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When to Expand

1. There Are Two Types of Expansion to Consider

a. Adding More Clinicians

1. Timing

i. When Your Current Clinical Staff is Full - or Close to Full - and You Are Generating (or Have the Capacity to Generate) More Referrals

ii. When You Want to Reduce YOUR Caseload

2. Informing Your Present Clinical Staff

i. Avoid Surprises! Let the Current Staff Know You are Thinking About Hiring More Clinicians Before You

Do Any Interviews

3. Managing Staff Reactions

i. Some Clinicians Will be VERY Threatened to Hear You Are Expanding or to See an Interviewee Walking Down the Hall with You

ii. Take Time to Reassure these People About Your Referrals and their Caseload

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iii. Some of the Reactions May be VERY IRRATIONAL, Triggering Unresolved Sibling Rivalry, Authority and/or Prosperity/Poverty Issues

4. Effects of Hiring Additional Clinicians on Office Staff

i. Office Staff May Already Feel Overwhelmed and

Resent the Extra Work New Clinicians Will Bring

ii. Invite their Opinion and Participation in the Hiring Process if Possible

5. The Value of Diversification

i. Hiring More Clinicians Is The Best Way to Reduce One of the Biggest Risks You Face - Clinicians Leaving with a Full Caseload

ii. EXAMPLE: It’s Much Safer to Have Four Clinicians Seeing 15 Clients a Week vs. Two Clinicians Seeing 30 a Week

b. Opening an Additional Office in a New Location

1. Additional Offices Offer Several Advantages

i. Your Brand Can Get Solidified in a Wider Geographical Region

ii. The Population Base that Your Marketing Can Reach Expands Significantly

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iii. Some Past Clients Will be More Likely to Return to Therapy Due to Greater Convenience of New Location

2. Consider Expanding Current Office Space Instead of Adding a New Location

i. Expanding Your Current Location May be Much Less Expensive vs. Opening a Brand New Office

ii. A New Location May Also Require Additional Office Staff, another Expense

3. Additional Considerations

i. Money and Trust Issues May be Exacerbated with

More Locations

a. Be Sure You Have a Proven System with Accountability to Track Money and Sessions

ii. An Additional Office May Spread You too Thin

a. How Often Will You Need to Be Present at the New Office Location?

b. Does this Fit into Your Lifestyle & Self-care Balance?

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iii. Web/Cloud Based Digital Systems Become Essential with Additional Offices

a. These Systems Need to be in Place and

Working Smoothly BEFORE You Open another Office

iv. Can You Afford to Open an Additional Office Based on your Current Profit/Loss Projections?

a. Can You Start Small (1-2 Offices) Until The Office is Profitable?

b. Do You Need to Finance the New Office

Furniture, Computers Etc?

i. If So, Can You Afford the Payments Based on Your Current Profit Margin?