Building a private practice financially is not easy. It is financially wise to have multiple income streams in order to stay afloat and cover overhead costs involved in running your business. Not only is this important in your transitioning to a full time counsellor but this can help balance costs when there are lulls in client appointment bookings. Utilizing these available time slots to generate other means of income may be a smart thing to do not only for cost but as a marketing strategy as well. Personally, I continue to be a registered nurse as well as work for EAP companies.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

–        Get established with an employee assistance program (EAP) or many. You may be one of their many treatment providers that they refer clients to in the community. Many EAP companies also have consulting positions, for example, workshop presenters, return to work consultants, crisis/debriefing counsellors. Typically, EAP companies on average prefer 5 years of post graduate experience in counselling. A great webinar offered by CCPA from time to time explains the in’s and out’s of EAP companies in more detail.

–        Offer to mentor/consult with other counsellors building their practice or developing their niche. Of course, you will need the professional knowledge and experience to offer this service but this could be a great additional income stream for seasoned counsellors.

–        Find a teaching opportunity through schools if you have a teaching background. You may also offer workshops on your expertise. You may also offer workshops to organizations as well.

–        Look into part time work with a community agency that offers counselling

–        Do you have group counselling experience? Can you offer group sessions to clients in your niche?

–        Assess what you are already doing now that could be turned into a potential income stream.

–        Volunteer for your local counselling association. This may not be an income stream but it may generate more referrals.

–        Publishing can also be another way for generating additional income through writing self-published content through the traditional means of publishing for a journal or paper or modern ways such as e-books, workbooks, creating downloadable resources such as videos, audio resources etc.,

Relying solely on direct client hours may hinder your success in developing your private practice. Client hours factor on referrals, state of the economy, time of the year etc., We counsellors need to think outside of the box in terms of generating more income as we become more established.

I’d love to hear from you about potential ideas for additional income sources. What do you think would work for you or has worked for you?

 

Andrea Cashman is a private practice counsellor who has founded Holistic Counselling Services for individual clients seeking therapy in Ottawa, ON. She also practices at the Ottawa Hospital as a registered nurse. Feel free to comment below or contact her at [email protected] or visit her website at www.holisticcounsellingservices.ca

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA