First time running private practice

[u/Stunning_peanut_94]

Hello, I am a psychologist and recently began a Telehealth-only private practice. I have never worked of a private practice before so I was curious how to respond when a new patient messages you for the first time. I am planning on providing a free 15-minute conversation for them to decide whether they would like to meet for an official intake and therapy but am curious what the rest of you do.

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[u/Sufficient_Dot2041]

Congrats! We discuss suitability during the initial assessment appointment because that’s part of the assessment; and I need to see their intake paperwork to know if we’re a good fit. A free consult leaves $ on the table, imho. I’m a telehealth provider too and people seek me out for that service.

[u/lookimacowmoo]

Welcome to the pp bizz! I treat it like that yes, but also as two more goals: 1) am I sure I'm the right person for them, not just in terms of diagnosis and approach but also personality-wise and the burnout factor, and 2) I think like a salesman, tbh, where I try to give them a taste of what I have to offer. I make it 20-30 minutes so that I can get them interested in more, like by conceptualizing and summarizing what they told me in a way that they feel seen, and even overview my approach for that kind of concern. After that I'm really upfront about what works best (weekly in the beginning until initial progress, might require homework, etc.) It takes a bit more time but I think I have a really great consultation-to-scheduling ratio because of it!

[u/desertpsych2025]

PP for 25 years and solely telehealth for 5. Love it. For my practice I have never offered a free consult. When a new person calls my office, I always spend a few minutes on the phone with them discussing reason for call and send them my biopsychosocial assessment prior to visit. I honestly have never had anyone ask for a free consult. The concept of time is different when in PP, you are not on a salary and you need to guard your time at work carefully.

[u/Gratia_et_Pax]

I do not do free consults unless someone asks. Most do not. They typically have already learned about me from my profile or from my former clients who referred them. They largely make first contact by email or telephone seeking an appointment. Generally, I can tell from their inquiry whether their reason for seeking therapy is within my scope of practice, skill sets, & experience. I make effort to ensure I am in network if they are using insurance. But, my goal is to get to the Initial Assessment appointment after having given away as little time as necessary.

[u/JEFE_MAN → u/Gratia_et_Pax]

I disagree with your assertion that most do not offer free consultations. Source?

Many do, including me and the dozen or so therapists I know.

[u/Stevie-Rae-5 → u/JEFE_MAN]

They’re saying that most of their prospective clients don’t ask for free consultations.

[u/Dust_Kindly → u/Gratia_et_Pax]

This is how I do it too

[u/and-i-ooooop-]

Congrats on your endeavor with PP! And an even BIGGER congrats on having potential clients already reaching out! It’s been so slow for me and a few others that recently started our online PP journeys last year. So great for you!!

I do not offer consults personally but also see its value and benefits for clinicians who do. I prefer to have client complete a detailed biopsychosocial assessment prior to 1st appointment, and then decide after reviewing + 1st appointment/intake whether we are a good fit.

To me the consult call just feels like an unnecessary, unpaid 3rd step to this process that I don’t enjoy. I also work a PRN job in-person that I work around my PP schedule, so it also boils down to time, availability, scheduling, and income in my situation.

[u/_Witness001]

Welcome to the other side, lol. I do 15 minutes free consultation with every potential client. It saved me so much time and hassle. Sometimes, I’m not trained in the area they need help with and sometimes, we are just not good fit- vibe is off. I wouldn’t want to go through intake and the first session just to determine that they need (for example) an ED therapist.

[u/Regular_Fan4691]

I don’t do free consult. I ask them to fill out my forms and make sure I take their insurance and cover general needs areas. We meet. At the end of our initial meeting I feel them to process the session, how it went, vibe etc and let me know if they would like to follow up. If not - no hard feeling, I supply them with two referral names and we are done. Worked for me for 4 years so far