Questions to Ask Before Joining a Group Practice Therapist: Comp, Support, Autonomy, Fit
- Ryan Burns
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
If you’re interviewing with a new practice, these questions to ask before joining a group practice therapist can save you months of stress. A good fit is not just “Do they seem nice?” It’s whether pay, support, and expectations match how you work best and how you want your week to feel.
In this article, you’ll learn:
What to clarify about pay, fees, and payout timing
How to ask about cancellations and no-shows
How to spot unsustainable caseload and documentation expectations
What “marketing support” actually looks like
How to compare offers with a simple scorecard
🔎 Key takeaway: Asking detailed questions is professional due diligence, not “being difficult.”
Questions to Ask Before Joining a Group Practice Therapist: Start With Your Non-Negotiables
Before you talk numbers, get clear on your non-negotiables. This keeps you from saying yes to a role that looks good on paper but doesn’t work in real life.
Autonomy and schedule control
Ask:
Who controls session times, availability blocks, and time off?
Are evenings or weekends expected?
Can you choose telehealth, in-person, or a mix?
Pay goals and lifestyle fit
Ask:
“If I average X sessions/week, what’s a realistic take-home range?”
“What slows income down most often here: cancellations, low referrals, admin delays?”
“How long does it usually take to reach a steady caseload?”
Common misconception: a higher split automatically means higher income. If referrals are inconsistent or admin work is heavy, the math can flip.
The client populations you do best with
Ask:
What are the most common referrals right now?
Is there pressure to take “anyone who calls” to fill slots?
How do referrals out for fit/scope work?
Compensation Questions: Get Clarity Without Being Awkward
Compensation can feel personal, but it’s a business agreement. The goal is predictability.
How pay is calculated and when you’re paid
Ask:
Is pay a percentage split, flat rate, or tiered by volume?
Is the split based on collected revenue or billed revenue?
What’s the pay schedule?
If you’re a contractor, ask how the practice determines contractor vs employee status and what that means for taxes and day-to-day control. Classification depends on the full relationship, including control and economic reality factors, not just what a contract calls you.[1,2]
🔎 Key takeaway: “Split” isn’t a number. It’s a formula. Ask for a sample pay period with real numbers.
Cancellations, no-shows, and late payments
Ask:
Do clinicians get paid for late cancels/no-shows when fees are collected?
How are balances collected, and when are accounts paused?
Practical example script:
“How do you handle repeated no-shows?”
“If a fee is collected, how does that flow into clinician pay?”
Fees, deductions, and required expenses
Ask about:
Credit card processing fees
EHR/telehealth platform costs
Malpractice insurance expectations
Common misconception: “No overhead” means no expenses. Contractors often still cover tools, taxes, and insurance.
Caseload and Workflow Questions
This is where many therapists get surprised: not by the clinical work, but by the workflow around it.
Are there minimums, quotas, or pressure to overbook?
Ask:
Is there a minimum weekly session expectation?
Are clinicians encouraged to overbook to “cover” no-shows?
What happens if your caseload dips for a month?
Documentation expectations and whether admin time is supported
Ask:
What notes are required and what’s the turnaround time?
Are templates, training, or admin support provided?
If the practice is HIPAA-covered, clarify what belongs in the record versus separated psychotherapy notes and how those are handled in the EHR.[3]
🔎 Key takeaway: Documentation expectations should be explicit and sustainable, not implied and unpaid.
Intake flow: who does what?
Ask:
Who responds to inquiries and books intakes?
Who verifies benefits, collects copays, and follows up on claims?
Practical example: Ask them to walk you through the first 30 days from “new inquiry” to “third session complete.”
Marketing and Referral Questions
Marketing is not a vibe. It’s a system.
What marketing support is real, not just “we market”
Ask:
Where do leads come from: SEO, directories, physician referrals, schools, partnerships?
What happens when referrals slow down?
If a practice mentions SEO, ask what’s actually built and maintained. You can see examples of how we describe focused care areas like OCD therapy and trauma therapy.
How clinicians build caseloads here
Ask:
What does success look like at 30, 60, and 90 days?
How are referrals distributed?
Common misconception: “We have a waitlist” means you will be full immediately. Waitlists are often niche- or payer-specific.
How niches are supported: SEO pages, content, outreach, partnerships
Ask:
Will the practice support niche pages, content, and outreach?
Can you develop offerings like workshops or groups?
A supportive practice helps you build a clear service line, like executive function coaching or structured therapy groups.
🔎 Key takeaway: If marketing support is real, you can describe the workflow behind it.
Culture, Quality, and Clinical Support Questions
Consultation options and clinical community
Ask:
Who do you contact when you’re stuck clinically?
Is there case consultation or peer consult built in?
Ethics frameworks commonly emphasize practicing within competence and using supervision or consultation when needed.[5,6]
Training opportunities and continuing education support
Ask:
Is there a CE stipend or paid training time?
Is there mentorship for newer clinicians?
How ethical dilemmas are handled: scope, safety, boundaries
Ask:
What’s the protocol for safety planning and higher-risk situations?
Who supports mandated reporting decisions?
Tech and Admin Support Questions
Scheduling, billing, insurance paneling, credentialing
Ask:
Who handles claims, denials, and client billing questions?
What admin support exists when things get busy?
EHR and telehealth tools
Ask:
What EHR is used, and what does it automate?
What telehealth platform is used, and how is privacy handled?
HHS telehealth guidance highlights steps to protect privacy in telebehavioral health visits.[4]
Who you contact when something breaks
Ask:
Who is the first point of contact for tech and billing problems?
What’s the typical response time?
Questions for Pre-Licensed Clinicians: If Relevant
Ask:
How supervision is arranged and supported
What documentation is required for supervision hours
How caseload is paced while you accrue hours
How to Decide: A Simple Scorecard
Compare 2–3 offers on the same categories
Use a therapist job checklist and rate each offer 1–5 on:
Compensation clarity and predictability
Caseload expectations and sustainability
Documentation load and admin support
Marketing and referral systems
Clinical support and consultation
Values and culture fit
If you can’t rate a category because you don’t have data, that’s a prompt to ask one more question.
If You Want a Tennessee-Based Team Built for Self-Starters
If you’re drawn to a practice that values autonomy, evidence-based care, and real operational support, we’d love to hear from you. You can explore our approach to specialized therapy and get a feel for our clinicians on our Meet Us page.
What to send in a careers inquiry
Include:
Your license type and state(s)
Ideal weekly caseload range
Preferred populations and niches
In-person vs telehealth preferences
If you’d like to start a conversation about joining our team, visit scienceworkshealth.com/careers
🔎 Key takeaway: The right fit should feel clearer and calmer the more you ask, not more confusing.
References
Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee? Available from: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee. Accessed 2026 Feb 1.
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Final Rule: Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Available from: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa/misclassification/rulemaking. Accessed 2026 Feb 1.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HIPAA Privacy Rule and Sharing Information Related to Mental Health. Available from: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/hipaa-privacy-rule-and-sharing-info-related-to-mental-health.pdf. Accessed 2026 Feb 1.
Telehealth.HHS.gov. Protecting patients’ privacy (telebehavioral health). Updated 2025 Jul 29. Available from: https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/best-practice-guides/telehealth-for-behavioral-health/preparing-patients-for-telebehavioral-health/protecting-patients-privacy. Accessed 2026 Feb 1.
American Counseling Association (ACA). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. Available from: https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf. Accessed 2026 Feb 1.
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Code of Ethics. Available from: https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/Legal_Ethics/Code_of_Ethics.aspx. Accessed 2026 Feb 1.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal, tax, or clinical advice.
