How My Work Started vs. How It's Going
A look at how my practice and work-life balance have changed over the years
As the year comes to a close, I took some time to reflect on how my work has shifted. I’m entering my sixth year in the field, and my second in private practice, so that feels like a natural opportunity to reminisce.
I decided to compare my previous agency jobs (I’ve lumped them together here) to my life in private practice. I knew the difference was staggering, but putting it in writing really made it hit home. My practice and my life are not quite where I’d like them to be, but they’re also a far cry from what they used to be - in a good way. If you’re also reflecting but are feeling discouraged, perhaps this will offer you a hopeful perspective.
HOW IT STARTED:
My Schedule
Commuting 35 minutes or more each way
Working four 10-hour days (as a means of ‘self care’)
Working until 7 or 8 pm every night
Seeing anyone and everyone who walked in the door - because that’s what I was told to do
Leading a 3 hour intensive outpatient addictions group 3 nights a week (which I was never trained to do)
Doing 7 intakes every Tuesday
Seeing 6-7 clients per day (often with 4+ back to back)
My Work
Being assigned clients when I was beyond full (more than 80 clients on my caseload)
Trying to help clients I was way underqualified to help
Working with clients who were absolutely not a good fit (because ‘we have to give them something’/’there’s nowhere else for them to go’/’it’s a good learning experience’) - I was never taught how and when to refer out
Being forced to work with younger children even though I am not good with them
Making barely enough to survive while my employers pocketed 80% or more of the money I brought in
Making the same amount of money no matter how hard I worked, with no potential for raises or upward mobility
HOW IT’S GOING:
My Schedule
Reasonable commute to an office of my choice (with a window!)
Working four days a week (Monday is my admin/personal day)
Starting at a reasonable time, working until 5:30 two days a week, and until 5pm the other two days
Only practicing within my scope of expertise
Screening clients via brief phone call before the intake
Spacing out my intakes as needed (no more “intake days” or walk-ins)
Seeing no more than 5 clients per day (and no more than 3 consecutively)
My Work
Having complete control over when I consider my caseload full
Referring out clients when I’m full, they’re not a good fit, or I’m no longer able to help them
Only taking on clients who fit within my specialties/expertise (who I know I can help and feel energized/fulfilled working with)
Not seeing anyone younger than 14
Having control over my rates, what I do with that money, and my income in general
Being able to afford to see less clients because I’m making more per person (due to being mostly self-pay)
Yes, I’m not where I’d like to be, but I’m sure as hell not where I was. And I made that happen. I count that as a win.
As far as where I’m headed now - well, I’m figuring that out. I know that I want more opportunities to share my knowledge on platforms like this. I know I want to find more balance between client work and other types of therapy-related work. I know that I’m drawn toward my creativity, and different forms of passive income. My general goal is to take more actionable steps toward these things (rather than endlessly scheming and brainstorming). I’ll figure out the rest as I go.
I’ll be taking a little break this week, but I’ll be back with new ideas, new offerings, and probably more in January. I hope you’re able to take some time to reflect on the past, be grounded in the present, and find hope in the future. Take care of yourselves - I’ll see you all in the new year!