FYI - Joseph A. Williams - net income from counseling is not what you might expect

Dear inquisitive person,

I decided in 1991 to enter the counseling field. I enjoy the tasks and responsibilities of counseling. Counseling is very rewarding on one hand. On the other hand the counseling profession can be very demanding, draining, unappreciated, and misunderstood. This is true with many of the helping and public service professions.

Unfortunately some individuals do not understand how difficult it is to make a living in the counseling profession while providing a top quality service. Some people find it difficult to understand the justification for charging troubled clients $80 to $120 an hour.

There is a lot of behind the scenes work with counseling. The face to face with clients is only a fraction of the time actually spent doing counseling related work. I wish the face to face was all there was to counseling, but to provide a quality service much more is involved. Just to name a few behind the scenes tasks........ studying, researching, praying, continuing education, paperwork, bookkeeping, returning phone calls, scheduling, filing insurance, complying with local, state, and federal regulations, maintaining the office and equipment, figuring out ways to be more economical, and being involved with community efforts related to counseling and mental health issues. I structure my service to provide the highest quality of care by continuous quality improvement. I do not over or double book so I can start sessions on time, and provide adequate attention to each case.

I have been in practice since 1998, the cumulative average net income per year (pre-tax) has been under $18,000 to the end of 2011. Since 2003, the net income has been high enough so that outside employment has not been required to make ends meet. If it is the Lord's will, I desire to continue providing this service for many years. I plan to be someone in practice today and in the future so that clients have a continuance of care if needed. Wisdom tells us that a ministry must have a reasonable net income to remain a ministry for the long term.

Counseling is similar to other proprietorships that experience times of feast and times of famine. Farming is a good example of a feast or famine enterprise. There may be times when you have plenty of paying work, then other times you have very little paying work, but regardless you still have bills that must be paid. A report on entrepreneurship in Western Kentucky by Murray State University's Bureau of Business and Economic Research stated that, "The average rural income of proprietors is less than one-half that of wage and salary workers."

Another point of view to consider is personal investment. The more a person invests into something the more they are likely to get out of it. I have made considerable personal sacrifices and investments into my own life in order to provide counseling effectively. Clients who are willing to invest $80 to $120 per hour for counseling are more likely to take counseling very serious and obtain something useful in the counseling process. {I Timothy 5:18}

The Lord has given gifts to make it possible to do this type of work. Those gifts are a love for listening and helping people solve problems, the freedom of being single(enables a concentrated focus on the work without neglecting a wife and children {I Corinthians 7:32}), perseverance, the know how to live economically, little concern about material things, the ability to pace myself, and parents who were able and willing to take care of basic financial needs until the counseling practice had enough income to support me.

Everything belongs to the Lord and I'm just an asset manager for Him. We all have an obligation to manage His assets wisely. If I provide a service with resources(talents) the Lord provides, I'm under obligation to collect a payment for the service provided. If I do not manage His assets wisely, the assets(talents) I do manage will be taken from me and given to a better manager. {Matthew 25:1-30} God also asks us to give as we have prospered. To whom much is given, much is expected. {Luke 12:48} As income permits, I give contributions to local, national , & international charities. If you believe in what I'm doing and God leads you to support this counseling ministry please send contributions through Paypal, use our business email address-- joseph@williamscc.org to insure the payment is routed correctly. You can also send contributions by check or money order to - Joseph Williams 209 E SUNSET DR MAYFIELD KY 42066-3265.
IRS DISCLAIMER -{This counseling ministry is not a non-profit 501(c)(3) so your contributions will not be tax deductible. Contributions received are treated as income and all appropriate income taxes are paid.}

Supporting this counseling ministry with your prayers, business, and contributions will help this mission to Mayfield, Graves County, & Western Kentucky for years to come.

Respectfully,
Joseph A. Williams

Email: joseph@williamscc.org

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