How To Fall Back In Love With Your Mental Health Practice
According to the 2023 Therapist Well-Being Report, a staggering 52% of therapists are battling burnout and a whopping 55% said their administrative load was contributing to their burnout. When you add in the additional stress of being both a therapist and a practice owner, we can assume burnout is even more significant. Although running a mental health practice can be a rewarding endeavor, it's not without its challenges. As a practice owner, it's easy to become buried under administrative tasks, leaving little time for the business development that can take your practice to its full potential. Not only is it difficult to find time for business development, but overwhelmed practice owners often lack time for rest, selfcare, family, friends, and hobbies. It is not surprising that burnout is a reality for so many mental health clinicians and practice owners. Let’s be honest, it is really hard to love your practice when it is the cause of your burnout.
It's time to rekindle your passion for your practice by embracing delegation, scheduling dedicated CEO time, and gradually freeing yourself from daily operations. Remember the excitement and butterflies when you first opened your practice? Let’s get those feelings back so you, your clients, and your practice can thrive simultaneously. It really is possible.
1. Delegate Administrative Tasks and Then Delegate Some More
When you own a growing therapy practice, managing your communication channels and scheduling needs quickly becomes a daily stressor. That stress can sap your energy, diminish your enthusiasm, and leave you with feelings of guilt and failure.
You are not alone and you are not a failure! It is nearly impossible to keep up with phone calls, emails, and website inquiries when you dedicate your days in session with your clients. During that time, calls are going to voicemail and emails are filling your inbox, and by the end of the day, it is unrealistic to get back to everyone.
When this happens, your growth ultimately slows down because you have reached your time ceiling. Sound familiar? The good news is that this is a common growing pain and a sign that it is time for you to step out of the admin and into the business development of your mental health practice.
One of the key steps to falling back in love with your mental health practice is liberating yourself from the burdens of administrative tasks. You didn't become a clinician to spend your days drowning in paperwork and emails. Delegate non-clinical responsibilities to a reliable support team or consider outsourcing services. This will free up your time and mental space to focus on what you love – providing exceptional care to your clients.
By leveraging administrative support, you'll find yourself with more time to dedicate to the aspects of your practice that truly matter. Imagine the relief of not having to juggle both the clinical and administrative aspects on your own.
What Else Should I Delegate?
As a practice owner, this should be a question you continually ask yourself. Start by putting all of your non-CEO tasks (day-to-day operations) into one or more of these categories and start prioritizing from there.
Time Consuming Tasks: Delegate these asap if you need to free up your time.
Dreaded Tasks: Delegate these if you are losing the joy and passion for your business.
Learning Curve Tasks: Just because you can do it all doesn't mean you should. Outsource to the pros if you can.
Revenue Generating Tasks: Anything from sending invoices to help with a product launch. These tasks bring money through the door so they should be a top priority.
Neglected Tasks: These are the important but not urgent tasks that are too easily put off for another day. The time to delegate these tasks should often be after or alongside the other types of tasks.
2. Schedule CEO Time for Business Development
Meredith and I have a weekly CEO Day that we started several years ago with our first VA Agency, Sparent. We realized that if we did not set aside what we now consider sacred time to work ON our business, we would continue to be distracted by the day to day operations. Twelve months after implementing our weekly CEO Day, our business grew 400%. A year after that, we were able to purchase Move Forward Virtual Assistants. We credit the time we dedicate to working on our business(es) to our business growth. In addition, we find that it keeps us focused, passionate, and definitely not burned out.
To reignite your passion for your practice, it's crucial to allocate dedicated time for strategic business development. This is something you can start today by simply blocking dedicated time on your calendar to work on the growth and development of your practice. This time should recur on a regular basis such as monthly or weekly and should be treated with the reverence and respect it deserves. You can do this by not cancelling on yourself, turning off notifications, and setting up your environment in a way that is conducive to deep work. For me, that is good coffee, good music, and a closed office door.
Your CEO time is an opportunity to focus on the things that only you can do as the leader and visionary behind your practice. This is time for you to work on things such as business development, improving systems, hiring decisions, team development, policy changes, marketing strategy, new products & services, SOPs, and financial decisions.
Working on the right things is much more important than working hard when building a successful practice.
3. Let Your Core Values Lead Your Business Decisions
A few years ago, Meredith and I worked with an incredible branding consultant to help us define our core values. As mission driven business women, it was really important for us to have well defined and communicated values driving all aspects of our business and attracting our ideal clients and team members. We ended up with a manifesto which we lean on to this day in our decision making, communications, and marketing.
You are worthy of a clear vision for your practice and all the successes that come with having that vision align with your values. That doesn’t come from a to-do list. It starts with your decision to return to your WHY so you can redefine and connect to the work that you do and the practice that you are building ON YOUR TERMS.
But first, those core values need to be defined which means digging a little deeper into your convictions and what brings meaning to your life and work. This isn’t easy. We’ve all seen the generic core values listed on websites such as integrity, ethics, and quality care. Clients should be able to assume that their mental health provider is going to be ethical, have integrity, and provide quality care which renders these generic values meaningless. If you do include generic values make sure to elaborate on what that means specifically in your practice. For example, under “integrity” in Netflix document outlining their Core Philosophy, one way that they define integrity is “You only say things about fellow employees that you say to their face”. Dr. Bronner’s Cosmic Principles are a stellar example of authentic, unique, and meaningful core values. Here are some questions to help you define core values that will guide your business.
Who are your heroes/heroines?
What things inspire you in your personal life? In your practice?
What values do you bring to your practice when facing obstacles?
What is your most meaningful moment as a clinician?
What is your worst moment as a clinician?
What impact do you want to have on your clients? Your team? Your community? Your world?
How do I want my team to feel working with me?
What would you change about your profession as a whole?
How do you make a difference?
When do you feel dissatisfied or off kilter?
Why did you start your practice?
What are three things you despise?
Who do I most respect and admire in the mental health field. What are their values?
If you were abducted by aliens tomorrow, what do you want your legacy to be?
What makes you different/special/memorable? Your practice? Your team? Your clients?
A Catalyst for Transformation: The CEO Clinician Collective
While these steps provide a foundation for your practice's evolution, we understand that the journey can be a roller coaster of ups and downs. That's why we're excited to introduce the CEO Clinician Collective – a transformative 3-Month group program designed for clinicians ready to build a thriving practice without the stress and overwhelm.
In the Collective, you'll join a community of like-minded practitioners, benefiting from:
A mastermind-style peer group emphasizing support, collaboration, and accountability.
Expert-led micro workshops inspiring strategic actions aligned with your financial and lifestyle goals.
Tailored business advice acknowledging the unique challenges therapists face.
The CEO Clinician’s 90-Day Success Planner, your personalized roadmap to clinician-CEO excellence.
Direct access to Move Forward Virtual Assistants' CEOs and operational consultants.
Take the Leap: Apply to join the CEO Clinician Collective!
If the idea of transforming your practice alongside a supportive community resonates with you, then the CEO Clinician Collective is your next step. Click the button above to learn more or save your seat. Only 12 seats are available in each three month cycle.
Transform from an overwhelmed practice owner to a visionary with a plan. Rediscover the passion that led you to your mental health practice and pave the way for a future where you not only provide exceptional care but also lead your practice to your definition of success.
