{"id":78,"date":"2013-05-28T03:21:15","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T09:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/speechchick.wordpress.com\/?p=78"},"modified":"2015-10-15T19:52:51","modified_gmt":"2015-10-16T01:52:51","slug":"tips-for-starting-your-own-private-speech-therapy-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/?p=78","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Starting Your Own Private Speech Therapy Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fulfilling my dreams at the age of 25: <\/span>Miss Alissa\u2019s Story<\/span><\/p>\n

I had many dreams for my life \u2026 love, family, laughter, service, beauty, creativity, growth, and purpose.<\/p>\n

\u00a0At the age of 25 I looked back on my relatively short life and felt fabulously fulfilled.\u00a0 After finding an incredible husband, graduating with a masters degree in my dream profession, obtaining a job in a devastating economy, building my dream house, giving birth to the most fabulous and beautiful child, I looked around at my blessed life and I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude and peace.\u00a0 After achieving every goal I had set early on in my life, I found myself being constantly drawn to the more \u201cunachievable\u201d goals that I had lingering in the back of my head.\u00a0 I had found great purpose in my life by setting goals and working relentlessly until I had achieved them, and my heart couldn\u2019t stop searching for the next goal to attempt.\u00a0 A Private Practice.\u00a0 My mind continually wandered to this idea.\u00a0 However, I constantly shot it down with thoughts of inadequacy and reasons for why I could not accomplish it.\u00a0 I was too young\u2026 no one would take me seriously\u2026 I knew nothing about starting a business\u2026 I didn\u2019t have the same level of experience as my older colleagues… etc.\u00a0 I believe the real reason I resisted starting a private practice initially was all due to fear.\u00a0 Fear of putting myself out there and being rejected.\u00a0 What if people didn\u2019t like me?\u00a0 What if no-one felt that I was a good therapist?\u00a0 \u00a0How could I take other people\u2019s hard earned money knowing that I was not (and never would be) a perfect therapist?\u00a0 I was overwhelmingly plagued by the idea that if I started a private practice and it wasn\u2019t successful, it would ultimately mean that I was unsuccessful as an individual.\u00a0 I was scared to \u201csell myself\u201d.\u00a0 I was scared to build something entirely on my name — and my personality \u2013 and my character \u2013 and MYSELF.<\/p>\n

\n

Luckily for me I have been blessed with an unbelievably supportive husband.\u00a0 He took every negative thought I had and turned it around.\u00a0 He made me see every reason why I should start a private practice.\u00a0 He led me through my fears and answered every question I had until I had no other choice then to take that first leap of faith.\u00a0 And that is how it all began.\u00a0 That first leap of faith led to lots of late night discussions, scratch paper plans, google searches, and various phone calls and e-mails.<\/p>\n

The initial research and planning then led to the following actions\u2026<\/p>\n

1.Writing a business plan<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

See Jena\u2019s super helpful post for guidance @ http:\/\/independentclinician.com\/how-to-write-a-business-plan-a-guide-for-physical-occupational-and-speech-therapy-providers\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Obtaining licensing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

City License (my city\u2019s business license website http:\/\/www.paysonutah.org\/development.businesslicensing.html<\/a>)<\/p>\n

State License (my state\u2019s business license website http:\/\/www.dopl.utah.gov\/licensing\/speech_audiology.html<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Building a website<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Check mine out at www.utahspeechtherapy.com<\/a><\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Designing business cards<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Front\"blogpic1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Back\u00a0\"blogpic2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Creating brochures<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Check mine out at http:\/\/www.utahscommunicationconnection.com\/downloads\/brochure.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I then needed to prepare my location.\u00a0 My plan was to conduct therapy out of two bedrooms in my home (a therapy room and an observation room).\u00a0 I set up the rooms by purchasing discounted\/used furniture and sprucing them up.\u00a0 I bought a laptop computer and some standardized tests to get started.\u00a0 I organized and set up all the therapy materials I had gathered over the last few years.\u00a0 Financially I invested in total a little over $2000 to get my business started.<\/p>\n

Therapy Room<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0\"blogpic3\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\n

\"blogpic4\"<\/a>Observation Room<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(where parents view therapy being conducted in the room next door via a camcorder hooked up to a television)\"blogpic5\"<\/a>\"blogpic6\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 My next step was marketing (a website does nothing for you if no-one knows it exists).\u00a0 I contacted the local early intervention agency and asked if I could give a small presentation.\u00a0 I spoke to therapists that worked for the local school district.\u00a0 I took some business cards to my baby\u2019s check-up appointment and presented my business ideas to the pediatrician.\u00a0 I sent letters and brochures to other pediatricians in the area.\u00a0 And then I waited\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0Referrals came.\u00a0 People were interested.\u00a0\u00a0 It was exciting and exhilarating.\u00a0\u00a0 As the months progressed, my remaining fears of being inadequate slowly began to fade.\u00a0 I realized that I did not have to \u201csell myself\u201d as much as I thought I would need to.\u00a0 I realized that I did not need to be the \u201cperfect\u201d therapist.\u00a0 By the time most people contacted me they were very serious about helping their children and were already invested in the process.\u00a0 All I had to do was make sure that I was providing appropriate therapy that was planned out and effective.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0We (as SLPs) are so fortunate to work in a field that has a great deal of demand.\u00a0 People search us out \u2013 we just have to make ourselves known.\u00a0 We get to change their lives.\u00a0 What an incredible blessing.\u00a0 As far as my life goes now \u2013 I feel like I am truly living the dream.\u00a0 I spend most days at home with my little one \u2013 and provide therapy privately on the side.<\/p>\n

\"blogpic7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0I get to work out of my home which has great advantages (such as throwing a load of laundry in the washer in-between clients, eating lunch at home, having all my therapy supplies and materials at my fingertips, getting some of my mortgage written off by conducting therapy in my home, etc.).\u00a0\u00a0 When I finally committed to beginning my private practice I did so because I realized there were far too many advantages that outweighed the fears I had \u2013 and I had to face the risks and take the first leap of faith.\u00a0 My reasoning behind sharing my experience is simply for me to be to you all… what my husband was to me\u2026 a support system, a cheerleader, a confidant, a sounding board, and a friend.\u00a0 It was my dream and I did it.\u00a0 If it is your dream you can do it too!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fulfilling my dreams at the age of 25: Miss Alissa\u2019s Story I had many dreams for my life \u2026 love, family, laughter, service, beauty, creativity, growth, and purpose. \u00a0At the age of 25 I looked back on my relatively short life and felt fabulously fulfilled.\u00a0 After finding an incredible husband, graduating with a masters degree […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[8,9,10,13,35,37,41],"class_list":["post-78","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-private-practice","tag-business-cards","tag-business-license","tag-business-plan","tag-dream-job","tag-speech-therapy-practice","tag-starting-a-private-practice","tag-work-from-home"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/speechchick.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/blogpic4.jpg?fit=777%2C648","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":613,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions\/613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/82"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/speechchick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}