Psychology Problems Advice Info

David passionately believes that respecting the idiosyncrasies of individual clients is critical in providing effective care and delivering quality evaluations; also, by doing something differently, he gives clients a reason to choose his company over the competition. By closely following these two prescriptions, David has rejected an assembly-line business model and built a successful company that’s changing the face of psych evaluations and creating superior personalized alternatives for providers and recipients alike.

Considering PsyBar’s success, it’s surprising to learn that David, who received his BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1980, earned a Master’s and a PhD from the University of Montana in 1983 and 1985, respectively, did not imagine himself in such a business. “I never thought I would end up working in forensic psychology,” he muses. Having always been attracted to a highly scientific approach in psychology that seeks to systematize observations, he foresaw himself following in the footsteps of hard-nosed behavioral psychologists like B.F. Skinner. Soon enough, however, the real world reared its unappealing little head: the life of such a researcher is always up in the air, with survival guaranteed only on a grant-to-grant basis. Seeking more security, David embraced broader notions of psychology and study clinical psychology. After he made the change, David began to dabble in forensics, but his desire for clear-cut and conclusive results never died. He was interested in cases involving patients with specific medical histories, such as life in the hospital after completing chemotherapy or experiencing cardiovascular complications.

“I was drawn to clearly identifiable problems for which I could devise a fairly structured method of treatment; I wanted to be able to give concrete assessments,” he recollects. He found himself able to do so even more when he began rubbing shoulders with the legal community while beginning to develop evaluations for use during testimony on behalf of his clients. Unsurprisingly, he found the entire process exhilarating; he relishes the challenge of having to prepare a clear, solid case for court. So when a long time friend and psychologist, Dr. Sheridan Fenwick, invited him to lunch to discuss a business idea in 1995, lightbulbs started going-off: she proposed applying David’s structured methodology to groups of psych evaluations, rather than on a per-case basis. To achieve this, they have written detailed and standardized evaluation protocols for doctors to follow when assessing many patient types.

“She said, ‘Let’s get together a large group of the best forensic psychologists and psychiatrists we can find and introduce consistent standards for forensic evaluations for them to perform.’” It was right up his alley. Furthermore, he was tired of his current job and ready to make changes. While starting a business is always risky, David designated his part-time private practice as a financial safety net and, albeit terrified, dove right into the new-venture abyss.

For the first few years, things went just as expected: horribly. “Don’t quit your day job… expect to fail for a long time,” David advises. “But learn as much as possible from the failures. If you really like what you’re doing and have something to contribute, stick with it. You’ll make it eventually.” David stuck with it. He knew what he wanted to do and what he wanted PsyBar to be. Having grown up observing his father practice dentistry with a highly personal approach to service-think one chair and one dentist with the head-honcho himself doing basic teeth-cleaning-he was determined to apply the same kind of specialized attention to every one of his clients.

David’s strong belief that experts with doctoral degrees are usually best prepared to evaluate cases and give opinions manifests itself in PsyBar’s business model, and is part of what makes his company tangibly different from generic competitors that try to provide many types of evaluations, such as orthopedic, cardiac, and psychological. The difficulty lies in showing clients this difference, hence the importance of branding a new company; David’s experience illustrates the critical power of clearly defining a company’s identity and differentiating it from the competition. Clients must understand this difference as essential, especially in the case of PsyBar, considering that some clients don’t have the expertise necessary to distinguish between a good and bad evaluation. For this reason, PsyBar gives free seminars to educate clients on the value of top-quality services within the field.

“Well-informed clients make the best clients,” says David firmly. And competent doctors are the most effective evaluators, which is why PsyBar also continues to provide educational resources for its 1,200 nationally contracted psychologists and psychiatrists. Furthermore, a qualified panel reviews all evaluations submitted by each of the company’s doctors and provides individual feedback; this allows for high-standards of consistency from doctor to doctor.

For all of its focus on educating, PsyBar also seeks to learn from its clients. David considers one of his biggest mistakes was that he assumed that he knew what each client wanted. “We used to go in with preconceived notions of what we thought people wanted. Now we try to look at each case with fresh eyes, ask exactly what this specific client wants and let him or her know how we can meet that need,” he explains. PsyBar actively listens to the needs of its clients while addressing the service they request.

That strategy is clearly working, as PsyBar receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from its clients and doctors. David takes great pride in this, especially since as a new type of company, PsyBar had no model to emulate; he had to learn everything by trying. It also helps that he loves the day-to-day process, which involves being his own boss and working with a wonderful, close-knit staff. “Always surround yourself with people who are smarter and more experienced than you,” recommends David when reflecting on his doctor panel and co-workers. “It will help you stretch yourself and can point you in many new directions down the road.”

But overseeing a tightly knit group of talented professionals does have its drawbacks. “Being responsible for other people’s salaries is quite a heavy burden,” David reflects. “If you have to lay someone off, it’s terribly difficult. You have to have a genuine allegiance to your staff to make a project like this work, so if you had to let someone go, its important that everyone else knows exactly what led to that decision.” A small company requires frank communication for everyone in order to be successful.

On the flip side to this universal con to running your own company is an extraordinary pro: you’re always learning. This surprised David. “I thought the business portion would be dry and uninteresting, but that has not been the case at all,” he muses. “Every aspect of running a company has been fascinating, almost on par with what I learned in grad school for psych.”

So whether you’re looking to solve a problem, be your own boss or simply dedicate your time to continued learning, a journey like David Fisher’s of PsyBar may be the road for you. And if you still have any professional qualms, an appointment with PsyBar may just help you figure it out.