Post Update: My Reckoning with My Previous Beliefs about New Grads Going into Solo Practice

Hi everyone, 

It's been a while since I've posted a blog here! More of my recent writing has been on my Substack, which you can follow along with here if you're interested. But I wanted to post about this on my website specifically because it recently came up in an interaction with a clinician. She had mentioned that she thought about reaching out to me for supervision, but read my blog post from 2023 about why I didn't think new grad therapists should go into solo practice. And it impacted her, for valid reasons. She was choosing solo practice for herself and didn't know if we were the right fit based on that, which is very understandable. It was great feedback, especially since now, almost 2 years later, the majority of my supervisees are in solo practice! 

It made me remember that while my professional opinions are constantly in flux, the words on my website look a lot more permanent. And people may choose to work with me, or not work with me, based on things I wouldn't even say now. So I would like to update that post with what I have learned and opinions that have changed since that original post, because my views are now much more nuanced. 

Original Opinion: Going into Private Practice Doesn't Necessarily Prevent Burnout

My Opinion Now: True, but Neither Does Anything Else 

My original thoughts on this were that starting a private practice involves a ton of new skills related to starting a business that can be incredibly overwhelming, which can compound the overwhelm that new therapists are feeling already. I think on a surface level, I still think that's all true. Starting a solo private practice can absolutely be overwhelming and isolating. AND, I think that's still true whether you're a new therapist or not. So no, being in private practice doesn't automatically prevent burnout more than any other career path in mental health. It's all about the way you navigate your career options. 

My opinion now? Assess the pros and cons for yourself. Perhaps you had a previous career that prepared you for running a business (something I did mention in the original post). Maybe your season of life requires a lot of flexibility, and you simply can't find a W2 job or group practice that can accommodate what you need right now. Maybe being in private practice simply gives you the best option to move forward in your career. If you're aware of both the potential risks and benefits, and you still choose a solo practice, I'm going to assume you have good reasons. If you don't ultimately have good reasons to start a practice and do it anyway, I suppose that will show itself in time.

Original Opinion: Taking Whatever Clients You Want in Private Practice Tends to Lead to Less of a Well Rounded Clinical Knowledge Base 

My Opinion Now: It's Your Responsibility to Expand Your Comfort Zone to the Level Needed for Your Career

I don't know if I've fully landed with my opinion on this one.  Usually the argument related to my original opinion is that the scope of our independent licenses is very broad, and therefore we need to actually be competent to treat a wide variety of populations, therefore needing to build a well rounded clinical knowledge base early in our careers. There is some truth to this for therapists in certain parts of the mental health field. If your job requires you to be a generalist, you should be a generalist. But if it doesn't, perhaps you don't.

After all, it's impossible for any one therapist to be truly competent to work with every potential client out there. I think we have to use our clinical judgment, consult with supervisors and colleagues, and assess our own career goals. There are likely drawbacks to being overly myopic with a clinical specialty from the very beginning of your career. But if you know what kind of work you love to do, and you're doing it, why pull your time and attention away from that to focus on irrelevant training? Practice ethically and responsibility. Beyond that, I don't care to police this anymore. 

Original Opinion: Solo Private Practice Is the Slowest Way to Earn Your Licensure Hours 

My Opinion Now: Potentially Still True, but Speed Isn't All that Matters

The statement above is generally true. Nobody starts a private practice from scratch and instantly has a full, consistent caseload. Going into private practice means that you will experience more ups and downs in terms of clinical hours compared to most full-time W2 jobs. The question is whether or not that's a bad thing.  It's very difficult to be in solo private practice and gain your licensure hours as quickly as possible. Not impossible, but difficult. The question is whether or not that's a bad thing.

If getting your license as quickly as possible is not your goal, then who cares? For many clinicians, speed isn't the primary goal, and that's completely ok. If the difference is going to be so large that you are going be stretching your pre-license time past your state's maximum deadline, then yes, you need a plan B for your own sake. But if the difference is 6 months or something, and you're happier and have a sustainable career, then I'm all for it. You should do what works for you.

Final Thoughts

In my original post, I recommended readers to simply take my thoughts on this with a grain of salt, and I still do. As I have supervised dozens of clinicians now, my opinions have softened in many ways. I don't need new clinicians to see things the way I see them. This field is incredibly subjective. We all have different experiences, different clients, different supervisors, different colleagues, and different approaches. Everything about this work is variable.

I've become more open to the constant changes in the mental health field, and more understanding that what worked 5 or 10 years ago may not work now. I'm still happy to speak to my own experiences as needed, and if anything, I am more grounded in the knowledge and wisdom I have gained in this work. But I'm also much more aware that pushing that on others who didn't ask for it doesn't make it more valuable. It just makes it more annoying. 

If you found this post helpful and would like to talk more, I offer several ways to connect professionally:

- clinical supervision for counselors in Colorado, Washington, Utah, Nevada, and Massachusetts
- professional consulting
- ACS consultation (supervision of supervision) 
- Newly Licensed Therapist consult and support group, meeting once a month (email me for dates and times) 
- speaking, trainings, and workshops