If you’re looking to make improvements for the new year here are 7 things to do to Improve your Private Practice Admin in 2023. Whether you’re looking to streamline your processes, make your self-assessment easier or overhaul your systems and procedures there's something for you here.

Accounts & Finance

As we move into a New Year and the self-assessment deadline looms now is a great time to think about how you record your income and expenses. Ensure you have a dedicated bank account for your Private Practice and a way to record your Practice finances. You can read more about Bookkeeping in my previous blog which will give you advice for sole traders in Private Practice.

You can also purchase my bookkeeping template which will help make this task super easy and stress-free.   

Paperwork

Paperwork is so important for Private Practice. I work with a lot of therapists and one thing I always start with is their paperwork. Paperwork in Private Practice isn’t used by everyone but I believe it should be. You need to protect yourself and your business. 

It sets you up as a legitimate business. It shows you take your Private Practice seriously and it can answer questions your clients may have. I have a blog all about Private Practice Paperwork which you can use as a starting point.

Onboarding Process

Getting clients is one thing but giving them a clear, robust onboarding process will instil confidence that you are a professional. Not only that but I have found far higher retention of clients when they are properly onboarded and it gives a great first impression. 

I like to follow this process when onboarding but it's important you come up with your own based on your Practice processes and systems.

• Intro Call

• Welcome Email - outlining important details such as appointment confirmation, how they attend (address or link), payment information and cancellation policy

• Sending Paperwork - via an electronic method such as Google Forms or Signable

• Client Log - a document that contains important information about your clients such as emergency contact details

• Client Files - where you securely store any information your client has given you are you have written about them

You can read more about how to set up an onboarding process HERE.

Invoicing

The start of a new year is a great time to look at your invoicing process and amend if needed. Whether that’s increasing your fee or changing how you invoice altogether. I have lots of information about invoicing from a blog to a free download. These are filled with information about this subject. 

In short, I always recommend sending a physical invoice. I also recommend invoicing in advance. In my experience clients will allow you to change the way you invoice as long as it’s easy for them. If you are looking for a manual invoicing template. I have an easy to customise invoice template and log to keep track of all the invoices and payments made for easy bookkeeping.

Weekly Schedule

I am a huge fan of time blocking and ensuring that I have time for everything I need to complete in my week. Using an online calendar can help you maximise your productivity and reduce overwhelm. If you know that everything has its place in your week you can prioritise and slot everything in. I love using different colours to highlight the different aspects of my life. From client meetings to admin, training and personal activities. 

For Private Practice specifically, planning when you want to see clients can help you plan how many clients you can see. It can also help you know what space you have to offer new clients or reschedule sessions too. It can also avoid you seeing clients at times that aren’t convenient to you and hold boundaries around this.  

You can check out my previous blog on the benefits of time blocking. This also includes some tips and has a free handwritten task list if you prefer this to online.  

If you prefer to watch how this works, check out my video on creating a “perfect” week and how to use Google Calender to time block effectively.

Google Workspace

This one will change your Practice. Whatever email provider you’re with, make the switch to Gmail. Once you’ve signed up to that you’ll be able to access all the applications Google Workspace (formally Gsuite) has to offer. Google Drive, Sheets & Docs, Calendar, Forms and Meet. 

You really can run your whole Practice using this one system for around £4 per month. I’ll be talking lots more about Google Workspace in the new year so be sure to follow me on socials to find out how this awesome system can help you.

If you’d like help getting set up I will be running my 4-week online course which will take you through all the applications I recommend for Private Practice. You’ll learn how to use all the features and also get practical advice on how to use them in Private Practice. If you’d like to be first to know when we launch and get a free mini video training you can check out all the details HERE.     

Outsource

If you are finding the admin in Private Practice overwhelming now may be the time to outsource. There are lots of tasks you can outsource to a VA. Invoicing, Bookkeeping, Client Communication, Onboarding, Diary Management and Letter Writing to name a few.

Hiring a VA is easier than you think and will save you lots of time. If you hire the right one they can also help you streamline and automate procedures that will rescue your spending.  

Conclusion

I hope these gave you some inspiration on how you can make improvements to your Private Practice admin in 2023. Most therapists don’t go into Private Practice for the admin but it doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. 

Our mission for 2023 is to help therapists get online, get confident with admin and reduce tech overwhelm!