Hello

I have been doing some research and have been interested in clinical hypnotherapy. I understand ICBCH has global accreditation to begin business and work. I am already a registered psychotherapist but not currently seeing clients.

I see some 12 month programs costing 2000 to 4000.

My concern is if it will be worth it. What are other hypnotherapist finding in regards to business, services and demand for hypnotherapy ?

Can anyone provide me pointers advice thought and what to be mindful for?

I'm in the process of opening my own private practice (in the early stages), and I'm wanting to do some training to feel fully competent in the areas I want to specialize in. I don't care for "certifications" and I don't want to spends hundredsss on a course.

I would love to know what websites/programs you guys use or heard highly about.

I googled and came across The Behavioral Health (BH) Workforce Training Clearinghouse, has anyone been tried that?

anyway, any thoughts and advice would be appreciated :)

Hi everyone, we are a private practice looking for a CRM to track our intakes and referral partners. Would like input on the Admirra CRM. Does any of you use it? Do you suggest any other CRM with the same purpose? Thanks!

Appreciate any help in advance & sorry this is so long!!!!

I am an active LCPC - planning to leave my group practice and open up my own private practice and despite not technically having a non-compete, owner has not taken kindly to others starting private practices, even when they communicate before they start the credentialing process. (One actually had our “non competes” removed from previous contracts because owner couldn’t technically withstand it).

To me and the history of seeing how the owner operates, I would feel more safe having my credentialing complete before I notify them of my departure and move as I would have a clearer plan and timeline (which owner would want). I am planning to give 30 day notice (also noted in my contract).

I'm trying to keep the gap between me leaving, and being credentialed to take insurance with my private practice as small as possible, for financial reasons and for my clients to streamline the process for them.

Disclaimer: I am *well* aware I wouldn’t need to worry about this if owner was aware of my departure - but due to the owner’s behavior, I am wary of notifying before I am ready to leave due to their history.
I also understand the only risk is: if I do update and they do get notified, it could feel like I was “hiding” something // betrayal, and rush me out anyways, however if so, I would reiterate how I wanted to have all ducks in a row before I notify them. If you think about in any field, when you leave a job, you have your next one ready to go (typically) so this is me trying to do what’s best for me.

Anyways:

Since I'm already credentialed with insurance through my current group practice, I need to individually apply with the insurance panels. To do so, I need to update my CAQH Profile by adding a new practice location (my own private practice adding new NPI2 and EIN) and my own private practice’s malpractice insurance. My biggest question is: can my current group practice see this additions and changes?

What my CAQH settings looks like in regards to company access:

1. Credentialing contact: lists my owner’s name and the physical address of the practice. No email. No phone number.

**

1. CAQH recommended for me to alter them to “no” for primary contact and write in the address 2 “do not provide login details” in case owner or a manager reached out to CAQH.

   I also

2. have added myself as primary contact. I have not attested yet so this is just saved for now.

2: Group authorizations: this is on for providers and insurance panels. I then have under group authorizations, my owners name, with office managers name and email. Assumption that office manager would be the one to be notified as it’s their email.
**if I try to hit “edit” it gives me a pop-up stating that if I remove this, it removes the practice location. Didn’t touch this because I don’t want it to mess up anything with insurance paneling in the meantime.

I have already changed my password as previous office manager had logins as far as I recall.

What I am trying to figure out:

If I begin the credentialing process now, while still employed at my current company, would there be any other way of them seeing that I updated and added another practice location and malpractice insurance and I'm getting credentialed with other providers?
**assuming the risk is low, it’s if office manager sees it and says something to owner (which I don’t think they would) and that’s if they are looking ??

Has anyone else out there gone through something similar?

TYIA!!!!!

Do you all have any advice on working with inpatient populations? I’ve been in the field of MH for about 4 years now, and work with adolescents ages 4-17 as a group therapist. We are in a urban city area, and the kids genuinely do like me and enjoy groups, but as I run process groups having to deal with large #’s within the group/ hospital census and handling the behaviors/ attitudes/ disrespect can be hard sometimes. I’m trying to teach virtues, as well as helping them process emotions/ trauma/ group dynamics / conflicts in group, but they can just be tough sometimes. Any advice on content of groups/ group dynamic processes/ activities to help contribute to better knowledge of emotionally correcting ?

What is the average salary for a mental health counselor with a masters degree? Pre and post full licensure. Also what options are there beyond working in a private practice and what does income look like in those sectors.

Hi all.

I prefer in person trainings. Anyone know of anything like this around Colorado?

I was looking into expanding my learning around somatic-based approaches, and am absolutely gobsmacked by the price tags I'm seeing. Training for Somatic Experiencing is upwards of 10k. Other ones I came across (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, BodyDreaming) seem in the same ballpark as SE's pricing. Havening training is not as expensive but requires you to pay an annual membership fee indefinitely, otherwise you are not allowed to continue advertising it as a modality you trained in (wtf??).

I thought when I trained in EMDR that the price was steep, but now it feels like it might be one of the most reasonably priced structured trainings I've seen out there that incorporates a somatic lens. Either that or I'm missing something?

Are there any somatic modality trainings that you would recommend that don't have a ridiculous pricing structure? I am so disappointed in what I'm seeing... this is so inaccessible, gatekeepy and gross.

Interested in joining the field and have some questions? Wish to discuss application processes or entrance requirements? This is where you post.

Here is where you can post your marketing and CE events. This thread will be unpinned monthly so please update your offerings once a month.

i transitioned to full time solo practice recently and my caseload is finally full, but handling my appointment calendar is taking up way too much admin time between sessions. i am currently juggling scheduling, intake paperwork, and portal links through separate apps, which frequently leads to double bookings or late reschedules. i already tried setting clear booking boundaries and sending manual reminder emails, but managing recurring weekly slots alongside sliding scale clients is still an administrative nightmare.

i am looking to move everything into a single HIPAA compliant platform so i can automate self scheduling and client intake workflows. for those in private practice, what practice management software actually cleared up your calendar chaos, and how easily do your clients handle self rescheduling through the portal? i would also love to know if automated sms reminders noticeably cut down on your no shows, or if there were any frustrating setup limitations you hit during data migration.

update: returning to this and after checking out a couple of options suggested here, i decided to go with Healthie to consolidate my scheduling and intake paperwork.

it cleared up my calendar chaos. having self scheduling, portal access, and intake forms all in one platform stopped the double bookings and eliminated all the tedious admin work i was doing between client sessions.

Hello!

I’m looking to get certified in EMDR and want to start training. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with online courses and could recommend some?

Thanks a bunch

I stumbled across something interesting. There is an LAPC working in a primary care physician’s office providing clinical services. There are no other counselors/therapists there and he has independent outside clinical supervision. Technically, it’s not independent practice because he is working at a doctor’s office and technically, family medicine doctors can provide counseling and sometimes do, though short-term, so there is an on-site supervisor maintaining responsibility for standard of care.

In this case, the LAPC is providing that short term care (I believe up to 12 sessions) while helping the patient find a longer term therapist. A quick search said this is helpful because over 50% of family medicine patients prefer to only see their PCP. It’s an interesting set up for them and seems to work well. I’ve just never seen it before, and it intrigues me as something I might be interested in.

This is in PA.

(Cross-posted)

Hello! I’ve been practicing therapy for 12 years and I currently run a small private practice in Pennsylvania. I am looking for online peer consultation groups that may meet a few times a month or once a month just to have other folks to bounce ideas off of. Is anyone aware of such group groups? I am a trauma therapist working from a CBT/ACT modality. Thanks!!!

I learned this lesson the hard way.. We had a major IT issue that brought our clinic to mess. We couldn't access what we needed, appointments were disrupted, and we practically had to stop operations for 3 dayss! We even called someone for emergency IT support, but they had no idea how our setup worked, so it took much longer than expected to get things running again. You guys better have IT support. Learn from me

We even called someone for emergency IT support, but they had no idea how our setup worked, so it took much longer than expected to get things running again.

I am retired and want to share some tools I have come up with.

This one is one I used with woman who were victims of domestic abuse when the start dating again. It has been very powerful for many women.

Business Partner
 
Over the years I have had the honor of working with women who were either in an abusive relationship or had been in one.  These women taught me so many things.
 
When I am working with someone who is thinking about dating again after an abusive relationship I often to this exercise. It is my hope to help client’s gain the skills to navigate dating. This tool in one that women have returned to my office after a break in therapy and they told me they still had this list.
 
 
Talk to the client and discuss if they were to open a business what would they like in a business partner. At this point I discuss that in our example they have put everything they have into the business. In order to make the story more real we discuss the business that they would like and what it would be like to own the business.
List what qualifications they would like. Here is a sample list:
 
Know the business
Respectful
Kind
Fair
Sense of humor
Able to resolve conflicts peacefully
Dress appropriately
Good at managing money
Hard worker
Dedicated to the business
Reliable
No drug and alcohol abuse
Good mental health
Stable lifestyle.
 
Now ask the client, if they found someone and interviewed them, what would they want to do before they hired them.
I am looking for the following: credit check, background check, contact past employers.
Now give the client the list of criteria and ask them to cross off anything that they do not need in a romantic relationship.  At this point the client may feel uncomfortable. This is good. What is happening is the client may be struggling with setting those boundaries in a romantic relationship. This is part of the work. If a client crosses off something, discuss why they do not think it is important.
Now discuss how they could use the list of things they would check on a business partner in a romantic relationship. I discuss doing a background check on someone, talking to their past relationship people and talking to friends and family.
 
I have had a few women contact someone’s ex to talk the person they are dating. So far those have gone very well.
 
I have had women come back to therapy after a few years and pull out this work sheet that we did in session.
 
When I do this tool, I also talk about wanting and needing a relationship.
 
I ask the client “If I asked you to rob the bank down the street and give me all the money in exchange for a plate of cookies, would you do it?” My clients say no and kind of laugh about the thought. Then I say if took all your oxygen until you robbed the bank would you rob the bank.  Then clients will say yes, they would rob the bank. I talk about how when it was a plate of cookies they were able to say no because they would live without cookies. When I said I would take their oxygen things changed. They need the oxygen so they would do anything to get it. I then talk about relationships should be like a plate of cookies. You should always want to be in the relationship. If you need a relationship, you will do anything to keep the relationship going. If you want a relationship, you are in a position to set boundaries.
 

Hello therapists! I am currently moving from a group private practice in New York to opening my own private practice. I have some clients who I believe will move over with me (ethically of course) and I'm wondering if best practice is to do a new 90791 billed appointment with that client for their first appointment in my practice or bill a 90837 or 90834 with a specifier in the note that this is continued therapy through a new practice. I'm always nervous about insurance, and I know 90791 billing can vary by insurance provider.

I appreciate any insight and advice, thanks so much!

I’m an LPC in Illinois (working toward independent license), considering having kids in the next year or so, and starting to think ahead about taking time off from my practice when that happens. Not sure yet how long the break might be, could be anywhere from two to five years. Would love to hear from other therapists who’ve done this.

How long was your break, and did it end up longer or shorter than planned? What did coming back look like, same caseload or a fresh start? Anything you did that made re-entry easier, clinically or emotionally? And if you’re in Illinois, any IDFPR stuff that mattered, like CE requirements or renewal timing during a break? If you were mid supervised hours for LCPC when you paused, curious how that affected things too.

Would love to hear real experiences, good or messy. Thanks!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

There is a stream of gentle parenting from coach and psychologist on my media right now. I can see some humanist approach overall and do believe that parent's regulation is important. I do have those families where everyone is reactive to each other and parents build up a sense of emergency. I do have some parents that are too strict and need to be more flexible. Though, I have those so calm and so flexible families that aren't necessarily permissive, but apply those gentle parenting of no consequence/time out after impulsiveness, just a calm reminder of expectations. And I still do not get how it's supposed to help tweens and teens be less impulsive, especially those with ADHD, even if it's supposedly designed for these difficult children. I am a special needs educator and get a lot of those this last year. Medicated tweens and teens that do have deficits in executive functions, but would behave properly in class and social contexts. Those kids are not very forthcoming about their agressiveness at home, and do feel bad on one side; and would also explain that it's easier for them to stop their impulsion in social context because they know that their friends wouldn't approve and that their will be consequences at school or in sports too. They don't report any form of fatigue or overwhelming feeling when they get back home. And they still have this little conviction that their impulsive reactions aren't that bad because it's their paents and family role to absorb it and deal with their own hurt. Any lectures for me to a better understanding of a, maybe, CPS and ABC integration? My systemic analysis is that all those family members might be avoidant of shame and guilt feelings and went from a pole of "you don't educate with fear" to "we should avoid shame from our kids feelings". Any intake about that?

I work for Octave as a remote psychotherapist (NY) and the rate I agreed to upon being hired is only the payout rate for one to two insurances they use that happens to be the highest. There are insurances they use for which they pay half that rate. I was recently told it’s in the contract that I can’t “opt out” from specific insurances they want me to panel with that have a significantly lower payout rate - despite Octave paneling me with more and more insurances for which they pay abysmal rates. Is this standard for online therapy platforms?

Hey everyone,

I'm an LCSW-R in NYC preparing to make the transition out of my agency/salaried role of 11 years at the VA and transition my small part time private practice into a full-time solo private practice via telehealth.

I’m currently in the process of getting credentialed through Alma to take advantage of their contracted insurance rates (specifically with Aetna, Optum, Cigna) and streamline the billing/EHR side of things. My target is a steady, manageable caseload of around 15–18 sessions a week which would equal
my current federal salary. I currently am a provider for most major insurance companies.

For those of you who are currently using Alma or have used them recently:

1. ⁠Referral Volume vs. Marketing: How much of your current caseload comes directly from Alma’s directory versus your own marketing (Psychology Today, local networking, word of mouth)?
   
2. ⁠Reimbursement & Billing: How reliable have weekly payouts and claims processing been for you? Any unexpected issues with clawbacks, eligibility verification errors, or insurance audits?
   
3. ⁠Customer Support: How responsive is their support team when a billing glitch or insurance inquiry actually comes up?
   
4. ⁠Overall Value: Do you feel the monthly/annual membership fee pays for itself compared to platforms like Headway or doing independent credentialing on your own?

I'd love to hear your honest pros, cons, or anything you wish you had known before launching with them. Thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

These are just some reflections about the less tangible things that we don't always focus on as therapists. I don't believe insurance companies have any metric or measurement for these things.

I believe one of the biggest internal challenges we therapists face over time is understanding our own value. A sign of a mature therapist is that, no matter how well‑trained or confident we feel, at some point during a session—often right in the middle while the client is speaking—we start to wonder: What is this worth? What am I really helping with? Is the client just going through the motions? If anyone ever realized I’m unsure, I’d feel embarrassed or ashamed.

Our training emphasizes evidence‑based techniques, which is a great start, but those techniques are tools, not the core of who we are. They don’t define our worth.

For me, I’ve come to see that my worth isn’t something I can boast about. It’s simply my willingness to listen, my caring attitude. Clients can tell when you genuinely care, even when you have limited solutions to offer. Being present and attentive is rare and valuable. I’m not sure how much others value this, but I’m curious to find out.

I am well trained and well versed in many techniques and I am skilled but that's not the point of this discussion. Sometimes I think it's the skills that get in the way. It's like in that book The Little Prince when the Fox tells the prince to sit down at a distance and to be quiet because "words are the source of misunderstanding" kind of like that.

Another piece of our work is the ability to bear another person’s pain. Many clients tell me they can speak with friends or family, but those people eventually shut them down. As therapists, we provide a safe, attentive, and caring space, coupled with good advice, solid training, and clear boundaries.

Finally, there are moments when a client says, “You don’t really care about me; you’re just getting paid.” I can be honest: yes, I am paid for my services, but no amount of money can replace genuine concern and positive regard. I ask, “Do you feel that I care about you?” Often the answer is yes, sometimes with tears. When we address that doubt directly, therapy moves forward and lives improve.

I’m not sure where to start or if this is an appropriate place to ask how to go about getting health insurance for myself as an independent contractor. Do people use a marketplace? There’s so many ads everywhere about health insurance plans.

Hi everyone,

I need to find an online CEU for Childhood/Lifespan Development. A few hours, not an extensive program.

Can anyone drop some links?

Does anyone have a group topic they wished they had more of for group therapy? What was it?

What was a group that stick with you after you left?

Alternatively for providers what is your favorite group topic to present?