In this episode, Gordon discusses some things he has learned so far about private practice. Being in private practice is an ongoing process as you grow. It is important to be prepared to change things as time goes on. Ultimately you can do what you want to do in your way. Don't measure what you are doing by what others are doing. Always celebrate the small wins, and focus on one thing at a time. Know when to outsource and invest in things to make allow you the best use of your time.

Ongoing Process

Being in private practice is an ongoing process, you cannot set it and forget it. You cannot approach it in this way because there is constant change. Embrace the idea that you are going to be continually changing and updating things. One thing most people get stuck on is doing everything the right way. There is no one correct way, do it the way you want to do it and be happy with that.

Find an EHR

Another lesson about private practice is to find the electronic health record system that works best for you. Gordon loves TherapyNotes because it helps him stay organized and HIPAA compliant. If you want to have a paperless office, then you should find an EHR system that will allow for that. However, there are some people out there that prefer to be low-tech and do paper paperwork, which is perfectly fine!

Don't Compare

Remember not to compare your beginning point with somebody's middle. There are a lot of very successful private practice consultants out there that are good friends with Gordon. If he were to measure what he is doing with what someone else is doing, it would create a lot of anxiety. Some of the people out there have been doing it a lot longer than Gordon, so comparing the two would not make sense.

Celebrate the Small Wins

You do not have to always go for tremendous growth. There is a concept that bigger is better, and success is measured by some sort of magic number. One of the things Gordon has figured out and learned along the way is that your lifestyle is essential. How you live your life, and your comfort level is more important than going after the shiny objects. It is better for you to make your practice profitable rather than overgrowing.

Break Things Down

When we get overwhelmed, the best thing to do is to break things down into smaller pieces and do one thing at a time. If you could imagine having your garage crammed full of stuff all the way to the ceiling and you were tasked with reorganizing it, you would just do one item at a time. You would start in one corner, take everything out, and decide what to do with it one piece at a time. In your practice, just work on one thing at a time and make it work really well.

Ultimately, being in private practice allows you the freedom and flexibility to do things your way. There are best practices that will help you succeed, but in the end, it is YOUR practice. You get to be the boss and decide what works best for you.

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Resources Mentioned

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Meet Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT

Gordon is the person behind The Practice of Therapy Podcast & Blog.He is also President and Founder of Kingsport Counseling Associates, PLLC. He is a therapist, consultant, business mentor, trainer and writer. PLEASE Subscribe to The Practice of Therapy Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play. Follow us on Instagram @TPOTpodcast, Twitter @therapistlearn and Pinterest "Like" us on Facebook.