Starting a private therapy practice: a practical checklist

Most therapists who move into private practice are well prepared clinically and underprepared for the business side. None of it is difficult, but there is a lot of it, and some steps need to happen before others. The rules differ depending on where you practise, so read this as a list of things to check rather than a set of answers.

1. Check you can practise independently

Confirm that your qualification and registration allow unsupervised private work, and whether you need a certain number of post-qualification hours first. Your licensing body or professional association will have guidance. Many also expect private practitioners to have ongoing clinical supervision, so find a supervisor early.

2. Sort out insurance

You will usually need professional indemnity insurance, and public liability cover if clients come to a room you rent or own. Professional associations often have arrangements with insurers that work out cheaper than going direct.

3. Set up the business

• Decide whether to work as a sole trader or form a company. For most solo therapists, sole trader is the simpler start, and an accountant can tell you when that changes.
• Register with the tax authority where you work.
• Open a separate bank account for the practice, even if nobody requires it. Tax time becomes far easier.
• Keep a simple record of income and expenses from your very first session.

4. Decide on fees

Look at what therapists with similar training charge near you and for the way you work, in person or online. New practitioners often undercharge and then find it awkward to raise fees later. Decide in advance whether you will offer reduced rates, how many, and on what basis.

5. Write your policies

• Confidentiality and its limits
• Cancellations and missed sessions. Our guide to reducing no-shows includes a sample policy.
• How clients can contact you between sessions, and how quickly you reply
• What happens in an emergency
• How long you keep records, and how you destroy them

6. Choose where you will see clients

Online, a rented room, a shared clinic, or a mix. Renting by the hour keeps costs down while you build a caseload. For online work, use a video platform suited to confidential sessions and a quiet, private space.

7. Set up your records

Decide how you will keep client details, appointments and session notes before your first client, not after your tenth. Whatever you choose should be secure, backed up and easy to search. A short intake form and one consistent note format will save you hours later on.

8. Find your first clients

• Tell colleagues, former placements and your supervisor that you are taking referrals.
• Join the directories your professional association runs.
• Write a profile that says clearly who you work with and how, in plain words.
• Contact local doctors, schools or employers if your specialism suits them.
• Where it is appropriate, let satisfied clients know you have space for people they might know.

9. Review after three months

Look at your caseload, your income against your costs, your no-show rate, and how much time admin is taking. Adjusting fees, hours or systems is much easier early on than once your diary is full.

MindMaster was built for exactly this stage: one practitioner, a growing caseload and no admin department. Client records, sessions, case notes and session income sit in one place, and it is free for the first six months.