How to open a private psychologist’s office
A business that is suitable for people with a higher education in psychology and who do not want to work in public institutions or private medical centers is opening their own psychological assistance service.
You can register a private psychologist’s office as a private entrepreneur, after which you submit an application to the tax office for the application of a simplified tax system. At the initial stage, this is quite enough. If, over time, the enterprise expands and business partners appear, then it will be necessary to register an LLC (Limited Liability Company).
Also, as documents, you will need to provide a diploma, taking into account the specifics of education and a document on the completion of professional development courses (specialists of this kind are upgraded every 5 years). The latter document can be requested by the inspectors from the Ministry of Education, despite the fact that a license is not needed, since this is not medical assistance. You will also need a statement of your desire to open an individual psychological assistance office.
Necessary premises and equipment
The premises for the psychologist’s office can be bought or rented. To save money, you can first rent a room exclusively for specific trainings. Of course, it is better to have a permanent office, but at the initial stage it is not at all necessary.
Also, a psychological assistance office can be opened in a state polyclinic, where there is none. You are unlikely to pay very much for rent, because opening an office will be beneficial for the polyclinic itself. In addition, if you can find such an option, then the polyclinic clients will potentially become your clients.
The office itself must be decorated in warm, calm colors, the furniture in it must not be medical, the main thing here is practicality. Your goal is to make the client comfortable. For this, a soft sofa, a comfortable chair or a frameless chair is suitable, allowing the person to choose a comfortable position. There should not be too much light in the office, so it is better to purchase curtains for the windows, and choose floor lamps as lighting, and not a chandelier (it should be used only for personal needs).
By the way, remember an important feature – the client must have confidence in you, which means that the furniture must be chosen accordingly. You and your client should be on an equal footing. You can have a table, but at the time of the appointment, you must leave from behind it and sit in the exact same chair/sofa as your client. After all, the table is an additional psychological obstacle.
So, for the work of your psychologist’s office, you may need the following special equipment:
- computer equipment (it is enough to have a laptop or tablet, a printer);
- furniture (table, chairs – at least 2, wardrobe, table for computer equipment);
- cards for accounting and conducting work with clients;
- receipts of accounting of the work done with clients.
Personnel search
The profitability of a psychologist’s office primarily depends on the professional competence of the psychologist himself, on his skills and abilities in working with clients. The more professional the help, the higher the psychologist’s image is, and the greater the need in him, and hence the financial return. You need to be prepared that success does not come immediately, but gradually. At first, there may be 1-2 clients, and later – from 10 or more.
It should be understood that the effectiveness of the services provided by a psychologist will become obvious to clients who first come to see a specialist. In order for potential clients to feel a strong need to continue a conversation, course, training or seminar, it will be necessary to use the entire arsenal of professional opportunities that only highly qualified and experienced psychologists of a narrow specialty and high level have.
An entrepreneur should understand how a professional psychotherapist differs from a simple psychologist. A psychotherapist must have a higher medical education with a degree in “Psychiatry”.
Cost of opening a psychologist’s office
When opening a private psychologist’s office, expect that you will have to bear the following costs:
- payment for the premises lease;
- payment for electricity;
- payment for an advertising campaign;
- purchase of office equipment;
- furniture rental (you can use your own);
- payment for forms, checks, stationery.
In this case, the income part will consist of the following services:
- provision of individual psychological services (usually hourly payment);
- conducting trainings of social interaction.
Therefore, we can conclude: the initial investment will be at least 100 thousand hryvnas.