Private practice: How can Social Workers go Private?

Welcome back to the Social Work Café blog, where we focus this week on all things private practice!

I am wondering if this episode should come with its own special warning:

Listening to this episode may cause you to quit your job in spectacular fashion!

Cass Fletcher has such enthusiasm for this topic that I left our conversation tempted to write up my own resignation letter!

I’ve known Cass for many years, and I remember her working in the sexual assault counselling team for NSW Health.

But before her amazing work in that setting, Cass was doing great things as a dental nurse while also studying for her social work degree.

Even before graduating, Cass was a published researcher!

When Cass decided to set up her private practice several years ago, she developed a 12-month plan to help her make the transition.

At the time (and this was pre-COVID), there wasn’t a great deal of information about how to go about setting up her business, but enough to get her started.

There is a useful resource on self-employment from the AASW that Cass mentions.

You can also find private practice groups through the AASW, but as Cass said, you can just start your own, which is exactly what she did!

By networking closely with other practitioners in her community, Cass has built a community of practice where they support and learn from each other.

While some private practitioners can feel isolated, this isn’t the case for Cass because she is even more connected to her community, both personally and professionally.

As our conversation unfolded, we talked about the benefits and challenges of private practice.

As Cass explains, to go from working for a large government organisation to your own little private practice is indeed a big step, let alone that Cass made her transition not long before COVID hit!

Despite this, having a solid plan made a huge difference for Cass.  

For example, Cass slowly cut back her days at NSW Health and increased her private practice days, which helped with adjusting to the ins and outs of running a practice, like paying herself!

One of the other major benefits Cass speaks about, besides being your own boss, is the work-life balance you can experience.

Cass has so much more autonomy, especially over her own schedule and the therapeutic modalities she can utilise.

Cass also mentioned you don’t have to attend meetings. Now we are really talking!

The key message I took from our conversation is that private practice has really allowed Cass to be her authentic self.

Of course, there are a range of challenges you have to navigate because you are responsible for this practice and how you set it all up.

In short, the buck stops with you!

Cass says having a business mentor or coach (a role that has proliferated since COVID) can really help you navigate all the little things along the way.

The biggest fear people share with Cass about making the transition into private practice is the financial component.

Going from a stable pay cycle with an organisation to one that fluctuates can be really daunting for people.

So, learning to plan for the cyclical nature of private practice, having a good accountant, and getting an administrative assistant is sage advice from Cass.

We then came to the final question: what is social work?

I was really impressed with what Cass shared:

We are facilitating the repair of ruptured relationships with people, within themselves, their family, society, nature, and their whole world.

My initial reaction to this lovely definition was to focus on the global elements that Cass draws out at the end.

However, now that I look at this definition again, I am particularly struck by the first part about ruptured relationships “within themselves.”

I think that component reflects a trauma-informed worldview.

When we experience trauma and life’s sufferings, there can be internal ruptures we have to process and heal from, which this definition highlights.

What do you think of this definition?

I hope you enjoyed this conversation, and if you decide to eventually take the leap into private practice, don’t be surprised if you are like Cass and her other friends who say, “I wish I had done that sooner!”

Stay authentic.

Dr. B