What does working with a consultant actually look like? Of course, you want to know what to expect before making the commitment to work with one. It can be a big investment! Aside from determining if the consultant is the right fit for you, there is also the consideration of their process and how they can help.
Determining your goals and current stage of practice
The first step is to determine where you are now and where you want to be. What kind of practice do you envision yourself having? Solo? Group? What kind of clients are you hoping to attract? And if your goal is a group practice, will you be specialty or multi-disciplinary? What type of clinicians would you be looking to hire? What do you want your work life to look like? These are all things Julia helps her clients do right at the beginning before moving on to the next steps. She develops an understanding of your vision, the steps that have already been taken, and creates a road map to help get you the rest of the way.
Step-by-step action plan
Once you have described your vision and determined your business goals, you will co-create a step-by-step action plan to get there. An expert consultant will be able to help you come up with a streamlined process to accomplish your goals including objectives, responsibilities, timelines, and benchmarks. This takes a lot of the guesswork out on your end. This action plan not only provides a roadmap but will help monitor progress and goal achievement.
Assess goal progress to determine what is working and what to improve
A critical aspect of the consulting process is determining what is working and what needs improvement. This ensures the consultant and client remain aligned, are making effective progress, and adjust strategies as needed to achieve desired outcomes. By defining clear and measurable KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) you will have a baseline measurement of current performance to compare against future progress. This could be financial metrics (ensuring you achieve desired revenue goals), productivity improvements (determining the minimum number of clients each clinician should be seeing each week to ensure profitability), marketing analysis (tracking referral numbers and conversion rates), or client satisfaction scores to name a few.
Guidance via virtual meetings, email, and phone
Julia meets clients in a variety of ways. This allows her to be available to meet the needs of her clients by answering questions, addressing concerns, and providing resources. You can choose which method is best for you when you need to reach out and get information but consulting is typically conducted via virtual meetings and email exchanges. Julia offers 1:1 meetings and consulting packages. All of the documentation she uses in her own group practice is available for purchase. She has also recorded several trainings on starting a private practice, running a successful insurance based practice, expanding to group practice. She also speaks at conferences and offers live trainings. Check out what is upcoming here.
Consider Us
The consultants at Compassionate Consulting Company are licensed independent clinical social workers located in Massachusetts who have been running successful counseling practices for years. Here are testimonials from clients that have worked with us. We enjoy working with entrepreneurs that are starting their business, expanding and hiring team members, as well as those who are considering diversifying and adding different income streams. Schedule a free consult so we can learn more about your business goals and share how we can help. Read this post to learn about the differences between a coach, therapist, and consultant.