Welcome therapists and group practice owners! I’m Nicole McCance, a psychologist turned business coach for therapists, and if you’re thinking about scaling your group practice, there’s something I wish someone had told me early on: there’s a method to the hiring madness. The order you hire in matters more than you think, and getting it right can be the difference between a practice that grows with ease and one that feels like a constant uphill battle.
I scaled my group practice to 55 therapists and multiple 7-figures, and this hiring order is exactly what got me there. Whether you’re making your first hire or your fifteenth, this will help.
P.S. Not a huge fan of reading blogs? (I’m more of a podcast girl myself.) You can listen to my podcast episode all about this topic by clicking here or watching the video below!
Who Should You Hire First In Your Group Practice?
Your first hire is the most important one you’ll make, and here’s why: you’re likely moving current clients over to this person, or at the very least, new inquiries who expect someone like you are going to land in their chair instead.
If that person doesn’t match your vibe, those clients won’t stay.
I learned this the hard way. When I was 27, I fell in love and moved to Russia. (Yes, I’m that person.) At the time I had a full caseload in solo practice, and I handed the whole thing to another therapist for free.
Can you guess what happened?
Not a single one of my clients stayed, and it’s because she was my complete opposite. She was quiet, passive, and talked slow. I’m a big personality, super direct, and intuitive in my sessions. The clients who chose me chose that energy, and when it disappeared, so did they.
Think of it like ordering from Domino’s. You expect the same experience no matter which location you go to. Your practice works the same way. When someone books with your team, they’re expecting a version of what they saw in you.
4 Things Your Mini Me Should Match
So what exactly makes someone a mini me? Here are the four things I matched on when hiring:
- Energy. How do you show up in a room? If you’re warm and high-energy, your mini me should bring that same presence.
- Personality. If your best friend or partner were describing you, what would they say? Direct? Funny? No-nonsense? Look for those same traits.
- Modality. Your first hire should practice the same modality you do. This matters less as you grow, but for your first hire it’s super important.
- Demographic. Research tells us people want to see people like them. If your clients are young professionals in their 30s, your first hire should reflect that.
If you already have a group practice and you’ve noticed a therapist with low retention, it might be worth asking whether they’re a mini me or not. Sometimes that mismatch is exactly what’s driving clients away.
Hot Tip: If you’re dealing with therapist retention challenges, check out this blog on what to do when a therapist leaves your group practice.
Who Should Be Your Second Hire for Your Group Practice?
Once your mini me is up and running, take the cash flow from that first hire and invest it in an admin.
I know it sounds early, but trust me on this one. Therapists in my program who hire an admin early on in their scaling literally scale twice as fast.
You became a therapist to help people, not to drown in admin, paperwork, and follow-up emails. The admin takes all of that off your plate so you can focus on what actually grows your practice: marketing and strategy. That’s real freedom!
Hot Tip: Want to understand why admin support helps your group practice grow faster? Listen to my podcast episode on why your group practice needs an admin.
How to Use Your Inquiry Data to Guide Every Hire After That
Once you have your mini me and your admin, your next therapist hire should be guided by one thing: your data.
Go into your EHR and look at what people are actually asking for (Please don’t guess!).
Hot Tip: If you’re looking for an EHR system I recommend, click here to try JaneApp free for 2-months!
I was coaching someone recently who was sure their next hire should be a child therapist. We checked the data and it turned out to be couples. And because couples therapy usually means a higher session rate, the revenue impact was even bigger!
If you don’t have much inquiry data yet, here’s what I recommend: hire a couples therapist.
When a couple comes in for therapy (especially if they’re using a model like Emotion Focused Therapy), both partners usually end up doing their own individual therapy too. That one couple just became three clients.
And if they have a child who’s being affected by the conflict at home? That’s four clients from one inquiry. It’s one of the fastest ways to scale your group practice.
This is also why I didn’t niche my practice too narrowly. My clinic, the Toronto Psychotherapy and Neurofeedback Centre, saw individuals, couples, families, and kids. Family doctors didn’t have to think twice about where to refer because we covered everything. It became super easy for them to just say, “Go here.”
You Don't Have to Scale Your Group Practice All at Once
If scaling feels scary (totally normal!), just start with your mini me.
You don’t have to do it fast like I did. When you have the cash flow, it will guide your next step to hire the admin. And when you feel less overwhelmed and can actually focus on growth, your inquiry data will tell you exactly who to hire next.
When I started scaling, I was an exhausted mom with two-year-old twins. I didn’t have a grand plan, I just took the next step and then the next one, and it flowed. Especially when you’re surrounding yourself with the right people, it becomes this snowball effect that kind of just pulls you with it.
And if you’re still on the fence: if you don’t start your group practice, somebody else will.
I learned that when I realised I’d been referring clients to the same therapist for years, and she turned around and started her own group practice with my referrals. The only thing between you and that beautiful practice is fear, and you can do it scared. (I promise.)
Want more support for the journey? Follow me on Instagram and listen to the Business Savvy Therapist podcast for weekly strategies and real talk about scaling a 7-figure group practice.
Your Business Bestie,
Nicole
