Brave and Well: Conversations helping mental health professionals build a sustainable, profitable, and values-aligned business

How to start a support group in private practice

• Vanessa Newton • Season 1 • Episode 8

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I love running support groups. They’re a great way to center accessibility in your practice without burning yourself out.

So today on the podcast, I’m sharing how to start a support group. This episode is basically a mini-workshop where I guide you through:

  • Choosing the topic of your group & what type of group you want to run
  • Filling your group with your current clientele
  • Deciding whether to host your group in-person or virtually
  • Determining your pricing & payment methods
  • Marketing your group to your ideal client
  • Using support groups to establish your expertise


I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know your experience with support groups.

And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share this episode with a friend!


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Hi everyone welcome to the Brave and well podcast I'm your host Vanessa Newton I'm a group practice owner in social worker I'm also a Latina entrepreneur mom and recovering perfectionist. On this podcast we teach mental health professionals how to build sustainable profitable and values align businesses here you'll hear all about decolonizing the business item private. Music. Our time together will be raw honest vulnerable and held together by Joy if you like what you hear subscribe to our newsletter at Braven well.com / newsletter Dash sign. Thank you for listening. Music. Welcome to another episode of the Braven well podcast I'm your host Vanessa Newton and I wanted to talk about today how to run a group, in your practice, so last episode we talked a lot about different ways to diversify your income basically and have other offerings and build in it accessible care in your practice and so I wanted to dive in a little bit more into running groups and so whether you're in private practice or group practice. Or maybe even just want to do a group in one of your agency settings that you're working at I want to share a little bit more about that so there's different groups that I've offered before I've done three-day intensive workshops that are basically three full days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. focused on a specific curriculum we go through the entire curriculum in three days it's very intense process heavy Fast and Furious I've also done three-day Retreats so two nights three days where folks sign up, people from the community anyone can join and it's based on a specific curriculum but we go to a place. Away from the office so I usually rent out an Airbnb I co-facilitate it with one of my colleagues we go through the curriculum in three days and it is processed heavy but there's a mixture of retreat like features right so there's yoga there's relaxation there's art there's sharing fun meals maybe walks hikes and so that's weaved into the three-day retreat. I've also done closed groups and open groups so close groups mean that they're time-bound there's a cap on the number of participants there's a start date and an end date and one of my favorite close groups that I do is a 10-week art journaling group based on, book the gifts of imperfection by brene Brown and because I'm certified in her work I'm able to facilitate that group and co-facilitate it with a colleague who's also trained in her work and certified and so we run through that curriculum together with a cap of participants a set number of participants over 10 weeks. And that's always really fun I've also done, an open process group a woman's open process group around women's issues or any topics that come into the room it's so it's more psychodynamic and that there's not a set curriculum we basically use what's in the space and there's no end date to the group it's kind of open members can come and go phase in and out of group and there's not really. You know a hard stop ones participants feel like they got what they needed from the group then they can terminate and exit out of the group and so, there's a lot of different ways to run groups and so I wanted to share more of the logistical pieces of how you can get started. What it all comes down to is you really want to Define what is your group about what's the theme what's the heart of the group what's the message you're trying to deliver what do you wanting to people to get from the group that they're participating in. Whether it's a grief group it's a DBT group it's a group based on a specific curriculum maybe you're doing a book club, with a mix of process so you all are reading a book together but there's a therapeutic. Process peace to the group maybe it's an experiential group, you know what is your group about who is it for who's your audience who you hoping will join this group. How much will you charge so how much will you charge per session per group when is it going to happen where is it going to take place. How are you managing payment and registration for the group who will be leading the group. Are you facilitating it alone are you co-facilitating it are you inviting guest speakers or folks to come in and run a part of the group with you. Where can folks find out about the group and how can they sign up and so you want to be sure that you're thinking about these logistical pieces because that will inform how you Market the group how you decide what your marketing strategy is where you're wanting to plug the group how you're wanting people to sign up, and so generally speaking average length of time for a process group is 12 to 16 weeks it gives members the time to get to know one another and do some good interpersonal work when I do process groups that are open their 12 weeks to years. It just really depends most groups I would say that I've heard people do if they're closed if they're on a specific topic there's a start there's an end date about six to eight weeks. Okay and so if you want to think about. How am I going to Define my group you want to think about what is your ideal group member Avatar grab a piece of paper write down. Some of the answers to these questions so you want to think about what are the themes you're seeing in your client caseload if you're looking to fill your group pretty quickly marketing to your current case load your active clients, is the best way to do that most of the groups that I've run. At least 50% of the participation in my groups come from my client base, both when I was in private practice and also now group practice we have a group of therapists who are practicing so I'm going to mark it to the clientele that we're actively working with maybe there's a client who's starting to phase out of, arpi maybe they're making really good progress in the Next Room next natural step for them is group and so I might invite them and say you know. Evaluate their progress discuss their treatment goals and and talk with them about what is the next step for you do you feel like you're ready for something else outside of individual therapy. And so prior to termination sometimes group sometimes clients feel like they need like a group setting to get community support support from other folks who might be experiencing similar things, so what are the things you're seeing in your client caseload maybe you're seeing a huge number of women of color and your client caseload women of color who are trying to. Let go of intergenerational trauma the trying to unpack the intergenerational trauma let go of harmful messaging that they grew up with maybe in their homes and their families and they're needing Community Support that's a group right there so what types of clients usually seek you out for therapy both personally. And professionally and why what's your expertise or niche as a therapist Maybe an expert in grief and loss and so you want to do a grief and loss group we have a therapist in our group practice who's it going to be running a chronic illness group so folks who are experiencing chronic illness, right because that is a niche of hers so ask yourself if I could dream up a group what would it be and what would it look like. What are my own beliefs about group what's getting in the way of me starting this group in the first place. What are some of my fears and concerns about running a group and how can I move past that. And so some other examples of groups are processed groups experiential groups curriculum based groups expressive arts groups somatic groups there's a lot of groups where you can weave in mindfulness grounding yoga exercises. Identity-based groups. When you think about how you're offering the group right it could be virtual in person now we have this whole other aspect of the way that we work with our clients so I've done both at this point I ran a virtual group during the pandemic and in person groups as well the thing about virtual groups is you want to think about accessibility so choosing a platform that works for the clients that you're working with I tend to use zoom I have a paid account so it's pretty secure I make a private link password protected it's a secure as a can't be right you want to think about safety being sure to get consent from the group members, know where they will be physically when attending the group in case an emergency comes up so that you can support them be sure to have an emergency contact on file. And if they're not living in an environment that's completely safe then what right what's the plan for that specific client how are they going to be able to safely engage in the group virtually. You could also record this offering and offer it as a product so say for example you run the group but there are nuggets from the group that you want to record independently and maybe sell it on your website as support of tools for grief and loss right boom you can put that on your website. What we notice is that people sometimes are sometimes finding that they're feeling connected a lot quicker virtually because they're able to create their own container of safety at home or wherever they are right they're able to participate in group and engage while sitting at their desk with the cozy blanket on their lap or they have their favorite candle burning or they have a certain scent or Roma in their room or there's a specific lighting. So I was really nervous about running a virtual group so I wasn't sure how it was going to go but what I realized is that. People are feeling more comfortable because they're in their own space and then they're engaging with others from that space of peace right and safety for them and what that feels like for them so it was really successful and I really enjoyed it. When you think about in-person groups you want to think about space accessibility what's the furniture you have is it inclusive of all sizes and identities. You know the office waiting room. Office space conference room group room those are different places you can host a group but you want to think about the space and if it's accessible to all people. Location and parking sometime that's a sometimes that's a huge be a huge barrier for folks who attend a group is that they can't make it to the location. For parking is really hard like our office right now is downtown and so there's only street parking and so depending on the time of day and the time zones in terms of like I think it's paid parking after 6 it can get a little tricky so we want to think about that and be cognizant on how we support our clients who are choosing to come on site for their group. You want to think about materials and supplies so are you offering snacks coffee tea art supplies or any type of supplies for the group because you'll need to have that in place if you're having an in-person group, so there's a little bit more logistical pieces to it and probably a little bit more cost just because you're thinking about what's physically in the space and what you're offering. And so finally when you think about fees you want to think about how much do I hope to make from this group. If I'm charging right and remember last episode we talked about accessibility right that groups are a way to provide accessible care because you can offer them at a lower rate and a higher number of people so you're making. More money per hour and so I do mine at fifty to sixty five dollars per 70-minute group session. And I kept my groups at eight so you do the math on that 8 times 65. That's how much I'm making an hour you want to run your numbers first right how much is it going to cost me to run this group. Whether if I'm doing it virtually or in person. Am I going to charge a supply fee so for my 10-week art journaling group because it's really experiential and it's it's heavy on the art piece I do charge a one-time $50 Supply fee up front. At registration and so they pay a registration fee. A deposit to secure their spot in the group which is a hundred dollars and then I charge them a $50 Supply fee for all the art supplies that they'll use over the course of 10 weeks. And they each get their own set of Art Supply so that they feel like they have what they need. So think about what your cost is going to be an factor that into your pricing right are you. Taking insurance is that a way that you're going to be offering the group a lot of insurance companies don't cover the cost of group they don't reimburse for group, process groups or anything like that and so I don't Bill insurance for groups and I also don't offer super bills for groups and so. You want to just check in with your state and your insurance that your paneled with to see if they have a group therapy code and if it's reimbursed and you can also ask your clients to call their own insurance company to figure that out. You would have to diagnose a client if you're going to be billing Insurance because insurance will require a diagnosis so I just think that's really tricky I have a hard time with diagnosing a client who's joining a group if I'd never worked with him in the past this is the first time I'm meeting them and so. I don't know I just don't do that but I think you could decide based on your state laws and the insurance company to see if that's something you want to do. How will you handle late cancellations and no-shows will you require a deposit upon registering I do hundred dollar security deposit and that goes towards future group sessions but that secures our spot in the group. I do charge like cancellations and no-shows so I charge them the full group fee if they like cancel or no show. Much like the way I that I do for individual sessions for clients are you going to be performing in takes before. Admitting a group member. I do do this with teens a lot so if I'm running a group that is a teen group or. Folks who are under age than I do do a formal and take so I want to make sure that, they're good fit and that they're in a good place to be in group with my adults I always do a formal application on the website when they're signing up to join the group and then I do an intake call and it's not a full intake it's a quick call 15 to 30 minutes to basically review. And identify if there are any red flags or things that I need to know before I determine fit and then I send them. You know full registration and ask them to pay for the group online. And then think about pricing yeah so you know depending on the type of group you're doing then you're pricing might be might be different. Next marketing which marketing is always challenging I think filling groups. In a private setting is always hard but you want to think about marketing on social media, running ads if that is in your budget Google ads Instagram ads Facebook ads LinkedIn ads anywhere that you want, to kind of expand your reach if you're licensed in other states then you might want to think about running ads and other states that that reach other Connections in other cities and states using listservs so local universities cools organizations clinics any mental health listservs or Facebook groups you're part of. Looking inside your own network so looking at your client caseload is there a client that might be a good fit for your group. Sending a flyer and a personalized email to your own fellow colleagues. To let them know you're running these groups and if they have recommendations for you and just leaning on your thought partner so, you know I usually co-facilitate my groups a lot of times just because it's really helpful to have someone else you know will lead with you and so you might want to lean on them to have. To get you know marketing out there. And just create a marketing strategy you want to get excited about your group spread the word in a way that feels good for you speak to your ideal group member, use that information to inform everything else what's your elevator pitch about the group when are you posting about the group publicly and how often. And what's your what's your layout on your website or you know the image is that you're using to speak to these potential group members. In terms of. Benefits to think about when running a group you want to establish yourself as an expert I know that because I'm certified in bearnaise work a lot of people remember me as a girl that does burn a, that's the majority of the group's I do and I repeat them every year and so people know that I run them and they know that if a client wants that they know who to refer to and call and so. Maybe you run a group and you decide wow that went really well I really enjoyed that. And you keep doing it over and over again these offerings can be recycled word spreads fast. And you'll finally get to a place where you won't have to invest that much in marketing because you're starting to do this group, every spring or every fall or Every Spring and fall it opens up other streams of Revenue and the possibility to always have a full group because you know that the group works and you've done it before and you continue to do it. So some ethical considerations that you want to think about is again your intake screening process what is that process like how are you documenting on your groups I document on simple practice. Do you have a consent form in place you should you want to have a privacy policies consent form specifically for the group offering. Are you offering sighting scale or pro bono slots I don't because I think that the rate that I'm offering is already a sliding scale but you can are you offering a student rate anything like that. Are you filing insurance for reimbursement are you co-facilitating the group. What are the group rules or group agreements that you're going to have in place. And then how can you get your resources in place so what are some of the things that that you can use to plan right I like to use Asana for project management are table to plan out social media content Google Sheets to keep track of attendance and you know plan ahead for curriculum. Canva to create any images and I'm going to use marketing images and I post everything on my website and so that's how we do registration and that's how I mark it is on the website. And so that's kind of you know a nut shell write a summary of how do you run groups in a private practice there's a lot of pieces to think about but I think the most important thing is to start with what you know, what are the trends in your current caseload what. Do you have available to you that you feel confident in facilitating and start there and see how it works you might find that after you run the group. You get some feedback about a few things I always do a survey at the end of groups to get feedback from, the clients who are in the group and in the survey I asked what other types of groups would you like to be a part of or other offerings and so that's a great way to get that information to plan for future offerings. I'd love to chat with you all about any of these things if you are interested in running a group and need support and getting started feel free to schedule business consultation with me at bravin well.com I'd be like I'd love to meet with you and talk with you about it you can also watch my training I did a training on how to run groups like a boss and so if you go to. Colors of Austin counseling.com. There's a tab that says for professionals and you can definitely get that training there and kind of learn more about writing groups and how I do that so I hope this was helpful and. Music. Thank you so much for listening to the Braven while podcast, you can find links and resources from this episode in the show notes at www.breckwell.com if you enjoyed this episode please subscribe rate and review on your favorite podcast listening platform, then send it to a friend. For free resources special announcements and discount code subscribe to our newsletter at Braven wall.com forward slash newsletter Dash sign up. Music.