From Graduation to Private Practice: Launching Your Career as a Psychotherapist

As new psychotherapists and counselors graduate from schools, starting a private practice can be an exciting and challenging endeavor. Here are some key considerations to help you establish a successful practice:

1. Obtain necessary license and certifications: Ensure you have the required licenses and certifications to practice in your jurisdiction. Research the specific requirements for your area and complete any necessary exams or applications.

2. Define your niche: Identify your specialization or the types of clients you want to work with (adults, children, couples, etc). Focusing on a specific area allows you to develop expertise and target your marketing efforts effectively.

3. Create a business plan: Outline your goals, target market, services offered, pricing structure, and marketing strategies. A well-thought-out business plan helps guide your decisions and sets a solid foundation for your practice.

4. Set up your office: Find a suitable location for your practice, whether it's a physical office or a teletherapy setup. Ensure it provides a comfortable and confidential environment for clients.

5. Develop a marketing strategy: Establish your online presence through a professional website and utilize social media platforms to connect with potential clients. Network with other professionals in the field and consider joining local counseling associations or organizations.

6. Build a referral network: Connect with local therapists and introduce yourself. That way if anyone is approached by potential clients they can not accommodate, they can refer them to you and vice-versa.

7. Try to be available: In the beginning, it is important to offer a range of days and times to secure as many clients as possible in a short period of time, This will create momentum, the more clients you get, the more potential referrals you will have.

8. Provide exceptional client care: Prioritize client confidentiality, empathy, and ethical practices. Build rapport with your clients and create a safe and non-judgmental therapeutic space.

9. Continuously invest in professional development: Stay updated with the latest research and treatment modalities in the field. Attend workshops, conferences, and training sessions to enhance your skills and knowledge.

10. Manage administrative tasks: Implement efficient systems for scheduling, billing, and record-keeping. Seek support from administrative professionals or consider using practice management software to streamline your processes.

Starting a psychotherapy practice requires dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to ongoing professional growth. With careful planning and a client-centered approach, you can embark on a fulfilling career as a psychotherapist and positively impact the lives of those you serve.

Group therapy room

Are you looking for a safe and supportive space to host your ongoing group therapy sessions? Look no further than our therapy rooms! We offer a comfortable and welcoming environment that is perfect for groups of up to eight people. Our rates are affordable, and our facilities are high-quality. Contact us today to learn more about our group therapy services!

Our therapy rooms are located in a convenient and accessible location. We are close to public transportation and have plenty of parking available. Our rooms are designed to create a comfortable and supportive environment that encourages open and honest communication. We understand that group therapy can be a vulnerable process, and we want to create a space where you feel safe and supported.

Our rates are affordable, with a minimum booking of just two hours at £15 per hour. This allows you to create a consistent and ongoing schedule for your group therapy sessions without breaking the bank. We understand the value of group therapy and want to make it accessible to everyone who needs it.

In addition to our affordable rates, we also offer a variety of other benefits, including:

· A safe and supportive environment

· Comfortable and welcoming facilities

· Flexible scheduling options

We take pride in providing our clients with the best possible group therapy experience. We believe that group therapy can be a powerful tool for healing and growth, and we are committed to providing our clients with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

If you are looking for a safe and supportive space to host your ongoing group therapy sessions, we invite you to contact us today to learn more about our services. We are confident that we can provide you with the space and support you need to achieve your healing goals.

Contact us today to learn more about our group therapy services!

Benefits of renting a therapy room

SouthLondonTherapyGroup.com helps psychotherapists keep costs down by providing them with comfortable spacious rooms to see clients without having to rent their own office.

This can be a significant cost savings, especially for therapists who are just starting out or who are on a tight budget. In addition, renting from SouthLondonTherapyGroup.com can provide therapists with access to a variety of resources and amenities, such as a waiting rooms, office supplies, and group therapy rooms and very reliable Wi-Fi. Saving therapists time and money, and it can also help them to provide a better quality of care to their clients.

Overall, SouthLondonTherapyGroup.com can be a great option for therapists who are looking to save money, reduce their overhead costs, and provide a better quality of care to their clients.

Here are some additional benefits of renting psychotherapy rooms from us:

• You can avoid the problem and expense of finding office space yourself.

• You can be listed on our directory, raising your professional profile and receive free referrals.

• You can network with other therapists and professionals in your field.

• You can build a reputation and attract new clients.

Renting from SouthLondonTherapyGroup.com also gives therapists the flexibility to rent space ad hoc as needed. This can be helpful for therapists who have fluctuating caseloads or who need to see clients in different locations.

Additionally, as it's so close to a major transport hub, Peckham Rye Station, and has convenient parking making it easy for both the psychotherapist and the clients. Overall, there are many advantages to having an office at a major urban transport hub. These advantages can help your practice to attract and retain clients, reduce costs, and operate more efficiently. Studies have shown that clients who have easy access to public transportation are more likely to be on time for appointments and reduced stress levels when attending.

If you're a psychotherapist looking for a way to save money and improve your business, renting psychotherapy rooms from us is a great option.

How Can Therapy Help With Bereavement..... by Dafina Ganeva

We all at some point in our life experience bereavement. Losing someone very close to us can make us feel the greatest emotional pain ever. Ripped from inside, empty, deeply depressed, sad, angry, desperate, losing all hope, joy and meaning in life and all that and the same time. It can make life extremely difficult for a long period of time. Simple every day tasks may feel impossible to accomplish for a while. And even though all that is very normal it might feel to us at the time as if we are the only ones who have ever been there and as if it will never get better. 

Losing my father when I was 13 years old was one of the most difficult things that ever happened to me. Therapy wasn’t popular back then and there and the adults around me were keener to help with my physical needs but didn’t know what to do with my emotions. So I had to carry that unresolved grief with me for the next 10 years of my life. Unable to speak about my father without bursting into tears or re-living the trauma of his death again and again.

 Getting the support we need during that extremely difficult time in our life can have an enormous effect on our future mental health. It is very important to allow ourselves to grieve and go through the grieving process in our own pace. Therapy can help with that by providing the space for us to do that. Talking about the loss, crying, exploring our feelings of anger or guilt in a safe environment can be life-saving. 

As a bereavement counsellor I have heard so many heartbreaking stories. Losing a baby, a child, a parent, a sibling, a friend, a suppose and sometimes more than one at the same time. All very different stories. All very sad. All unique. And yet people always say to me the same things. ‘No one wants to listen about it anymore.’ ‘I don’t want to upset people with my sadness.’ ‘I need to be strong for the ones who need me.’ ‘Life has no meaning.’ ‘It is so unfair.’ ‘How can I carry on?’ 

And they all do. They carry on. Some of them even stronger than before. As we don’t get over grief and grief doesn’t disappear. We learn how to live with it. It becomes part of who we are and then we grow around it.                       

Dafina Ganeva

The Eighth Annual Creativity and Wellbeing Week Will Take Place From 10-16 June 2019

Now in its eighth year, Creativity and Wellbeing Week has grown to nearly 350 events in London in 2018, with over 35,000 people attending talks, workshops, performances, exhibitions and discussions.

To build on the enormous success of the Week across London, they are now expanding to become a national event, as collaboration between London Arts in Health Forum and the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

London Arts in Health Forum and the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance  are working together to expand Creativity and Wellbeing Week into a national event, building on its enormous success across London.

Creativity and Wellbeing Week happened for the first time in 2012 and has grown to be a major festival highlighting work going on around arts and health and for updates about all their work, please sign up to receive our newsletter!   

All Pupils Will Be Taught About Mental and Physical Wellbeing...

Three new subjects will be universal from 2020 to ensure school prepares pupils for the modern world - health education, relationships education and RSE…

All children in England will be taught how to look after their mental wellbeing and recognise when classmates may be struggling, as the Government unveils new guidance for the introduction of compulsory health education.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

Growing up and adolescence are hard enough, but the internet and social media add new pressures that just weren’t there even one generation ago. So many things about the way people interact have changed, and this new world, seamless between online and offline, can be difficult to navigate. Almost twenty years on from the last time guidance on sex education was updated, there is a lot to catch up on.

Although sex education is only mandatory to teach at secondary, it must be grounded in a firm understanding and valuing of positive relationships, and respect for others, from primary age. In turn positive relationships are connected with good mental health, which itself is linked with physical wellbeing. So it is appropriate to make health education universal alongside relationships and sex education.

I’m very grateful to the many people who have fed into developing these new programmes, to equip youngsters better to deal with the world of today. It starts as it always did with the importance of friendship, kindness, taking turns; as well as learning about the pitfalls and dangers, including on the internet. It will help children learn how to look after themselves, physically and mentally, and the importance of getting away from the screen and the headphones. And it can help young people be resilient as they chart a course through an ever more complex world.

At primary school, pupils will learn that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life and why simple self-care – like getting enough sleep and spending time outdoors and with friends – is important.

Today’s announcement will follow the mental health support being made available by the NHS to a population of more than 470,000 children and young people across England in schools and colleges from September 2019.

The Department for Education is also funding training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges to ensure a ‘whole school’ approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Huge regional variations in the numbers of people subject to the Mental Health Act…

Six out of the ten areas with the highest rates were in London. 

The Mental Health Act is the law in England and Wales, which governs when someone can be treated for a mental illness without their consent. Approximately 20,000 people are subject to the Act in any given month, and in the last decade, there has been a 47% increase in detentions.

“These figures highlight what Theresa May called one of the “burning injustices” in Britain today: that if you are poor, from a black, Asian or minority ethnicity background and live in an urban area” Brian Dow, deputy chief executive at Rethink Mental Illness, said “you are much more likely to come into contact with the Mental Health Act if you have mental illness”. 

According to Rethink Mental Illness, the reasons behind the variation will be complex, but factors include deprivation, particularly in urban areas, which impacts on mental health. Most of the areas listed also have a higher proportion of people from BAME backgrounds, who are disproportionately detained under the Act. Cuts to local services can also lead to more people reaching crisis point, which is often when the Act comes into force.

The charity says the Act is out-dated and in dire need of reform to ensure the many people who come into contact with it are treated with dignity and respect.