The most common thing I hear from therapists in their first weeks of private practice is that they know what they need to do, but they don't know what to do first.
Quick note: I'm not a therapist. I build SoloAgent, the launch copilot for therapists going solo. The sequence below is based on conversations with therapists who have been through it and on documentation from the relevant agencies. State-specific requirements vary, so always verify with your licensing board.
That distinction matters. The first 30 days have real dependencies. Set up your EHR before you have a business bank account to bill from and you'll set it up twice. Apply to insurance panels before you have an NPI and your applications sit. Get the sequence right once.
This is the sequence.
Days 1-7: Entity and tax identity
Your legal entity comes before everything else. In most states, licensed therapists need a PLLC (Professional Limited Liability Company) rather than a standard LLC to provide professional services. Some states allow LLCs for licensed professionals. Some allow sole proprietorship. Check your state licensing board's guidance before forming anything.
Once you know what you're forming:
File the entity with your state. Most states charge $50-200 and process in days to a few weeks depending on the state.
Apply for your EIN (Employer Identification Number) at IRS.gov. Free, online, done in 10 minutes.
Open a business checking account. You need the EIN to do this. Don't run your practice through your personal account.
This sequence is fixed. You cannot open the business account without the EIN. You cannot get the EIN without knowing the entity name. Start here.
Days 8-14: Credentials and compliance
Verify your NPI (National Provider Identifier) is active and has the correct taxonomy codes. If you don't have an NPI, apply at NPPES.cms.hhs.gov. Free, takes 1-10 days.
Get malpractice insurance. You can't ethically or legally see clients without it. HPSO, CPH and Associates, and Proliability are common options for therapists. Budget $250-500 per year for solo coverage.
Check your state board's requirements for private practice. Some states require additional registration or a supervision plan for provisionally licensed therapists.
If you intend to bill insurance, open your CAQH (Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare) profile now. CAQH centralizes your credential data for insurance panels. Starting it in week two means your data is ready when you apply to panels later in the month.
Days 15-21: Operations
Choose your EHR. SimplePractice, Jane, and TherapyNotes are the three most common for solo private practice. Pick based on whether you're going private pay, insurance, or hybrid. See our EHR guide for a breakdown of the main options.
Set up your scheduling system, intake forms, and cancellation policy. These should be ready before your first client contacts you, not after.
Draft your fee schedule. Know your session rate, your sliding scale policy if you offer one, and whether you take specific insurance panels.
Days 22-30: Visibility
Create your Google Business Profile. This is free and is the highest-ROI visibility action for a new private practice.
Complete your Psychology Today profile. Write a bio that speaks to the specific issues you treat, your approach in plain language, and your fee. Include your fee. Clients who are screening for cost won't reach out if they can't tell whether they can afford you.
If you have a website domain, get a basic site live. A single-page site with your specialty, location, fee, and contact information is enough for month one.
At the end of day 30, you should have a legal entity, a tax ID, malpractice coverage, a functioning EHR, and at least two public-facing profiles live. That is the minimum viable launch.
Why the order matters
The dependencies are real. No EIN, no business bank account. No NPI, no panel applications. No insurance, no clients. CAQH takes time to process, so opening it in week two instead of week four means your first panel applications go in three weeks faster.
Therapists who lose the first 60 days of their private practice launch don't lose them to laziness. They lose them to doing things in the wrong order, hitting a dependency they didn't know existed, and stalling while they figure it out.