We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful JON BEAUMONT. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with JON below.

JON, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

Once I made the decision to be a mental health counselor, I always knew I wanted to have my own private practice. However, I knew this would take time. The first major step I had to take was to gain the skills needed to be a great counselor. Though we learn a great deal in our graduate studies, most counselors would agree that the majority of knowledge comes from experience in the field. Fortunately, I was able to acquire this in multiple settings. The biggest lesson I had to learn was to bet on myself. After several years of working as a therapist/casemanager in a managed care setting, I had gained the confidence in my skills to believe I had a future in private practice. However, this is a very scary step for young counselors to make. After getting used to a paycheck for a certain amount twice each month, it can be very daunting to think about not having this to count on. That is why I made the smartest decision in this process, which was to start the private practice as part-time, as opposed to quitting my main job and praying that I could see enough clients each week to pay the bills.

I began Beaumont Counseling Services in 2013 with one client, who I saw in the evening one day each week after working all day at Three Rivers Midlands Residential Treatment Facility. I then got another client, then another, and so on. For a while, I was seeing two to three private practice clients in the evenings a few nights each week. This schedule made for many 12 hour days, which one would think would be grueling. Surprisingly, I was actually energized to see clients after working at the facility all day, and at times even more energized after the sessions were over! This only strengthened my belief that I was truly following my passion.

After doing this for a couple years, I was able to establish enough courage to finally believe I could make it on my own solely through my private practice. It was still hard to leave the stability, as well as the relationships I had built at Three Rivers, but through the support of my friends and family, I made the move to strictly private practice in 2015. I had finally fulfilled my dream of “retiring” from full-time work by the age of 35.

Fortunately, it has been relatively smooth sailing since then. I am so blessed to only have to work about half the hours I did at the full-time position, while still making over double the income I made back then. I love this aspect of private practice because it allows me to give clients my all, without the danger of getting burnt out. I am able to remember nearly every detail discussed in sessions each week, which I would not be able to do if I saw 40 clients each week as the equivalent of a full-time position.

The only thing I might have done differently was to bet on myself sooner. I was likely ready to go out on my own well before 2013, but the fear may have been too much of a factor. Nonetheless, I am perfectly happy with the way things have turned out. I could not ask for a better or more rewarding job.

As for advice for young counselors, I can offer several suggestions. First, I think it is a good idea to get a full-time job in the field right after graduate school for the purpose of building your skill set and also to determine the population you would like to work with. Next, if any way possible, start your work with private clients on a part-time basis at first. Finally, don’t be afraid to bet on yourself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Since I was very young, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor. Therefore, I started off in college as pre-med. However, after taking my first psychology class, I realized that the main reason I wanted to be a physician was largely due to the doctors and dentists over the years that had taken the time to talk with me about whatever it was that brought me into their office. Thus, I came to the conclusion that being a counselor, as opposed to a surgeon, would be much more suitable for the type of help I was seeking to provide. My plethora of psychology classes in both undergrad and graduate school only solidified my confidence in this decision.

During grad school, I was able to develop a more specific goal for my career; to have my own private practice. After working for two years in Florence doing Neuropsychological assessments and then eight great years as a therapist at Three Rivers Midlands Residential Treatment facility, I made the decision to finally bring my dream to fruition. I started Beaumont Counseling Services in 2013.

I am proud to say I still absolutely LOVE the work that I do. I honestly cannot remember the last time I did not want to go into the office. I am one of the minorities of people that can say they were fortunate enough to find and pursue their passion, which is much more than a job or even a career.

At Beaumont Counseling Services, I treat clients of many ages. I see kids (usually ages 9 and up), teens, young adults, as well as older adults. I am certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, so many of my clients come in for help with anxiety, depression, anger, or just general stress; though I also treat less common issues such as OCD, phobias, etc.

Soon into my career as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor, I also set goals to write a book and present at seminars. Though I knew these methods may not be as profitable as private practice, books and seminars would allow me to reach and help more people than I could ever hope to by only doing individual therapy.

In 2019, I was able to check yet another box when I published my first book, It is a workbook for kids and teens to learn skills to help them deal with bullies more effectively. Furthermore, since publishing the book, I have been presenting seminars and webinars on this topic around the state of South Carolina. This has also led to more and more of my school-ages clients coming in for help dealing with bullies.

My next goal is to present this information on a national level, as I truly believe the techniques from the workbook can make a difference in reducing bullying nationwide.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective way I have grown my clientele is definitely word of mouth. Though I have several websites and have tried many other strategies such as social media promotions as well as other paid advertisements, the personal contacts I have made with other professionals in the field have ultimately led to my best source of referrals. Additionally, clients that are pleased with the help they received also do a great job of recommending me to anyone they know who could benefit from my services.

Consequently, one of the most important lessons I had to learn was to not be afraid to reach out to other professionals to share information about the services I offer. At first, I avoided this because it felt like “begging” and I did not want to be a nuisance. However, after I realized that other professionals were actually very pleased to learn about another resource in the community, this eventually became much easier. I now have great professional relationships with several psychiatrists, school counselors, and other therapists in the area. We all have the ultimate goal of providing the absolute best services for all of our clients, so we are always happy to collaborate in order to provide the best care possible.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When starting my private practice, I applied and was accepted to be an in-network provider for several insurance companies. This allowed me to service several clients that may not have been able to come in if not for the financial assistance from their insurance companies. Unfortunately, a few years ago some of the insurance companies lowered their reimbursement rates for counselors, while at the same time making it more difficult for us to justify continued treatment. Additionally, I started having several issues with the insurance companies refusing to pay, even after initially stating that the client was approved for services. These issues eventually led to a very tough decision for me to terminate my in-network status with all insurance companies. Fortunately, I was able to structure my contracts so that I am still an approved provider for all insurance companies, only now I am out-of-network. I also acquired a service through my website host that allows clients to easily file online to potentially get reimbursed for some or all of the fees that pay up front.

I was hesitant to do this for a while because I was afraid that I might lose clients or not get as many referrals. However, to my surprise, my referral numbers have actually increased since going out-of-network! I truly believe that I was only able to succeed in doing this because I waited until I had a very good reputation with the community and clients actually believe I am worth the money. Consequently, I am very pleased with this decision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.BeaumontCounselingServices.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beaumontcounselingservices/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeaumontCounselingServices
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/BeaumontCounselingServices
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1513653903/ https://www.theravive.com/therapists/jon-beaumont.aspx https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/beaumont-counseling-services-columbia-sc/290583