Top Tips for starting in Private Practice
- Emily Duffy
- Mar 28
- 4 min read
My experience:
Starting up as a sole trader in private practice can be a daunting thing. When I set up at the end of 2020 it was a decision made because the job market for therapists is pretty limited. Most jobs ask for a certain level of accreditation with voluntary membership bodies (which costs money and time for the hours of practice needed) or they're asking for 3-5 years POST qualification experience. It is so frustrating and leaves you either needing to find a unicorn job, working for places like Better Help which can be low paying, or going into private practice!
Thankfully, I felt ready and able to do this with my previous roles and experience in safeguarding and support services. Honestly, I haven't looked back, and now with my chronic illnesses a paid job just wouldn't be suitable for me anymore. So, now I'm passing what I have learned in this process onto others who maybe aren't as sure.
Pros and cons of Private Practice
Pros:
Flexibility in your hours - you can choose whether you work mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends and fit this around your life.
Setting your own limits - you can choose how many clients you see in a day or week, as well as how spaced out they are.
Choosing the client "group" you want to work with, i.e. your niche
You can set your fees - from your hours and limits you can set your fees accordingly for what you want/need to earn. Or offer sliding scales if that's what you want to do to.
You can work long term with clients rather than being restricted to a set amount.
Cons:
The income can be unstable with no guarantee in enquiries or clients staying in sessions
You need to upskill in marketing, privacy, and networking (if you don't already do this).
You don't get paid for sick leave or holidays
You likely will need to pay upfront for some things with setting up (ICO, some websites, directories, room hire).
It can feel lonely, especially working from home!
My top tips:
ICO & Data Protection:
This is a legality. If you are collecting personal, health, and identifying information from clients and storing them online then you need to pay for ICO. You can check how much and what here.
I am currently writing a data protection post so keep an eye out for that, but you need to create your own privacy policy around what data you are collecting, why, how you're storing it, and how clients can opt out or request deletion.
Some of this will be dictated by your insurance, e.g. my insurancerequires me to hold notes for 7 years after last session with clients.
AI is coming into the picture now and definitely falls under privacy and protection of data. Personally, I don't use AI, but if you do make sure it keeps in line with confidentiality and data protection as well as getting informed consent from clients!
My tips - check out other privacy policies, use the ICOs extensive resources, go through your process bit by bit, and if in doubt ask your supervisor/ICO.
Safeguarding:
Again this is something to get you're head around ideally before taking on any clients. There are certain situations where you may need to break confidentiality of a client which fall under safeguarding.
Tips - Most membership bodies have their own safeguarding policy so use this as a guide of what they expect as well as their ethical framework (if you're not a member it can still be useful to check out), think about what your process with be, and again check with your supervisor as to where their stance might be on different areas.
HMRC:
You will need to register with HMRC for tax purposes and they are currently implementing Making Tax Digital.
Some highlights:
If you earn under £1000, you don't need to do a self assessment (though I filled it out anyway in my first year 😅)
If you earn under 20k then you don't need to do making tax digital process, but it is worth looking into to know about in case you end up earning more.
If you earn over 80k then you need to look into VAT.
My tips - register when you know your soletrader name so it's done, hire an accountant if needed, and donyour tax return(s) as soon as you can to avoid stress and anxiety.
Website, SEO, and GEO:
A website can be a great tool and allow you to expand into other things if you want to supplement income (blogs, shops, resources, courses, etc.)
For attracting client and getting found SEO and now GEO are important to look into whether by yourself or through a professional.
Tips - check out different providers to see what they offer and if it allows for expansion in case that interests you in the future.
Social Media:
Social media is great for both marketing and for networking. I started off being really rigid with how I use it around the algorithms, but now I'm much more about posting when I can and about things that mean something to me in hopes it resonates with others.
Tips - check out other therapists social media pages to see how you might want to use it, join some community counsellor/therapy groups for networking, and be yourself!
Freebies/discounts:
Take advantage of freebies e.g. 6 months free on Psychology Today, 1 month free with Counselling Directory code, discounts on video services, discounts on website providers, etc.
If you've found this helpful and would like to know more check out my PP start up guide and resources for therapists:
Further Resources:
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