Is private practice profitable?
Going into private practice can be profitable and rewarding, but it can take a lot of time and energy before you get to that point.
With hard work and good planning, earning an income of $100,000 per year in private practice is an obtainable goal. Now, let's discuss the financial aspects of running a viable counseling practice: 1. Managing client fees: Client fees vary depending on the location of your practice, and the payer(s) you work with.
First, it is absolutely possible to be profitable as a private practice therapist running a solo practice. And though you do take on risk as an entrepreneur, making six figures or more is well within reach.
There are many steps that go into starting a practice, as well as many costs. It's not a journey without obstacles, and about 50% of practices will close their doors within five years. But the good news is that yes, owning a medical practice can be very profitable and very rewarding!
Only about two-thirds of businesses survive for two years or more. Not only that, but the number keeps on dwindling further down as more years pass by. Less than half of the businesses established survive for six years or more.
Many therapists cannot afford to quit their job, financially invest in building a practice, and wait for the phone to ring to earn money. Some therapists choose to start a therapy private practice as a side hustle part-time while earning an income from another employment opportunity.
From the experience of others and myself, the business should begin generating a small profit by the fifth to sixth month. How much of a profit? Well this depends on your practices niche and its expenses, but it should be in the $1000-$3000 range by month 5.
With a “split fee” the private practice owner would give the contract counselor a percentage of the total fee collected for the practice. Typical fee splits are 60/40 or 70/30. For example, with a 60/40 split, the therapist that provides the session keeps 60% of the total fee collected and the practice keeps 40%.
To make $200k per year you'd need to make $769.20 per day 5 days a week with no holidays and that's before tax. You can make that in a day seeing 5 clients at $155 an hour. If you can pull that in at 30 hours a week, you can make over $200K.
Being able to dictate when and where you work instills a sense of stability and control over your life as well as contributing to greater work/life balance. Being the boss puts you in control of your destiny and for some, that is the only reason needed to establish your own practice.
What is the most lucrative medical practice?
The highest-paid doctors in the US are in surgical and procedural specialties such as neurosurgery, thoracic, and orthopedic surgery. These physicians earn an average annual salary of $600,000 or higher.
The NP may treat four or more patients per hour throughout the entire work day. In most urgent care clinics, the expectation is that the nurse practitioner be able to handle a patient volume of about four patients per hour similarly to the primary care setting.
"The AMA analysis shows that the shift away from independent practices is emblematic of the fiscal uncertainty and economic stress many physicians face due to statutory payment cuts in Medicare, rising practice costs, and intrusive administrative burdens," AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, said in an accompanying ...
“The share of physicians in private practice decreased from 60.1% in 2012 to 46.7% in 2022.” The survey's data shows that, “by far, the most cited reason for hospital and health system acquisition had to do with payment,” Kane wrote.
Quality of Care
This allows them to make decisions that are in the patient's best interest because they are free of the bureaucracy that controls large healthcare organizations. Private practice doctors can truly advocate for their patients and recommend treatments based on their clinical expertise.
1. Psychiatrist. If you are interested in the medical side of mental health, psychiatry stands out as one of the top-earning therapy specialties. It's important to remember that psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing, treating, and managing mental illnesses.
- Ensure you have a supervisor able to support work in private practice.
- Find a room to practise from, and/or ensure you have appropriate training and a private space suitable for you to work online.
- Get your insurance.
- Ensure your professional membership is up-to-date.
Research by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that almost 42% of psychologists work between 40 – 49 hours per week on average. “It's not uncommon for therapists to see an average of 6-9 clients per day and up to 20 plus per week.
Marketing can be done through websites, social media, online ads, business cards, brochures, rack cards, directories, personal contacts… the list goes on and on. All of these can let potential clients or referral sources learn and know about your practice.
Best-Paying States for Mental Health Counselors
The states and districts that pay Mental Health Counselors the highest mean salary are New Jersey ($99,390), California ($79,450), New York ($75,700), District of Columbia ($73,500), and Connecticut ($71,650).
How much do top therapists make?
Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | $93,262 | $45 |
75th Percentile | $71,100 | $34 |
Average | $62,223 | $30 |
25th Percentile | $51,300 | $25 |
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $156,500 and as low as $49,000, the majority of salaries within the Bachelor Degree In Psychology jobs category currently range between $60,000 (25th percentile) to $116,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $148,500 annually across the ...
Starting a private practice marks an important and common milestone in a psychologist's career. According to the American Psychological Association, about 44.8% of psychologists work in private practice. Opening a private practice in psychology carries many benefits, but also more responsibility.
W2 employees are just that- employees of a specific company. This gives this access to things like benefits, career development, PTO, and company perks. Unlike a 1099 contractor who can be terminated for a variety of reasons, W2 employees have the security of a HR department.
As of Dec 3, 2023, the average annual pay for a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in California is $70,553 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $33.92 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,356/week or $5,879/month.
References
- https://provider.thriveap.com/blog/how-many-patients-should-fnps-expect-treat-hour
- https://practiceofthepractice.com/10-reasons-private-practices-fail/
- https://practiceoftherapy.com/8-ways-to-get-clients/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/12hpu6p/is_200k_achievable/
- https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/mental-health-counselor/salary
- https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/private-practices/3-top-reasons-why-doctors-are-selling-their-practices
- https://www.psychology.org/resources/starting-a-private-practice/
- https://www.theraplatform.com/blog/772/starting-a-private-therapy-practice-as-a-side-hustle
- https://elitenp.com/profits-how-long-does-it-take/
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Licensed-Mental-Health-Counselor-Salary--in-California
- https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/features/105530
- https://www.dotcomtherapy.com/blog/working-as-an-online-therapist-1099-vs-w2
- https://www.thebadtherapist.coach/blog/how-much-do-private-practice-therapists-make
- https://networks.aamft.org/blogs/anthony-centore/2019/11/14/is-private-practice-profitable-heres-how-much-mone
- https://nepapodiatry.com/5-reasons-to-choose-a-private-practice-over-a-hospital-practice/
- https://www.talkspace.com/blog/how-many-clients-do-therapists-have/
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Therapist-Salary--in-California
- https://practiceoftherapy.com/business-models-private-counseling-practice/
- https://strategicmedicalbrokers.com/blog/is-owning-a-medical-practice-profitable/
- https://www.laurelroad.com/healthcare-banking/the-pros-and-cons-of-starting-your-own-practice/
- https://www.inspiraadvantage.com/blog/highest-paid-doctors-in-the-us
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Bachelor-Degree-In-Psychology-Salary
- https://brightontherapypartnership.org.uk/private-practice-guide/
- https://www.somaticainstitute.com/blog/6-top-earning-therapist-specialties/