Tracking Client Data is the Most Supportive Thing for Therapists to Learn About
- Jordanthecounselor
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
by Paul Peterson
We’re closing down the Private Practice Incubator for several reasons, one of which is more personal to me. I’ve been interested in the contemplative world for many years now, mostly of the Buddhist and Christian variety. As much as I loved the tasks, people, and impact of PPI, I keep feeling called to pursue work directly related to psychospiritual development.
Tracking client data is the most supportive thing for therapists to learn about
I personally had a lot of internal myths swirling when I started my business. The momentum of unchecked assumptions about what would make me successful almost tanked the whole thing. Luckily, I stayed with these beliefs long enough to see through them.
When Jordan joined his knowledge to what I’d done so far, more and more of these myths were busted. We began using numbers as the guiding factor to our decision-making instead of hunches, precedent, or what others were saying worked for them. Frequently, someone becomes successful and shares their narrative about how it happened, but that narrative is often not comprehensive and/or reflects only what they can see. It’s also usually devoid of any data.
When we showed therapists a simple numerical explanation for their businesses, light bulbs went off. Numbers like how many clients called, how many came in for a first session, how long they stayed, and how much you’re charging seemed to be pivotal levers to business success. For example, if clients only come in on average for 5 sessions total, it’s nearly impossible to build a caseload of 25 clients per week—the turnover is way too high.
After the complexity of actually getting the data, it brought relief and clarity, as if we were answering a question they didn’t know they had been trying to ask. This number focus became so helpful that it became the heart of our offering moving forward.
Certainly, things like luck, good hunches, and unfocused work can yield results, but we felt like increasing the reliance on numbers was essential to our success.
Why we’re closing it down
In the past three years, I’ve (Paul) done 9 weeks of silent meditation retreat and another 4 weeks of intensive adult psychological development workshops. These experiences have really changed my life for good and have altered how I show up in my personal and professional life.
I feel a call to step into that work more directly and am letting go of PPI as part of that endeavor. Feel free to reach out if you have interest in learning more about what the world of contemplative, psychospiritual, and developmental growth looks like.
Paul Peterson, LMFT, LPC, is a specialist in psychospirtuality. He regularly offers trainings on meditation and adult development. You can learn more about Paul Peterson here.
Paul Peterson
Paul Peterson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Arkansas. He has certification and/or training in EFT, hypnotherapy, and mindfulness as well as adult psychological development models. He's been in the mental health field since 2015 and in 2019 worked with a team of authors to publish a content analysis in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. The content analysis reviewed almost 1,000 research articles and tracked trends in publishing and clinical effectiveness research. He has also published a book on a Wholeness-oriented approach to contemporary Christian faith. He gives regular training on clinical skills, hypnotherapy, and business skills for solo practice therapists. You can learn more about him at https://www.paulwpeterson.com
Jordan Harris
Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. He also runs a blog on deliberate practice for therapists and counselors at Jordanthecounselor.com You can find him on linkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-harris-lpc-s-lmft-s-418412301/
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