Private Practice Success Newsletter

November 2006, by Lynn Grodzki, LCSW, MCC (Master Certified Coach)
www.privatepracticesuccess.com

Survival of the Fittest

We know that we continually evolve as human beings, both internally, in our consciousness and externally, in the things we create.

But you may not yet recognize that your private practice also goes through evolutionary stages. If you are like most small business owners, you are consumed with the details of your work and focus on the daily tasks that are necessary to help you stay afloat. Who has time for thoughts of evolution?

But it’s important to keep the big picture in mind. Viewing your practice from the perspective of evolution lets you see a pattern of undercurrents and emerging phases that develop in similar ways for all businesses. If you understand the ramifications of the particular stage you are in right now, you will know what tasks you, the business owner, need to attend to in order to make sure that you and your practice not only survive, but thrive.

“A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.” Heraclitus of Ephesus

For a moment, think of your private practice, the business you have birthed and nurtured, as a child. Just as it makes parenting easier to anticipate the tantrums that occur during the “terrible twos” or the sullen behavior of a pre-teen child, it helps to know what stage your practice is in, and what is going to happen next, and why.

Businesses go through early survival phases, mid-life stages where matters of organization, achievement, and affiliation dominate, and mature phases where the matters of integrating core values, defining legacy, and reinvention take over.

But while understanding the phases and having some ability to predict or anticipate what is next can be helpful and calming to the business owner, prediction is only part of the tool kit a business owner needs to succeed.

"The greatest discovery... is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind." William James

Business success or failure can feel not only random, but intensely personal to those of us who are reluctant entrepreneurs, unschooled in the skill-set of business. We naively think that our business success or failure is based primarily on factors that involve our psychology, or our skill level, or other personal issues; while this may be true, rarely do we factor into the success or failure equation the developmental arc of business.

Sometimes, business situations that we experience are simply indicators of a stage that any business invariably passes through. Business evolves by moving through spirals of lower-order action to newer, higher-order ways of being, just as we human beings tend to do.

In the next few monthly newsletters, I will look at some stages that may be critical to your survival right now, as the market changes and challenges heighten for those in private practice. If you are in the Maryland or New York area, in November I will be giving day-long workshops to further explore the evolution of your private practice with strategies for success. (See below for details.)

But for this month, think about the following questions, to help us identify the stage your business might be in. I will explain how each question relates to the different stages in successive newsletters.

1) Is there a common, repetitive topic or theme in my concerns or worries about my business?
2) Of these four business resources, what would help my business the most: more cash, more information, more infrastructure, or more professional support?
3) When I daydream about the future I want, do I see myself working more or working less?
4) Do I feel like a fully mature, high functioning adult in my response to my business challenges, or do I regress to a younger version of myself?

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Also, in publication this month....

Triage for Your Practice: When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Prioritize

By Lynn Grodzki, (Psychotherapy Networker Magazine, October 2006)

I sit in my office on a sunny spring morning talking by phone to Carol, a licensed counselor in Colorado who’s in the midst of a life-and-death struggle. She herself isn’t ill, but says her private practice is terminal. It's so painful to admit to this, she says. I feel like the worlds biggest failure. I’ve been in practice for over 17 years. Ten years ago, I had a very full practice of 30 clients a week. Last week, I saw 6 clients! I used to feel confident about myself as a therapist, but not now. I don’t feel I can talk to any other therapist about what’s happening to me because I feel ashamed admitting that I’m not making it. What am I doing wrong? Most importantly, can you help? she asks.

I listen with concern, both as a psychotherapist with a private practice of 20 years standing and as a business coach who’s spent the last 10 years working primarily with therapists. Carols story is doubly distressing because I’ve had an increasing number of senior therapists report to me that their once successful, full-time practices are now in serious decline.

Carol feels like the only one with the problem, but in reality, she’s part of a growing trend. This past January, Psychotherapy Finances released its latest industry-wide survey of mental health clinicians in private practice, which indicated that after 10 years of relative income stability, the financial picture since 2000 has darkened. Therapists are having a much harder time earning their previous levels of income, and indicators point to a continuation of the trend for the near future.

To read the entire article, go to this link:
Psychotherapy Networker Article

Upcoming Teleclasses and Workshops

"The Coach as Entrepreneur" for Personal and Professional Coaches
Starts Monday October 2, 2006

Building a thriving coaching business is a challenge. With an estimated number of 40,000 coaches worldwide, and with the majority hanging out their coaching shingles during just the last five years, the coaching market is definitely growing. But data shows that these same coaches are finding that despite their best efforts, the business side of coaching is not as financially viable as they had initially hoped.

Whether you are a veteran coach or new to the coaching profession—this Teleclass can help promote your business success. If you have questions about what it takes to start or expand your ongoing coaching business, we will talk together to provide answers that have been tested in the marketplace. If you are at a loss as to how to attract clients, retain clients, or earn what you need, we can share strategies that will shorten your learning curve. If you love being a coach but don't yet love being in business and feel stuck or burnt-out, we can help you find an easier way to thrive in this challenging business.

This Teleclass, based on the book, "The Business and Practice of Coaching", will help you take steps in the right direction. Our small group will meet twice a month for an hour each time for six months, using a "bridgeline" — an easy to access conference line, that you dial just like a long-distance phone number at the given time, to be connected to everyone on the call. This is a chance to build your practice with the support of Lynn and other coaches: collegiality and professional support, without competition!

For logistics, fee, and registration information go to:
The Coach as Entrepreneur

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Lynn’s Upcoming Workshops

November 10, 2006, Columbia, Maryland
“The Evolving Private Practice: Achieving Long-Term Business Success”
Sponsored by the Marworth Treatment Center
A Practice-Building Seminar for Mental Health Professionals
8:30 PM to 4:30 PM: Fee $50 (includes breakfast, lunch and 6 CEU’s!!)
To register, contact Sabrina N'Diaye: sabrina.ndiaye@comcast.net / 1-800-929-6495

November 30, 2006, New York City, NY
“The Evolving Private Practice: Achieving Long-Term Business Success”
Sponsored by: The Greater NY Chapter of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
A day-long Practice-Building Seminar for Mental Health Professionals
To register, contact: Edith W. Bayme: Ewb209@aol.com

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Books by Lynn Grodzki, published by WW Norton. To order, click on each book.

	The Business and Practice of Coaching By Lynn Grodzki and Wendy Allen (2005) An estimated 30,000 coaches have entered the coaching profession in the past five years, but unfortunately, the majority report they are unable to earn a living wage from their coaching services. This book shows you how, using a coaching approach to the business of coaching.
	Building Your Ideal Private Practice By Lynn Grodzki (2000) The best-selling guide to what you need to do and who you need to be in order to have a highly profitable, personally satisfying private practice. Often called the "private practice bible" this book has become a resource for tens of thousands of your colleagues.
	The New Private Practice:Therapist-Coaches Share Stories, Strategies and Advice Edited by Lynn Grodzki (2002) A groundbreaking look at the profession of coaching through the eyes of 16 successful therapist-coaches who tell you how to become a coach, what to charge, and show you how they coach their clients.
	12 Months to Your Ideal Private Practice: A Workbook By Lynn Grodzki (2003) This planned, motivational workbook will help you build the practice you desire. The workbook incorporates fresh ideas, new exercises, further skill sets and much more to give you a direct experience of being carefully coached by Lynn, month-by-month, for a full year.

More next time,

lynn@privatepracticesuccess.com
See the website for additional articles, information about individual coaching, and upcoming classes.