Bookkeeping for Santa Fe Mental Health Practices
Monthly bookkeeping for therapists, counselors, and small practices in Santa Fe. Work directly with Aretha, a bookkeeper who spent 15 years in mental health care.
Bookkeeping for Santa Fe Practices
For a city its size, Santa Fe has a remarkable number of clinicians. Shared office suites off Paseo de Peralta, solo offices along Old Pecos Trail, practices built out of converted homes on the south side. Therapists, counselors, psychologists, clinical social workers, prescribers, and small group practices with a couple of associates. What almost all of them have in common is that the books sit at the bottom of the list, underneath charting, scheduling, and everything else the week demands.
That’s the part I take. My name is Aretha, and I spent more than 15 years as a licensed nurse working in mental health before I ever opened QuickBooks for a living. Bookkeeping for mental health professionals is the only thing I do now. You won’t be handed off to a team, and you won’t have to explain what a no-show or a sliding scale is.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Monthly Bookkeeping
Transactions categorized, bank and credit card accounts reconciled, and a monthly report you can read between sessions. This is the steady work I do for most therapists and counselors, and it’s what makes profitability visible instead of theoretical.
Catch-Up and Clean-Up
Catch-Up and Clean-Up
Some practices have books that were never done. Others have books that were done in a hurry and can’t be trusted. I handle both, without any lecturing about how it got that way, and then we keep things current going forward.
Payroll and 1099s
Payroll and 1099s
If your payroll system is already set up, I run it for you every pay period so your clinicians and staff are paid on time. I also prepare year-end 1099s for associates, contract supervisors, and vendors.
QuickBooks Done Properly
QuickBooks Done Properly
I’m a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, certified at Level 2 with the Gold Badge. That means a chart of accounts built for a mental health practice, your accounts connected correctly, and training so you’re comfortable in it.
Santa Fe Practices I Work With
Santa Fe draws people who do healing work. Training programs here keep sending newly licensed counselors into private practice, and plenty of clinicians land in town mid-career and start over on their own. Fees vary widely from one practice to the next, sliding scale arrangements are common, and a good number of practices are largely private pay. All of that shows up in the books, and it’s worth seeing plainly.
The practices I see in Santa Fe rarely fit one shape. Individual sessions, a weekly group, supervision hours, a workshop or a retreat a few times a year. Steady monthly bookkeeping sorts those pieces apart so you know what each one contributes. If you’d like to talk about where your books stand right now, book a consultation with me and we’ll go through it together.
Therapists and Counselors
Therapists and Counselors
Solo and small practices where session revenue arrives from a practice management system, a card processor, and sometimes a check in the mail. I reconcile what lands in the bank against the work you did. Billing and claims stay with whoever already handles them for you.
Psychologists and Assessment Work
Psychologists and Assessment Work
Testing engagements bill differently than a 50 minute hour, and report writing time rarely gets counted anywhere. I keep therapy, assessment, and consulting revenue separated so you can see which side of a mixed practice actually carries it.
Addiction and Recovery Counselors
Addiction and Recovery Counselors
Individual work and group work at different rates, with payment arrangements that shift depending on who you serve. My nursing years covered this territory, so the day to day of your practice doesn’t need translating. The books stay honest about what the work brings in.
Telehealth and Multi-Site Practices
Telehealth and Multi-Site Practices
Many Santa Fe clinicians see clients across northern New Mexico by video, and some are licensed in more than one state. Platform subscriptions, processor fees, and payouts all get reconciled instead of guessed at, and a remote bookkeeper fits an online practice naturally.
Questions About This Area
You're in California. Can you keep the books for a practice in Santa Fe?
Yes. All of my clients work with me remotely, and they're spread across the country. We handle documents and account access online, and we talk by phone or video whenever you want to. You work with me directly the whole time.
I see clients, run a group, and get paid for supervision. Can the books show those separately?
Yes, and I would want them to. Once your revenue is split out by the kind of work it came from, you can see what a group actually brings in compared to a week of individual sessions. That's the piece most practice owners tell me they've never been able to see clearly.
What does it cost?
Monthly bookkeeping starts at $165 a month. Payroll starts at $150 a month for practices whose payroll system is already up and running. Catch-up and clean-up work is quoted per engagement once I've looked at what exists. You'll have a real number before you commit to anything.
My books are more than a year behind. Is that a problem?
It happens far more often than people think, and I'm not going to make you feel bad about it. I work period by period, record what's missing, reconcile the accounts, and bring you current. From there we keep it current every month so you don't have to dig out again.
Do you file my tax return?
No, I don't prepare returns. I keep your books accurate and organized all year so your tax preparer receives clean records and isn't billing you to sort through a shoebox. I'm glad to answer their questions directly when they have them.
Helping the People Who Help Others
Let's Start With
a Short Conversation
Tell me where your books stand right now, even if the honest answer is that nobody has looked at them in a year. I'll ask a few questions and give you a clear idea of how I can help.
Other Areas
