AFFORDABLE WAYS TO START A CANADIAN PRIVATE PRACTICE IN 2025 | EP 157

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In This Episode

• My journey 
• What you need to know before
• Keep the bills in mind
• Create your dream private practice 
• Get yourself affordable and effective support

My journey 

‘When I started my private practice almost nine years ago, I really wanted to be my own boss.’ – Julia Smith

Being my own boss meant to me that I had the freedom of choice. I wanted the freedom to set my own schedule, to counsel clients with therapeutic modalities that I was passionate about, and because I enjoy a bit of a challenge!

‘I made the leap and moved across the country to start my private practice in Halifax and wow! It has been a journey!’ – Julia Smith 

What you need to know before

Of course, before you start your private practice, you want to make sure that you have a Master’s degree in counselling and that you are either certified and/or licensed by your provincial college. 

‘[Being certified or licensed] is important ethically as well as it opens up a lot of doors for cheaper liability insurance [and] being a part of insurance companies that may cover your services for people who have their insurance with them.’ – Julia Smith 

Then, you need to decide whether you want an online or an in-person private practice, or even a hybrid version of these two. If you are strapped for cash when you start out, consider starting with an online private practice to save you some money in the initial stages of your practice. 

Or, if you are decided to start as an in-person counsellor, you can contact other practices and see if they are willing to rent out their office space to you on weekends or off-peak hours for you to see your clients. 

Keep the bills in mind 

Whether you are doing in-person or online therapy, it will help you tremendously to have savings in the bank before you embark on this journey. 

If you don’t have a few months of savings in the bank, you can work part-time in another job or practice while you start your own on the side. 

Create your dream private practice

Now the fun part begins! Once you have decided on the crucial business steps, you can now start to have some fun with the process and bring everything to fruition one step at a time. 

Here are some of the necessary decisions you need to make: 

• Liability insurance 
• Your niche 
• Naming the practice 
• Registering your practice 
• Building the website 
• Choosing an EMR
• Getting professional photos taken 
• Designing a logo 
• Deciding on the prices for your sessions 
• Installing a business phone 
• Opening a bank account

‘So many decisions! But once you have the answers to those decisions, your foundation is set! It’s not as hard as it may seem.’ – Julia Smith