Business plan for the office of psychological assistance. Business plan for a psychological center. How much do private psychologists earn? How much do psychologists earn and spend?

24.04.2021

Recently, psychology has been at the peak of popularity. The number of psychologists is increasing every year almost exponentially. And there are certain reasons for this. The profession of a psychologist is in demand in itself, first of all, because it opens up great opportunities for people who want not only to do what they love, but also earn money at the same time. In order to work in your specialty, you do not need to rent a large office or purchase expensive equipment. Investments will be required only in education and experience. Of course, in this case, it is also not complete without minuses.

If we consider a private psychologist's office as a business, then the bulk of clients will come to you, first of all, on the recommendation of friends and acquaintances, that is, through the so-called "word of mouth". It takes a lot of time and effort to develop a clientele, so at first a novice psychologist in private practice can hardly count on big profits. Moreover, it is best to combine work in your own office with work in an organization as an employee. So you will not only not lose money, but you will also gain experience and practice so valuable for a novice specialist.

Another disadvantage of such a business is related to high level competition in this area. There are a lot of psychologists in the labor market lately. The demand for their services, however, is also quite high. But supply has long outstripped demand. Several factors play a role here. Firstly, our compatriots are not yet accustomed to solving their problems with the help of qualified specialists. The services of psychologists are not yet so in demand, and their cost is equal to, or even exceeds, the cost of consulting a doctor. Moreover, if the effectiveness of treatment in most cases can be assessed even by a person far from medicine (the onset of relief, the disappearance of disturbing symptoms, improvement in well-being, etc.), then with psychological help everything is far from being so simple. If the doctor in many cases can give the patient a favorable prognosis for the result of treatment, then the psychologist undertakes only to do everything necessary to help his client, but does not give any guarantees for good result.

Another negative factor that adversely affects the reputation of psychologists and psychological assistance in general concerns the lack of a unified legislative framework. Today, in fact, even those people who do not have any special education or any work experience can engage in psychological counseling. At present, there is only a draft law "On the provision of psychological assistance to the population", which has not yet been adopted. There are also quite a lot of shortcomings and controversial issues in this bill, so its adoption is unlikely to change the situation for the better.

And yet, despite all the disadvantages, a psychological office is a good business idea that can turn into a profitable and profitable business with proper positioning and promotion.

Legal registration of the activities of a psychologist in private practice

In order to open an office of a practical psychologist, you will need to register as an individual entrepreneur. This can be done in four different ways. In the first case, you can register an IP yourself. This is the cheapest option: all costs will amount to 800 rubles for the state duty. In principle, registering an IP is a fairly simple matter and does not take much time. You can also register as an individual entrepreneur by mail. This option is quite long in time (mainly due to the work of the mail), but it is suitable if you are not registered in the city where you are going to open your office. You can also seek help in obtaining an IP from an intermediary - a law firm that specializes in such services. Registration with the help of an intermediary will cost more than paperwork on your own, but you will save a lot of time filling out all the necessary paperwork, and also get a guarantee that all documents will be executed without a single mistake. Finally, IP can be issued by proxy.

We will consider the option of self-registration as an individual entrepreneur. To draw up documents for registering an individual entrepreneur, you need to prepare documents for registering an individual entrepreneur (an application for registration, an application for simplified taxation, a receipt for paying state duty); register your individual entrepreneur with the IFTS (registration with the tax office, sending a notification to the supervisory authorities: Rospotrebnadzor and Gosavtodornadzor), as well as with the PFR and the FSS (registration with the PFR, FSS, Rosstat, MHIF); order a seal for an individual entrepreneur; open a bank account.

Let us consider in more detail the documents that you will need to register as an individual private entrepreneur (IP): application for state registration individual as an individual entrepreneur in the form P21001, a receipt for payment of the state duty for registering an individual entrepreneur, an application for the transition to a simplified taxation system in the form No. 26.2-1 (optional), a copy of the passport. The simplified taxation system (aka USN, USNO, simplified tax system) allows you to pay less taxes and significantly simplify your reporting than OSNO (the main taxation system). The simplified tax system is very common among small and medium-sized businesses. There are two options for USNO interest rates - 6% (on income) and 15% (“income minus expenses”). You can choose the interest rate yourself. If you chose the first option, you will pay 6% of any income, in which case your expenses will not be of interest to the tax authorities (this option is preferable in our case when it comes to providing any services and when expenses are much less than income) . If you prefer the first option, then the amount of expenses will be deducted from the amount of income, and the individual entrepreneur pays 15% of taxes on the difference received (this option is convenient in case of trading). At the same time, all IP expenses must be documented (that is, you need to keep checks, invoices, acts, etc.).

If you plan to apply simplified taxation, then you need to submit a notice of this in two copies along with the rest of the documents during registration. Please note: you can switch to simplified taxation only once a year, starting from the beginning of the calendar year, so if you do not have time to apply right away, you will have to pay much more taxes and keep much more complex accounting and reporting until the end of the current year. By law, you can apply within thirty days from the date of registration, but it is better not to delay and apply immediately. You can fill out an application for the transition to simplified taxation (USN) automatically and free of charge using a special service or manually. In the latter case, you will need to download an application for the transition to a simplified taxation system in the form No. 26.2-1 (KND 1150001) (check that the form you downloaded is up to date). The application is submitted in two copies, one copy remains with you (with a mark of acceptance). Your copy must be kept. In addition to the application, you will also need to provide a photocopy of two passport spreads (main and with a residence permit) on one A4 page (also, when submitting documents, you may be asked for copies of all pages containing any information).

When registering an IP, you will also need to select OKVED codes. For psychologists who wish to establish a private practice or firm, it is recommended to indicate the following codes: 85.32 - the provision of social services without providing accommodation; 80.42 - adult education and other types of education, not included in other groups; 93.05 Provision of other personal services; 74.50.2 - provision of recruitment services; 74.14 - advising on commercial activities and management. In principle, you can leave only one code - 93.05 - the provision of other personal services, and this will be quite enough.

The question of whether a practicing psychologist has a document on higher special education deserves special attention. On the one hand, the law on psychological assistance to the population has not yet been adopted; accordingly, now a large number of so-called "psychologists" operate without a professional training diploma. However, on January 1, 2015, the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of social service citizens in the Russian Federation”, where psychological assistance refers to social services. Thus, the activity of a psychologist involves the provision of psychodiagnostic, psychotherapeutic assistance, psychological counseling and psychological correction. Psychological counseling is a type of activity for which a state diploma is issued, therefore, a person who claims to conduct such an activity, but does not have a special education, can conduct it until the first check, after which he can be accused of conducting illegal business activities. The audit will be carried out after the first complaint. dissatisfied customer to the prosecutor's office.

In this case, it is important to understand the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist. A psychologist is a person with a higher psychological education. Such specialists produce many universities in various cities of our country. Among psychologists there are social, general, medical, educational psychologists. Psychologists have the right to engage in science and teaching, conduct trainings, help with choosing a profession, work on a helpline, test the level of intelligence, identify abilities, advise, and issue recommendations. Most often, all this is done by social psychologists.

General psychologists are mainly engaged in science, teaching and developing the theory of psychology. Clinical psychologists have an idea not only about the mental norm, but also about pathology. They have the right to work in medical institutions and advise healthy people. They test sick people so that doctors can more accurately diagnose. But officially, a psychologist does not have the right to engage in psychotherapy without special retraining. A psychotherapist is a doctor who received the specialty "psychiatrist" and then passed additional training and became a psychotherapist. Only in this case, a specialist can officially be called a psychotherapist and engage in psychotherapy. He has a broad understanding of the human psyche and can treat patients with both drug and non-drug means, has the right to conduct long-term or short-term, individual or group psychotherapy. There are many directions and methods of modern psychotherapy (art therapy, Gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, etc.), and different psychotherapists specialize in different areas. The psychotherapist has the widest powers, since he can advise on all cases, treat his patients and prescribe medications if necessary.

If you do not claim the proud title of a psychotherapist, then, according to the Federal Law of August 08, 2001 No. 128-FZ “On Licensing Certain Types of Activities”, a license to provide psychological assistance is not required. However, you are obliged to observe ethics and remember that human destiny can often depend on your professionalism, correctness and decency.

We open a psychological office

So, to open your own psychological assistance office, you will need an area for receiving clients, as well as a minimum set of furniture - comfortable chairs, a table and, possibly, a couch (although the latter is an indispensable attribute of a psychoanalyst's office and is hardly necessary for an ordinary psychologist), which can be completely replaced by comfortable sofa. Aspiring psychologists often do not want to spend money on office rent, preferring to host their clients at their place or at their home. In fact, both options have a number of disadvantages. If you are going to convert a room in your apartment or house into your office, then keep in mind that your working day will be irregular. You and your household will have to forget about peace and personal life, and you - about rest and distraction from work. In addition, you violate your own personal boundaries in this way by inviting clients to your home. as a temporary option home Office it has a right to exist, but you should not turn it into a permanent one.

If you plan to go to your clients' homes, then consider the cost of both money and time for the trip. In addition, as in the first option, the home environment is not the best space for psychological counseling or therapy. And no one has canceled the issue of your personal safety either (it's no secret that most psychologists are women). This format of work, as a rule, is resorted to in extreme cases (for example, when a bed patient acts as a client).

It is best to rent a room where you will receive your clients. The best option is hourly rent, where you pay for a specific time of your stay at the workplace, rather than a fixed monthly rent. You can find quite affordable options (300-500 rubles per hour). In this case, you will not need to additionally purchase furniture or equipment, since such premises, as a rule, are already equipped with everything necessary. The main thing is that your office is cozy, the atmosphere in it is conducive to rest and relaxation. Of course, this should not be a walk-through room: the issue of confidentiality is of great importance for your customers, and no one should disturb you during communication. Specialized offices (for example, a child psychologist's office) are often opened at the base educational institution. True, this option can hardly be called a business. It's better not to depend on third parties.

Beginning psychologists often wonder where they should look for their first clients. You can't do without advertising at first. It is best to post it on the Internet - on various specialized sites, regional forums, social networks. It is worth thinking about creating your own website. The simplest option will cost quite inexpensively, but even such a site will attract the attention of potential customers and, if properly designed, will increase their confidence in you.

Be sure to include information about your education and work experience on the site. It’s good if, in addition to a diploma, you will have various courses, trainings, seminars, supervisions, etc. behind you. However, chasing quantity, neglecting quality, is also not worth it. Do not embellish your experience, try to write the truth. With a complete lack of experience, you can always find extra work(for example, on a helpline or in a municipal center for psychological assistance to the population). It may not be highly paid, but it will give you such a valuable first experience. It is not necessary to be a generalist. On the contrary, it is better to choose one or two areas and work actively in this area, improve your skills and gain experience.

The issue of pricing for the services of a novice specialist deserves special attention. Immediately install high prices it’s not worth it for your services, but dumping is not the best option. Your work as a professional should be adequately paid. If you yourself rate your services too low, what will your potential customers think? With an average cost of an experienced psychologist in a large city of 1,500-1,800 rubles per hour, beginners are advised to set prices from 1,000 rubles per hour.

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* Calculations use average data for Russia

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The number of psychologists is increasing every year almost exponentially. The profession of a psychologist opens up great opportunities for people who want not only to do what they love, but also earn money at the same time. In order to work in your specialty, you do not need to rent a large office or purchase expensive equipment. Investments will be required only in education and experience. Of course, in this case, it is also not complete without minuses.

Profitability of opening a psychological office

Another disadvantage of such a business is associated with a high level of competition in this area. There are a lot of psychologists in the labor market lately. The demand for their services, however, is also quite high. But supply has long outstripped demand. Several factors play a role here. Firstly, our compatriots are not yet accustomed to solving their problems with the help of qualified specialists. The services of psychologists are not yet so in demand, and their cost is equal to, or even exceeds, the cost of consulting a doctor.

Professional kit for creating business ideas

Legal registration of the activities of a psychologist in private practice

In order to open an office of a practical psychologist, you will need to register as an individual entrepreneur. This can be done in four different ways. In the first case, you can register an IP yourself. This is the cheapest option: all costs will amount to 800 rubles for the state duty. In principle, registering an IP is a fairly simple matter and does not take much time. But you can seek help in obtaining an IP from an intermediary - a law firm that specializes in such services. Registration with the help of an intermediary will cost more than paperwork on your own, but you will save a lot of time filling out all the necessary paperwork, and also get a guarantee that all documents will be executed without a single mistake. Finally, IP can be issued by proxy.

We will consider the option of self-registration as an individual entrepreneur. For registration, you need to prepare documents for registering an individual entrepreneur (application for registration, application for simplified taxation, receipt for payment of state duty); register your individual entrepreneur with the IFTS (registration with the tax office, sending a notification to the supervisory authorities: Rospotrebnadzor and Gosavtodornadzor), as well as with the PFR and the FSS (registration with the PFR, FSS, Rosstat, MHIF); order a seal for an individual entrepreneur; open a bank account.

Documents required for registration of a psychological office

Let us consider in more detail the documents that you will need to register as an individual private entrepreneur (IP): an application for state registration of an individual as an individual entrepreneur in the form P21001, a receipt for paying the state duty for registering an IP, an application for switching to a simplified taxation system in the form No. 26.2-1 (optional), a copy of the passport. The simplified taxation system (aka USN, USNO, simplified tax system) allows you to pay less taxes and significantly simplify your reporting than OSNO (the main taxation system). The simplified tax system is very common among small and medium-sized businesses. There are two options for USNO interest rates - 6% (on income) and 15% (“income minus expenses”).

You can choose the interest rate yourself. If you chose the first option, you will pay 6% of any income, in which case your expenses will not be of interest to the tax authorities (this option is preferable in our case when it comes to providing any services and when expenses are much less than income) . If you prefer the first option, then the amount of expenses will be deducted from the amount of income, and the individual entrepreneur pays 15% of taxes on the difference received (this option is convenient in case of trading). At the same time, all IP expenses must be documented (that is, you need to keep checks, invoices, acts, etc.).

By law, you can apply within thirty days from the date of registration, but it is better not to delay and apply immediately. You can fill out an application for the transition to simplified taxation (USN) automatically and free of charge using a special service or manually. In the latter case, you will need to download an application for the transition to a simplified taxation system in the form No. 26.2-1 (KND 1150001) (check that the form you downloaded is up to date). The application is submitted in two copies, one copy remains with you (with a mark of acceptance). Your copy must be kept. In addition to the application, you will also need to provide a photocopy of two passport spreads (main and with a residence permit) on one A4 page (also, when submitting documents, you may be asked for copies of all pages containing any information).

When registering an individual entrepreneur, you will also need to select OKVED codes. For psychologists who wish to establish a private practice or firm, code 96.09 "Provision of other personal services not included in other groups" is most suitable.

The need for special education in a practicing psychologist

Thus, the activity of a psychologist involves the provision of psychodiagnostic, psychotherapeutic assistance, psychological counseling and psychological correction. Psychological counseling is a type of activity for which a state diploma is issued, therefore, a person who claims to conduct such an activity, but does not have a special education, can conduct it until the first check, after which he can be accused of conducting illegal business activities. The check will be carried out after the first complaint of a dissatisfied client to the prosecutor's office.

Ready-made ideas for your business

A psychotherapist is a doctor who received the specialty "psychiatrist" and then received additional training and became a psychotherapist. Only in this case, a specialist can officially be called a psychotherapist and engage in psychotherapy. He has a broad understanding of the human psyche and can treat patients with both drug and non-drug means, has the right to conduct long-term or short-term, individual or group psychotherapy. There are many directions and methods of modern psychotherapy (art therapy, Gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, etc.), and different psychotherapists specialize in different areas. The psychotherapist has the widest powers, since he can advise on all cases, treat his patients and prescribe medications if necessary.

Ready-made ideas for your business

We open a psychological office

In fact, both options have a number of disadvantages. If you are going to convert a room in your apartment or house into your office, then keep in mind that your working day will be irregular. You and your household will have to forget about peace and personal life, and you - about rest and distraction from work. In addition, you violate your own personal boundaries in this way by inviting clients to your home. As a temporary option, a home office has a right to exist, but you should not turn it into a permanent one.

It is best to rent a room where you will receive your clients. According to the decision of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation, the minimum area for a psychologist's office should be 10 square meters. meters. The best option is hourly rent, where you pay for a specific time of your stay at the workplace, rather than a fixed monthly rent. You can find quite affordable options (300-500 rubles per hour). In this case, you will not need to additionally purchase furniture or equipment, since such premises, as a rule, are already equipped with everything necessary.

Average rent for renting office space in Russia*

Hourly rent of offices, rub.	Monthly rent of offices (10 sq. m), rub.
250	7 400

*according to Avito data as of 08/29/2018

The main thing is that your office is cozy, and the atmosphere in it is conducive to rest and relaxation. Of course, this should not be a walk-through room: the issue of confidentiality is of great importance for your customers, and no one should disturb you during communication. Specialized offices (for example, a child psychologist's office) are often opened on the basis of an educational institution. True, this option can hardly be called a business. It's better not to depend on third parties.

Ready-made ideas for your business

To open your own psychological office, taking into account its full equipment and rent for 3 months, you will need about 90 thousand rubles. Accordingly, if you rent an office with everything you need and use a personal computer or laptop, then you can meet the 25 thousand rubles needed only to pay the rent for the first time. Of course, in this calculation, we assume by default that you already have the necessary education and skills.

Investments in the opening of a psychological office

Sales and marketing in the opening of a psychological office

Beginning psychologists often wonder where they should look for clients. The best advertisement in this business is word of mouth. The second place is taken by the Internet: specialized sites, regional forums, social networks. Recently, psychologists have been trying to pay more attention to social networks, creating engaging content on psychological topics in Vkontakte groups, Instagram accounts, and so on.

It is also worth thinking about creating your own website, but it does not make sense to invest a lot of money in it. To receive applications from the site, you need it to be displayed in the first lines of the search, you need contextual advertising, which in most cases psychologists are not able to afford. Therefore, to begin with, you can do social networks, a business card site developed on a free designer or filled out profiles on psychologists' sites like b17.ru

Be sure to include information about your education and work experience on the site. It’s good if, in addition to a diploma, you will have various courses, trainings, seminars, supervisions, etc. behind you. However, chasing quantity, neglecting quality, is also not worth it. Do not embellish your experience, try to write the truth. With a complete lack of experience, you can always find additional work (for example, on a helpline or in a municipal center for psychological assistance to the population). It may not be highly paid, but it will give you such a valuable first experience. It is not necessary to be a generalist. On the contrary, it is better to choose one or two areas and work actively in this area, improve your skills and gain experience.

The issue of pricing for the services of a novice specialist deserves special attention. You should not immediately set high prices for your services, but dumping is not the best option. Your work as a professional should be adequately paid. If you yourself rate your services too low, what will your potential customers think? The work of a psychologist in a large city can be estimated at 2500-3000 rubles per hour. But often the amount declared in the ads is noticeably reduced, and in small towns it is 1000-1500 rubles per hour. Typically, a course of short-term therapy consists of 10 meetings, each of which lasts for 45 minutes.

How much do psychologists earn and spend?

Practical experience shows that it is realistic to receive three clients in one day. More is more difficult. Both physically and mentally. Suppose that our psychologist is a highly sought-after specialist who sees three clients a day and works 5 days a week, and the cost of a session is 3,000 rubles. In this case, his revenue is 198 thousand rubles. Given the small investment, you can recoup the cost of the office from the first month.

But, as you understand, all this is pure theory. In practice, this amount is at best divisible by three. And 60-70 thousand rubles a month is still a very good result, which not all psychologists can boast of. Why is that? There are many reasons. And the demand is not the same, and customers in most cases are not ready to lay out, in their opinion, "huge" amounts. Often, when they come to a psychologist for the first introductory meeting, they believe that the psychologist will solve all their problems in an hour. As a result, the first meeting is the last. Yes, and it is not customary, as mentioned above, in Russia to visit a psychologist: with intimate questions, a person is more likely to go to a friend or relative, but not to a specialist. So don't build too high expectations about the profitability of this business.

Keep in mind that the profession of a psychologist obliges you to constantly improve your professional level, and therefore you will bear the costs of training, supervision, and advanced training. And this means that at least 30-50 thousand rubles a year will have to be spent for these purposes.

Options for increasing the profitability of the psychological office

A kind of safe haven for psychologists is working with the so-called VIP-clients and corporate customers. Since a psychologist can earn many times more with them than with ordinary clients, his task is not so acute in the influx of new clients. Moreover, premium clients often bring people from their own circle, which allows the psychologist to gain credibility with the "higher caste". Another thing is that it is very difficult to break through to the VIPs. Therefore, many psychologists, in order to provide themselves with at least some flow of clients, rent offices in universities, with all kinds of medical centers and try to make money on the traffic that these institutions have.

Another option that many psychologists go for is to conduct their own psychological trainings. Training is a mass event. Work takes place in groups, with live and cross-talk between participants. As a rule, each training is devoted to one topic and can be included in the whole training program. For the same time and practically with the same efforts, the leader receives a much greater financial return. At the same time, the price for each individual person is several times lower than an individual consultation.

The greatest profitability for psychologists is brought by training programs developed according to their own methods. Such programs sell well, give the psychologist a name in the professional environment, and attract financial clients. In addition, today there are options for acquiring ready-made and proven franchise methods, when a psychologist is not only taught a new method, but also given step by step instructions on trainings and how to promote them. In this case real profit from individual consultations can increase up to 100-125 thousand rubles, and when working in the format of a training center - up to 200-250 thousand rubles.

If all the options for increasing the profitability of the psychological office do not meet your needs, start looking unusual ideas in this region. Perhaps the traditional psychological office is just not your format, but a search effective business idea it is worth looking abroad or in a related industry. In this collection we have collected

Modern society can put a person in conditions in which his psyche will be tested for strength every day, when support, help is needed, and sometimes you need to try to instill confidence in a person, showing him that he can do everything, provided that he spends some amount of effort.

This is precisely what psychological assistance is intended for, which can be implemented in the following forms:

in the form of various trainings;
through the provision of psychological counseling;
in the form of personal interviews.

This business plan for a psychological office is written for a business that has just begun to take its rightful place in Russia, therefore, the opening of a psychological center will be appropriate and relevant.

In order to open a psychological office, it is not necessary to be a practicing psychologist, it will be enough to hire specialists who will conduct psychological trainings in which the cabinet will specialize. At the same time, the entrepreneur himself will be able to deal with issues that will be related to the organization, further development and prospects of the business being opened.

First of all, you need to understand that the psychological office is different from training. We will talk about both a private office of a practitioner who will work one-on-one with a client on an individual basis, and trainings that are conducted by groups.

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Organizational issues that a business plan should contain

In order to open a new business, you first need to study the market for existing services and potential customers. The target audience in this case may be the following:

young people who have not realized their own potential;
pregnant women;
people who are overweight;
young and not very parents.

For each of the items, you can provide your own trainings on the relevant topics. For pregnant women, this could be, for example, "Happy mom - happy children", for people who are overweight - "How to lose weight quickly", for young people - "Succeed" and so on.

It is worth noting that this business plan of the psychological center implies that the main part of the clients will be women under 35 years old. This is due to the fact that women will want to go to a psychologist faster than men.

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Registration of an enterprise and choice of legal form

First of all, an entrepreneur will need to register his business. In this case, it is recommended to choose an organizational and legal form of an individual entrepreneur. You can also choose an LLC (limited liability organization), but this is only needed if the business plan involves cooperation with legal entities.

It is worth knowing that a sole trader has a number of advantages over a limited liability company. This will be a lower tax rate (single tax) and a simplified system for submitting the necessary reports.

In addition, it is worth knowing what to change organizational form possible at any time.

You can do the execution of all the necessary papers yourself, or there is an option to pay a certain amount of money to an intermediary who can prepare all the documents instead of the entrepreneur.

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Selection of suitable employees to implement the business plan

It is important to understand that the effectiveness of the unique services that a psychologist provides will become apparent to clients who come to see a specialist for the first time. To potential clients psychological services felt a strong need to continue the 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 narrow specialization and a high level possess.

It is precisely such employees that the owner of a psychological office will need in order to achieve success in this promising and interesting business. Formation of a staff of qualified employees with appropriate licenses who can support project being created not only morally, but also financially - a rather important stage of the organization, which should contain a business plan for a psychological office.

In addition, other employees will be needed:

secretary;
accountant;
IT specialist;
cleaning woman;
other employees as needed.

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Selection of premises to implement a business plan

It is worth noting that office space can be rented or purchased. In order to save money at the very beginning, you can rent a room only for specific various trainings. It is desirable to have a permanent office for a psychologist, but it is not at all necessary at the initial stage.

Regarding the required area, it is worth noting that the ideal option may be a sufficient number of square meters in order to accommodate several separate offices, a spacious hall with a reception, an economic sector with a bathroom. However, this is not only the most suitable, but also the most costly option. Everything will depend on how much free money the entrepreneur has, as well as on the personal needs of the organizer of the psychological center.

A psychological center that does not have a permanent customer base would be best opened in places where a sufficiently large number of people pass every day (this can be business centers, children's centers, university buildings, sports clubs, multi-storey residential buildings, and so on). However, it is important to know that the places should be quiet, as this can distract the psychologist and visiting clients.

Particular attention will need to be paid to interior design, which will create a general atmosphere. In addition, you will need to purchase comfortable furniture (chairs, tables, bookcases, lamps, couches) and all necessary equipment.

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Advertising and promotion of a psychological office

Attracting loyal customers is one of the most basic conditions for the successful existence of such a business. Psychological centers are based on the sale of an ephemeral service, which is questionable by some representatives of the target audience. This is due to the fact that they do not have a positive experience of visiting a psychologist.

Therefore, in order to interest people, you will need to make advertising, the cost and meaning of which should reflect the business plan. At the initial stage of the existence of a psychological office, advertising in the media is unlikely to give any positive result. A more effective method of advertising can be targeted advertising, which is carried out with the help of mailing list, spam and presentations.

Potential clients should definitely get an idea of the ways to solve problems that can be applied with the help of a psychologist.

In general, you can use the following advertising methods:

TV advertising;
Internet advertising;
Promotion through local radio;
Use of targeted advertising;
Handing out flyers to passers-by.

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An entrepreneur must definitely figure out what components a professional psychotherapist can make up and what the difference between him and a simple psychologist can be.

First of all, in order to become a psychotherapist, a person must necessarily have a higher medical education in the specialty "Psychiatry". Only then will he be able to treat psychoses. This is a rather important point, since no other doctor can treat psychosis. After that, a graduate of a medical higher educational institution must undergo retraining and advanced training courses at an educational institution that trains psychologists. Most often this may be Training Center based on the university.

Only after passing such courses can a psychiatrist be officially called a psychotherapist and treat neuroses. However, this is not all. A graduate who will have all the necessary diplomas, in fact, cannot yet treat anyone, not to mention under his own name. This is due to the fact that he does not own any techniques. Everything he had done up to that point had been to get at the techniques themselves.

Only after that, being certified (at the same time, the doctor must know the theory and the basic course well, in addition, he will need to prove his professional suitability), the graduate will be able to gain knowledge on specific methods of working with the patient in practice.

In theory, courses alone may be enough to become an entrepreneur in the field of psychology.

However, in practice, all doctors try to master the maximum possible number of techniques. This is due to the fact that quite common are cases in which an experienced psychotherapist, based on several methods, composes his own, which will be a rethinking of several classical methods. These are the kind of people who need to be valued.

It is worth noting that you can come into this profession without graduating from any medical higher educational institution. In fact, education is not required at all. This is just a path for those who, in their third year, for example, realized that they wanted to be not a gynecologist, but a psychotherapist.

There is another way to enter this profession - to graduate from the psychology department at a state university. Then everything is exactly the same as in the first method. It is worth noting that this way somewhat shorter.

Psychology today is at the peak of popularity, it is becoming a good business. The number of people who want to get professional help in personal matters is steadily growing. Many are beginning to think about how to open their own psychologist's office and hit the jackpot. But not everything is as simple and easy as it seems at first glance.

All these are undoubtedly the key motives for opening a private office of psychological assistance. It remains only to weigh everything, analyze, equalize the pros and cons, draw up a business plan, find money, clients and start working. Quite a lot, as it turned out, so let's try to figure it out.

Before you start professional activity you need to know exactly what you will be doing. So, psychological activity can be:

Providing psychological assistance to the sick, the doomed, victims of violence and other rather difficult categories of patients. Such issues are often dealt with by psychotherapists with a special medical education. A private psychologist's office near cancer dispensaries and social centers will also be relevant;
Counseling for children and teenagers. This is where education comes in handy. It is better to choose a place for a child psychologist in residential areas, near clinics, schools, kindergartens;
Psychotraining for personal growth. Everyone wants to become successful, beautiful, rich and happy. Many are willing to pay for the fact that someone will tell you how to achieve this.

Undoubtedly, a professional psychologist must be knowledgeable in all of the above categories. Thinking about how to open your own psychologist's office, few people have a clear idea of whom they will work with. If at first, so to speak, for the "promotion" of each client, then it is still worth deciding.

If a person has no idea about children, he is unlikely to give quality advice. By working in a narrow field close to you, you can easily make a name for yourself and succeed.

Common misconceptions

It seems to many that this business is one of the simplest and does not require much effort. There are many myths and it is better to dispel them before you start your own business.

When planning to open your own psychologist's office, you need to consider:

The psychology market is overflowing. Universities annually graduate hundreds of young ambitious specialists who dream of their own business and great success. A large number of trainings and trainers are constantly working. The information business is developing.

If you go to the self-knowledge site there are a lot of trainings. Therefore, you need to ask yourself the question why they will come to you, what makes you unique. Go into the niche where you are going to work, study the competitors. Make yourself unique.