The 90 Day Countdown to Starting Your Private Practice Without Burning Bridges
1) Clarify how you want your practice to exist
Decide what kind of business container fits your work and your risk tolerance. Keep it simple. Give yourself permission to start where you are and adjust later. If you want help translating legal and compliance language into a practical plan, organizations like ours can coach you through formation and the first filings.
2) Sketch a very simple money picture
List the essentials you will pay for and the minimum number of sessions that keeps the lights on. No spreadsheets required. A short list and a weekly target are enough. If numbers are stressful, ask for support. A brief financial walkthrough with a checklist can save weeks of uncertainty.
3) Shape the message you want clients to hear
Choose a few client situations you feel most effective with and write a short bio that speaks directly to them. Aim for warmth and clarity over perfection. If writing is hard, request a bio review from a practice support group and use a template to get moving.
4) Gather your basic paperwork in one place
Save digital copies of the items you are often asked for. Licensure, identification numbers, proof of coverage, a brief work history. You do not need every detail, just what you reach for most often. If you plan to panel with insurance later, ask for credentialing support so your materials are complete and consistent from the start.
5) Refresh the way you document and deliver care
Decide how you want first sessions to feel. Create a simple welcome note and a few templates that match your style. Keep your technology and workflows as light as possible. If you want a faster start, lean on a shared template library and intake automation tips from a practice support community.
6) Research insurance choices, look into credentialing, and start reseraching billing support
If you plan to take insurance, decide which plans make sense for your work and clients. Keep it simple. Go through the credentialing process and then decide on what insurance contracts you want to apply for. Submit applications so you can start the process (the process can take a little while, so it's good to plan on different timelines for receiving contracts). Start looking into billers to understand rates and different ways that they approach private practice billing.
1) Review your agreement, then plan your notice and your handoff
Read the contract you signed with the agency. Confirm the required notice period, any record retention obligations, and whether there are noncompete or non solicitation clauses. The federal noncompete rule is not in effect, yet federal regulators continue to scrutinize unfair and anticompetitive restraints on workers and have taken recent enforcement actions. If you discover language that would restrict where you can practice or whom you can see, get it reviewed before you announce your departure.
This depends on your agreement and on ethical and clinical considerations. Some agencies restrict solicitation. Others allow clients to choose, with appropriate releases and record transfers. Read your contract and seek legal counsel if needed. Remember that while the nationwide noncompete rule is not currently in effect, regulators continue to scrutinize and act against unfair noncompete practices. If you want help with messaging, a consultation group can role play these conversations with you.
3) Write your scripts for two key conversations
Keep both short, professional, and client centered. If you want feedback, ask an experienced supervisor or a consultation group to help you refine tone and timing.
Leadership script
“I am moving to independent practice on [date]. I will meet all documentation requirements and support client transitions. Here is my proposed handoff plan for continuity of care.”
Client script
“I am opening a private practice. You have options. You may continue with a clinician here, you may transfer to me if appropriate, or you may receive referrals that fit your needs. Your care comes first, and I will help you choose what is best.”
4) Plan your charts and record custody
Confirm how records will be stored and who is the legal custodian. Clarify how releases will be managed for clients who move with you. Prepare your intake, consent, and release templates so the first interaction in your new practice feels human and clear. Keep your language simple and outline what clients can expect in the first two sessions to reduce uncertainty. If you prefer ready made forms, ask for a set you can personalize rather than drafting from scratch.
5) If you accept private pay, prepare Good Faith Estimates and price conversations
Federal law requires providing Good Faith Estimates to uninsured or self-pay clients. Create a clean template and a gentle script that explains your fee, typical session frequency, and what could change the total cost. When clients understand the plan and the price, they are less likely to cancel and more likely to engage consistently. If you want to accelerate setup, request a template and a brief walkthrough so you can send compliant GFEs with confidence.
1) Announce with kindness and clarity
Share dates, options, and what will not change. Emphasize respect, clinical continuity, and your plan for transitions. Invite questions and confirm how phone calls and emails will be handled so no one feels lost in the shift. If communication planning feels heavy, ask for a simple announcement outline and schedule that you can copy.
2) Set schedule boundaries that protect clinical quality
If you begin by squeezing in late nights and weekends, that becomes a precedent. Choose hours intentionally around your best clinical energy, for example four afternoon blocks and one morning block, and publish that cadence so clients know how to plan. Build buffer time between sessions for notes and decompression to protect quality. If you want accountability, share your schedule plan with a colleague or group and keep it visible.
3) Simplify the first session experience
Send a short welcome email that includes a pre session micro checklist, a reminder of location or telehealth link, and a warm statement like, “Today we will confirm your goals and my approach fit, then create a simple plan for next week.” Keep technology friction low with one secure link and one reminder. Consider a same day message that normalizes nerves and invites questions. If you prefer a shortcut, ask for a one page client journey map you can adapt.
A kinder exit is a better beginning
Moving on is not about proving a point. It is about building a practice that serves clients well and sustains your life. When your transition is intentional and clear, you offer continuity to clients, respect to colleagues, and a clean runway for your next chapter. You do not have to do this alone. Coastline Counseling Association can walk beside you so the move feels organized, ethical, and doable.
What we can help you with
- Plan selection
Align your clinical goals, local demand, and payer mix, and then we can help you process what plans feel like a good fit for you. - Credentialing and contracting
We work with you to gather information from you so we can prepare and submit insurance applications, set up CAQH, track status, set up the agreements, and guide you through contract review. - Initial billing
Our team will build your payer profiles, assist in enrollment of electronic transactions, test claims, and run your first few months of billing while you focus on client care. - Hand off to your long-term biller
We assist in providing a clean transfer with operating procedures, payer sheets, denial workflows, performance baselines, and no gap in support, so you keep momentum without starting over.
Choosing plans, getting credentialed, and launching billing are heavy lifts while you are also exiting an agency/group and building a caseload. If you are interested in our support, we can carry the majority of the administrative load, help you establish your private practice, support you in building habits that make it an easy process, and hand everything off smoothly once your systems and revenue are stable.
