Being Known as a Generalist Will Position My Practice Well in the Community

2019 ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Private Practitioners ◽  
Specialty Practice

Although mental health clinicians share a range of general clinical skills, and although each of these skills is important to providing excellent clinical care, such skills are not sufficient for success in the business of private practice. This chapter addresses this myth and shares how mental health clinicians must position themselves in their local market in order to be successful. Specific guidance is provided on how to develop specialty areas and niche areas of practice. It is made clear how these will assist private practitioners to differentiate themselves from local competitors and to better meet the treatment needs of their local community. Concrete steps for developing and building a successful niche practice are provided along with useful resources that may be consulted and utilized to help ensure success in developing and running a niche or specialty practice.

If You Build It, They Will Never Come

2019 ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Mental Health Assessment ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Practices

Some individuals may fear that the days of successful private mental health practices are over. This myth could not be further from the truth. This chapter highlights important data on the need for competent mental health professionals and the dearth of qualified mental health clinicians in many communities. Specific mental health services where there is a great need, where there often is not much competition for qualified clinicians, and where managed care is not involved are described. How to assess the mental health assessment and treatment needs of one’s local community and how to fit the services one offers into meeting these needs is explained. Specific strategies are offered for developing a viable and financially successful private mental health practice that is responsive to community needs and sustainable over time.

If I “Sell Out” to the Business of Practice, I Give Up My Core Value of Altruism

2019 ◽  
pp. 12-16
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Mental Health Professional ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Successful Business ◽  
Practice Care

Mental health clinicians in private practice are business persons who have the goal of running a successful business. It is easy to believe that those who are highly successful in the business of private practice care primarily about making money and that they have lost their focus on caring for others and addressing their mental health treatment needs. This chapter examines how running an ethically responsible successful practice is essential for assisting and caring for others. It highlights how clinicians may run a financially successful private practice and remain true to the values that led them to pursue a career as a mental health professional. Specific recommendations are provided for being financially successful while remaining true to one’s values.

The Basics of Managed Care and Its Impact on Private Practice

2017 ◽  
pp. 265-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon I. Herz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Managed Care ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Private Practitioners ◽  
Balance Billing ◽  
Privacy And Confidentiality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Managed Care Organizations

This chapter describes “managed care” insurance systems and practices that were created to manage healthcare costs. Effects on private mental health practice are identified, such as decreases in reimbursement, documentation requirements, treatment reviews, and other intrusions into clinician–client privacy and decision making. Potential advantages of participation are also identified. Key factors that private practitioners should take into account when deciding whether to participate with managed care organizations include careful contract reviews, likely credentialing requirements, and the impact of reimbursement on a practice. Potential solutions to common challenges are provided, such as limits on balance billing and waiver of co-payments. Ethical concerns specific to providing mental health treatment in the managed care context are discussed, such as limits on privacy and confidentiality. Potential implications of the ongoing seismic changes in the healthcare system for the future of managed care and private practitioners are explored.

All You Need to Do to Close Your Practice Is to Stop Seeing Clients and Lock the Door

2019 ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Financial Consequences

At some point in time most mental health clinicians in private practice will make a decision to close their practice. This chapter focuses on each private practitioner’s many ethical and clinical obligations to clients. Guidance is provided regarding potential pitfalls and legal and financial consequences to avoid in closing one’s private practice. Issues such as preparing clients for the impending closure, making arrangements for referrals and the transfer of records, knowing when to no longer accept new clients, terminating business contracts, and making required public notices of the practice’s closure are all addressed. Further, specific recommendations are made for preparing for unanticipated practice closures and the development and implementation of a professional will.

A Fee-for-Service Practice Cannot Survive

2019 ◽  
pp. 47-51
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Managed Care ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Disposable Income ◽  
Fee For Service ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Mental Health Practice ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Goods And Services

During fiscally challenging times and given the prevalence of managed care, it is easy to think that a fee-for-service private mental health practice is no longer possible. This chapter clearly demonstrates how wrong this myth is. Many individuals use their disposable income to purchase goods and services that are of value to them. How to develop and maintain a financially successful fee-for-service private practice is explained. Specific strategies are provided to determine community needs, to develop clinical skills that meet these needs, and to demonstrate the value of these services to prospective clients. Recommendations are made for structuring one’s practice so that clients will be more likely to pay for needed services out-of-pocket and for developing a successful fee-for-service private mental health practice.

In Graduate School, I Learned What I Need to Know About Running a Successful Practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Financial Issues ◽  
And Training

Although most mental health professionals receive excellent education and training that helps them to become competent and highly effective clinicians, graduate school tends not to provide training in the business side of practice that is needed for success in private practice. Many trainees and early-career clinicians may think they learned in graduate school all they need to know to be successful in the business of practice. Unfortunately, this is generally not true and many of those who enter private practice are poorly prepared for planning, establishing, and running a successful private practice. This chapter addresses the key issues every mental health clinician should know about when contemplating opening a private practice. Business and financial issues are addressed, including developing a business plan and utilizing various consultants. This chapter addresses the myth that excellent clinical skills are sufficient for success in the business of private mental health practice.

Implementation and impact of an extended-hours service in mental health care: lessons learned

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Erskine ◽  
Barbara Baumgartner ◽  
Sue Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Pathways ◽  
Full Description ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Model Ambiguity ◽  
After Hours

Objective To describe the activity and impact of an extended-hours mental health service established to meet perceived need and improve service efficiency. Lessons developed in evaluation could usefully inform development of services in similar settings. Setting A specialist mental health service providing assessment and treatment to 330000 catchment residents of an Australian capital city. Methods Pragmatic mixed-methods evaluation, combining review of 12 months service data and interviews with 65 stakeholders; with integration of descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of qualitative data. Results Over 12 months, 2040 individuals were provided with a range of services during extended-hours, indicating that some sort of service was needed. However, evaluation demonstrated that flaws in assumptions underpinning the extended-hours service design, particularly regarding the population seeking after-hours care, necessitated adaptation of the proposed model. Ambiguity in purpose contributed to perceived lack of a cohesive identity, compounded by critical differences in the philosophies of care teams from which the extended-hours service clinicians were drawn. Nonetheless the service was considered effective by many stakeholders and co-location of different teams built collegiality within the service. Conclusions A comprehensive needs analysis, enabling full description of target populations and their needs, should underpin establishment of any service. Such understanding is needed to ensure resources are appropriate. Importantly, because mental health clinicians are not interchangeable, matching philosophy of care and clinical skills to identified need is critical to quality and efficiency. What is known about the topic? Public mental health services are obliged to deliver services which meet the needs of the service community in a timely manner. This requires enabling access to care outside routine business hours. However little is known about demand for after-hours service and literature provides little guidance to support efficient establishment of services. What does this paper add? This mixed-methods investigation of a model of extended-hours service delivery provides insights to inform development of similar services. In addition to providing detailed information about provision of services in extended hours, we evidence the specialisation of mental health clinicians who work with particular populations typically accessing care after-hours. Risk assessment and crisis management are not ‘one size fits all’ and continuity and quality of care are enhanced when philosophy of care fits consumer presentations. What are the implications for practitioners? Attention must be given to the often implicit assumptions underpinning establishment of any service. Critical to success are a thorough understanding of the problem to be addressed, clarity about and articulation of purpose and clinical pathways, and ensuring the skill mix is appropriate to need. The positive impact of co-location on collegiality will be optimised when resourcing is adequate. Further research is needed to understand the demand for after-hours service, particularly from the consumers’ perspective.

scholarly journals Psychotherapists Working in Private Practice During a Pandemic: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Christine Duquette ◽  
Stephanie Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Telemental Health ◽  
Independent Practice ◽  
Private Practitioners ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Client Population ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

Psychotherapists in private practice provide services to an ever-growing client population. The 2020 novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic was a catalyst for emerging and exasperated mental health concerns among the U.S. population. The result was an increase in demand for services and private practitioners stepping up to meet this growing need. Little is known about the psychotherapists who embark on independent practice and less is known about the nuances of practicing during a global pandemic. The aim of this review was to exhaust the literature on private practice psychotherapy and the practice of psychotherapy during COVID-19, synthesize the findings, report on themes in the literature, and provide recommendations for future lines of inquiry. Themes from this review included the impact of COVID-19 on public mental health, telemental health, private practice shifts, and private practice careers.

Keeping Clients in Treatment as Long as Possible Is an Effective Practice-Building Strategy

2019 ◽  
pp. 52-54
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Business Practice ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Effective Practice ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Independent Functioning

Some mental health clinicians may think that it is best to keep clients in treatment as long as possible. After all, this might be seen as an effective way to ensure the stability of one’s private practice, especially for those who are not familiar with how to market their practice effectively. This chapter illustrates how this practice is actually counterproductive to the goal of maintaining a steady client base. It likely will alienate and displease clients and referral sources alike, discourage potential future clients from seeking treatment, place the clinician at risk ethically and legally, and not be a sustainable business practice. This chapter illustrates how meeting each client’s clinical needs appropriately, and helping them toward independent functioning as quickly as is reasonably possible, will actually be a practice-building strategy that will encourage more referrals and a more financially successful practice.

scholarly journals Ownership, usage and interest in digital mental health technologies amongst clinicians and young people across a spectrum of clinical care needs (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imogen H Bell ◽  
Andrew Thompson ◽  
Lee Valentine ◽  
Sophie Adams ◽  
Mario Alvarez-Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Health Technologies

BACKGROUND There is currently an increased appetite and acceptance of technology-enabled mental health care. To adequately harness this opportunity, it is critical that the design and development of digital mental health technologies is informed by the needs and preferences of end-users. Despite young people and clinicians being predominant users of such technologies, little research has examined their perspectives on different digital mental health technologies. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to (i) understand what technologies young people, both within youth mental health services and the general population, have access to and use in their everyday lives, and what applications of these technologies they were interested in to support their mental health; (ii) explore what technologies youth mental health clinicians currently used within their practice, and what applications of these technologies they were interested in to support their clients’ mental health. METHODS Youth mental health service users (aged 12-25) from both primary and specialist services, young people from the general population (16-25), and youth mental health clinicians, completed an online survey exploring technology ownership and use, and interest levels in using different digital interventions to support their mental health, or that of their clients. RESULTS 588 young people and 73 youth mental health clinicians completed the survey. Smartphone ownership or private access among young people within mental health services and the general population was universal (99%), with high levels of access to computers and social media. Technology use was frequent, with 64% of young people using smartphones several times an hour. Clinicians reported using smartphone apps (84%) and video chat (90%) commonly within clinical practice, and found them to be helpful. Fifty percent of young people used mental health apps, which was significantly less than clinicians (χ2 (3, n = 670) = 28.83, p < .001). Similarly, clinicians were significantly more interested in using technology to support the mental health of their clients than young people were to support their own mental health (H(3) = 55.90, p < .001.), with 100% of clinicians at least slightly interested in technology to support mental health, compared to 89.3% of young people. Follow-up tests revealed no difference in interest between young people from the general population, primary mental health services, and specialist mental health services (all Ps > 0.23). Young people were most interested in online self-help, mobile self-health, and blended therapy. CONCLUSIONS Technology access is pervasive among young people within and outside of youth mental health services, clinicians are already using technology to support clinical care, and there is wide-spread interest in digital mental health technologies amongst these groups of end-users. These findings provide important insights into the perspectives of young people and clinicians on the value of digital mental health interventions for supporting youth mental health.

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