Open a psychologist's office. How to open an individual entrepreneur for a psychologist (psychological consulting services)

Psychology has been at the peak of popularity lately. The number of psychologists increases 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 to earn money. In order to work in your specialty, you do not need to rent a large office or purchase expensive equipment. Investments will only be required in education and experience. Of course, in this case there are also some drawbacks.

If we consider a psychologist’s private 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 with a private practice can hardly count on big profits. Moreover, it is best to combine work in your own office with work in any organization as a hired employee. This way, you will not only not lose money, but will also gain experience and practice that are so valuable for a beginning specialist.

Another disadvantage of such a business is related to the high level of competition in this area. There have been a lot of psychologists on the labor market lately. The demand for their services, however, is also quite high. But supply has long exceeded 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 in great demand, and their cost is equal to, or even higher than, the cost of a consultation with 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 so simple. If a doctor in many cases can give a patient a favorable prognosis for the outcome of treatment, the psychologist only undertakes to do everything necessary to help his client, but does not give any guarantees for a 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 have neither special education nor any work experience can engage in psychological counseling. Currently, there is only a bill “On the provision of psychological assistance to the population,” which has not yet been adopted. This bill also has quite a few shortcomings and controversial issues, 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 activities of a psychologist with private practice

In order to open a practical psychologist's office, you will need to register as an individual entrepreneur. You can do this in four different ways. In the first case, you can register an individual entrepreneur yourself. This is the cheapest option: all costs will be 800 rubles for the state fee. In principle, registering an individual entrepreneur is quite simple and does not take much time. You can also register as an individual entrepreneur by mail. This option takes quite a long time (mainly due to the work of the post office), but is suitable if you are registered in a different city than where you are going to open your office. You can also seek help in registering an individual entrepreneur from an intermediary - a law firm that specializes in such services. Registration with the help of an intermediary will cost more than filling out the documents yourself, but you will save a lot of time on filling out all the necessary papers, and will also receive a guarantee that all documents will be completed without a single mistake. Finally, an individual entrepreneur can also be registered by power of attorney.

We will consider the option of self-registration as an individual entrepreneur. To prepare documents for registration of an individual entrepreneur, you need to prepare documents for registration of an individual entrepreneur (application for registration, application for simplified taxation, receipt for payment of state duty); register your individual entrepreneur with the Federal Tax Service (registration with the tax office, sending a notification to the supervisory authorities: Rospotrebnadzor and Gosavtodornadzor), as well as with the Pension Fund of Russia and the Social Insurance Fund (registration with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, Social Insurance Fund, Rosstat, Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund); order a stamp 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): an application for state registration of an individual as an individual entrepreneur in the form P21001, a receipt for payment of the state fee for registration of an individual entrepreneur, an application for the transition to a simplified taxation system in the form No. 26.2-1 (optional), copy of passport. The simplified taxation system (also known as simplified taxation system, simplified taxation system, simplified taxation system) allows you to pay less taxes and significantly simplify the reporting you submit than OSNO (main taxation system). The simplified tax system is very common among small and medium-sized businesses. There are two options for interest rates of the simplified tax system – 6% (from income) and 15% (“income minus expenses”). You can choose the interest rate yourself. If you choose the first option, you will pay 6% of any income, and in this 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 expenses of an individual entrepreneur must be documented (that is, you need to save receipts, invoices, acts, etc.).

If you plan to apply a simplified procedure, then you need to submit a notice of this in two copies along with other documents during registration. Please note: you can switch to the simplified system only once a year, starting from the beginning of the calendar year, so if you do not have time to submit your application right away, you will have to pay much more taxes and maintain much more complex accounting and reporting until the end of the current year. By law, you can submit an application 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 transition to a simplified tax system (STS) automatically and free of charge using a special service or manually. In the latter case, you will need to download an application for transition to a simplified taxation system using form No. 26.2-1 (KND 1150001) (check the relevance of the form you downloaded to date). The application is submitted in two copies, one copy remains with you (with a note of acceptance). Your copy must be saved. In addition to the application, you will also need to provide a photocopy of two double-page spreads of your passport (main and with registration) 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 company, it is recommended to indicate the following codes: 85.32 – provision of social services without providing accommodation; 80.42 – education for adults and other types of education not included in other groups; 93.05 – provision of other personal services; 74.50.2 – provision of personnel selection services; 74.14 – consulting on commercial activities and management. In principle, you can leave only one code - 93.05 - provision of other personal services, and this will be quite enough.

The issue of whether a practicing psychologist has a document on higher specialized 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” conduct their activities without having a professional training diploma. However, on January 1, 2015, the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Social Services for Citizens in the Russian Federation” came into force, where psychological assistance is classified as social services. Thus, the activities of a psychologist involve the provision of psychodiagnostic and psychotherapeutic assistance, psychological counseling and psychological correction. Psychological counseling is a type of activity for which a state-issued diploma is issued, therefore, a person who declares to conduct such activity, but does not have a special education, can conduct it until the first inspection, after which he may be accused of conducting illegal business activities. The check will be carried out after the first complaint from a dissatisfied client 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. Many universities in various cities of our country graduate such specialists. Among psychologists there are social, general, medical, and educational psychologists. Psychologists have the right to engage in science and teaching, conduct training, help with choosing a profession, work on a helpline, test intelligence levels, identify abilities, advise, and make recommendations. Most often, social psychologists do all this.

General psychologists are primarily concerned with the science, teaching, and development of theories of psychology. Clinical psychologists have an idea not only of mental normality, but also of pathology. They have the right to work in medical institutions and advise healthy people. They test sick people so that doctors can make a more accurate diagnosis. But officially, a psychologist does not have the right to engage in psychotherapy without special retraining. A psychotherapist is a doctor who received a specialty as a psychiatrist, and then underwent additional training and became a psychotherapist. Only in this case can a specialist officially be called a psychotherapist and practice psychotherapy. He has a broad understanding of the human psyche and can treat patients with both medicinal and non-medicinal means, and has the right to conduct long-term or short-term, individual or group psychotherapy. There are many areas and methods of modern psychotherapy (art therapy, gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, etc.), and different psychotherapists specialize in different areas. A psychotherapist has the broadest 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 psychotherapist, then, according to the Federal Law of August 8, 2001 No. 128-FZ “On Licensing of Certain Types of Activities”, a license to provide psychological assistance is not required. However, you are obliged to observe ethics and remember that human fate can often depend on your professionalism, correctness and decency.

Opening a psychological office

So, to open your own psychological assistance office, you will need space 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 easily be replaced with comfortable sofa. Beginning psychologists often do not want to spend money on renting an office, preferring to receive 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 hours will be irregular. You and your household will have to forget about peace and personal life, and you - about relaxation and distraction from work. In addition, you are violating your own personal boundaries by inviting clients to your home. As a temporary option, a home office has a right to exist, but you shouldn’t turn it into a permanent one.

If you plan to go to your clients’ homes, then take into account both monetary and time expenses for travel. 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 is no secret that the majority of psychologists are women). This format of work is usually resorted to in extreme cases (for example, when the client is a bedridden patient).

It is best to rent a room where you will receive your clients. The best option is an hourly rental, when 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 purchase additional 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 to your clients, 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.

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 websites, regional forums, and social networks. It is worth thinking about creating your own website. The simplest option will cost very little, but even such a site will attract the attention of potential clients and, if designed correctly, will increase their trust in you.

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

The issue of pricing for the services of a novice specialist deserves special attention. You shouldn’t immediately set high prices for your services, but dumping is not the best option either. Your work as a professional should be adequately paid. If you yourself rate your services too low, then what opinion will your potential clients have? With the average cost of working for an experienced psychologist in a large city at 1500-1800 rubles/hour, beginners are recommended to set prices from 1000 rubles per hour.

Sysoeva Lilia
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Business in Russia. Guides to starting a business in the regions.
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* The calculations use average data for Russia

25,000 - 90,200 RUR

Starting investments

66,000 ₽

From 1 month

Payback period

The number of psychologists increases every year almost exponentially. The profession of a psychologist opens up great opportunities for people who want to not only do what they love, but also earn money. In order to work in your specialty, you do not need to rent a large office or purchase expensive equipment. Investments will only be required in education and experience. Of course, in this case there are also some drawbacks.

Profitability of opening a psychological office

Professional kit for creating business ideas

Legal registration of activities of a psychologist with private practice

In order to open a practical psychologist's office, you will need to register as an individual entrepreneur. You can do this in four different ways. In the first case, you can register an individual entrepreneur yourself. This is the cheapest option: all costs will be 800 rubles for the state fee. In principle, registering an individual entrepreneur is quite simple and does not take much time. But you can seek help in registering an individual entrepreneur from an intermediary - a law firm that specializes in such services. Registration with the help of an intermediary will cost more than filling out the documents yourself, but you will save a lot of time on filling out all the necessary papers, and will also receive a guarantee that all documents will be completed without a single mistake. Finally, an individual entrepreneur can also be registered by power of attorney.

We will consider the option of self-registration as an individual entrepreneur. To complete the registration, you need to prepare documents for individual entrepreneur registration (application for registration, application for simplified taxation, receipt for payment of state duty); register your individual entrepreneur with the Federal Tax Service (registration with the tax office, sending a notification to the supervisory authorities: Rospotrebnadzor and Gosavtodornadzor), as well as with the Pension Fund of Russia and the Social Insurance Fund (registration with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, Social Insurance Fund, Rosstat, Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund); order a stamp for an individual entrepreneur; open a bank account.

Documents required for registration of a psychological office

You can choose the interest rate yourself. If you choose the first option, you will pay 6% of any income, and in this 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 expenses of an individual entrepreneur must be documented (that is, you need to save receipts, invoices, acts, etc.).

By law, you can submit an application 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 transition to a simplified tax system (STS) automatically and free of charge using a special service or manually. In the latter case, you will need to download an application for transition to a simplified taxation system using form No. 26.2-1 (KND 1150001) (check the relevance of the form you downloaded to date). The application is submitted in two copies, one copy remains with you (with a note of acceptance). Your copy must be saved. In addition to the application, you will also need to provide a photocopy of two double-page spreads of your passport (main and with registration) 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 want to set up a private practice or company, code 96.09 “Provision of other personal services not included in other groups” is most suitable.

The need for special education from a practicing psychologist

Thus, the activities of a psychologist involve the provision of psychodiagnostic and 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 has declared to conduct such activity, but does not have a special education, can conduct it until the first inspection, after which he may be accused of conducting illegal business activities. The check will be carried out after the first complaint from a dissatisfied client to the prosecutor's office.

Ready ideas for your business

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

Ready ideas for your business

Opening 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 hours will be irregular. You and your household will have to forget about peace and personal life, and you - about relaxation and distraction from work. In addition, you are violating your own personal boundaries by inviting clients to your home. As a temporary option, a home office has a right to exist, but you shouldn’t turn it into a permanent one.

It is best to rent a room where you will receive your clients. According to the decree 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 an hourly rental, when 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 purchase additional furniture or equipment, since such premises, as a rule, are already equipped with everything necessary.

Average rent for office space in Russia*

Hourly office rental, rub.	Monthly office rent (10 sq. m.), rub.
250	7 400

*according to Avito data as of August 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 to your clients, 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 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, with this calculation we by default assume that you already have the necessary education and skills.

Investment in opening a psychological office

Sales and marketing in opening a psychological office

Beginning psychologists often wonder where they can look for clients. The best advertising in this matter is word of mouth. In second place is the Internet: specialized websites, 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’s also worth thinking about creating your own website, but it doesn’t make sense to invest a lot of money in it. To receive applications from a 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, for starters, you can get by with social networks, a business card website developed using a free designer, or filled out profiles on psychologists’ websites like b17.ru

The issue of pricing for the services of a novice specialist deserves special attention. You shouldn’t immediately set high prices for your services, but dumping is not the best option either. Your work as a professional should be adequately paid. If you yourself rate your services too low, then what opinion will your potential clients have? The work of a psychologist in a large city can be estimated at 2500-3000 rubles/hour. But often the amount declared in advertisements is noticeably reduced, and in small cities it is 1000-1500 rubles per hour. Typically, a course of short-term therapy consists of 10 meetings, each of which lasts 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. Let's assume that our psychologist is a very popular 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. Considering the small investment, you can recoup the costs of your office from the first month.

But, as you understand, all this is pure theory. In practice, this amount is at best divided 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 clients in most cases are not ready to shell out, in their opinion, “huge” amounts. Often, when they come to a psychologist for their first introductory meeting, they believe that the psychologist will solve all their problems in an hour. As a result, the first meeting turns out to be the last. And, as mentioned above, it is not customary in Russia to visit a psychologist: with intimate questions, a person would rather go to a friend or relative, but not to a specialist. Therefore, do not have 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 as a result you will bear the costs of training, supervision, and advanced training. This means that at least 30-50 thousand rubles a year will have to be spent on these purposes.

Options for increasing the profitability of a psychological office

A kind of safe haven for psychologists is working with so-called VIP clients and corporate customers. Since a psychologist can earn many times more with them than with ordinary clients, he does not have such an urgent task in attracting new clients. Moreover, premium clients often bring people from their circle, which allows the psychologist to gain authority among the “high 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, at various medical centers and try to make money on the traffic that is available in these institutions.

Another option that many psychologists resort to is conducting their own psychological trainings. Training is a mass event. The work takes place in groups, with live and cross-communication between participants. As a rule, each training is devoted to one topic and can be included in an entire training program. In the same time and with almost the same effort, the presenter receives a much greater financial return. Moreover, the price for each specific person is several times lower than an individual consultation.

The greatest profitability for psychologists comes from training programs developed using their own methods. Such programs sell well, give the psychologist a name in the professional community and attract financial clients. In addition, today there are options for purchasing ready-made and proven franchise methods, when a psychologist is not only taught a new method, but also given step-by-step instructions on conducting training and how to promote it. In this case, the real profit from individual consultations can increase 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 a psychological office do not meet your needs, start looking for unusual ideas in this area. Perhaps a traditional psychological office is simply not your format, and the search for an effective business idea should be sought 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 will be needed, and sometimes it will be necessary to try to instill confidence in a person, showing him that he can do anything, provided that he puts in the effort. 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 consultations;
in the form of personal interviews.

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

In order to open a psychological office, you do not have to be a practicing psychologist; it will be enough to hire specialists who will conduct psychological trainings, in which the office 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 a psychological office is different from training. We will be talking 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 in groups.

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Organizational issues that a business plan should contain

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

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

For each item, you can provide your own training on the relevant topic. For pregnant women, this could be, for example, “Happy mother - happy children”, for people who are overweight - “How to lose weight quickly”, for young people - “Be successful” and so on.

It is worth noting that this business plan for a psychological center implies that the majority of clients will be women under 35 years of age. This is due to the fact that women are more likely to want to go to a psychologist 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 individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur) as the organizational and legal form. You can also choose an LLC (limited liability organization), but this will only be needed if the business plan involves cooperation with legal entities.

It is worth knowing that an individual entrepreneur has a number of advantages compared to a limited liability company. This will be a lower tax percentage rate (single tax) and a simplified system for submitting the necessary reports.

In addition, it is worth knowing that you can change your organizational form at any time.

You can do all the necessary paperwork 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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Selecting the right employees to implement the business plan

It is important to understand that the effectiveness of the unique services provided by a psychologist will become obvious to clients who come to see a specialist for the first time. In order for potential clients of psychological services to feel a strong need to continue the conversation, course, training or seminar, it will be necessary to use the entire available arsenal of professional capabilities, which are possessed exclusively by highly qualified and experienced psychologists of narrow specialization and high level.

It is precisely these employees that the owner of a psychological office will need in order to achieve success in this promising and interesting business. Forming a staff of qualified employees with appropriate licenses who can support the project being created not only morally, but also financially, is a fairly 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 required.

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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 conducting specific various trainings. It is advisable to have a permanent office for a psychologist, but not at all necessary at the initial stage.

Regarding the required area, it is worth noting that the ideal option would be a sufficient number of square meters to accommodate several separate offices, a spacious hall with a reception, and a utility sector with a bathroom. However, this is not only the most suitable, but also the most expensive option. Everything will depend on how much free cash 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 client base would be best to open in places where a fairly large number of people pass daily (this could be business centers, children's centers, university buildings, sports clubs, high-rise residential buildings, and so on). However, it is important to know that the places should be quiet, as this may distract the psychologist and visiting clients.

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

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Advertising and promotion of a psychological office

Attracting regular 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 raises doubts among 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 do advertising, the cost and meaning of which should be reflected in the business plan. At the initial stage of the existence of a psychological office, advertising in the media is unlikely to give any positive results. A more effective method of advertising may be targeted advertising, which is carried out using mailing lists, spam and presentations.

Potential clients should definitely get an idea of the methods of solving problems that can be applied with the help of a psychologist.

In general, you can use the following advertising methods:

TV ads;
Internet advertising;
Promotion through local radio;
Use of targeted advertising;
Distributing flyers to passersby.

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An entrepreneur must understand what components make up a professional psychotherapist and what the difference may be between him and a simple psychologist.

First of all, in order to become a psychotherapist, a person must have a higher medical education in the specialty “Psychiatry”. Only then will he be able to treat psychosis. This is quite an important point, since psychosis cannot be treated by any other doctor. After this, a graduate of a medical higher education institution must undergo retraining and advanced training courses at an educational institution that trains psychologists. Most often, this may be a university-based training center.

Only after completing such courses can a psychiatrist officially be called a psychotherapist and treat neuroses. However, that's not all. A graduate who will have all the necessary diplomas, in fact, cannot yet treat anyone, let alone under his own name. This is due to the fact that he does not know any techniques. Everything he had done before was intended to get closer to the techniques themselves.

Only after this, being certified (the doctor must have a good knowledge of the theory and the basic course, in addition, he will need to prove his professional suitability), the graduate will be able to gain knowledge on specific methods of working with patients in practice.

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

However, in practice, all doctors try to master as many techniques as possible. This is due to the fact that quite common are cases in which an experienced psychotherapist, based on several methods, creates his own, which will be a rethinking of several classical methods. It is precisely such specialists that need to be valued.

It is worth noting that you can enter this profession without graduating from any medical higher education institution. In fact, education is not necessary at all. This is only a path for those who, in their third year, for example, realized that they want 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 method is somewhat shorter.

Open a psychologist's office. How to open an individual entrepreneur for a psychologist (psychological consulting services)

Profitability of opening a psychological office

Legal registration of activities of a psychologist with private practice

Documents required for registration of a psychological office

The need for special education from a practicing psychologist

Opening a psychological office

Sales and marketing in opening a psychological office

Organizational issues that a business plan should contain

Registration of an enterprise and choice of legal form

Selecting the right employees to implement the business plan

Selection of premises to implement a business plan

Advertising and promotion of a psychological office

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