All You Need to Do to Close Your Practice Is to Stop Seeing Clients and Lock the Door

At some point in time most mental health clinicians in private practice will make a decision to close their practice. This chapter focuses on each private practitioner’s many ethical and clinical obligations to clients. Guidance is provided regarding potential pitfalls and legal and financial consequences to avoid in closing one’s private practice. Issues such as preparing clients for the impending closure, making arrangements for referrals and the transfer of records, knowing when to no longer accept new clients, terminating business contracts, and making required public notices of the practice’s closure are all addressed. Further, specific recommendations are made for preparing for unanticipated practice closures and the development and implementation of a professional will.