Build a Canadian Values Based Practice | Ep 138

Fearless Practice

Do you want to build a values based private practice? And are you thinking; “What does that actually mean?”

Many people may shy away from the business-aspect of running a practice because they feel awkward following the standard, capitalistic model of working with employees and clients, and where the goal is solely to maximize profits. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to do it this way!

You can run a Canadian private practice that you are proud of, that makes you enough money, and that does good work in your community. Listen in on this episode to find out how!

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In this Episode:

• What is a value based practice?

• With clients

• Incorporating other values

What is a value based practice?

‘It focuses more on integrating personal and ethical values into your private practice, rather than focusing on profit-driven motives [only].’ - Julia Smith

What this means in my Canadian private practice is that any support staff that I hire, like my admin assistant, that they start off working with me for a living wage and for my associates I offer them a percentage split that is above market. If you want to hear more about this topic, I encourage you to listen to episode 135.

‘Does this mean that I have to spend more for an admin assistant? Of course! But my decision isn’t based on that profit-driven motive of, “How cheaply can I hire someone for this position?” because it doesn’t align with my values.’ - Julia Smith

With clients

A value based practice also takes clients into consideration. As much as I am not trying to pay my contact employees as little as legally possible, I am also not trying to charge my clients as much as legally possible.

‘It is also now how we are basing our rates, of, “What is the lowest rate that we can charge without resenting this work?” as well as making sure that we can pay our bills and have a happy, healthy life, and not be burned out!’ - Julia Smith

Now, I base my decisions on “How low can I go without resenting the work?” instead of, “How high can I go?”

Incorporating other values

Of course, you can bring in other important values that resonate with you and your vision and mission into your practice, such as;

• Offering equitable access to therapy through providing opportunities for sliding scale payments or pro-bono services

• Hiring an intern who can charge a very reduced rate for more accessible therapy

• Practicing what you preach by getting involved in social justice issues

• Participating in community initiatives to create broader, social change

‘We are therapists, we’re here to help people! Yes, we deserve to be paid a wage that reflects the work that we do and we deserve to not get burned out. But … we do value making ethical decisions! We do need to make profits in private practice, but capitalism should not be running the show - at least that’s my personal opinion!’ - Julia Smith

So, I encourage you to reflect on your personal and ethical values. How can you brainstorm in small or larger ways of bringing these values to fruition in your Canadian private practice?

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Resources Mentioned and Useful Links:

Ep 137: Dr. Stacey Hatch: Research, Private Practice Tips, and Seeing Clients at Home | EP 137

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Article: How to Set Up a Canadian Private Practice Website

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Mentioned episode: https://www.fearlesspractice.ca/podcasts/raising-and-lowering-rates-ep-135/