Looking for a New Niche in Your Therapy Practice
There are many reasons why you might be looking for a new niche for your therapy practice. But not every niche will be the right fit for you. Maybe you don’t want to have to deal with social media and would prefer to stay with real human interactions. Or maybe you want something that gives you the flexibility and freedom to travel and set your own workdays and hours. Maybe you love working with high acuity trauma clients but need a little balance to your case load. Maybe you’re just looking for something completely different to shake things up.
Finding that niche could be as simple as turning to bariatric psychological assessments. Your referral source is bariatric surgeons, who need providers to help their clients complete a necessary task so they can move forward with bariatric surgery. Surgeons are looking for providers who can conduct these evaluations correctly the first time, so that time isn’t wasted in the process. But they also want highly educated therapists who know how to teach their clients what they need to know about the upcoming changes to their bodies and the skills they’ll need to be successful post bariatric surgery.
When you’re ready, click here [embed link to course] to learn more.
Therapists Leaving Agency or Healthcare Work or Starting a New Private Practice
Bariatric assessments are particularly great for therapists leaving their current practices and/or wanting to start a new private practice.
Very little money is needed for marketing.
There are clear referral sources, and the market is easy to target. Because the need for bariatric evaluations outpaces the number of therapists who can perform them, clients are more motivated to self-pay rather than rely on insurance. These evaluations usually only take one appointment, with refer out as needed for further treatment.
But these clients are also great for building a caseload. They are highly motivated to be successful, and they often need more psychoeducation and problem solving and coping skills than deep trauma work, allowing you to build your clinic skills with less acute clients.
When you’re ready, click here [embed link to course] to learn more.
Working Moms, People Who Need Normal Office Hours, or Those Who Are Returning from Maternity Leave
Bariatric assessments are also a viable business model for therapists who are craving a better work/life balance. Working nights and weekends isn’t sustainable as a parent. You want to be there for your kids and be able to provide for them. Conducting bariatric assessments is flexible enough for you to make your workdays and hours and is a great place to start after maternity/paternity leave or extended time away from the profession. With self-scheduling, you can set up steady referral sources and use marketing to empower clients to schedule their own appointments on the days you select, which is perfect for parents who can only find childcare a few days a month.
This is often the first and only interaction with mental health provider these clients have ever had, and they don’t expect you to see them at night or on weekends. They are used to taking time off work for their other bariatric surgical appointments. They are also more accepting of schedule limitations because they only need to be seen once for these assessments. You can refer after assessment for continued treatment, if needed. It’s an easier sell to the client for a one-time appointment during normal business hours than ongoing therapy might be.
But there is also the option to continue counseling clients to build a caseload. These clients are often the best and require less of your mental load. They can sustain being seen on a monthly basis for check-in appointments.
When you’re ready, click here [embed link to course] to learn more.
Big Life Transitions: Divorce, Leaving Domestic Violence, or a Need for Privacy from the General Public
Bariatric assessments all fill a void in the practice for therapists currently experiencing trauma of their own. It’s a practice where you don’t need a physical location. Work can be done remotely and on the go. If you’re currently experiencing trauma like divorce or domestic violence and need a quick getaway and privacy, bariatric psychological assessments can be done virtually and with self-pay, so there is no physical address needed for insurance companies. You can complete these assessments from anywhere in the world, or even traveling to different places.
With self-scheduling, you can set up steady referral sources and use marketing to empower clients to schedule their own appointments on the days and times you choose. As little as 4-6 bariatric assessments a week can make enough to sustain you during this transition, giving you time to figure out your next steps while working with less acute clients.
There may be times when we need to step away from therapy niches that are too close to our own trauma. Bariatric psychological assessments might be a new niche that you can start today. Because these are assessment only appointments, and most are seen only once, you can choose if you want to see clients ongoing or not. These clients are the best, as they are highly motivated to be successful and often only need more psychoeducation or problem-solving and coping skills rather than heavy trauma work.
When you’re ready, click the button below to learn more.
