Flora Gerlai: Hiring the Right Fit for Your Practice | Ep 142

Fearless Practice

Many therapists may struggle with finding and hiring the best-fit staff for their private practice, and that may include hiring interns and students who want to complete their practicums. So, how do you go about finding them?

My guest Flora in today’s episode interviewed more than 30 different candidates for a position at her practice! There’s some trial and error, but once you know more about what you are looking for and what the vision is that you have for your practice, it can help to make things easier.

MEET FLORA

Flora Gerlai is an RP and founder of Flora Psychotherapy. She provides a safe space for clients to navigate life's challenges using an active, empathetic, and detailed approach. Flora believes all behaviors reflect underlying needs and tailors her integrative techniques to each client, drawing on various therapeutic models like CBT, Narrative Therapy, and Mindfulness. She's also a Certified Mental Health and Nutrition Clinical Specialist, passionate about the connection between food, mood, and mental well-being.

Learn more about Flora on her website, Psychology Today, and Instagram profiles.

In this episode:

• How Flora became a psychotherapist

• Launching a private practice

• Adding staff and clients to the practice

• Finding a good practicum fit for your practice

• Flora’s advice for listeners

How Flora became a psychotherapist

Flora noticed that in the mental health services field, especially when it came to psychotherapy, there can be long wait lists and a large number of clients looking for a way to access care.

This realization and observation sparked Flora’s transition into psychotherapy specifically. Once she finished her Masters degree, Flora remained working in the foster care system for a while before transferring to a group private practice.

After working there for a while and trying out this new work experience, Flora opened her own virtual private practice.

Launching a private practice

Currently, Flora is in her second year of running her own virtual Canadian private practice, while she continues working part-time at another in-person clinic.

For Flora, opening up her own Canadian private practice was a large learning curve. There were many aspects of running a business that she had to learn from scratch, especially as the boss.

Adding staff and clients to the practice

Finding clients ebbs and flows, but most of the time Flora finds new clients through either word-of-mouth, through existing clients, or her Facebook and Instagram ads. Once she felt steady enough running her private practice, she hired another therapist from outside Toronto to also see clients online.

Flora reminds herself that the busyness comes and goes. For many therapists this year, September has been uncharacteristically quiet, and this was the case for Flora as well. She reminds herself to stay in the present and keep going, even when it’s tough.

Finding a good practicum fit for your practice

Flora knew that she wanted to work with students. When it came to hiring, it has been a trial and error process that has taught her what to look out for; the good, the bad, and the potential. She tries to have a blend of questions that are both clinically significant and others more open and low-key, while in a professional setting.

Flora’s advice for listeners

Hone in on what your core values and beliefs are for your practice because they will help to inform your niche.

Take your time in figuring out your niche, and be okay with the nature of the field, and how much it can change and fluctuate.

Connect with me:

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Resources mentioned and useful links:

Ep 141: Adding Direct Billing to Your Canadian Private Practice | EP 141

Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice

Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice

Jane App (use code FEARLESS for one month free)

Learn more about Flora on her website, Psychology Today, and Instagram profiles

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