INNOVATIVE THOUGHT & PRACTICE
Christian Counseling Connection
9
of running a business, the counselor turned practice owner runs the risk
of allowing the beloved work of counseling to evolve into a chore among a
plethora of other less familiar and desirable tasks.
Perhaps a more significant risk, however, is that the financial realities of
small businesses will require the practice owner to spend considerable time
being the “clinician” to generate income. If the practice owner fails to focus
on the other roles necessary for success, he or she can easily default to what
is
know
n (being the “clinician”) and the business will likely suffer. The nec-
essary “manager” tasks of operations, financial management and staffing, for
example, can often be neglected. As Michael Gerber states, when the owner
is functioning as the “technician” (in our case the “clinician”), he or she is
working “in” the business versus working “on” it. Many small business own-
ers spend very little time working “on” their business and quickly become
disillusioned and even enslaved by the organization they created. Rather
than being their greatest asset, knowing the technical work of their business
becomes their greatest liability.
So now that you know a change in thinking is needed, how do you
cultivate this new mindset? This journey involves developing the skills and
mastery required to effectively perform the “new” roles. Just as you spent
years developing and refining your clinical skills, the skills needed to man-
age and work as an entrepreneur will also take focused effort over time.
The role of “manager” is perhaps the easiest to understand and often the
least preferred by a therapist. This role, however, includes one of the most
critical tasks of any business: choosing who is on your team. Best-selling
author, Jim Collins, introduces the concept of “the bus” in his book,
Good to
Great
. Using the analogy of a “bus” to represent an organization, he delin-
eates important “manager” tasks as: getting the right people on the bus, the
wrong people off the bus, and people in the right seats as a key to success.
Some management work can be outsourced or handled by hiring a practice
manager, but the business owner must develop mastery in this area through
education, mentorship, coaching, and/or consultation.
The role of the “entrepreneur” is the least understood, yet most essen-
tial for the long-term health of any business. The entrepreneur defines and
brings to life vision, which is necessary for launching, maintaining, and
growing a successful practice. Vision will help you define your business
model, business strategies, and goals. In this way, the vision of the entrepre-
neur
informs
his or her choices as the manager
in order
to set a solid stage
for the excellent ministry of the clinician. Vision also provides a “true north”
to focus on when the storms of change and other business realities make it
difficult to stay the course. A business coach or mentor can be a great asset
to help you develop a clear vision statement and strategic business plan.
As someone who has committed your life to helping others, I encourage
you to maximize the gifts and opportunities provided by God. If that includes
starting or growing a counseling practice, pursue excellence in both counsel-
ing
and
business. This starts by embracing a new mindset and developing the
skills necessary to succeed in the roles of clinician, manager, and entrepre-
neur. With this mindset in place, you are well on your way to success!
Trina Young Greer, Psy.D.,
is a Licensed Clinical Psycholo-
gist and the Executive Director of Genesis Counseling Center.
Genesis is an outpatient counseling group with multiple offices
located in Hampton Roads, Virginia, providing comprehen-
sive Christian counseling and psychological and psychiatric
services. Trina obtained her Doctorate of Psychology degree
from Regent University and an Educational Specialist degree in Counseling
from The College of William and Mary. She is passionate about applying best
practice models to bring operational excellence to clinical Christian counsel-
ing settings.
References
Collins, J.C. (2001).
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t.
New
York: HarperCollins.
Gerber, M.E. (1995). T
he E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to do
About it.
New York: HarperCollins.
Patterson, R.J. (2011).
Private Practice Made Simple.
Oakland, CA: Raincoast Books.
Walfish, S. & Barnett, J.E. (2010).
Financial Success in Mental Health Practice.
Washington, D.C.:
American Psychological Association.
