Establishing a successful private practice

To help mental health nurses, nurses, nurse practitioners or midwives with an interest in mental health or family work to establish their own private practice, the College offers information and support for various stages of planning, starting, or growing a successful business.

  • Members can join the Nurses in Private Practice group (NIPP), a specialty group within the Psychotherapy SIG (PsySIG) with networking and education events
  • Take short courses to further develop trauma-informed psychotherapy skills
    

Provision of Clinical Supervision

Providing Clinical Supervision from a Private Practice is a growing area. You can provide Clinical Supervision only or combine it with the provision of other services such as psychotherapy and consultancy.

Some employers will subsidise some staff to attend Clinical Supervision, but many clinicians who value Clinical Supervision will pay for it themselves and claim it on their tax.

You will need to apply for an Australian Business Number (ABN) and attend to some practicalities. Click on the How to Start a Private Practice Guide link below for further information.

In addition:

Many members of the College have successfully established Private Practices, and there is growing interest in this area.

 

    

Sustainable private practice, and sources of funding

This handout outlines MBS eligibility for CMHNs and MHNPs and other sources of funding for private practice. It will also provide you with information on how to start and grow a successful private practice.

 

How to Start a Private Practice Guide is linked in the above document. Download it separately here.

How do I Start my Own Private Practice as a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner guide can be downloaded here. We would like to acknowledge the Nurse Practitioner Special Interest Group for their contribution to this resource.

     
     
     

Video: Mental health nursing in private practice

How can you set up a private practice if you’re a mental health nurse? How do you determine your pricing? In this conversation Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) member Rhonda Brown and Psychotherapy Special Interest Group Chair Claire Hudson-McAuley discuss why and how Rhonda took a leap of faith and started her private practice.