Private Practice Planning for the Future of Mental Healthcare: An Interview with Maureen Werrbach

Curt and Katie interview Maureen Werrbach of the Group Practice Exchange on upcoming trends for mental healthcare. We talk about what is predicted, how to prepare your private practice for success in 2023, and how to plan for unexpected changes to our profession.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

An Interview with Maureen Werrbach, LCPC, The Group Practice Exchange

Maureen Werrbach established The Group Practice Exchange after starting her private practice, Urban Wellness, and growing it into successful group practices in various locations.

Spending countless hours researching how to start a private practice (the legal and procedural steps) and then so many more hours learning how to grow it into a group (again trying to figure out the appropriate steps), she remembers wishing there was a place that she could go, or a book that she could read, that would explain not only the steps it would take to launch a group practice, but also discuss topics that relate to group practice ownership.

A degree in the social service field doesn’t offer any training on the business side of running a group practice! Maureen learned through trial and error what works and what doesn’t in running a counseling group practice. She enjoys helping others reach their full potential and feel confident in running their business.

In this podcast episode, we talk about upcoming trends in Mental Health and what it means for your therapy practice

We reached out to our friend Maureen Werrbach of the Group Practice Exchange about where our field is moving and how we can plan for success.

The way therapy is provided and paid for will be changing

“I feel like are going to be (or have already started) affecting our industry – outpatient private practice – is the shift, slow shift to values based reimbursement… which essentially is shifting away from a fee-for-service model that insurance companies now pay a certain dollar amount for sessions, to values-based reimbursement based off of values-based care (which insurance companies are going to be dictating what values based care is)… they're going to shift from this fee for service model of paying a flat amount per CPT code to a drastically reduced amount and then based off of the values-based care that you give, there can be additional reimbursements per session.” – Maureen Werrbach, LCPC

Insurance: Fee for service versus value-based pricing
Large tech companies and one-stop shops
Ease of access and diminished costs via telehealth

What therapists can do to future-proof their practice

“There's going to be an unfortunate consequence. You already have a therapist shortage. I believe that there's going to be a lot of people who close their doors because the business side of it becomes too difficult. And where my feedback is: start now – by any practice owner, solo or group – start now by dedicating even one hour a week to researching the future.” – Maureen Werrbach, The Group Practice Exchange

Strong niche and branding
Doing what we do best
Addressing fees, profit margins, hiring
Dedicate time to researching upcoming trends
Diversifying offerings
Determining the best fit for your business, your career, your employment

Special considerations for Group Practice Owners in 2023

The concerns related to large group therapist mills taking employees
Focus on people, culture, and innovation
Intentionality related to values, mission, vision
Avoiding divisiveness and conflict between employers and employees
The importance of transparency and clarity on how you’ve set up your practice
Pathways for employees to grow and creative employment opportunities

Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!
The Group Practice Exchange Membership

The Group Practice Exchange Facebook Group

Relevant Episodes of MTSG Podcast:

Maureen’s previous interview: Becoming a Group Practice Owner

Fixing Mental Healthcare in America

Beyond Reimagination: What is right (and wrong) with mental health apps

Post Pandemic Practice

All Things Group Therapy: An interview with Katie K. May, LPC

Online Therapy Apps

Who we are:

Curt Widhalm, LMFT

Curt Widhalm is in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is the cofounder of the Therapy Reimagined conference, an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and CSUN, a former Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, former CFO of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making "dad jokes" and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: www.curtwidhalm.com

Katie Vernoy, LMFT

Katie Vernoy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant supporting leaders, visionaries, executives, and helping professionals to create sustainable careers. Katie, with Curt, has developed workshops and a conference, Therapy Reimagined, to support therapists navigating through the modern challenges of this profession. Katie is also a former President of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt's youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: www.katievernoy.com

A Quick Note:

Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves – except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We’re working on it.

Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren’t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don’t want to, but hey.