Private Psychotherapy Practice Building Strategies: Trending Referral Sources

 

Most of us in the mental health profession have arrived at the conclusion that it is no longer possible to merely post a private practice office sign and expect to be successful. The mental health private practice culture has become much more complicated and challenging. Many private practitioners are unable to survive on their private practice income alone. Add the deteriorating economy to the mix, and many practitioners are taking on an additional job, going out of business, or facing an early retirement. Depression treatment

Building a thriving psychotherapy practice requires time, investment, discipline, and perseverance. One of the many strategies that may be helpful in growing a private practice is trending referral sources. existential psychotherapy

The practitioner may find it advantageous to determine the source of every new client. This seems like an obvious variable to consider but surprisingly, many practitioners overlook the importance of this strategy. The best place to insert the question "How did you hear about my services?" is in the initial client informational paperwork. Either quarterly or semi-annually, create a graph indicating referral sources. The referral source containing the highest percentage is providing the practitioner most of his/her clients. Some examples of referral sources to include in a graph may include the following: antisocial personality disorder test

HMOs/PPOs

Victims of Crime

Medi-Cal

Existing Clients

Local Psychiatrists

Church

Psychiatric Hospital

Another Therapist

Yellow Pages

Local high school

White Pages

Google Search

Internet Directory

Practitioner Website

Practitioner's Professional Organization

Flyer

Mailer

Other_________________

Of course, each practitioner's referral statistics vary. This strategy has been extremely helpful in the growth of my own practice. Within the first year of my practice, I discovered that although I was investing significantly in phone book ads, less than.05% of my clients contacted me as a result of those ads. Conversely, other free or low-cost marketing strategies resulted in a much higher client return. I highly recommend trending referral sources among many other private practice building strategies. online marriage counseling

It may be helpful to seek continuing education on this strategy and other related concepts. Counselor CEUs, MFT CEUs, and other types of continuing education are available online, through home study, or via workshops and seminars. Additional strategies will be discussed in future Private Psychotherapy Practice Building Strategies article topics including marketing, HMO do's and dont's, scheduling, increasing referrals, a winning clinical attitude, and prioritizing. Psychotherapy

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