If You Build It They Will Come And Other Myths of Private Practice in the Mental Health Professions

Private mental health practice is a vibrant and financially rewarding profession. And yet many who consider pursuing this path are misled by falsehoods that can result in costly mistakes - or avoidance of this fulfilling and worthwhile career. There is no need to market my practice, clients will find me. I learned everything I need to know about private practice in graduate school. I don't need an attorney or a CPA. Self-care is for students. But there is, you didn't, you do, and no, it most certainly is not.

In If You Build It They Will Come, Jeffrey Barnett and Jeffrey Zimmerman dismantle common misconceptions relating to the preparation, management, and ethics of entering and running a successful private practice in the mental health professions. In addition to sharing accurate information to refute each "myth", the authors provide vital information on how to be successful in private practice, identifying common pitfalls and challenges and offering specific and practical strategies to address and move beyond the myth. Chapters conclude with recommended resources and readings. Blending decades of clinical experience with practical no-nonsense advice about running a practice, If You Build It They Will Come helps fill the gaps in practice development training. Trainees and recent graduates in clinical psychology, social work, and counseling will benefit from this book's personal, candid, and optimistic approach.

Jeffrey E. Barnett, PsyD, ABPP is a licensed psychologist with over 30 years of experience in private practice and in educating and training private practitioners in the mental health field. He is the author of numerous books on success in private mental health practice and he regularly provides training to future and current mental health professionals on how to start and run a successful mental health practice.

Jeffrey Zimmerman, Ph.D., ABPP is a licensed psychologist with over 35 years of experience in both solo and group private practice. He is the co-author or co-editor of three books related to private practice. He regularly provides training to mental health professionals on building niche practices, helps mental health professionals form group practices, and provides ongoing practice development and management consultation. He is a founder of The Practice Institute.

Section I: Preparing for Private Practice
Chapter 1: In Graduate School, I Learned What I Need to Know About Running a Successful Practice
Chapter 2: Becoming Licensed Means That I am Now Competent
Chapter 3: If I "Sell Out" to the Business of Practice, I Give Up my Core Value of Altruism."
Chapter 4: Being Known as a Generalist Will Position my Practice Well in the Community
Chapter 5: Managed Care is Evil and Should be Avoided like the Plague; Experienced and Competent Clinicians Don't Participate in Managed Care
Chapter 6: Insurance Companies Just Care About Profits and I Care About My Patients, So It is Okay to Bend the Rules to Get Paid
Chapter 8: If You Build It, They Will Never Come
Chapter 9: A Fee for Service Practice Cannot Survive
Chapter 10: Keeping Clients in Treatment as Long as Possible is an Effective Practice Building Strategy
Chapter 11: Video Conferencing and Tele-Mental Health Technologies are Easy Ways to Build My Practice

Section III: Managing Your Practice
There Is No Need to Waste My Hard-Earned Money on Consultants, Attorneys, and CPAs
Chapter 13: At this Stage of My Career Paying for Supervision or Consultation is Just Ridiculous
There is No Need to Have a Budget or Business Plan
Chapter 15: If I Treat My Staff Well, They Will Take Care of Me and Look Out for My Best Interests
Chapter 16: I'm the Boss. Who Needs Policies and Procedures?
Chapter 17: It is Best to Have a Policy About Cancelled and Missed Appointments, and to Enforce It Consistently
Chapter 18: Continuing Education Requirements are Unnecessary and are not Relevant to My Professional Competence
Chapter 19: All You Need to Do to Close Your Practice is to Stop Seeing Clients and Lock the Door
Chapter 20: There is No Need to Save for Retirement - I Can Sell My Practice When I am Ready to Retire

Section IV: Documentation and Record Keeping
Chapter 21: Documentation and Record Keeping are Burdens to be Done with as Quickly as Possible: The Less Said, the Better
Chapter 22: It is Best to Provide Minimal Information When a Referral Source Requests Information about a Client
Chapter 23: If I Receive a Subpoena I Should Turn Over the Client's Records Immediately, or be Prepared for Serious Legal Consequences
Chapter 24: Client Records Should be Destroyed Once the Client Leaves Treatment or Dies

Section V: Toward Ethical Practice
Chapter 25: Private Practice is a Solitary Pursuit - There is no Need to Work with Others
Chapter 26: As a Professional, I Don't Need to Worry About Self-Care. This is Just Some Meaningless New Age Concept That is Being Hyped by the Media
Chapter 27: When I Need Clinical or Risk Management Advice I Should Ask for it on a Listserv
Chapter 28: Being a Good Caring Person is all I Need in Order to Practice Ethically and Reduce my Risk of a Malpractice Claim
Chapter 29: You are Ethically Obligated to Take Insurance, Offer a Sliding Scale Fee, or See Some People Free of Charge