LISA KAYS PLLC
Clinical Associate
Launching and maintaining a private psychotherapy practice involves so much more than just your skills as a therapist and what you have to offer patients. Because of the financial and structural barriers to starting a private practice, many patients – often from marginalized groups – miss out on receiving support from wildly talented therapists who could otherwise meet their needs.
OUR APPROACH
For many, starting a private practice is challenging. It’s even harder and riskier if you have debt, live in an expensive city, lack a financial cushion or bolster, or have limited savings. Oftentimes, these realities fall most heavily on single people and parents, people of color, women, LGBTQIA folks, and other marginalized groups. The truth is that very few people start a full-time private practice without some kind of support. People who start private practices are often bolstered by spouses, inherited wealth, family support, or a high-earning first career. So let’s name it, talk about it, and lift others as we climb.
Our Program
Our Associate Program is designed to help new therapists build their own private practices with guidance and mentoring from Lisa Kays. Associates also receive administrative and scheduling support as well as access to business development opportunities. Our program is geared towards alleviating the burdens of starting a psychotherapy practice and bringing more folks into private practice who may not otherwise be able to do so.
This program is designed for:
up and coming, talented therapists who are ready to build their private practice
– and –
who are without traditional, structural supports that would enable this (family wealth, long-term partner, etc.)
– or –
who face additional challenges or obstacles that many wouldn’t otherwise face (single parent, medical or student loan debt, chronic illness, etc.)
Our Associate Program is open to any and all interested, but is designed with the above factors and realities in mind.
What You’ll Receive
Flexible contract arrangements reflecting your individual needs, strengths, abilities, and challenges
Mentoring around private practice development from Lisa Kays, either individually or in a group setting
Practice management and administration via SimplePractice
Referrals appropriate to your training and desired patient populations
Practice launch pad with retention of 100% of patients, no non-compete clauses, and no expectation of long-term or permanent relationship with Lisa Kays PLLC
Networking and mentoring leads to other organizations and learning opportunities that are a good fit for your clinical interests and career goals
Free access to CE workshops provided by and through Lisa Kays PLLC
Training in running psychotherapy groups, as desired
Physical office space near Dupont Circle
Maybe you don’t want a big practice, or the expenses that go along with it, but you’d like to see a few patients each week that fit your style and expertise. Our Associate Program can help you create a fully aligned and thriving private practice.
LISA KAYS’ JOURNEY TO PRIVATE PRACTICE
I started my private practice at age 36-ish. I had $60K in student debt from my MSW, and was earning around $40K for two years in a series of stressful social work agency jobs to get through my licensure process as an LGSW. I did this while paying rent, paying for outside supervision hours, paying my therapist, and barely surviving financially. I had multiple side hustles. I had no financial safety net from family nor a big savings account.
It was exhausting, stressful and some of the most difficult years of my life. Actually, looking back, it was downright scary. And risky.
The only reason I was able to start my private practice as soon as I did, and transition, still quite slowly, to full-time private practice, was because I met my now husband. Because we got married, I no longer needed the agency job I had part-time to give me health insurance, and he could help support us financially while I made the challenging leap from 4 to 8 to the 30+ patients that would enable me to truly support myself.
This leap, from 8 to 30+ patients, takes time and is extremely difficult to manage while working part-time as you begin to need the part-time hours to accommodate the growing case load. And, you get tired.
I remember the day I hit around 10-12 patients and my husband said, ‘It makes no sense anymore to work part-time. You make $20/hour there, and way more on your own. It’s time to transition.’ But if you lack financial security, how do you cover that gap?
The 12-patient gap is a well-known hurdle for therapists doing the part-time side hustle/part-time private practice transition. Not only to cover the income gap but also the expenses of starting a practice.
BECOME AN ASSOCIATE