Tag Archives: new business

Sliding Scale Fee in a Canadian Private Practice

Posted by: Julia Smith on January 29, 2020 12:31 pm

There are many reasons why Canadian counsellors opt for a sliding scale fee in private practice. Some counsellors may include a sliding scale because they:

  1. want to offer therapy to those who cannot afford their full fee
  2. want to have a full caseload of clients
  3. are not confident in their session fee price
  4. all or some of the above

Are Sliding Scale Fees Worth It?
Having a sliding scale can solve the above issues but may also create more! If anything, having a sliding scale opens the door for negotiation on your session fee price. That means more administration work of going back and forth trying to negotiate a session price for each client! You also risk not getting your ideal clientele (people who will pay your full fee). When you advertise that you have a sliding scale, people who are looking for a deal will be drawn to your practice. And those that pay the full fee may resent that they are not getting a deal. Sliding scale fees can cause so much hassle and potential harm to your business that I believe they are not worth !

Solution

Offering affordable counselling:
Instead of having a sliding scale … sign up for Open Path Collective. It is free for you to join and allows you to advertise a discounted price for counselling. You can decide how many sessions a month you want to have at the discounted rate and then once full, you can post on Open Path that you are full at your discounted rate. When a potential client inquires about a sliding scale you can just refer them to Open Path. No negation on your counselling fee price needed.

Wanting a Full Case Load:
First and foremost, don’t start a private practice until you have AT LEAST three months of savings and/or have another job to support yourself! It can be very easy to lower your rate and have a sliding scale out of worry that you will not be able to pay your bills. There are many ways to build your private practice caseload that does not include lowering your session fee. One tip is to offer a free 15 minute phone or in-person consultation where you can showcase your value to potential clients.

Not Confident in Your Price:
I get it. The ‘imposter syndrome’ is difficult to deal with. It makes us think we are not worthy. It makes us forget that we have graduate degrees in counselling, experience, and counselling skills that have helped people overcome issues. You are worthy of a fee that reflects that. Click here to learn more about how to set your fee!

Until next time,

Julia

About Julia
Julia Smith, MEd, RCT-C, CCC, is a Canadian private practice consultant who specializes in helping Canadian counsellors and therapists start private practice. She also owns a private practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she helps depressed teens build confidence, find happiness, and gain insight.
Click here to get more help with building your Canadian private practice!

 




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

Confessions of a New Private Practitioner

Posted by: Angela Herzog on May 11, 2015 8:48 am
Leave a reply

Full of anticipation and excitement, I clicked the submit button to register my business. It was official. I now was the sole owner of Embodied Healing Counselling Services. It had been quite a journey to get to this point and my whole body felt alive with the passion and confidence to begin private practice.

That was two months ago; now, as I sit reflecting on the last two months, I am noticing a heaviness in my body that was not there at the beginning.

Everyone says that starting a business is hard; a lot of ground work and little payoff at the beginning. It is one thing to be aware of that, another to experience it. I have devoted hours to design, vision, marketing; a whole new world to a therapist. I seemed to take exciting steps forward to only be slammed with another setback. The setbacks weighed on me, the uncertainty stirred up anxiety. The focus soon became the lack of progress, clients and money.

I lost focus of my vision.sapling-154734_640

And yet, as I sit with this heaviness, I sense an invitation to look at the bigger picture. I am slowing down and I am reminded of all the doors that have opened for me and the valuable connections and opportunities I have had. The list could go on and on of the support from unexpected places, exciting opportunities and a growing web of network with amazing professionals.
And now, I have an embodied understanding of the initial step of building a private practice; to build a solid foundation.

So, in this spring season, as we await the blooms to emerge, I will continue to plant seeds in my community. With a deeper understanding of patience and an embodied vision, I will trust that I am right where I am to be in this season of my private practice. I notice this knowing brings a sense of relief and lightness throughout my body; releasing the heaviness of pressure.

The season of harvest will come.




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