ABSTRACT
Many people hold an image of a counselor or therapist as a person in a nicely appointed private oce with a receptionist in an adjoining waiting room. In their idealized picture, the therapist sees six to eight clients a day, each one for a 50-or 55-minute session. is image is oen reinforced by what people see in movies, television programs, or other media presentations. For many, the idealized image becomes their occupational goal without realizing that there is much more to the picture of a counselor or therapist in private or independent practice than the brief picture described above. In addition to the visible portion of a private practitioner’s work, there is much more that neither the client nor the public ever see. For some, the discrepancy between the initial expectation and the nal reality of a profession in an independent practice may be so great that they leave the eld. Others nd ways to make a professional position in an independent practice a satisfying career.
