Practice Names?

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digitlnoize

digitlnoize

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Any advice on naming a private practice? I'm having trouble deciding on a name. Here are my thoughts:

- It's primarily child psych. I might see some adults at the beginning. Primarily cash-only, but I may take 1 or 2 popular insurances at the beginning.

- I do not want to use my name or the city/county name for the business. No Dr. Smith's Child Psychiatry. No Child Psychiatry of Columbus.

Some ideas I've been throwing around:

Gimmicky names:
  • Treehouse Child Psychiatry
  • Mended Minds - my wife hates this, thinks it implies broken
  • TrueMind Psychiatric Group.
Generic/Professional Names
  • Cornerstone Psychiatric Clinic
  • Apex Psychiatry (A names are good, right, near the front of the alphabet)
  • Premier Mental Health (or premier something)
Any thoughts on what's in a name? I saw some previous advice by Whopper (I think) not to false advertise (i.e. no "We can definitely fix you psychiatry"), but feel like there's conflicting thoughts on going with a boring safe name vs a marketable name like Treehouse.
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Great question. I was wondering about the same thing. I like Treehouse Child psychiatry, but I feel it could turn away potential adults, even though you are open to seeing them. Hence, which is why I'd lean to a generic/professional name like Cornerstone Psychiatry Clinic or Premier Mental Health or something like that.
 
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digitlnoize said:
Gimmicky names:
  • Treehouse Child Psychiatry
  • Mended Minds - my wife hates this, thinks it implies broken
  • TrueMind Psychiatric Group.
Generic/Professional Names
  • Cornerstone Psychiatric Clinic
  • Apex Psychiatry (A names are good, right, near the front of the alphabet)
  • Premier Mental Health (or premier something)
Click to expand...
I'm not psych. I hate Treehouse, sounds childish and better for a daycare than a place to take my kid who is so ****ed up they need a shrink. If I were a parent, I would not be amused.

Don't like Mended Minds. Maybe I just don't like gimmicky in medicine.

Mind is OK, don't like True. Other adjectives?

I don't like Premier either.

Cornerstone is OK, very generic but sound overall appropriate, not to stuffy. Sounds sorta educational.

Apex? Don't like it. How patients know that word? Rhymes with sex. You could if you want, just giving you an idiot analysis of that one.
 
This is one reason I doubt I'll ever start a private practice. If you can team up with someone, you can put "Associates" in the name, which seems to help some times.
 
Neverland Psychiatry will get you a lot of attention.

Seriously though if I ever did anything with psychiatry-marketing, I would incorporate the Butterfly (one of the roots of psychiatry means soul, which has long been represented by the butterfly and is on the Royal College of Psychiatrists coat of arms).

And don't do Mended Minds. Makes me imagine someone sewing on my brain with needle and thread.
 
people pay good money for this sort of thing so don't think you're gonna get your answer for free here 🙂

whatever you call it it's going to sound ridiculous so I wouldn't get too hung up on the name. Most important is not to market yourself in any way that could be misconstrued. learn the lessons of tobias fünke on how not to market your practice
 
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Seriously, your clinic's name should be short, easy to remember, have the word "psychiatry" in it, and also reference the clinic's location. May not sound exotic, but fru fru names won't help build a practice. Getting patients through the door and developing a rapport with them builds your practice. Let's say for example your practice was in uptown Atlanta. You might name it "Buckhead Psychiatry" (this is just a total guess and there may actually be such a practice in existence or maybe at one time). If there's a neighborhood in your city that has a particular feature, "Five Points Psychiatry", or if it's on a well-known road, the it could be "Historic Street Psychiatry". If a name you want is taken, then switch it around and ask the Probate Court if it'll fly when you register your name (eg's: Psychiatry on Historic Street, or Psychiatry at Five Points, or Upper Buckhead Psychiatry or Lower Buckhead Psychiatry).
People should know what kind of practice it is and where it is from the name alone. It worked for me. Forgo the suggestions about healing minds and all that. And your wife was right- don't make any implications that the people coming to you have broken minds. Keep it simple: 1) What you do. 2) Where you're at. 3) Keep it short and sweet.
And if you have a logo designed, stay away from the brain or some silhouette with uplifted arms. Cheesy and cliche. And make sure the resolution scales easily so it can be clearly seen/recognized on a sign, letterhead, or business card.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As someone hoping to develop a niche doing psychoanalytic psychotherapy with medication; what do you think of Dynamic Psychiatrist or Dynamic Psychiatry? Too fru fru?


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Last edited:
digitlnoize said:
Any advice on naming a private practice? I'm having trouble deciding on a name. Here are my thoughts:

- It's primarily child psych. I might see some adults at the beginning. Primarily cash-only, but I may take 1 or 2 popular insurances at the beginning.

- I do not want to use my name or the city/county name for the business. No Dr. Smith's Child Psychiatry. No Child Psychiatry of Columbus.

Some ideas I've been throwing around:

Gimmicky names:
  • Treehouse Child Psychiatry
  • Mended Minds - my wife hates this, thinks it implies broken
  • TrueMind Psychiatric Group.
Generic/Professional Names
  • Cornerstone Psychiatric Clinic
  • Apex Psychiatry (A names are good, right, near the front of the alphabet)
  • Premier Mental Health (or premier something)
Any thoughts on what's in a name? I saw some previous advice by Whopper (I think) not to false advertise (i.e. no "We can definitely fix you psychiatry"), but feel like there's conflicting thoughts on going with a boring safe name vs a marketable name like Treehouse.
Click to expand...

Off the top of my head, first impressions/responses to the gimmicky names:

Treehouse Child Psychiatry - Okay, my intitial impression was 'Hell to the nope!', but I think it could possibly work if you changed it to 'The Treehouse' as the actual name, and then added a blurb underneath about it being a clinic specialising in child psychiatric issues.

Mended Minds - You're not directing a Lifetime Movie, mmkay 😉

TrueMind Psychiatric Group - *bursts into song* "And I see your trueeeee colours shining through..."
2re064y.jpg


I like Cornerstone or Apex the best out of that list. :nod:
 
RomanticScience said:
As someone hoping to develop a niche doing psychoanalytic psychotherapy with medication; what do you think of Dynamic Psychiatrist or Dynamic Psychiatry? Too fru fru?


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Click to expand...


Yes- mainly because the majority of people aren't going to know what Dynamic means in that context.

Use the word "Counseling" or something similarly everyday
 
This is great feedback everyone and a fun discussion. I've also been soliciting advice from non-doctor friends and have mostly gotten the opposite advice. They love the more gimmicky names like Treehouse and tend to dislike the Cornerstones and find them bland and dull. Hmm...
 
digitlnoize said:
This is great feedback everyone and a fun discussion. I've also been soliciting advice from non-doctor friends and have mostly gotten the opposite advice. They love the more gimmicky names like Treehouse and tend to dislike the Cornerstones and find them bland and dull. Hmm...
Click to expand...
I vote for Ernie's Psychiatry Clinic where the motto is: You think it and we'll shrink it!
 
smalltownpsych said:
I vote for Ernie's Psychiatry Clinic where the motto is: You think it and we'll shrink it!
Click to expand...

Next time I have to ring my Psych's clinic, I totally want them to answer the phone with this. :laugh:
 
digitlnoize said:
This is great feedback everyone and a fun discussion. I've also been soliciting advice from non-doctor friends and have mostly gotten the opposite advice. They love the more gimmicky names like Treehouse and tend to dislike the Cornerstones and find them bland and dull. Hmm...
Click to expand...

Well I was replying more from a patient's point of view, it could just be me but I do tend to get put off by gimmicky names, although for a child psych clinic it might be different. The most common terms I tend to come across when talking to other patient's who are also dealing with mental health issues would be words like 'Hope', 'Healing', 'Journey', 'Determination' 'Wellness', 'Health', and 'Recovery'. Maybe you could consider incorporating something along those lines into the name. 🙂
 
"A+ Psychiatric Clinic." Simple, implies excellence, and it gets you at the top of the alphabet. 😉

As a child psychiatrist, though, you probably don't need to worry about where you are on a list. There will be few competitors in the same town, and if the earliest appointment isn't for six months at AAA Aardvark's Angry Adolescents, the parents will very likely be calling other clinics on the list for an earlier date.

Personally, I think that boring names are good. Go with something that won't sound silly ten years from now.
 
Anything that begins with A that isn't absolutely appropriate screams to me "Aiming for First in the alphabet" which leads directly to the question "Is that their strongest attribute? No Thanks!"

Neighborhood affiliation is good if you're in a good neighborhood and plan to stay there forever. Though I'd prefer Therapy to Psychiatric

I like the themed but not to the point of gimmicky. So Cornerstone is good because a cornerstone implies a solid foundation. But as has been said, a common name for that reason. Something along the same lines maybe? Keystone? Other qualities to imply would be growth, health, wellness, wisdom, resilience, strength and yeah, nature -- So Willow Creek Therapy Center, Oak Bend Wellness.

Good Luck --
 
If you are by yourself in the practice then treehouse isn't really a brand. It's just you. When I see a flashy practice name I think of impressive multidisciplinary treatment centers. Trying to distinguish yourself in this way may raise expectations of potential patients in which case you may fall short. You always want to exceed expectations with people coming out of your office saying "that was better than I thought it would be". You don't want someone saying "there was no treehouse theme" or "there was no kid friendly environment". They will feel deceived. Of course you could hire an interior designer to make your office and waiting area aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the treehouse theme but that would cost a lot of money... I also think heavy branding would dilute your name and your reputation while you are trying to establish yourself in the community unless you had the knowledge, connections, and capital to launch/market something big and flashy. It's good to think big but it's also important to think small. Why don't you want your name in the business title? For many people, hearing their own name is the most beautiful sound ever.


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I like the generic ones you listed. Apex is different and unique, gets people's attention. Think about what people will click on when they search "(city,state) psychiatrist". Maybe even include the city name in the business name to get better SEO rankings on Google.
 
psychedelicdoc said:
I like the generic ones you listed. Apex is different and unique, gets people's attention. Think about what people will click on when they search "(city,state) psychiatrist". Maybe even include the city name in the business name to get better SEO rankings on Google.
Click to expand...

There's Apex everything! Apex Pharmaceuticals, Apex coding language, Apex Heating and Cooling in probably every state. The idea of saying your business is at the apex of your industry is not entirely unique.

Now, Nadir Psychiatry is an interesting idea . . .
 
F0nzie said:
If you are by yourself in the practice then treehouse isn't really a brand. It's just you. When I see a flashy practice name I think of impressive multidisciplinary treatment centers. Trying to distinguish yourself in this way may raise expectations of potential patients in which case you may fall short. You always want to exceed expectations with people coming out of your office saying "that was better than I thought it would be". You don't want someone saying "there was no treehouse theme" or "there was no kid friendly environment". They will feel deceived. Of course you could hire an interior designer to make your office and waiting area aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the treehouse theme but that would cost a lot of money... I also think heavy branding would dilute your name and your reputation while you are trying to establish yourself in the community unless you had the knowledge, connections, and capital to launch/market something big and flashy. It's good to think big but it's also important to think small. Why don't you want your name in the business title? For many people, hearing their own name is the most beautiful sound ever.


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Click to expand...

That's a great point about raising expectations. Now to answer some of the questions:

First off, my name is kinda weird and I don't think it would "sell well". Also, I want to BE an impressive multidisciplinary treatment center one day (goal: 5-10 years) and I don't want to have to change the practice name partway through the process. I definitely want a brand, but I also don't want to over do it, hence the tightrope I feel like I'm walking. I would also (ideally) like to expand one day, perhaps out of my area, hence my reluctance to use location names. There are a few vague location related names I'm considering, but I'm not posting them to avoid giving too much away about my location.

I can't use "Streetname" Psychiatry. I need a name in the next couple months, but I can't lease a space until next May or June at the earliest (hoping for a July 1 lease really). If I wait until I have a lease signed, then I can't start on a website, or a business license, or the LLC paperwork, or the logo, or business cards, or anything else at all really. If I guess and pick a street name, then I'm locked into signing a lease there, which also doesn't work.

I'll also note that the examples I listed above were just examples meant to give people a vague idea of name "categories" and aren't actual names I'm considering for the most part. For example, I'm not actually going to use Treehouse per se, but it's a placeholder for a gimmicky cute kiddie name. It could be anything. I'm not going with Cornerstone, but it's a good example of a generic "business" sounding name.

I haven't heard much about how people feel about more "made up" names. A friend took at job with Novant Health, for example. Novant. Humana. Symbius. Made up, innocuous corporate-y words. Thoughts on those?
 
I've heard that companies use made-up words so that they can secure web urls, which may have already been taken for more common names.
 
Honestly, I don't think anyone really cares what the name of the practice is and will take anything, so long as they can actually get in to see a psychiatrist.

Also, you may want to keep the actual legal name pretty generic and just get a DBA for whatever you want.
 
AAAA Psychiatry and Plumbing
My plumber gets paid more for return visits than I do, so I think there's a synergism here.

EDIT: If you have a lot of teenage boys in your practice, call it the Overwatch Clinic and see 'em line up.
 
SeniorWrangler said:
AAAA Psychiatry and Plumbing
My plumber gets paid more for return visits than I do, so I think there's a synergism here.

EDIT: If you have a lot of teenage boys in your practice, call it the Overwatch Clinic and see 'em line up.
Click to expand...

If we're going with the video game theme:

Mindcraft


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"Amphetamines R Us" is both topical AND starts with an "A". Just sayin'

I'd invest in a good security system if you go that route though.
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Why is it so much easier and fun to come up with awful names than good ones?
 
What about something with Chiron in it, after the mythological greek centaur associated with healing and skill in medicine. Just throwing stuff out there. 🙂
 
If you're a solo provider, YOU are your brand. YOUR name is the name that is important. Naming the practice is worthless. If you're hiring many people to work for you, then it's different.
 
nitemagi said:
If you're a solo provider, YOU are your brand. YOUR name is the name that is important. Naming the practice is worthless. If you're hiring many people to work for you, then it's different.
Click to expand...

What if will be hiring people to work for me in 1-3 years?


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Then I would think carefully about what kind of brand you want everyone will fall into. Will people understand what you do from the name? Who's your patient base? Do some market research in the area. Try out names with possible patients (or that population) -- parents of kids with problems.
 
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