If I “Sell Out” to the Business of Practice, I Give Up My Core Value of Altruism

Abstract

Mental health clinicians in private practice are business persons who have the goal of running a successful business. It is easy to believe that those who are highly successful in the business of private practice care primarily about making money and that they have lost their focus on caring for others and addressing their mental health treatment needs. This chapter examines how running an ethically responsible successful practice is essential for assisting and caring for others. It highlights how clinicians may run a financially successful private practice and remain true to the values that led them to pursue a career as a mental health professional. Specific recommendations are provided for being financially successful while remaining true to one’s values.