Have you ever wondered what a typical day is like for a counselor working in private practice? Here is a typical afternoon for me in my private practice:
1:00-2:00: Read client notes from last session, check treatment progress, make outline of what to cover in session. When I first started practicing, I did this in much more detail. However, over the years I have noticed that clients often bring in new information, or something has happened to them in the past week or two that they want to discuss. So rather than spending hours and hours coming up with a detailed plan, I create a rough outline of what to cover in the hour based upon the client’s main goals, which were determined jointly in the first session. I also review their notes right before their session as a quick reminder. If I plan to give them a hand-out I make a note of it. When clients actually enter my office, all of my mental energy is focused on their issues. I don’t want to use it keeping track of billing or other miscellaneous paperwork.
3:00 – 8:00pm: See clients. My first client runs 10 minutes late, so I have to explain that I still need to end on time because I have several people after them and will have someone waiting. Clients always understand this, but what usually happens is that we run over anyway, and I have to postpone my note-taking. I strive to be on time with all of my clients. I value their time as much as my own. So I often opt to postpone whatever activities I can in order to see a client on time.
5:10pm: Out front in the waiting area looking for my 5pm appointment. This is a new client, which means there is a greater chance of getting a no-show. No-shows and late cancels are the bane of a private practitioner’s existence. See, a counselor’s time is their only commodity. So if I schedule someone and they don’t show up that means I lose money. It’s too late to schedule anyone in their place, and since I have someone scheduled right afterwards I have to stay and basically hang out. I usually keep professional reading material in my office and use this time to catch up on my professional development. So I call the client, asking where they are, remind them of my no-show policy, and hope that I have a credit card on file. If I don’t then I have to pursue them for payment, assuming they don’t have a legitimate reason for missing their appointment. One of the many things you have to do as a private practitioner is decide on your office policies, put them in writing, and explain and enforce them consistently. If you don’t act like a good business person, you will never make it in private practice.
6:00pm: A couples’ session. Couples sessions are generally much more unpredictable than individual sessions. This particular one is not going well. They are starting to yell at each other. Because my attempts to calm them aren’t working, I have to separate them, so I end up doing the equivalent of two short individual sessions. (I do not allow couples to argue in my office. It’s completely unproductive, and also, it is emotionally draining for me). But the sessions aren’t completely even, since the male partner broke down crying during his and I had to give him more time. He informs me at the end of his session that he doesn’t want to short the female on her time. So….I am supposed to allow you to go to an hour and twenty minutes? And let the poor 7pm person wait for 20 minutes? I don’t think so. Rather than argue with him, I agree, and sacrifice the 10 minutes I usually use at the end of the session to write my notes, go to the bathroom, get water, etc.
Some therapists wait until the end of the evening to write their notes. But after seeing five people, I do not trust my memory. So I write my notes right after each session. This also gives me the opportunity to reflect while the information is still fresh in my mind.
8:10pm: Time to go home. I make sure lights are off, A/C is off, and front door is locked. I say good-bye to whomever is still at the center. After I return home, I still have about 15 minutes to a half-hour of work to do. I have to write any notes I missed during the evening, set up a new client file, and do my billing. I prefer to bill at the end of each evening rather than waiting until the end of the week.
8:40pm: Clients’ credit card declined. I make a note to contact them in the morning to get this resolved. Hopefully they will simply give me a new number so that I can get paid. Occasionally, clients will try to skip payments for sessions.
9:00pm: Dinner, TV and bed.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Barb LoFrisco
Also check:
• https://mastersincounseling.org/counseling/internships-and-salaries-what-you-need-to-know/
• 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-ii/
• https://mastersincounseling.org/education/insider-tips-on-applying-to-schools/
