Three years ago, I opened a private counseling practice in Sumter SC. I had several years of experience as a hospice social worker as well as work in a community health agency providing counseling in the behavioral health department. If you are considering private practice I highly recommend that you work in a local mental health agency where there is supervision by a psychiatrist and other therapists. I have found that experience to be invaluable in my current work as far as diagnoses, knowledge of medication, and meeting insurance guidelines for note-taking during sessions with clients.

A FEW STEPS TO CONSIDER IN OPENING A PRACTICE:

Determine type of business – I applied for a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) – This provides protections from liability. (Ask your tax advisor or attorney as this can vary state to state.)
Apply for Federal Tax ID number – I did this in preparation for future growth of my business, but as a sole practitioner you don’t have to do this.
Locate a space for practice. Do you want to lease? Or rent a space from another provider
Zoning approval – You may need to provide your type of business, meet fire codes, check on parking issues, etc.
Business license – Apply at your City or County office.
Apply for malpractice and liability insurance.
Apply for a National Provider Identification number (NPI) if you don’t have one.
Complete applications if you plan to accept health insurance. These are done through each insurance company and can be a bit tedious. Some counselors do not accept insurance but I feel that it is helpful to my clients to file insurance for them. I also have a designated number of slots for sliding fee scale.
Create forms to be used in your practice. (Intake, Progress Note, Consent to Treat, Disclosure Statement, HIPAA, etc.)
Determine fees, type of payment you will accept, open a business banking account. I also opened a merchant account to be able to accept debit and credit cards.
Marketing – Do you want a business logo? (My son-in-law happens to be a graphic designer and helped me with this. Thanks heymatthew.com!) Business cards? Do you need signage for outside/inside of office? (I have my logo on my signs, business cards, letterhead, etc. It’s good to be consistent.)
Social media/web presence – Do you want a business website? (Again, my son-in-law and my daughter (thanks Jenna!) helped me with this.) Lucky to have this talent in my family but you can find someone talented in your area!) See my website at CounselingSumter.com. I also have a business twitter account. (@Counselsumter) and a business email address (info@counselingsumter.com).
Furniture, laptops, coffee makers and other miscellaneous stuff for your office. I like to offer coffee, tea or a cold bottle of water to my clients when they come in. Make it special! ***

Gayla Partin, LISW-CP. 11-25-2017