5 Essential Ideas to undertake as a Psychologist

Neither undertaking is the solution to everything nor does it have so many bad things. Being a freelance psychology professional is a difficult decision, but it will be much easier if you take into account everything you need to know from the beginning.

This is the crucial moment of where do I go, what do I do, who can help me…we feel lost and overwhelmed and This makes us make decisions based solely on the main source of information we have: Google.

Undertaking as a psychologist: where do I start?

The first thing you should be clear about is what you want to do, and the easy answer may be "I want to work as a psychologist on my own and earn money", okay, but to undertake in the field of Psychology, before that It is necessary that you answer the questions that every project needs:

• What am I going to sell?
• Who am I going to sell it to?
• What services do I offer?
• How will I reach my patients/clients?
• What is my differential value compared to other psychologists?
• How much is it going to cost me?
• How much will I earn?

All these questions must be answered in great depth, because only from there you can make decisions most successful to reach your patients or clients and that they can decide to hire your services as a psychologist. Normally we don't stop to think about it, but we can assure you that it is decisive for success and, above all, to do it in as short a time as possible.

• Related article: "Tips to undertake and start your own company"

What should I take into account legally?

First of all You must inform yourself well of everything that has to do with your profession; You must have your registration and civil liability insurance up to date. Here the school can help you.

Don't forget that all self-employed psychologists must keep our data protection up to date; You can do it in a specialized consultancy. The review is annual, they will provide you with the document where all your adaptation and the necessary materials are collected for you to use in your consultation, on your invoices, email signature, etc.

Don't forget that if you work with another professional or company, they can also ask you for a negative certificate of sexual crimes. You can request it at the Ministry of Justice through the model that they provide you on the Internet.

Of course, when registering as a freelancer you must complete the process with two entities different: the Treasury (with model 036) and with social security (where you will pay the famous coupon of autonomous).

If you are going to hire someone or create some kind of continuing agreement with another self-employed professional, we recommend that you report to an agency so that they can take you all the documentation. It is important that you take into account that a tax advisor is necessary in the case of collaboration between self-employed professionals; You need a commercial agreement document where all the conditions of your provision of services are collected.

• You may be interested in: "10 essential characteristics of a good psychologist"

How do I know how much each thing costs me? How and where to invest

This is one of the points that generates the most insecurity, because nobody teaches us to make a financial plan that includes all this information. Knowing if what we have invested in has been profitable for us, knowing if we ask for financing and we can pay it, knowing how much it costs me to hire someone, knowing if the marketing I do is profitable...

There are many doubts, and Ideally, you would have a mentor to help you with your project.If you cannot or do not have the option, it is important that you have access to someone to help you create an excel where you can see and collect all the information, interpret it and assess it.

There is something important that you must take into account: to be autonomous and earn money from your profession you must invest. You decide how much and you decide how, but it is the only way to achieve it, if we wait only for word of mouth to work it will be too much slowly, approximately two years until a sufficient flow is generated to have an income that allows us to live on it.

Marketing: how to do it

First of all, what defines your type of marketing is if you want to do it as a brand or as a professional (personal brand). From there you can build your strategy and invest to one side or the other.

The first and essential thing is to have a good branding, it does not need to be super complete, but a logo, the colors, the corporate image and standardization is absolutely necessary, not only because of the professionalism it transmits, but also because you must take into account that, with your brand, you are communicating.

Remember that your strategy should always be mixed: mix online and offline toolsDon't leave any aside, because the digital world is fine, but you have to cover all areas.

The online part must contain a web page where they can find you (look for options such as a onepage or a landing for advertising if you do not want a very large website) and the RRSS, which must be chosen according to the public to which you direct. Evaluate the investment in google, facebook or IG ads, to begin with this is enough, and if you feel like looking for a directory or collaboration with an entity that gives you visibility.

Offline you can take into account radio, press, interviews or mailbox actions (this only in the case of towns or areas where it is effective). Sponsoring an event such as races or cultural/social events or collaborating in partner activities can help you a lot.

At a collaborative level, it is essential that you have an agenda planning regarding the generation of proposals with AMPAS, companies, associations or entities to which you can offer your services; always keep in mind that the time of year in which you carry out the commercial action will determine whether it works or not.

How to combine professional ethics and business?

This is one of the fine lines that sometimes makes us rethink certain issues, especially for some reason. The most aggressive type of tool or message that we have been able to see or live from some business practices.

Generating processes, marketing and respectful relationships with our patients/clients and with providers is a process that can sometimes slow down if you don't know how to do it. Am I cheating my patient by offering an extra service that would be great? Should I lower my rate because a client can't pay me but needs it?

It is essential, first of all, to feel comfortable to put all my communication into practice. The professional value of our work and our training has a contingent component: the price, and knowing how to sell ourselves does not imply devaluing, lowering or minimizing our work.

Looking for attractive but not misleading names, generating attraction marketing or working with a language that touches emotions without manipulating them is the key to finding this balance.