An interesting theme emerged in my private practice consultation group last week. It may seem like an odd theme for a business group - resentment. As I shared a few of my own experiences in private practice it became very clear that I had used my feelings of resentment as a guide to lead me to my ideal private practice.
I view resentment as an amazing gift to let me know when I need to make a change or to set better boundaries. Here are a few examples that I share:
- After being in a group practice for a short time, I realized that I resented the inefficiency of how decisions were made in the group. So, I decided to go out on my own.
- After having my third child and moving to a new area years ago, I remember feeling increasingly resentful of my commute to my therapy office. That prompted me to move to an office closer to my new home.
- After I realized that I resented spending more time doing paperwork and making phone calls trying to get reimbursed from managed care companies than I was spending actually doing therapy, I started resigning from all panels.
- When I started resenting seeing clients after 5:00p.m. I stopped seeing clients in the evenings.
So, my fellow private practitioners, what are you resenting in your practice?
How can you use resentment as a gift to make needed changes and bring you closer to your your ideal practice?
As healers, we genuinely like to do our work. Guiding clients through the therapy process and seeing them make progress is why we do what we do. But if you're in private practice, you know there's a lot going on in the back end and that it's crucial to run an efficient and organized business.