Why Policies Set the Foundation for a Thriving Private Practice

May 9

Starting a private practice in speech therapy is exciting, rewarding, and—let’s be honest—a little overwhelming. There’s so much to consider, from setting up your space to choosing an EMR system. But one of the most foundational (and often overlooked) pieces to long-term success is clear policies and procedures, especially your attendance and cancellation policies.

Whether you’re just opening your doors or looking to fine-tune your systems, your policies help shape the culture, professionalism, and progress of your practice. In this post, we’re diving into why strong attendance policies matter and how they can support growth, reduce burnout, and keep your caseload running smoothly.

Policies: Your Private Practice Power Tool

Your policies aren’t just “paperwork.” They’re your blueprint for success. A strong cancellation policy, for example, does more than protect your time. It reinforces your mission. If your mission is to provide exceptional outcomes and consistent progress, your policies should reflect that.

Policies promote:

✔️ Your practice’s mission and purpose
✔️ Patient progress through consistency
✔️ Professionalism and legal protection
✔️ Clear expectations for families and therapists

In our own speech therapy private practice, we’ve seen how having clear policies has elevated our reputation, improved communication, and led to better outcomes for the families we serve.

Why an Attendance Policy Comes First

Before you even think about writing a cancellation policy, start with your attendance policy. This is your framework for what’s expected week-to-week. And consistency is everything, especially when it comes to making measurable progress with pediatric clients.

We encourage weekly sessions, not to fill a calendar, but because research and experience show us that regular, frequent therapy leads to the best outcomes. When families understand this up front, they’re more likely to commit and see results.

Pro Tip: Customize your policies inside your EMR. We use Simple Practice and add signature lines after every bullet point in our policy docs. This encourages families to slow down and really read what they’re agreeing to.

Making It Easy for Families to Stick to the Plan

Things come up. Kids get sick. Life happens. But that doesn’t mean your schedule (or income) has to fall apart. We’ve found a few simple ways to help families stay on track:

✔️Encourage parents to download your EMR app (like Simple Practice)
✔️ Have them cross-reference the next 3 months and pre-cancel known conflicts
✔️Use automated text and email reminders to prevent last-minute no-shows
✔️Lead with empathy—but stick to your boundaries

A well-structured attendance and cancellation policy makes these conversations easier. You're not starting from scratch every time. It’s already been communicated and agreed upon.

Enforcing Policies (Without the Guilt)

The hardest part isn’t writing the policy—it’s enforcing it. But think of it like parenting or setting session expectations: boundaries help everyone succeed. When issues arise, lead with empathy and open communication.

If a client is no longer a good fit for your model, be ready to offer a referral. Being connected with other providers in your community is key, and it positions you as someone who cares more about what’s best for the family than simply filling a spot.

Ready to Build a Stronger Speech Therapy Practice?

We’ve created a free downloadable checklist of all the essential policies, forms, and procedures we use in our own speech therapy private practice. If you're starting your own private practice or simply want to refine what you have, it’s a great place to begin.

Listen to the full podcast episode for real-life examples and more practical tips, and be sure to check out our favorite tools (like Simple Practice) in the show notes!

Subscribe to The Speech Source Podcast for more private practice tips, therapy ideas, and business strategies tailored specifically for speech therapists.

Mary Brezik