I rarely write about practice management. This is probably because it has none of the “sex appeal” of the inner work, or money issues, or even marketing. Like most other therapists, I find the run of the mill housekeeping tasks associated with being a business owner at best mildly boring, and at worst, mind numbing. However, these are not just trivial issues we are talking about. If they are left untended, they can create serious problems!

Typical Management Tasks

What do I mean by managing your practice? Well, there are the tasks we need to do on a regular basis, such as:

• Writing up financial records
• Sending in accounts and returns to the revenue
• Renewing our subscriptions with professional bodies
• Ensuring bills get paid on time
• Collecting monies owed to us (from clients, EAP companies or HSE or other services)

For most of us in small private practice, these things get done when they need to, or when there’s a deadline looming.

These tasks that are never going to be the most important or the most attractive to do and so you may find yourself putting them off. Or for some people it’s hard to sit still while they remain undone! It depends on how we relate to boredom and excitement. And order and chaos.

How do we make it work?

When we work for someone else, the manager or boss will have something to say if our chores aren’t done. When we work for ourselves, we need to have the discipline to do these things without someone else to keep us on track. How good are you at being a self-starter, or do you need the outside structure of a deadline or consequence to get things done? 

Some people manage by making rules for themselves. As both employer and employee in our own businesses, we both make the rules and comply with them (or not!) We decide what needs to be done and we are also the ones who do it. If we have a rebellious or anti-authoritarian streak in us, we are likely to meet it here.

Pro-activity helps!

There is a lot to be gained by being proactive about some tasks. Managing our money is a good example. Our ability to manage our finances, to identify what needs doing and find a way to make it happen, and to overcome our ambivalence or rebelliousness will be key to moving from not earning enough to creating a healthy practice. Without the ability to manage, our practices may plateau at a level that cannot sustain us.

Where could you better manage your practice? What tasks are you leaving undone or ignoring that could make a difference to your marketing, your money or your compliance? What tools do you need to help you to manage your practice better? If I can help you with these or any other aspect of your business of therapy, please contact me for your free 20 minute consultation.

If you’re struggling to build your practice, my new workshop “The Business of Therapy: The Inner Journey may interest you. Click link for details. It’s on the 19th October 2019 at the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan. This short video introduces it: