How To Hire For Your Group Practice
Everything You Need to Know to Build a Strong Team from Day One:
Hiring your first team member is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking milestones in growing your group practice. It marks the moment your vision expands beyond yourself. You’re stepping into leadership, amplifying your impact, and creating a practice that can serve more people than you ever could on your own.
But if you’re like most practice owners, the hiring process might also feel overwhelming. Between the paperwork, interviews, and endless decisions, it’s easy to wonder:
Where do I even find the right person?
How do I know they’ll align with my values?
What if I hire too soon, or worse, the wrong person?
If those questions sound familiar, you’re not alone. The truth is, hiring doesn’t have to be chaotic. With the right strategy, you can find someone who’s not only qualified but who genuinely contributes to your mission and culture.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to hire intentionally, confidently, and sustainably, so you can build a team that strengthens your practice from day one.
Step 1: Know Your “Why”
Before you even post a job listing, get clear on your motivation for hiring.
Ask yourself: Why do I want to bring someone onto my team?
Maybe you want to:
Reduce your caseload and prevent burnout.
Expand your services and serve more clients.
Create a business that runs smoothly even when you’re not in the therapy chair.
Your “why” is more than a nice-to-have, it’s the foundation for every decision that follows. When you know your purpose, you’ll recognize what kind of help you actually need and what qualities to look for in a candidate.
For example, if your “why” is to serve more clients in your community, you might prioritize finding a therapist with a complementary specialty or additional certifications. If your “why” is to create better work-life balance, your first hire might be an administrative assistant or virtual intake coordinator rather than another clinician.
Clarity here creates alignment later. It helps you attract people who share your mission and allows you to lead with confidence and intention.
Step 2: Decide What Role You’re Hiring For
Once you’re clear on why you’re hiring, it’s time to define who you need.
Many practice owners assume their first hire has to be a full-time therapist, but that’s not always true. Depending on your goals, budget, and systems, you might start with a part-time clinician, an intake coordinator, or even a billing specialist.
Ask yourself:
What kind of support would make the biggest difference right now?
Do I need a generalist or a therapist with a specific specialty?
Will this be an in-person, virtual, or hybrid role?
Am I hiring a W2 employee or a 1099 contractor?
Clarity in this stage helps prevent frustration later. Define the expected caseload, schedule, pay structure, and responsibilities before you start recruiting. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to attract aligned candidates and the less likely you’ll face mismatched expectations down the line.
Step 3: Create a Compelling Job Description
Your job description is your first opportunity to inspire potential team members. It’s not just a list of tasks, it’s a marketing tool that communicates who you are, what you stand for, and why your practice is an amazing place to work.
A strong job post should include:
An engaging introduction about your practice including who you serve, your mission, and your approach to care.
Details about the role, including hours, clinical focus, supervision structure, and whether the position is remote or in-person.
Ideal candidate traits that describe both professional skills and personality fit. (Think: “collaborative, growth-oriented, and passionate about trauma-informed care.”)
Perks and benefits, such as flexible scheduling, continuing education, or community support.
Clear application instructions and an overview of what happens next.
Pro tip: let your personality shine. If your practice culture is warm, community-centered, and fun, your job post should reflect that energy. The right candidates should be able to feel your values before they even apply.
For example, instead of saying, “We’re looking for a licensed clinician to join our team,” you might write:
“Are you a compassionate therapist who believes in the power of connection and collaboration? At Your Journey Through, we’re building a team that helps clients heal, grow, and thrive together.”
That simple shift communicates so much more than a list of duties ever could.
Step 4: Streamline Your Application Process
Hiring takes time, but it doesn’t have to take over your life. The key is to create a structured, repeatable process that allows you to screen for both skills and alignment without burning out.
Here’s a simple framework:
Set up an application form (Google Form, Typeform, or through your EHR system) that captures basic info and asks a few short-answer questions like:
Why are you interested in joining this practice?
What’s your therapeutic approach?
What kind of team culture helps you thrive?
Pre-screen applications to quickly identify top candidates. Look for red flags (unclear communication, lack of enthusiasm) as well as strong indicators (alignment with your mission, eagerness to collaborate).
Conduct structured interviews using a mix of behavioral and values-based questions. For example:
“Tell me about a time you worked through a conflict with a colleague.”
“How do you define success for your clients?”
“What drew you to community-based work?”
Evaluate consistently. Use a simple rubric to assess each candidate’s qualifications, communication skills, and cultural fit.
When you follow a consistent process, you not only save time but also reduce bias, ensuring your hiring decisions are fair, thoughtful, and aligned with your practice’s values.
Step 5: Prepare for Onboarding Before You Hire
Here’s where many practice owners go wrong: they hire before they’re ready to lead.
Before your new team member sees their first client, make sure your systems and structure are in place. This includes:
A reliable EHR system with templates for notes, billing, and scheduling.
Clear documentation guidelines so expectations are transparent.
A welcome packet or onboarding guide outlining your practice’s mission, policies, and workflows.
Scheduled check-ins or supervision to provide early support.
Think of onboarding as your new hire’s first impression of your leadership. A smooth, supportive experience helps them feel confident, capable, and valued from day one and drastically reduces turnover.
Even simple gestures like sending a handwritten welcome note, introducing them to the team, or taking them out for coffee can make a lasting impact. When people feel seen and supported, they perform better and stay longer.
Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid
Even the most well-intentioned practice owners can make hiring missteps. Here are a few red flags and pitfalls to watch for:
🚩 Hiring too quickly
When you’re overwhelmed and desperate to lighten your caseload, it’s tempting to rush. But impatience leads to mismatched hires. Take your time, trust your gut, and remember: the wrong person will cost more in stress and turnover than waiting for the right fit.
🚩 Being vague about expectations
Ambiguity around pay, caseload, or job duties creates confusion and resentment. Communicate everything clearly and in writing. Over-communication early on prevents problems later.
🚩 Skipping alignment checks
A therapist’s credentials matter, but so do their values. Someone can be clinically brilliant yet a poor cultural fit. Always assess whether they share your approach to client care, collaboration, and ethics.
🚩 Micromanaging after hiring
Once you’ve brought someone on, give them space to do their job. Micromanagement kills morale and growth. Set clear systems, communicate expectations, then trust your process and your people.
Remember: you’re building leaders, not followers. Empower your team to make decisions and contribute ideas. The more ownership they feel, the stronger your practice becomes.
Step 6: Cultivate a Strong Team Culture
Hiring doesn’t end once the offer letter is signed. The real magic happens when you invest in creating a positive, collaborative culture that supports your team long-term.
Consider:
Holding regular team meetings that focus on connection, not just logistics.
Offering continuing education or clinical consultation opportunities.
Celebrating milestones like new licenses, client breakthroughs, or even birthdays.
Encouraging open communication and feedback loops.
A healthy culture attracts great people and keeps them. When your team feels supported and aligned, they’ll provide better care, refer great colleagues, and help your practice grow organically.
Step 7: Evolve as a Leader
As your team grows, your role as a practice owner shifts. You move from clinician to visionary leader and that requires a new mindset.
Leading well means learning to delegate, communicate clearly, and hold boundaries. It means balancing empathy with accountability and modeling the same self-care you encourage in your clients.
You won’t get it perfect right away, and that’s okay. Leadership is a practice too. Each hire gives you a chance to refine your systems, strengthen your culture, and deepen your understanding of what kind of leader you want to be.
Final Thoughts
Hiring isn’t just about filling a position. It’s about expanding your vision, building a team, a community, and a business that supports your mission for the long haul.
You’ve already done the hard work of building something meaningful on your own. Now it’s time to take that next step: surrounding yourself with people who share your values, complement your strengths, and help you serve more clients than ever before.
When you hire intentionally, you’re not just scaling your business, you’re amplifying your impact.
Want More Support?
If you’re ready to build your dream team but don’t want to figure it out alone, grab The Therapist to CEO Bundle, your step-by-step guide to hiring, onboarding, and scaling your practice with confidence.
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You don’t have to do this on your own. With the right tools, systems, and strategy, you can build a thriving group practice you’re proud of. One that grows sustainably and supports both your team and your clients.
