Have you ever wondered what a typical day is like for a counselor working in private practice? Here is a typical morning in my private practice:
9:30 am: Check voicemail and email and return any messages from clients. Explain my services/rates to one person, and schedule another. Some private practitioners outsource answering the phone and appointment setting. Not I. I have a certain method of setting my appointments that I have developed over the past few years that optimizes my time. Besides, I think people really like talking to the actual counselor they will be seeing. Client contact happens with the first phone call. I don’t return phone calls if I am tired or stressed out. I don’t return them if I cannot put a smile on my face before picking up the phone. Yes, I literally smile when talking to a client. It puts me in the right mood and reminds me to be kind and speak warmly. And, it’s not hard. I enjoy talking to prospective clients over the phone. I like talking about my passion, which is changing people’s lives, and I am complimented that someone is interested in my passion! Why would I outsource that?!
9:45am: Work on marketing. As a private practitioner, you and only you are responsible for getting new clients. Sales and marketing are necessary parts of the job. In addition to my regular Internet advertising campaign, I work on longer term marketing projects such as blog writing, and I attend various networking events. I also write for a local magazine. I enjoy all of these activities, as they appeal both to the introverted and extroverted parts of my personality. You have to love this part of your job, and do it well, otherwise you won’t get clients and you won’t be able to stay in business. Yes, private practice is a business and has to be run like one. And it is trickier, because as counselors we have ethical considerations that other businesses don’t have. So you can’t just market any way you choose—you have to make sure your marketing methods are ethical.
10:30am: Check Facebook. See an interesting article on anxiety, read it and make notes for a future article. Part of being a practitioner in private practice is discipline. If you’re on Facebook, you have to be intentional about it. So if I’m on Facebook for business reasons, I don’t look at my personal account. I also maintain a Twitter account. Although I haven’t directly received clients (to my knowledge) from social marketing, it’s a good way to get your name out there and establish your brand, all long-term marketing strategies.
10:50am: Receive a scary looking tax notice in the mail. Wonder what the government is demanding this time and fax it to my accountant. Although my accountant actually files my taxes, I am my own bookkeeper. Once I learned how to do this, it really isn’t that time consuming, and does save me money. It is, however, my least favorite part of my job.
11:00am – 1:00 pm: Lunch/workout/get dressed. I dress a certain way for clients, professional but not overly so. Occasionally I do wear suits, but I try to dress them down by adding funky jewelry, or unbuttoning the jacket. I think clients expect a professionally dressed counselor, but not someone that looks like a lawyer. I try to put myself in their shoes: would you want to tell your most intimate secrets to someone who looks all buttoned-up? I wouldn’t. But I wouldn’t want to talk to someone in ratty jeans, either. My usual look is dress pants with a nice sweater, or shirt and blazer. I always style my short hair, and makeup is light but polished. I keep lipstick at my office for quick touch-ups. My shoes are always in good condition. Image is important. I always show up on-time and nicely dressed. I’m not sure how the rest of my day will go, but I can start it on a positive note.
In my next post, I will describe a typical afternoon.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Barb LoFrisco
Also check:
• https://mastersincounseling.org/education/unhappy-with-your-current-job-heres-what-your-employer-doesn%E2%80%99t-want-you-to-know-about-online-classes-part-i/
• https://mastersincounseling.org/counseling/what%E2%80%99s-it-really-like-to-be-a-counselor-an-afternoon-in-the-life-of-an-agency-counselor/
• https://mastersincounseling.org/counseling/oops-3-common-blunders-every-new-counselor-makes/
