Given our uncertain economy, those who own and operate a private practice have some important choices to make about their future.

I wrote about this in an earlier newsletter published in September 2010. (You can read the article:  “Forks in the Road” by clicking here.  In this article, I likened your situation to walking down a path, coming to a fork in the road, and having to choose one direction.

To stay viable, effective, and profitable, I believe that therapists in private practice will operate their practices within one of these three business models.

Deciding which one is best for you depends on may things, including your philosophy of service, your training, and your values. All three models seem to work well today and in the future, but to stay successful, each requires a different approach or “positioning” for the therapist and the practice.

No matter whether you are in a solo private practice or a group practice, chances are you are already headed down a path towards one of these models, but you may not be conscious of it yet.

It’s time to wake up and plan…

I try to be a trend-spotter. I spend a lot of time trying to see where we are going as a profession. I believe that, given the recession and other changes in the health care front, the future of psychotherapy and private practice is getting clear.

Therapists are going to choose one of 3 very different paths to walk. No matter whether you are in a solo private practice or a group practice, chances are you are already headed down one of these…:

1) Insurance driven

2) Consumer driven

3) Belief driven

Explanation in the article.

First, C.J. Hayden asks “Not Enough Clients?  What’s in Your Way?”

Instead of trying to fix your marketing by just seeking out more ways to meet people or collect names, email addresses and phone numbers, stop for a moment. What is the problem you’re trying to solve? In other words, what’s really getting in the way of your marketing success?

And Lynn Grodzki looks at “Essential Connections“:

[T]the resource of connection — with community — is free. Having a strong professional community can build your practice, but sometimes attending a professional group feels like a waste of precious time.  So I wondered: What is the best strategy to finding or creating a community that really supports your life and your work?

Marketing may be the most hated word in private practice. Most of my clients tell me that they can’t stand marketing their practices. For them, any marketing is synonymous with push marketing — shameless advertising, overpromising, promoting, or seducing — the direct opposite of the healing relationships they are trying to build. They don’t want any part of it.

But you can leverage your marketing efforts (leverage = learning to do a lot with a little) by applying two steps:

1) Find the need in the market
2) Stay within your comfort zone.

The “here’s how” is on her site.

Circle A is the soul of your practice: Inside this circle, list those services that you’re passionate about offering.

Circle B contains your brand: Inside this circle, list the aspects of your practice that connote your expertise, reputation and excellence.

Circle C is your economic engine: Inside this circle, list the services or products that are consistently profitable and generative.

The point where the three circles intercept — where passion, brand and profitability overlap, will become the new strategic focus of your business.

The complete article is here.

A system taught to me years ago by coach and entrepreneur Jeff Raim, helped me think about time management in blocks. His calendar had three types of time blocked out each day: “work” “buffer,” and “spirit.”

• Work means activity that brings you both joy and money.
• Spirit means time that replenishes your soul and increases your energy.
• Buffer is a catch-all phrase meaning everything else.

When Jeff showed me this system, I blocked out my calendar and realized that my days were mostly work and buffer time, no spirit blocks showed up. This has changed and my time feels better managed and I am much more energized.

The rest is here.

From Tamara Suttle, some Best Practices for Direct Marketing.

Casey Truffo vlogs about How to Find Speaking Engagements (“pink spooning” an upcoming teleseminar).

Lynn Grodzki suggests the Six Steps to Reduce Your Risk in an article on her site.

And so on and so on and so on…

Add @wherethclientis on twitter to get the up-to-the-second feed from these and other consultants.

Building Your Ideal Private Practice

Twelve Months to Your Ideal Private Practice