020

Hey Private Practice Owners,

We’ve had to adapt quickly in this past year and it hasn’t been easy. But the lessons we learn in times like these are the ones that make us stronger and help us prepare better for the future.

To all the private practice owners out there, I see you and I know this past year hasn’t been easy, but I wanted to take some time to share the takeaways I’ve gained from the difficulties of 2020, and I hope you can too!

Here Are The 8 Lessons I Learned From Private Practice In 2020:

1. Be Ready For Change

Change is inevitable and holding our plans loosely is important in helping us move forward when things don’t go the way (or anything close to the way) we planned.

Being adaptable is a skill, although challenging, that we can grow in.

Something that can help with this, is focusing on how you can adjust your expectations more readily rather than sinking into despair or disappointment (although these are normal emotions to have at times). When we let despair or disappointment take over, it’s more than likely we haven’t given ourselves any room to adjust our expectations.

If this year has taught us anything it’s that our expectations won’t always be met and sometimes we really just don’t have control over that.

2. Knowing Your Worth Is Crucial

Therapists are needed more than ever right now.

With the virus causing isolation, job loss, anxiety over the future, health issues, and even the loss of family and friends, the need for therapists is sky-rocketing.

If you’ve doubted the need for your profession, now is the time to understand your worth as a trained and capable clinician who has the ability to offer support and help in a time we need it more than ever.

So own your title and lean into the fact that seeing a therapist is becoming more normal than ever before. Don’t let imposter syndrome keep you down right now!

3.  Keep Sight Of Your Bigger Mission

What’s your big picture purpose? Knowing your why behind what you’re doing helps to keep you motivated and moving forward even when unexpected things (like a pandemic) happen.

Better yet, get a firm grasp on both your mission and your values so you have guidance on how to actually achieve your mission.

Inspiration and motivation aren’t enough to keep you going when things get tough. You need aspiration, and creating a mission and knowing your values will help you get there.

4. Have A Cash Reserve

This past year has made it tough financially for many of us. Creating a system of saving for an emergency fund is a smart way to cushion job loss or other unexpected emergencies.

As a private practice owner, it may feel difficult choosing to save for an emergency, rather than put money back into your practice, but trust us, you never know when you might need it and you’ll be thanking yourself for having it when the time comes! (And the time will come.)

5. Take Care Of Yourself!

As therapists, we’re notorious for attending to everyone else’s needs..and neglecting our own.

Don’t let this be you!

You’ve heard it time and time again but you HAVE to take care of yourself if you’re going to help take care of others.

Just like on an airplane, make sure to put your mask on first so you can help others put on theirs.

What this looks like for you will look different than what it might look like for others, but practice what you preach to your clients and take time for yourself.

6. Be Ready To Evolve

The world of therapy and how it’s being delivered is changing rapidly.

Everything being online is creating more and more opportunities for others to have access to your services.

This is great, but you have to know how to leverage it to your advantage and not let it overwhelm you.

This could look like hiring a virtual assistant, doing your own research, or if you haven’t, signing up to work with us to stay up to date on how to work as a modern therapist in 2021.

7. Diversify Your Income Streams

We’ve talked about it before, but diversifying your income is one of the best ways you can support yourself these days as a private practice owner.

Learn more about how to avoid relying solely on client sessions as your primary source of income in this video.

8. Design Your Business Around The Life You Want

At the end of the day, your practice shouldn’t be running your life and you need room to enjoy living in a way that aligns with your values.

Make sure you’re still thinking about what your ideal day would look like and keep making decisions and creating systems to move closer to this ideal lifestyle.

Wondering how to do this?

Join our MasterMind group Business Made Human that’s designed to help you achieve success and significance not just in business, but also in all areas of life.

Or if you’re an established practice owner, sign up for our coaching program where you can scale your already-successful private practice, streamline your systems and processes, create a better company culture, dial in your digital marketing, and build additional/passive income streams.

Want more?? Check out our recent video where John talks about lessons learned as a practice owner in 2020: