Welcome therapists and group practice owners! I’m Nicole McCance, a psychologist turned business coach for therapists. Scaling my solo practice to a group with 55 therapists and multiple seven figures wasn’t just about financial growth. It was about building a thriving team! And if there’s one thing I learned on my journey, it’s that therapist turnover is inevitable. But instead of letting turnover set you back, I’m here to help you shift your mindset and create a positive strategy that supports long-term practice growth and therapy team management.
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!
Why Therapist Turnover Feels So Personal
I’m going to be very honest here for a second. When a therapist leaves your practice, it can feel like a punch in the gut. It totally stinks. You’ve invested in hiring them, supporting their growth and envisioning their future within your practice. And then suddenly they’re gone.
I used to take it personally. I felt abandoned, blindsided and confused when a therapist left. But over time, I realized that turnover isn’t a reflection of failure, it’s a natural part of running a business.
Once I accepted that therapist turnover was inevitable, I was able to move on from taking it personally to planning for it strategically. And that changed everything!
Therapy Team Management: The Three-Step Plan to Manage Turnover
When I scaled my practice, I developed a three-part system to handle therapist departures in a way that protected my practice growth and kept my team running smoothly.
Step 1: Expect It
Turnover happens in every industry and therapy is no different. In fact, the average turnover rate in professional fields is actually around 20% per year! That means if you have ten therapists, you can reasonably expect one or two of them to leave annually.
Instead of being caught off guard (not fun), shift your mindset to expect and prepare for departures. This doesn’t mean you want therapists to leave, but acknowledging that it’s a normal part of therapy team management will help reduce the emotional toll when it happens.
Step 2: Plan For It
Once you accept that turnover is simply part of the process, the next step is to plan for it. Here are a few strategies to help:
- Always Have a Job Posting Live: Keep a non-sponsored job listing on places like Indeed so you always have potential candidates in the pipeline.
- Conduct Regular Check-Ins: Meet with your therapists every quarter to assess their job satisfaction, career goals and overall well-being. This allows you to address possible concerns before they lead to resignations.
- Streamline Offboarding: Create a structured process (you know how much I love a streamlined process) for when a therapist leaves your practice. This should include clear communication with clients, file transitions and an exit interview.
- Develop a Strong Referral System: If a therapist leaves, have a plan for redistributing their clients to other therapists in your practice to maintain continuity of care.
Step 3: Learn From It
Every therapist departure is a fantastic opportunity to refine your practice growth strategy and team management. Here are some tips for turning a loss into a learning experience:
- Conduct Exit Interviews: Schedule a final meeting on their last day and encourage honest feedback about their experience, your leadership and areas for improvement.
- Look At Your Current Team: You probably have people on your team that have been around for a while. The ones that you can trust to convert clients and represent your brand with pride. What are they like? How did you find them? Are there any patterns you can identify in the hiring process?
- Refine Your Culture and Leadership: Use the insights gained to improve your team environment, career development opportunities and retention strategies.
Check out this episode of my podcast if you’d like to learn more about leadership and cultivating team culture.
Retention Strategies to Strengthen Your Therapy Team Management
While turnover may be an inevitable part of running a group practice, there are steps you can take to build a dream team that stays with you for the long haul. Here are some of my favorite retention strategies:
Support Their Career Growth
Therapists stay where they feel they are growing and can visualize their future. Offer supervision, training and mentorship opportunities to help them develop new skills and advance in their careers.
Align With Their Goals
Regular check-ins allow you to understand each therapist’s personal, financial and professional goals. If they see a future for themselves within your practice they’ll be far less likely to leave.
Foster a Strong Team Culture
A supportive team culture will increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover (aka you’re building an amazing dream team!). Create opportunities for connection through team meetings, social events and collaborative case consultations.
Delegate Administrative Burdens
The thing about therapists joining a group practice instead of working for themselves is that they have the benefit of NOT having to run a business. In fact, many therapists leave group practices because of excess admin work. If your therapists are bogged down by non-clinical tasks, they may seek an environment where they can focus solely on client care (and not marketing, paperwork, etc.). Consider hiring an admin team to handle scheduling, billing and client follow ups!
Embrace The Journey
Managing therapist turnover is simply part of running a successful group practice. When you expect it, plan for it and learn from it, you shift from feeling reactive to feeling in control.
By focusing on therapy team management strategies that support retention while also preparing for inevitable departures, you’ll create a practice that continues to thrive no matter what!
Want more guidance on scaling your group practice without burnout? Follow me on Instagram and listen to my podcast for all the best support for growing your therapy practice and attracting more clients!
Your business bestie,
Nicole
