Entering Private Practice

Packed with practical advice from experts, and based on the editor's many years of organizing career seminars for psychiatric residents, Entering Private Practice: A Handbook for Psychiatrists offers a comprehensive curricular approach -- highlighted throughout by user-friendly forms, samples, and checklists -- to setting out on a career in private practice. Entering Private Practice: A Handbook for Psychiatrists details the advantages and disadvantages of private practice and emphasizes that practitioners must love their work and balance it with a successful personal life. Following a systematic, no-nonsense approach to private practice, these distinguished contributors discuss the nuts and bolts of how to, Find and set up a private practice, including the use of technology and the web to minimize administrative overhead and enhance clinical services -- A self-administered form to get started; advice on finance, Internet searches, networking, and interviewing; pros and cons of solo practice, small and large psychiatric groups, and multidisciplinary and multispecialty groups; and step-by step instructions on everything from choosing a location and handling finances and billing to hiring staff and selecting décor Market a practice -- Top 10 tips for both internal marketing (advice for communicating with patients and sample patient and physician surveys), and external marketing (effective outlets, including directory listings, brochures and sample content, direct mail, and the media; includes sample press release and media pitch) Navigate the ins and outs of insurance billing and relationships -- Basic principles and procedures to help practitioners do good work for reasonable pay and help patients get what they most need despite limited resources (including Medicare forms and checklists for understanding insurance benefits and notifying patients about the costs of ancillary services) Relate to primary care physicians -- Integration of care (referral, consultation, and collaboration) to achieve better patient outcomes, including basic principles and skills for effective communication Steer clear of legal pitfalls -- The top 10 legal and risk management areas of concern for psychiatrists, including practice rules, confidentiality, record-keeping, compliance, managed care, and malpractice insurance, among others Avoid or deal with common ethical problems -- Confidentiality, informed consent, boundaries, dealing with industry, continuing education responsibilities, general health care ethics, collaboration, and money issues illustrated by case vignettes Joining the ranks of essential guides, Entering Private Practice: A Handbook for Psychiatrists is a must-read for any psychiatrist planning a career in or a career change to private practice.

Entering a full-time private practice and forsaking the comforts of a regular paycheck was a difficult decision for me. Fortunately, I was able to begin my practice on a part-time basis in space rented from two physician friends. By using my behavior skills for self-management and organization, I was then able to help my practice grow so that, with some trepidation, I moved into a full-time practice. I have continued to maintain my practice according to the same ethical, professional, and business assumptions discussed in this book. One of the reasons for my writing this book is that, at the time I was beginning my practice, there was no one text that helped me begin or to explain what "nuts and bolts" issues I needed to consider. As my practice has grown, I continued to see a need for a resource text to help the beginning therapist get started. I decided to describe the assump tions, methods, and issues that I have used so as to present a discussion of timely issues relevant to the practice of behavior therapy.

As perspectives on private art therapy practice evolve, this book provides an overview of the range of approaches, clinical settings, ethical issues and professional considerations when working outside of the formal structures of publically-funded services. An essential guide for art therapy students and experienced practitioners moving into private practice, it considers the impact of a private context on theory, practice and research. The book features contributions from art therapists with extensive experience in both private practice and public services and gives practical advice on potential difficulties, such as managing relationships with fee-paying clients, self-promotion and maintaining boundaries when practising from home.

Handbook of Private Practice is the premier resource for mental health clinicians, covering all aspects of developing and maintaining a successful private practice. Written for graduate students considering the career path of private practice, professionals wanting to transition into private practice, and current private practitioners who want to improve their practice, this book combines the overarching concepts needed to take a mental health practice (whether solo or in a group) from inception, through its lifespan. From envisioning your practice, to accounting and bookkeeping, hiring staff, managing the practice, and running the business of the practice, a diverse group of expert authors describe the practical considerations and steps to take to enhance your success. Chapters cover marketing, dealing with insurance and managed care, and how to choose your advisors. Ethics and risk management are integrated throughout the text with a special section also devoted to these issues and strategies. The last section features 26 niche practices in which expert practitioners describe their special area of practice and discuss important issues and aspects of their specialty practice. These areas include assessment and evaluation, specialized psychotherapy services, working with unique populations of clients, and more. Whether read cover-to-cover or used as a reference to repeatedly come back to when a question or challenge arises, this book is full of practical guidance directly geared to psychologists, counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists in independent practice.