Being in private practice can be more about marketing and sales than it is about actually doing the work you were trained and are skilled to do.
That's a fairly bold statement, and one that might have you shaking your head.
But consider this for a moment:

You've done the work.

You have the training, knowledge, experience, and expertise.

You set up shop and you are ready to go.

Unfortunately it is just not that simple.

No one comes!

You've all heard it before, "If you build it they will come.
" But it just doesn't work that way.
Without marketing your private practice, very few people, if any, know you are there.
And it can be quite frustrating.
You have all this knowledge and information inside your head.
You have been successful at supporting your patients in the past, and it would make sense that you can recreate this success.
I am even willing to bet that some of you have greater expertise than some of your colleagues who are already in private practice.
So why is it then that this is so difficult?

Marketing!

The majority of psychologists, social workers, and psychotherapists do not consider business skills to be related to their work.
After all, we are helpers.
It seems counterintuitive to mix business with our work.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Marketing and sales go hand in hand.
Without marketing, no one knows you are there, and all of that information sits in your head.
And as for sales, think again! Have you ever considered that each time you sit down with a new patient for an intake, you are actually selling yourself to them?In an intake, you are presenting yourself and telling the prospective patient why or how you can help them.
You might not see it that way, but that is in essence what you are doing.
And as for marketing, at it's most simplest form, it is telling people what you do.
That's it.
Marketing is getting the word out to people.
Now, it is obviously not that simple, but it begins with a basic understanding, a mindset that allows you to do it, and then actually spreading the word.
As far as I am concerned, psychologists, social workers, and psychotherapists have enormous value to offer people, more so than many successful people sharing the same information.
But, what separates us from them, is the skill of marketing your services and spreading the word.
The best way to get started is to let go of all the negative thoughts or images you have about marketing.
Just let go...
Give marketing a chance, and you will soon learn that it does not have to be sleazy or slimy.
In fact, marketing just might be the one process that can build your private practice quickly and efficiently.