75+ of the Best Books on Starting a Therapy Private Practice - Includes Marketing, Billing, Compliance, and Side Hustle Recommendations

One of the most common requests we get at SemiPrivatePractice.com is for a definitive list of books about how to start a private practice, so here it is. 

Our list starts with a lengthy list of books on the broad topic of launching a private practice. Below that, the list is organized into helpful subsections like marketing, billing, HIPAA compliance, specialties (equine therapy, hypnosis, etc), medication management, and more.

So keep scrolling.. all the titles below are clickable for easy ordering. :) 

While we think there's no perfect list, we'd encourage you to bookmark this page, because we'll keep adding them as we come across. 

If you've written—or know of—a helpful book about starting a private practice that's not yet listed, shoot us an email! We’ll gladly add it to the collection.

Be sure to also out our list of recommended software and services, sign-up for our newsletter list and subscribe to our Youtube channel to get more helpful lists and recommendations. 

Starting a Private Practice, Private Practice Checklists, etc.:

Profit First for Therapists by Julie Herres- I've coached 1,000+ practices directly and indirectly at this point and the number one determinant of long-term success or failure is whether or not the practice owners understands how to run a profitable practice. All the other bells and whistles don't matter if you're losing money every month.

Building Your Ideal Private Practice by Lynn Grodzki - one of the classics, written originally in 2000. 

Twelve Months to Your Ideal Private Practice by Lynn Grodzki - if you're looking for a step-by-step guide, this is one of the best. 

Best Practice: Everything You Need to Know About Starting Your Successful Private Therapy Practice Paperback by Kate Aronoff

Private Practice Essentials by Howard Baumgarten

Thriving As A Therapist: The Ultimate Guide to Building and Scaling Your Business for Freedom, Joy, and Financial Abundance Paperback by Megan Gunnell

This Business of Therapy Paperback by Jude Fay

Starting Your Private Practice: A step-by-step guide for mental health counselors Paperback by Maryanne L. Duan

Getting Started in Private Practice: The Complete Guide to Building Your Mental Health Practice First Edition
by Chris E. Stout and Laurie Cope Grand

The Ultimate Private Practice Playbook: Step-by-Step Strategies for Building a Practice That’s Uniquely Yours Paperback by Dr. Brook Choulet M.D.

Out on Your Own: Starting a Private Practice for Mental Health Practitioners Paperback – by Kerry Heath LPC

Business Basics for Private Practice by Anne D. Bartolucci

 Getting Better at Private Practice by Chris E. Stout

The Black Therapist's Guide to Private Practice and Entrepreneurship Paperback by Charmain Jackman PhD

Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers: Your Business Is Like A Patient, You Just Have To Treat It That Way Paperback by Kasey Compton

The Therapist's Guide To Business Kindle Edition by N.M. Johnson

Private Practice Made Simple by Randy J. Paterson 

Handbook of Private Practice by Walfish, Barnett, Zimmerman 

Starting a Successful Practice in Clinical Psychology and Counseling by Owen J. Bargreen

The Private Practice Survival Guide: A Journey To Unlock Your Freedom To Success by Brandon Seigel

The 14 Concrete (but Not So Hard!) Steps to Private Practice: Plus, Six More Steps to Consider: A Guide for Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Licensed Marriage Family Therapists by Bonnie McKeegan

Ready, Set, Treat!: The Official Pocket Guide to Starting Your Solo Private Practice Kindle Edition
by Susie Curtis and Kristen Goodrich

The Prosperous Private Practice: A Therapist's Guide to Launching and Growing a Thriving Practice Paperback by Nancy Cowden

How To Survive And Thrive As A Therapist: Information, Ideas, And Resources For Psychologists In Practice
by Kenneth S. Pope and Melba Jean Trinidad Vasquez

Grow Your Private Practice Paperback by Jane Travis

Setting up in Independent Practice: A Handbook for Counsellors, Therapists and Psychologists
by Robert Bor and Anne Stokes

The Private Practice Playbook:: Essential Tools for Mental Health Professionals Paperback by Dr Shawn Oak Ph.D.

Marketing, Referrals & Growth:

Marketing for Therapists monthly Zoom call on SemiPrivatePractice.com (plus recorded archives) - First 30 days and archive access for free from SemiPrivatePractice.com

Be a Wealthy Therapist by Casey Truffo

Marketing for the Mental Health Professional: An Innovative Guide for Practitioners 1st Edition
by David P. Diana

The Therapist’s Advertising and Marketing Kit by Wiley

Marketing for Psychologists: How to Attract More Clients, Build Your Brand, and Grow Your Practice Paperback by Ehsan Zarei

Clicking with Clients by Daniel Wendler 

A Short Marketing Guide to Start and Build Your Therapy Business by Noman Shaikh

365 Social Media Post Ideas for Therapists: Grow Your Therapy Practice with Daily Social Media Content: Mental Health Tips, Self-Care Strategies

Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling by Michael Port

Unlocking Profitable Private Practice Strategies: Maximizing Income and Growth: Effective Tactics for Thriving Private Practices Paperback by Bella N Merrill

Ask Like a Therapist, Sell Like a Pro: A Therapy-Inspired Sales Approach Paperback  by Jared Kelner

The Wellness Business Blueprint: Marketing That Heals | A Branding and Marketing Guide for Anyone Who Owns a Wellness-Related Business Hardcover by Rick Cesari and Dr. Michele Burklund

The Private Pay Practitioners Playbook: Systems, Scripts & Strategies for Financial Freedom in Private Pay Practice by D.J. Burr 

A Therapist’s Guide to Private Practice: Building a Values-based Business by Sarah Rees

GEO Engine Optimization - How to Show Up in ChatGPT Results from SemiPrivatePractice.com

Group Practice & Leadership:

Coffee With Ken monthly group practice owner Zoom brainstorming - First 30 days + archive access for free from Ken Clark and SemiPrivatePractice.com.

From Clinician To Confident CEO by Casey Truffo

The Accountability Equation (for Group Practice Owners by Maureen Werrbach → One of the best books about the hardest part of growing or managing a group practice for therapists.

Wealth and Wellness: The Operations Manual for Private Practice Clinics and Wellness Business Owners Paperback by Simon Godding

Hey Associate- No License? No Problem!: How to Build a Six-Figure as an Associate Clinician Under Supervision by Ryan Joseph Kopyar

Groundwork for Growth - 12 week Self-Study course on scaling a group practice - 50% off from Ken Clark and SemiPrivatePractice.com

Insurance, Billing & Coding

Monthly billing Zoom support group - First 30 days + archives for free from SemiPrivatePractice.com

Navigating the Insurance Maze by Barbara Griswold - The fairy godmother of insurance billing in private practice. Must read. 

Insurance Billing Basics: Steps for Therapists to Successfully Take Insurance Paperback 
by Jeremy Zug and Kate Perry

Mental Health Billing From Claims Denied to NPIs: Tips for the Baffled, Bewildered, Befuddled Provider Paperback by Julie A Rice and Dianne Hayward

Coding and Payment Guide for Behavioral Health Services (2025) by Optum  - Written by an actual insurance company. You may hate them, but you need it as a reference. 

Getting Paid: The Mental Health Clinician's Guide to Insurance Coverage and Verification 
by Davia Ward

Getting Paid: A Mental Health Clinicians Guide to Out of Network Billing by Davia Ward

Stop Winging It!: An Outpatient Mental Health Therapists Guide to Accepting Health Insurance Hardcover by Mrs Camilla James

Therapists, GET PAID: A Practical Billing Guide for Private Practices

A THERAPISTS GUIDE TO WORKERS COMPENSATION: UNDERSTANDING WORKERS COMPENSATION by Ray Gagne 

Introduction to Mental Health Billing Paperback by Alice Scott and Michele Redmond 

Medication Management:

Prescriber Bootcamp - Adding medication management to your therapy practice from Ken Clark and SemiPrivatePractice.com

Basic Billing & Documentation for the Outpatient PMHNP: Answers to Common Questions Asked by New Mental Health Nurse Practitioners by Lena Empyema

The Outpatient Psychiatry Virtual and Face-to-Face Visits Coding Guide Paperback by Marcel Kaganovskaya

PSYCHIATRIC BILLING COURSE: COMPLETE GUIDE TO PSYCHIATRIC BILLING by 1stPainRehab 

Compliance, Legal & Risk:

Practical HIPAA for Therapists (includes 1 NBCC CE, ACEP #7233) from Ken Clark and SemiPrivatePractice.com

Monthly Compliance Support Group Zoom - First 30 days free + archives from Dr. Wade Fuqua and SemiPrivatePractice.com

The Paper Office for the Digital Age by Zuckerman & Kolmes - One of the classics on compliance for private practice therapists. Recently updated. 

The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals by Hartsell & Bernstein - Must have. 

HIPAA Demystified by Lorna Hecker 

The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals by The Zur Institute

Risk Management in the Behavioral Health Professions by Frederic Reamer

Documentation & Note-Writing:

Stress-Free Documentation for Mental Health Therapists: The Complete Guide to Progress Notes, Treatment Planning, and Medical Necessity by Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey

TherapyNotes Notes Rubric Webinar (1 NBCC CE, ACEP #7233) from Dr. Wade Fuqua and SemiPrivatePractice.com

BulletProof Notes Webinar - Avoiding Audits and Clawbacks (1 NBCC CE, ACEP #7233) from Dr. Wade Fuqua and SemiPrivatePractice.com

Specialties:

Addiction Private Practice: The Definitive Guide for Addiction Counselors and Therapists Paperback by Michael O'Brien

The Art of Business: A Guide for Creative Arts Therapists Starting on a Path to Self-Employment by Emery Hurst Mikel

Marketing for Equine Therapists: A Step By Step Guide to Building a Profitable and Purpose Driven Horse Healing Business 

The Hypnosis Hustle: 52 No-Fluff Marketing Ideas That Actually Work Paperback by William Deihl PhD

Increasing / Diversifying Income and Side Hustles:

Designing & Leading Life-Changing Workshops: Creating the Conditions for Transformation in Your Groups, Trainings, and Retreats by Ken Nelson, David Ronka, Lesli Lang, Liz Korabek-Emerson and Jim White 

Book Solid, Still Broke: Why Smart Therapists Stop Trading Time for Money Paperback by Dr Velvete H Womack PhD 

The Purposeful & Profitable Therapist's Guide to Diversifying Income Paperback by Dr. Ajita M. Robinson

The Business and Practice of Coaching by Lynn Grodzki & Wendy Allen

How To Be the Wealthiest Therapist: Learn How I Generate Revenue with Seven Streams of Income Paperback by Tomeico Faison

Therapreneur(TM): A Therapist's Guide to 3X Your Therapy Income Paperback by Caryl Hill

7 Key Ways to Unlock the Infinite Potential of Your Therapy Practice with Digital Content:: Build relationships. Share knowledge. Transform lives by Ramon Antonio Matta 

Want more? 

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