How to pivot to a business mindset and run a thriving practice

Think back to when you first realized you wanted to become a therapist. Chances are, your goal was — and still is — to support people in their mental health, and not to be a business magnate spending all your time creating new income streams.

Your job as a therapist is and always will be fundamentally about helping people. But running a private practice ultimately means running a business.

If you’re struggling to pivot from a clinical to business mindset in general as a private practitioner, or you’ve been in private practice for a while but find it tough to toggle between therapy and these other day-to-day tasks, a simple mindset shift may help.

“It’s helpful if you can view running your business as a part of your overall value system,” says Natalia Tague, a licensed counselor in Virginia. “If your top value is providing the best possible care to your clients, then you can integrate a business mindset into part of achieving that value.” 

A few examples:

• Next time you’re struggling with creating a social media presence, tell yourself these steps are important for helping you reach more potential clients (and supporting their mental health).
• If you absolutely dread writing SEO content on your practice website, remind yourself that you’re making it easier for people to find you (because we all know how hard it is to ask for help when you’re overwhelmed). 
• If attending networking events or conferences isn’t quite your cup of tea, find a reframe that reiterates the importance of having trusted referrals for when a client’s struggles are outside your scope of expertise.

See how each business task actually contributes to the goal you care the most about?

All of the business components of a private practice can definitely come with a learning curve, especially for someone who’s spent so many years dedicated to developing compassion and empathy and learning clinical skills. As you find practical ways to connect the dots between your business and the actual service you provide, hopefully, the business tasks will start to feel less burdensome — and even more importantly, give you space to be an even better therapist.

“Here’s how I think about it: If I build a business that doesn’t stress me out or burn me out, I can continue to do my best,” says Tague.