It’s been quite busy lately and I decided to take the plunge into private practice so yes the universe is in trouble… I’m not even sure where to begin, costs, fees, etc. I was thinking of doing a checklist and I know it varies from state to state… but will try to keep track of the process to mainly help others….
It’s honestly been long overdue and I spoke about telehealth before, pros and cons, and why I gave it up lol and of course, I want my home life to be peaceful but it’s definitely less of a mess than being in clinics or hospitals. There’s no denying that it’s getting more capitalistic/corporate and less about patients. Yet you’ll get blamed for everything, just so they can’t give you any additional pay or let you go to save money… well many people are leaving healthcare altogether and what’s left are unsafe facilities, lack of support, low staff, poor benefits, and burnout… it’s not for the faint of heart so I’ve always encouraged people to be their own boss or try to be more in control. Therefore, I almost feel forced into this position, but it’s long overdue, and will go over some reasons why I started to go in this direction:
- Insurances are not reimbursing/paying: My job has recently dropped multiple insurances leaving hundreds without a provider and this was the main reason that made me consider having my own practice. They didn’t want to negotiate or pay additional costs, which is their right but others did pay so only the patients suffered in the end. My supervisor wanted us to tell our patients to complain to the insurance… but I thought if they didn’t want to listen to someone with the clinic for 20 years, why would they listen to a patient? I just kept my peace but telling the patients to find another provider was heartbreaking. However, it was also encouraging when some people were willing to pay additional costs to continue care. It honestly helped me feel empowered and made me realize that if you have a connection with people, they’ll still support you even when things get tough.
- Keep a Backup: so after a while, I questioned if the practice was even going to stay open, and again what about all these other patients?? I can handle the psych things, but I definitely didn’t want to figure out how to do the office/business/clinic stuff in the middle of its closing (hypothetically). I still have my regular job, but considering taking those baby steps to have a backup.
Also, you can use this to build your caseload in the private setting but you didn’t hear that from me! - Don’t Limit Yourself: going back to having a backup, I’ve been advocating for providers to not just focus on medication management… I started doing therapy last year and making plans to start seeing kids for therapy… so in general, think about expanding your toolbox and never underestimate the power of talk therapy -some of my older patients and people, in general, are struggling with being alone and just talking it over or having other complementary methods can be equally as powerful as meds and most importantly help YOU stand out.
- Peace of Mind: I’m just going to make an assumption that having your own practice isn’t going to be easy! The demands, confusion, stressors, etc. are enough to make anyone run to the hills, BUT that’s like any other job…once things calm down, adjust or deal accordingly, but at least it’ll be on your own terms to move, to grow, downsize, specialize, charge less/more, partner, take days off, travel, etc. So no matter what job you start, it’s always going to be pros and cons, but keep thinking about having things in your favor, whereas working for others usually gets worse.
- Fight for the Access of Care: it’s not getting better out here.. and I expect it to get worse… I want to be clear about something, because all we hear about is mental health, but the quality of care or finding someone qualified is also getting worse. I still believe in not throwing people under the bus, and giving due process, but we have to fight for the quality of care, which includes communicating, charting, educating, teaching, precepting, etc. which all require a proper standard. It doesn’t matter if it’s not written, or spoken about or if you went to school in a Dollar Store, just know it’s expected. It’s so important that if a person isn’t able to handle themselves or others, then don’t branch out! continue to build yourself up until you feel comfortable with handling emergencies, crises, complexities, and everything in between…I wouldn’t recommend a new grad to be on their own, but it depends on the person’s comfort levels, some places are really in dire need of services… so remember safe, quality, competent care is a niche that will always make you lucrative and valuable no matter what you do.
Lastly, I put up some talk therapy resources and will write out my process when things settle down… and will continue to post other psych stuff including more lifestyle and general topics… I still hope I can turn this website into a consultation service for providers/students, but in the meantime, I’ve been transparent about what’s been helpful, things to consider, talking points, etc… some areas on the website I’m still cleaning up and yes other places on the website it seems like I went into a tripolar episode but overall I hope this inspires others to think outside the box. It’s not easy being the lone ranger, and I see many people being discouraged but what always keeps me grounded and humble is offering quality services or at least trying… It will always be in demand. Stay strong.
