The Journey from Group to Solo Private Practice

Dr Olivia Campbell
Jun 19
2 min read

Updated: Jun 24

For many Psychologists, the dream of owning their own private practice starts as a quiet whisper—one that gets louder with every:

back-to-back appointment booking
handover of hard-earned income in the form of percentage splits
accommodation to someone else’s schedule, policies, and procedures
moment spent building someone else’s vision

Does this sound like you? If so, keep on reading to unlock your private practice dreams.

WellSpace Psychology's Prahran Co-Work Space: luxury rooms for rent, supportive therapist community & admin support

Starting Out: From Scratch to Sustainable

The truth? Starting a private practice from scratch is daunting. There’s no roadmap handed to you, and the sheer volume of decisions—paperwork, referrals, fees, websites, room rentals—can feel overwhelming.

But here’s what I’ve learned (and what I now help others with): You don’t need to have everything figured out from day one.

Private practice isn’t built in a single leap—it’s built in stages. You can launch, build, and grow as you go. In fact, I’m still learning new and better ways of operating every day.

But, when you start (even if you start imperfectly!), you start reclaiming what drew you to this career in the first place:

Time to do meaningful work or for life outside of work
Freedom to structure your days and to make values-led decisions
Income potential that reflects your value and allows you to work sustainably

You deserve a practice that works for you. This is not selfish, nor are you doing your clients a disservice. In fact, the more your practice works for you, the better placed you’ll be to help your clients in a more sustainable way.

So if you’ve been sitting on the fence, unsure where to start, know this:

You don’t have to do it perfectly
You just have to begin
I’m only an email away

How WellSpace Supports Private Practice Psychologists

WellSpace is a community of private practice Psychologists. Our mission is to help Psychologists thrive in private practice, and we do this with a focus on:

Practitioner Autonomy: run your practice, the way you like it
Community: connect, support, and network with other likeminded private practice Psychologists
And we do it all in a Beautiful Space: work from a purpose-built, boutique therapy office