• If you want to get your license ASAP, apply the day when you receive your diploma

• If you are less in a hurry, apply in the 1-4 weeks after you graduate and receive your diploma

• DOH takes anywhere from 1-4 months to process your license

• Check application processing times here.

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Current Associate Forms

• LICSW Approved Supervisor & Supervision Forms

• Mental Health Counselor Associate Forms

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

• Remember to reapply every year and pay the appropriate fee.

• Click here to renew your license.

• As of March 2025, the fees are as follows:

  • Mental Health Counselor:

    • Renewal - $25

  • Marriage & Family Therapy:

    • Renewal - $66* (* Includes the $16 fee to access the University of Washington HEAL-WA health resources website)

  • Social Work:

    • Renewal- $25

    • UW online access fee (HEAL-WA) - $16*

      • Total: $41

• Your license’s expiration date is your birthdate and the following year.

• If you forget to reapply, this will impact your employment as well as legal issues as you were not properly licensed as an associate and were seeing clients.

• Complete all necessary annual CEU requirements

  • CEU requirements for associates

  • ”Applicants applying for licensure as a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed mental health counselor or licensed social worker must have completed 36 hours of CE, six of which must be in professional law and ethics. They must have received these hours after completing the academic requirements and prior to the department issuing their license.”

• If fees are a barrier and your workplace does not offer free CEUs, the following places offer free CEUs completely online:

  • TPN Health

  • Acanto Health

  • NOCD Foundation

  • North Texas Trauma Services

  • University of Washington Spirit Training

  • Clearly Clinical

  • ERC Pathlight

  • Deployment Psychology

  • Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network

  • Star Behavioral Health Providers

  • Quantum Units Education

  • Person Centered Tech

  • All Patients Safe

  • Psych Armor

  • CPT

  • PE

  • Psychological First Aid (PFA)

  • SBIRT Training

  • Therapy course

  • Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Web Course

  • Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health

  • Prevent Child Abuse NC

  • Borderline Personality Disorder - 6 Module Online Free Course

  
  

• The following places offer lower fee CEUS:

  • CBI Path LMS

  • Deployment Psychology

  • Strong Star Training

• The following organizations offer scholarships.

  • EMDR

    • Rebecca Kase EMDR Scholarship for BIPOC

    • EMDRIA Scholarship for BIPOC

    • Institute for Creative Mindfulness

    • EMDR Training Scholarship

    • Trauma Recovery EMDR

    • Connect EMDR

    Eating Disorders

    • Renfrew Center

    • Center for Body Trust

    • AAEDP-BIPOC

    Somatic Therapy

    • Somatic Experiencing Scholarships

    • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

    • The Embody Lab

    • Embodied Neurobiology

    • ISP Scholarship Program

    • Tamalpa Institute

    • 1:1 Integrative Somatic Therapy Program

    Behavioral Therapies

    • Beck Institute Students & Early Career Scholarship

    • DBT Certification

    • DBT PE

    • AEDP Scholarships

    • Seattle Gestalt Therapy

    • Compassion Inquiry

    • Dare To Lead

    Emotionally Focused Therapy

    • ICEEFT Diversity Scholarship Program

    • EFT of North Carolina Scholarships for BIPOC

    • TRI EFT Alliant and San Diego Center for EFT

    • MCEFT

    • AZEFT Training Scholarships

    • St. Louis EFT

    • EFT Atlanta

    Couples Therapy

    • PACT Institute Scholarships

    • Gottman Couples Therapy Student

    • Relational Life Therapy

    • Relational Life Therapy - AAPI

    • Ackerman Institute

    • Imago Therapy Scholarships

    Sex Therapy

    • AASECT

    • Northwest Institute on Intimacy

    • Sex Therapy Certificate

    • Sexual Health Alliance

    OCD & ERP

    • BTTI

    • University of Pennsylvania

    Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic

    • International Psychotherapy Institute

    • Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans for Psychoanalytic Candidates

    • The Psychoanalytic Social Work Tuition Support Award

    • Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia

    • The St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute

    • The Training Institute of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis

    • Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies

    • Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas

    • William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis & Psychology

    • The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute

    Trauma

    • NARM Training Institute

    • Trauma Resource Institute

    • Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    • Trauma Research Institute

    Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

    • Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

    • Praxis Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

    Mindfulness & Meditation

    • Hemera Foundation

    • Center for Mindfulness & Compassion BIPOC Scholarship

    • Sounds True

    • The Mindfulness Center

    • The Center for Child and Family Well-Being

    Psychedelic Assisted Therapy

    • Psychedelic Therapy Training Certificate | CIIS

    • Usona Institute

    • Synthesis Institute

    • Fluence

    • UC Berkeley Psychedelic Facilitation Certificate Program

    • IPI Online Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training

    • Naropa Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies

    • Vital

    • PRATI

    • Psychedelic Sitter School

    • Psychedelic Education Scholarship

    • Portland Psilocybin Facilitator Training

    • TRIPP

    Veterans

    • Beck Institute

    • Therapist Development Center

• There are a variety of mental health workplaces/environments in Washington State

• You can choose to work full time, part time, or per-diem positions depending on your life circumstances such as health issues, income needs, health insurance needs, parenting needs, etc.

• This can include:

  • Community mental health

  • Veteran’s Administration (VA)

  • Hospitals

  • Medical clinics

  • Schools and colleges

  • Residential treatment facilities

  • Substance use treatment centers

  • State agencies like King County

  • City agencies like City of Seattle or City of Bellevue

  • Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams

  • Group practices

  • Operating your own private practice under the supervision of a licensed therapist accepting only private prayer

  • Operating your own private practice under the supervision of a licensed therapist to accept insurance through contracting with a third party or company like Mindful Therapy Group, Lemon Squeezy, Colorful Minds, Alluvial Counseling, Lycan Counseling

• Consider your current areas of current clinical experience, strengths, areas of weaknesses, long term and short term goals, values, current clinical skills, income needs, compensation including health insurance and paid time off, support offered, supervision and types of supervision offered, professional development, and more when selecting a workplace

• Questions to ask potential workplaces and to conduct research on:

  • What is the work schedule like? Is there the possibility for a hybrid work schedule? Is there the possibility for working less days, but longer hours such as 4-10s (4 days, 10 hours each day)?

  • Is there a probationary period for my position? If so, what is the length of time?

  • Will I be formally evaluated? What is the evaluation process like? Is it written or verbal?

  • Is individual supervision offered? If so, how often is it offered? If so, what is the person’s license type (LMFT, LMHC, PsyD, PhD, LICSW)?

  • Are there opportunities to record client sessions either via audio or video with their consent? If so, will these sessions be reviewed with my supervisor?

  • How much time off can I take off at once? Is there a maximum number of days? What is the process for requesting or taking time off?

  • Is training offered? If so, what type of training is offered? If so, how often and are CEUs offered?

  • How many clients am I expected to see weekly?

  • How many new clients will I be assigned weekly?

  • Are there performance requirements for client contact hours/direct service hours?

  • What is the average caseload for this position?

  • Is my income based on client hours? If a client no-shows or late cancels, will I still be paid?

  • What is the salary offered? What are the benefits?

  • Do you offer a professional development/CEU fund? If so, how much is it per year?

  • Do you offer paid time off for professional development such as studying for the NCC/ASWB/MFT exam?

  • How long do therapists tend to stay in this role? What are some of the reasons they leave?

  • Can I talk to current employees and ask them questions?

  • Why do you enjoy working here?

  • What are some barriers or challenges the agency faces and how does it impact the clinicians employed here?

  • And more

Click here for employment resources in Washington State.

Hospitals

• University of Washington Medical Center

• Harborview Medical Center

• Swedish Health Services

• Virginia Mason Medical Center 

• Evergreen Health

• Veteran’s Administration Puget Sound

• Kindred

• Seattle Children’s

• Seattle Cancer Care Alliance/Fred Hutch Cancer Center

• Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital

• Fairfax Hospital

• Overlake Hospital

Managed Care/Health Care Systems

• Kaiser Permanente 

• Multicare Health Systems

• Pacific Medical Centers

• International Community Health Services (ICHS)

• Telecare

Eating Disorder Clinics, Substance Use, IOPs, PHPs, and IPs

• The Emily Program

• Eating Recovery Center 

• Northpoint Seattle

• Pathlight

• Lakeside Milam

• Evergreen Treatment

• Thira Health

Mental Health Agencies & Nonprofits

• Sound

• Real Escape From Sex Trade

• King County Sexual Assault Resource Center

• Pioneer Health Services 

• Cowlitz Indian Tribe

• Navos

• Jewish Family Services

• Lutheran Community Services Northwest 

• Seamar

• Asian Counseling Referral Services (ACRS)

• Compass Health

• Seneca Family of Agencies

• Wellspring Family Services

• Friends of Youth

• Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA)

• Ryther

• Youthside East Services 

• YMCA

• Catholic Community Services 

• Downtown Emergency Services (DESC)

• Valley Cities

• Atlantic Street Center

• Therapeutic Health Services

• Center for Human Services

• Childhaven

• Crisis Connections

Not sure or ready to open your practice?

There are so many practices hiring associates and licensed clinicians due to the demand in mental health services.

Make sure to read your contract in detail and find out whether out will be a W-2 or IC (Independent Contractor) as this impacts fee split and benefits offered as well as legal rights.

What Is A Group Practice?

• A therapy/mental health group practice is a collective of mental health professionals who come together to offer a variety of therapeutic services to individuals in need owned by a lead therapist/director.

• Often group practices are created to expand services to serve more clients with a specific value, skillset, and/or training.

• Some group practices take on interns/student therapists to offer lower fee services and to mentor/shape/educate/train the next generation of therapists.

• These services can include therapy, counseling, psychiatric medication management, and more, all provided by a team of skilled and specialized clinicians.

• Some group practices only provide psychotherapy.

What is a W2 Employee?

• Considered an employee

• W-2 employees are typically eligible for a range of benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and workers' compensation.

• The employer usually withholds income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare taxes from the therapist's paychecks, making tax compliance simpler.

• Often greater job security, as they are protected by labor laws, such as minimum wage and overtime regulations.

• Employers usually provide a structured work environment, including set working hours and supervision.

• May have less autonomy over their practice and patient load, as their employer makes decisions about scheduling and caseload assignments.

• Might have less flexibility in choosing their therapeutic methods and approaches (group practice owner can dictate the approach, modality, specialties, etc.).

What is an Independent Contractor?

• Independent contractors have more control over their schedules, caseloads, and therapeutic approaches. They can set their own hours and choose their clients.

• Freedom to build their own practice and brand.

• Responsible for handling their own taxes, including income tax, self-employment tax, and estimated quarterly tax payments.

• While they may have more tax-related responsibilities, they can also take advantage of tax deductions for business expenses like office rent, supplies, and continuing education from their taxable income, potentially reducing their tax liability.

• Do not receive employee benefits, such as health insurance or retirement plans, and must provide these benefits for themselves if desired.

• They are not eligible for workers' compensation, so they need to have their own insurance coverage.

Typical Fee Splits For W-2 Unlicensed

• 45% employee / 55% employer

Typical Fee Splits For W-2 Licensed

• 55% employee / 45% employer

Typical Fee Splits For IC Licensed

• Ranges from 60%/40% to 80%/20%

Group Practices Hiring in Washington State

1. Catalyst Counseling

2. Navigate Family Therapy

3. Healing Moments

4. Lycan Counseling

5. Modern Therapy

6. Wellness Counseling

7. Mindful Therapy Group

8. Protea Wellness

9. Resonant Relationships

10. Steffen Counseling Services 

11. Pacific Behavior Care

12. Seattle Anxiety Specialists 

13. Interconnections Healing Center

14. Whole Valley Therapy

15. Self Space Therapy

16. Satya Wellness

17. Life Stance

18. Riverbank Therapy

19. Cedar Valley Counseling

20. Ohana Behavioral Health

21. Seattle Psychology

22. Clarity Counseling

23. Optimism Counseling

24. Radiant Counseling

25. People Bloom

26. Nua Counseling

27. Sunrise Nutrition 

28. Optimal Life Wellness

29. Bellevue Counseling

30. Zane Counseling

31. Trauma Informed Therapies

32. Alliant Therapy Group

33. Atlas Counseling

34. Sandbox Therapy

35. Talk Heal Thrive

36. Insight Mental Health

37. Sunrise Family Therapy

38. Wayfinder Counseling

39. Inside Passage Counseling

40. Anchor Light Therapy Collective 

41. Peninsula Psychological Center

42. Shelterwood Collective

43. Alluvial Counseling

44. Infinitely Well

45. 253 Therapy

46. Peaceful Soul Healing

47. Garden Wellness

48. Paradox Therapy

49. Salveo Counseling

50. Lightheart Associates

51. Seattle EMDR Associates

52. Greenlake Wellness Group

53. Dayspring Behavioral Health

• Continually studying, learning, practicing, and researching human development, mental health, therapy, and counseling (those that work harder at becoming effective therapists tend to be more effective therapists)

  • See Supershrink article here

  • According to a 2015 article, data revealed the most effective practitioners devoted 2.5 times more hours to deliberate practicing therapy skills and interventions than clinicians with average outcomes vs. engaging in an activity through reading, listening, etc.

  • According to research, length of time as a therapist does not dictate therapeutic effectiveness

  • According to research, longer amount of time in the field can sometimes lead to poorer and less effective outcomes due to lack of continual learning, studying, and deliberately practicing skills and interventions. See The Dunning–Kruger effect

• Passion and commitment for the work

  • Having a why will sustain the work on days it’s hard and challenging

• Asking for feedback from clients (positive, neutral, and negative) and responding and tailoring treatment accordingly

  • What is working?

  • What is not working?

  • Why isn’t this working?

• Asking questions from more experienced therapists and colleagues

• Being honest and authentic to yourself (congruence)

  • It is exhausting putting on a mask, being the therapist we think we “should” be, putting others on a pedestal and comparing ourselves with others

  • There is a sense of ease, calm, and relaxation in being who we are, honoring our gifts, allowing ourself to be imperfect, and showing up as we are in the therapeutic space

• Practicing self reflection and awareness

  • Understanding our own implicit biases, areas of growth/weaknesses, our countertransference,

• Practicing compassion for Self

  • Harsh judgement, repetitive criticism, shaming, blaming rarely helps someone grow, learn, and transform in effective clinicians

• Practicing patience

  • The client sets the pace of change, not us

• Practicing different levels and types of empathy (cognitive, emotional, affective)

• Practicing flexibility

• Practicing teaching and providing psychoeducation to clients

  • A part of therapy is providing education to clients

• Practicing curiosity

  • Endless curiosity

• Practicing assertive boundaries

• Process vs. content

  • Seeing beyond what the client is saying

  • Scanning for the implicit, unconscious, and what it not being said

  • Looking for patterns and dynamics

  • Making connections

• Being really good at asking a variety of open ended questions

• Being really good at active listening

• Being okay with uncertainty, ambiguity, and not knowing all the answers

  • Practice sitting in silence with a client

  • WAIT: Why am I talking?

  • WAIST: Why am I still talking?

The IDM highlights 3 stages of development.

Level 1: Early/Novice/New

• Externally focused (seeks positive feedback, structure from supervisor)

• Highly anxious (fearful and worried about making mistakes)

• Highly motivated (wants to perfect therapy and do the right thing)

• Unsure and worried about feedback and evaluation

• Focused on self

• Limited self-awareness

This can show up as:

• Everything is brand new

• Generally lacking skill and confidence

• Asking and having many questions

• Wanting answers

• High anxiety, worry, and fear

• Not wanting to make mistake(s)

• Feeling overwhelmed with learning the foundation of therapy

• Feeling stressed with the responsibility of being a therapist

• Wanting to learn skills, and tools, and applying them in a more rigid and by-the-book manner

• And more

Supervisees need:

• Structure

• Direction

• Support and reassurance

• Normalization of fears

• Basic skills

• Coaching, support, guidance, teaching/education

• More focus on content issues vs. process issues (rules, agenda, expectations, skills, interventions)

Level 2: Middle/Transition/Adjustment

• Greater ability to focus on and empathize with client. However, balance is still an issue. Problem can be veering into enmeshment with the client

• Supervisee vacillates between being very confident to self-doubting and confused

• Supervisee experiences conflict between autonomy and dependency.

This can show up as:

• Beginning to rely on your own abilities, intuition, instincts

• Greater ability to reflect on one’s own feelings and thoughts vs. 100% on on the client

• Greater ability to trust in self

• Greater ability to

• And more

Supervisees need:

• More focus on process issues vs. content issues (feelings, patterns, dynamics, countertransference, transference, unconscious material, what is not being spoken of/talked about)

• Decision-making skills

• Some direction

• Focus on personal reactions and issues affecting functioning as a therapist

Level 3: Expert/Confidence/Competence/Ongoing

• More structure provided by supervisee

• More focus on personal and professional integration and career decisions

• Increased desire to personalize orientation/approach/style

• More independent/autonomous, better understands limitations

• Focus begins to include self-reactions to client

This can show up as:

• Showing up and talking through cases as colleagues vs. supervisor and supervisee

• Power differential lessens as supervisee feels more confident and competent

• Greater risk taking ability in sessions with clients

• Building independence and autonomy

• Greater ability to integrate skills, theories, interventions in a more congruent, authentic, and intuitive manner

• Greater focus on counter transference and one’s own feelings to the client

• And more

Supervisees need:

• Space and silence to process and explore topics and issues

• Less direction and guidance from the supervisor

• A container to handle a wide range of issues, concerns, and topics

• Validation, support, and guidance

Many supervisees are nervous, anxious, and stressed about supervision.

This makes sense because supervision can be vulnerable and uncomfortable to discuss parts of you and your practice that you find challenging and difficult.

Finding a good fit supervisor can help with alleviating stress and nervousness.

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1. Look through Washington Department of Health listing.

2. You can ask peers and colleagues how they find their supervisors.

3. You can look through supervisor listings including:

   1. Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work

   2. Motivo

   3. Counseling Washington

   4. Psychology Today

4. You can look through therapy directory listings including:

   1. Multicultural Therapists

   2. Therapy Den

   3. Inclusive Therapists

   4. The Washington Therapy Fund

   5. Asian Mental Health Collective

   6. Deconstructing The Mental Health System

   7. Latinx Therapists

   8. Therapy For Black Girls

   9. Gaylesta

   10. Ingersoll

5. You can ask past professors and lecturers for recommendations or if they themselves offer supervision.

6. You can Google/do an online search for clinical supervisors.

7. You can join Meet Up groups

   • King County Mental Health Professionals

   • Reflect Therapist

8. You can join the WA Mental Health List Serv and post a request.

   • WA Mental Health Professionals

9. You can post a request on various Facebook therapist groups including

   1. Seattle Therapist Exchange

   2. Greater Seattle Therapists

   3. Washington State Therapists in Private Practice

   4. WAMFT PreClinical/Associate Networking Group

   5. Therapy Associates of Tacoma

   6. Washington Mental Health Counselors Association Group

   7. WA State Clinical Supervisors and Supervisees Support

   8. Spokane Psychotherapy Network

   9. Seattle Therapist Networking Hub

Click here for referrals to other supervisors.

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Verify Your Supervisor’s License

• Washington State Department of Health - Provider Search (Verify License)

Make sure there has been at least 2 years since the supervisor’s initial independent license was issued.

Also check to see if there are any complaints, suspensions, revocations, and/or other issues with the supervisor’s license.

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From WAC 246-809-234:

“To supervise a license candidate, you shall hold a license without restrictions that has been in good standing for at least two years.”

Educator & Teacher

• Aids in development of counseling knowledge and skills by identifying learning needs, determining counselor strengths, promoting self-awareness, and transmitting knowledge for practical use and professional growth.

• Supervisors are teachers, trainers, and professional role models.

Consultant

• Provides case consultation and review, monitoring performance, counseling the counselor regarding job performance, and assessing counselors.

Support & Coach

• In this supportive role, supervisors provide morale building, assess strengths and needs, suggest varying clinical approaches, model, cheer-lead, and prevent burnout.

• For entry-level counselors, the supportive function is critical.

Mentor

• The experienced supervisor mentors and teaches the supervisee through role modeling, facilitates the counselor's overall professional development and sense of professional identity, and trains the next generation of supervisors.

• To protect clients from harm and ineffective therapy

• To provide a third ear or outside perspective on client cases

• To help therapists do their best work with clients through refinement of skills, orientation, and interventions

• To help therapists with the basics of psychotherapy (ethics, documentation, diagnosis, risk assessment, ending/termination/discharge, skills and interventions, treatment planning, etc.)

• To help therapists become more competent and confident as they become independently licensed

Definitions

• “Supervision is a disciplined, tutorial process wherein principles are transformed into practical skills, with four overlapping foci: administrative, evaluative, clinical, and supportive” (Powell & Brodsky, 2004, p. 11).

• “Supervision is an intervention provided by a senior member of a profession to a more junior member or members. … This relationship is evaluative, extends over time, and has the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional functioning of the more junior person(s); monitoring the quality of professional services offered to the clients that she, he, or they see; and serving as a gatekeeper of those who are to enter the particular profession” (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004, p. 8).

• Supervision is “a social influence process that occurs over time, in which the supervisor participates with supervisees to ensure quality of clinical care. Effective supervisors observe, mentor, coach, evaluate, inspire, and create an atmosphere that promotes self-motivation, learning, and professional development. They build teams, create cohesion, resolve conflict, and shape agency culture, while attending to ethical and diversity issues in all aspects of the process. Such supervision is key to both quality improvement and the successful implementation of consensus- and evidence-based practices” (CSAT, 2007, p. 3).

Effective supervision depends on a variety of factors including:

• A good fit between supervisor and supervisee (personality, temperament, values, communication styles, etc.).

• Consider what your preferences are in a supervisor and what makes you feel comfortable (age, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.) as this can be a good starting point.

• Discussing boundaries, expectations, and ground rules in the beginning and ongoing to avoid miscommunication, misunderstandings, and unmet needs/wants.

• A strong collaborative supervision relationship based on sharing power, shared values, making meaning, empathy, direct communication, and more.

• Balance between support and challenge, validation and constructive feedback, etc.

For Supervisors

• An active listener

• Open and curious

• Open to feedback and toward growth

• Has a beginner’s mind and is open to learning and growing vs. thinking they already know everything

• Provides direct, helpful, and specific feedback

• Adaptable and flexible

• Understands how power, privilege, and difference shapes the supervision relationship and dynamics and brings this up

• Honest when they are unable to help the supervisee and offers resources or connections to other contacts/people

• Repairing ruptures and disagreements as they arise

• Regularly attends training and education on providing effective supervision

• Understands the role of a supervisor

• Adheres to their profession’s code of ethics

• Offers a consistent schedule for supervision meetings and offers backup when they cancel, are ill, and/or on vacation

For Supervisees

• Ready to discuss topics

• Open and curious

• Open to feedback and toward growth

• Has a beginner’s mind and is open to learning and growing vs. thinking they already know everything

• Provides direct feedback

• Asks for what they need

• Does the work outside of supervision

• Is honest with themselves through self-reflection and self-understanding

• Practices self compassion

• Understands the role of a supervisee

• Adheres to their profession’s code of ethics

• Attends supervision as agreed upon and notifies when they will be absent due to illness or vacation

• Assess your strengths and areas you thrive/your gifts

• Assess your areas of growth, continued challenges, and weaknesses

• Working on and refining areas of growth, continued challenges, and weaknesses

• Awareness and active exploration and management of scarcity, anxiety, worthiness, shame, guilt, and money mindset issues/core beliefs you hold

• Understands and is comfortable with the reality of opening and building a private practice. Takes anywhere from 10-16 months to have a full caseload (depends on what you consider a full weekly caseload is)

  • Click here to read my post blog titled How Long Does It Take To Get A Full Caseload?

• Is okay making limited income in the beginning stages of business (0-9 months)

• Comfortable with making variable income based on the seasons of the year (e.g. summer is slower so take vacation then, fall is busier so working more) and/or due to client cancelations

• Has a partner/spouse, savings fund, and/or disposable income in the beginning stages or is okay working part-time or per diem to supplement income in the beginning stages when you are building a caseload

• Comfortable with consistent and ongoing networking with other colleagues (talking about themselves and reciprocal building relationships)

• Comfortable with consistent and ongoing professional marketing with whatever method that they prefer and works for them and their ideal client such as : Google ads, Google My Business, SEO, blogging, social media, networking, a good website, writing a book, presenting workshops, going on podcasts, etc.

• The traits and skills needed to be in private practice include, but not are limited to:

  • Identification of values and goals of your business (Why do you want to open a private practice. Who will you serve? What are your business values? What are your personal values?)

  • Go getter, self motivated and proactive

  • Active learner

  • Problem solver

  • Financial literacy

  • Strong clinical skills and judgement

  • Evidence based practice

  • Strong foundation of basic counseling skills

  • Customer service

  • Marketing and advertising

  • Adaptable

  • Okay with taking risks

  • Patience

  • Organized

  • Communication skills

  • Self awareness and insight

  • Okay with taking risks

  • Self confidence

• Assessing your comfort with being a business owner and everything related to owning a business.

  • This can include: marketing, advertising, having your income directly related to bringing in new clients consistently, paying for your own health insurance, paying your own and taking out your own federal taxes.

• Assessing your comfort working with clients long term vs. short-term (e.g. crisis work)

• Finding a good fit supervisor who can help you with both clinical and business related issues and meeting with them weekly

• Continually learning, researching, studying, etc. due to being isolated in a private practice setting vs. working for an agency which has support and training embedded already in it such as grand rounds, case consult, group supervision, etc.

• Referring clients out if supervision, consultation, studying, researching, and ongoing learning is not helping you

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Those Who Tend To Thrive & Be Attracted To Private Practice

• Valuing freedom and autonomy to make their own choices such as setting your fee, scheduling, time off, etc.

• Valuing flexibility of working for yourself such as modifying your schedule, modifying your fee, taking as much time off as you want, working overseas, being 100% telehealth, being 100% in person, hybrid scheduling, etc.

• Wants to work less and see less clients per week

• Wants to make a desired income that is not offered in group practice or agency (e.g. six figures)

• Does not like working for others

• Embraces the challenges of being a small business owner

• Enjoy the nitty gritty parts of business such as taxes, renewing licenses, etc.

• Are confident in who they are

• Are congruent (inside matches the outside)

• Are authentic to who they are

• Practice assertive communication vs. passive, passive aggressive, or aggressive communication

• Have a beginner’s mind vs. believing they know everything and are an expert

• Are comfortable making mistakes

• Are comfortable taking risks

• Can repair and negotiate relationships after disagreements/ruptures/conflicts

• And more

Click here to read my blog post titled Private Practice Is Not For Everyone.

• Consider if you want to panel with insurance as an associate

• Consider if you want to operate solely as cash/private pay

• Consider if you want a hybrid model of insurance and cash/private pay

• Consider if you want to offer a reduced or adjusted fee

• Consider if you want to offer pro bono slots

• As an associate, you can operating your own private practice under the supervision of a licensed therapist to accept insurance through contracting with a third party or company like:

  • Mindful Therapy Group

  • Lemon Squeezy

  • Colorful Minds

  • Alluvial Counseling

  • Lycan Counseling

  • And more

• If this is too overwhelming, you can work for a group practice that will panel you with insurance under the independent therapist’s license.

Group practices are a good option for those who:

• Want to have greater ability to make more money than in an agency setting

• Want traditional benefits offered such as health insurance, time off, etc.

• Want to provide therapy, but not deal with the administrative and marketing aspects of therapy such as returning emails and phone calls, marketing, advertising, etc.

• Do not want to be business owners

• Want to have a team of other people to work with and consult with (rather than working alone)

• Who need more business, supervision, clinical, administrative, and ethical support

• Who are more anxious, fearful, apprehensive about going into private practice

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Agencies such as hospitals, schools, colleges, and community mental health clinics are a good fit for those who:

• Want traditional benefits offered such as health insurance, time off, retirement fund, pension, etc.

• Want to know exactly how much they will make annually

• Want to work for a certain agency due to their history, value, reputation, etc.

• Want to serve a particular population or presenting symptom

• Want to work with the public and those underserved

• Want to have a team of other people to work with and consult with (rather than working alone)

This is not an exhaustive list of resources (there are many, many more available).

I created this list because most therapists can DIY their own private practice with the assistance of an accountant and/or lawyer during the initial formation stage.

I thought it would be helpful for newer therapists to have a page of resources to refer to as I wish I had this resource when I started my own private practice.

I recommend signing up for trials and testing out each service/product to see which program you want to use based on your specific business needs and preferences.

Note:

• I make no guarantee to the qualifications or competence of those listed below.

• I do not endorse, approve of, or make any warranties or representations as to accuracy of the information contained in any site to which any user may be linked. 

• I do not receive compensation for listing the companies and individuals below.

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Business Resources

Washington State & City of Seattle

• City of Seattle Licensing

• Business License & City Taxes

• Washington State Secretary of State 

• Find a Business in Seattle

Washington State Laws

• WAC. Regulations of executive branch agencies are issued by authority of statutes. Like legislation and the Constitution, regulations are a source of primary law in Washington State. The Washington Administrative Code (WAC) codifies the regulations and arranges them by subject or agency.

• RCW. The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws now in force. It is a collection of Session Laws (enacted by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor, or enacted via the initiative process), arranged by topic, with amendments added and repealed laws removed.

Nationwide

• NPI

• EIN

Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

• CounSol

• Jane App

• Simple Practice

• Thera Nest

• Therapy Notes

• Kareo

• Intake Q

• Sessions Health

• Valant

• Luminello

• Kasa

• Athena Health

• Therapy Partner

• Next Gen

• ChARM Health

• Practice Fusion

• Office Ally

Video Platforms (For Telehealth)

• Doxy

• VSee Clinic

• VidHealth

• Psychology Today

Phone

• iPlum

• Spruce

• Ring Central

• RingRx

• Google Voice

• Phone.com

Accounting & Expense Trackers

• Wave (Free)

• Quickbooks 

• Sage

• Freshbooks

• Bench

• Xero

• Zoho Books

• Free Agent

• Excel sheet

  • Make your own

Payment

• Stripe

• Square

• Ivy Pay

Banks

Look for banks with no fees for transferring limits, hidden charges, minimum income amounts, etc.

• Novo

• Found

• Blue Vine

• Relay

• Banner

• Lili

• Mercury

• Navy Federal

• Local Credit Union

  • BECU

  • Seattle Credit Union

  • SALAL

  • WSECU

  • Sound Credit Union

• Your current banking institution (easy to transfer and manage accounts)

Mail & Virtual Business Address

• Regus

• iPostal

• Think Space

• In City Space

• Opus

• Rovva

• Subletting an office one day a week (more expensive option)

• Renting a physical mailbox/address from a practice owner/renter

  • Inquire local group practice owners if you can use their address for a fee

    • See office space resources below

• Look on Craigslist for sublet options/virtual mailboxes

• Look at coworking spaces (e.g. We Work)

  • The Pioneer Collective

Office Space

• Fremont Space

• Saturn Building

• Therapy Associates of Tacoma

• Ballard Space

• Pioneer Collective

• University Business Center

• Counseling Washington

• Green Coast Counseling

• Studio Works

• Orchard Workspace

• We Work

• Space Works

• Regus

• Craigslist

Email

• Hush Mail

• PauBox

• Web Root

• Proton Mail

• Google Mail

Insurance Billing

• Prestige Billing

• Bodhi Billing

• BrightSide Admin

• Welcoming Therapy Billing

• Precision Medical Billing

• SLS Billing & Credentialing Services

• Sidekick Billing

• Cascade Therapy Billing

• Therathink

• ARC Billing

• Benchmark Behavioral Billing

Insurance Paneling

• CAQH

• Alma (licensed clinicians only)

• Headway (licensed clinicians only)

• Shelterwood Collective (associates can be in-network with certain insurances through being group paneled; you are not individually paneled)

• Lemon Squeezy (associates can be in-network with certain insurances through being group paneled; you are not individually paneled)

Coworking

• Flow Club

• Focus Mate

• Cave Day

Office Space

• Fremont Space

• Saturn Building

• Ballard Space

• Pioneer Collective

• University Business Center

• Counseling Washington

• Green Coast Counseling

• Studio Works

• Orchard Workspace

• We Work

• Space Works

• Regus

• Craigslist

Registered Agents

• Washington Registered Agent

• NW Registered Agent

• Find an address/mail service that also offers being a registered agent such as:

  • ICS Virtual

  • Post Scan Mail

Health Insurance

• WA Health Plan Finder

• Achieve Alpha

• Hagen

• Green Financial

• Mutual Benefits

FMLA & PFMLA

• Paid Leave Washington (medical leave/health condition, birth of a child (including adoption/foster care), spending time with military family member before or after deployment)

Liability & Professional Insurance

• HPSO

• CPH

• NASW

• American Professional Agency

• The Trust (For Psychologists Only)

Accountants & Financial Advisors

• Carolyn Trinh

• Seattle Controller 

• McDole Solutions

• Pitch CPA

• Wilson Tax

• Karen Lee

• North Star Accounting

• Damien Accounting

• Alisa Na

• TDLR

• Tax Shy

• North Seattle Accountant 

• L.C. Miller

• Maclean

• Bettinger Anderson

• Numbers Don’t Lie

• Wellness Fi

• Seattle Controller

• Chieko Maclean 

• Something Different Accounting

• Abdiwali Mohamed

• Tax Bunny

• Good Tax CPA

• 1st Choice Tax And Financial Services

• Book Smart 

• Your Financial Solutions

• AOA Bookkeeping 

• Derron Calvin

• Johnson Wealth Advisors

• Huddleston Tax CPAs

• Yajuan Liu

• Higher Than That

• Sumeet K Bedi

• Christopher Huang

• Dang Tax

• Will Chen

Lawyers

• Eric Strom

• Frances Schopick

• Ken Kagan

• Joseph Shaub

• Legal consultation through your liability insurance

Washington State Business Resources

Washington State Small Business Liason Team (SBLT)

• Offers free webinars (Start Your business in WA, Grow your business in WA)

• Step-by-step resources (8 Steps to forming a business in Washington State

Seattle Public Library

• Offers many resources such as workshops, asking a business question, one-on-one appointments with librarians who are experts in business research

• Resources such as LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning

• Free with Public Library Card

SCORE Mentor

• SCORE mentoring is a free service offered to any citizen or permanent resident that owns or wants to start a business. Partnering with you one-on-one, SCORE mentors support your success through offering experienced advice, consulting on best practices, and educating on small business topics.

US Small Business Administration

• Offers many resources to plan, launch, manage, and grow your business

Business Impact NW

• Business Impact NW works together with you, providing the coaching, classes and capital you need to successfully launch and grow your business.

Ascent

• A free learning platform for women entrepreneurs

• Women own or co-own 45% of all businesses in the United States. These businesses represent all types of industries and are owned by all types of women. The majority are small, with great potential for growth in both revenues and job creation. That’s why we created Ascent and packed it with in-depth information to help you grow your business.

Washington State Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises

• There are free resources, and services are available to small businesses in Washington State. Each one has specific requirements and many are for specific types of businesses or industries.

• Create your own Excel sheet

• Pay for a service like Track Your Hours

• There are many ways to learn how to become an effective therapist

• This can include:

  • Experience through conducting therapy sessions

  • Talking through cases

  • Didactic learning like PowerPoint presentations and lectures

  • Reading and researching

  • Listening to podcasts

  • Watching videos

  • Recording client videos with their permission

  • Recording client audio with their permission

  • Shadowing a more experienced therapist

  • And more

Once you understand how you learn best, communicate this to your supervisor so they can help you in the way you’d like.

Also, commit more time to these areas of learning to conduct effective therapy.

There are several domains of supervision. This includes:

Administrative

Focuses on organizational accountability such as: case records, referrals, performance reviews, other tasks that do not directly relate to client services.

Clinical

Focuses on supporting the supervises professional development, clinical skills, and client services, including: the therapeutic relationship. assessment and interventions, client welfare.

Ethical and Legal

Focuses on ethical dilemmas, boundary issues, and ensuring the well-being of clients and supervisees, promoting responsible and trustworthy practice.

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You might talk about:

• Legal issues and liability

• Countertransference issues (feelings you have about your clients)

• Documentation and note taking

• Clinical skills and interventions

• Theoretical orientations and frameworks for change

• Measuring outcome and asking for feedback (evaluation)

• Fees and finances

• Endings and terminations

• Receiving support and guidance

• Receiving education about possible professional trainings, development, and seminars

• Receiving education on possible career routes as a clinical social worker or therapist

• Receiving education on marketing and advertising if you are in private or group practice

• Becoming more confident as a therapist

• Managing impostor syndrome

• Self care

• Managing compassion fatigue and secondary trauma

• Noticing signs toward burn out

• How to bounce back from burn out

• And more

Sample Topics You Might Discuss In Supervision

Client Caseload Management

• Protection and monitoring of client welfare

• Reviewing clients (treatment, goals, risks, etc.)

• Assessing to see how your caseload feels (e.g. reducing or increasing client hours)

Taking Time Off

• How to take time off, when to notify clients, and how to notify clients

• Unexpected time off due to illness, accident, or unforeseen circumstances

• Backup coverage for clients when you are on extended leave

Marketing & Advertising

• If you are working for a group practice or operate your own private practice, you may be unsure how to run a small business

• School taught us the basics of clinical skills and therapy, but did not teach us the business aspects of running a small business

• Your supervisor can help you find authentic and congruent ways for you to market and advertise to your ideal client and areas of niche(s)

Strengthening Clinical Skills

• Perhaps you want to specialize in a therapeutic approach such as CBT, CPT, PE, EMDR, IFS, SE, etc.

• Your supervisor may have advanced clinical training and consultation in such approaches and can help you learn and refine your clinical skills with clients

• Deliberate practice is a great way to strengthen your clinical skills through the use of practical and applicable clinical exercises and practices

• Reviewing videos and audio clips are another way to strengthen clinical skills

• Lastly, writing up a process recording is another way to strengthen your clinical skills

Specialities & Areas of Focus

• How and if you want to develop an area of focus (generalist vs. specialist)

• The benefits and limits to certifications post-grad

• Lifelong learning and continuing education

• Professional development opportunities

Ethics

• Dual relationships

• Boundary crossings and boundary violations

• Informed consent

• Confidentiality and its limits

• Client welfare and “do no harm” principle

• Therapist violations and unprofessional conduct

Self Care

• How do we hold a wide range of human experiences like suffering, pain, hurt, joy, and love without personalizing and taking on the client’s “stuff”?

• How do we continue to do this work in a sustainable, long-term way honoring our boundaries and limits?

• Understanding the reality of compassion fatigue and ways toward personal joy, liberation, and resilience.

Defenses & Anxiety

• How do we work with resistance and psychological defenses and avoiding crashing into them?

• The difference between defense and anxiety

• Ways to bypass defenses

• Ways to regulate anxiety

• Building client capacity to reflect, tolerate, and relate to their emotions and thoughts in a manageable way

Trauma

• How do we avoid re-traumatizing clients with a history of complex and developmental trauma?

• How do we avoid re-traumatizing ourselves as a therapist with a history of trauma?

Culturally Attuned Care

• How do we build and increase our awareness, knowledge, understanding, and skills working with different dimensions of difference?

• How do we manage our own cultural countertransference so it doesn’t interfere with our client’s cultural “stuff”?

• How do we continually practice culturally responsibility and reflective practice so we can open up difficult conversations around trauma, oppression, micro/macroaggressions, and difference?

Congruence

• How do we learn to listen to our authentic selves/intuiton in addition to using evidenced based practices?

• How do we develop our own therapeutic style unique to our identities and experiences?

Boundaries

• What is the therapeutic frame and how can we hold strong therapeutic boundaries in service of both our clients and ourselves?

• How do we flexibly use the therapeutic frame toward healing for our clients?

Therapeutic Relationship

• How do we repair ruptures, conflicts, and misalliances?

• How do we ensure that we are building consistent therapeutic progress?

• How do we become more comfortable with endings and saying goodbye (termination)?

• Conversations and explorations around transference and countertransference

Pacing

• How do we become more comfortable with imperfection, tension, patience, uncertainty, and not knowing?

• How do we incorporate collaborative client-centered care into our practice?

Suicidality

• Suicide assessments

• Safety plans

• Assessing for self harm

• Assessing for non-suicidal self injurious behaviors

• Limits to confidentiality

Endings & Terminations

• How to say goodbye to clients

• Reviewing and summarizing treatment

• Anticipating future client obstacles and challenges

• Letting the client matter to you

• Gifts and rituals

Referrals

• When to refer out for a higher level of care than outpatient care (IOP, PHP, IP)

• When to refer out due to client need for specialized therapy training and skill

• How to start the conversation around referring out

Informed Consent

Informed consent in therapy is a crucial process where therapists share essential information with clients, allowing them to make informed decisions about their treatment.

• Limits to confidentiality

• Theoretical orientation and approach

• Fee setting and insurance

• Cancelation policy

• Communication policy in between sessions

• Risks and benefits of therapy

• Alternatives to treatment approach/type

• Endings and terminations

• Affirming client’s choices and agency to say no and yes

• And more

Treatment planning

A treatment plan refers to the specific goals clients have in therapy and interventions a therapist might use to help you reach the goals.

• Assessment

• Diagnosis

• Interventions and skills

• Goals

Diagnoses and assessments

• Completing an assessment

• Providing clients with diagnosis(es) if they ask for it

• Providing clients with a diagnosis(es) if required such as if the client uses insurance

• And more

Documentation and writing notes

• Different styles and ways of writing notes. This can include:

  • DAP

  • SOAP

The Frame

The frame is the context in which psychotherapy occurs and all the arrangements that go with it. Think of the frame as the “rules of engagement” for treatment.

• Fees and insurance

• Communication in between sessions

• Cancelation policy

• Ending sessions on time

• Scheduling appointments

• Boundary management such as dual relationships, seeing clients in public, etc.

• Arrangement of the therapy office

• Waiting room (or virtual waiting room)

• And more

Therapeutic Alliance

• Strength and quality of the relationship between client and therapist

• Important part of therapeutic effectiveness and success

• Approach and modality

• Goal consensus

• And more

The Therapist

Some therapists consistently achieve better outcomes than their peers, and evidence suggests this is due to how they conduct therapy, rather than superior expertise in a specific model.

• Confidence

• Ability to connect to a wide range of clients

• Personality and temperament

• Congruence

• Flexibility

• Stylistic differences

• Empathy

• Communication skills

• Ability to engage and explore areas of differences and diversity

• Ability to integrate skills, knowledge, training into the work organically

• And more

Client Expectations

In therapy, managing client expectations is crucial for a successful therapeutic relationship and positive outcomes.

This involves clearly communicating the process, roles, and boundaries, and addressing both realistic and unrealistic expectations to ensure clients feel understood and supported.

• Providing psychoeducation

• Dispelling myths and misconceptions about therapy and the process

• Engaging the client in a collaborative relationship

• And more

Client Motivation

To effectively motivate clients in therapy, therapists should focus on building a strong therapeutic alliance, setting realistic and achievable goals, exploring client values, and utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to foster intrinsic motivation and address resistance.

• Doing the work outside of session

• Client’s strengths and resilience

• Client’s barriers, challenges, areas of growth

• Assigning optional homework

• If assigning optional homework, understanding why or why not the client does not engage or complete homework (e.g. barriers & challenges)

• Personality and temperament

• Values

• Culture

• And more

Cultural considerations and engaging with difference an diversity

In therapy, acknowledging and respecting cultural differences is crucial for building trust, understanding clients' experiences, and tailoring interventions for better outcomes. Therapists should be culturally competent, continuously learning, and open to diverse perspectives.

• Managing bias

• Managing counter transference

• Engaging with systemic issues in the 1-1 relationship in therapy (racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.)

• And more

Providing Psychoeducation

• Informed consent

• On the process of therapy

• Mental health diagnosis

• Symptoms

• Treatment options

• Providing verbal psychoeducation

• Providing worksheets

• Providing resources

• Helps with:

  • Reducing stigma

  • Promotion of self-efficacy

  • Awareness and understanding

  • Insight

  • Helps improve client treatment compliance/collaboration

Essential Therapeutic Skills

• Empathy

• Active listening

• Flexibility

• Adaptability

• Genuineness

• Communication skills

• Asking open ended questions

• Providing feedback

• Reflection

• Summarizing

• Paraphrasing

• And more

Ruptures, disagreements and repairs

• Providing education ruptures and disagreements are to be expected

• Repairing in the moment when ruptures occur

• Providing a corrective experience for clients

• Modeling imperfection

• Regulating ourselves and taking care of ourselves as therapists if we find conflict, disagreements, ruptures difficult and challenging

• And more

Anticipating obstacles and challenges

• Resistance

• Protectors and defenses

• Impasse and feeling stuck

• Enactments

• And more

Saying goodbye, endings and terminations

• Client’s relationship to endings and goodbyes

• Our own relationship as therapists to endings and goodbye

• How does the client want to say goodbye?

• Reviewing areas of growth and positive changes

• Reviewing continued areas of growth and challenges toward change

• Providing ample space for underlying thoughts and feelings around endings and saying goodbye

• Self disclosing as appropriate our own thoughts and feelings about the work in service of the client and therapy

• Understanding some clients will not want a goodbye session and will “ghost” us or avoid the last session and not take it personally, even though it may feel personal at times

• And more

Marriage & Family Therapists

• MFT Exam

• License applicants must pass the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) exam. Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) and the AMFTRB establish the passing score for the exam. PTC administers the exam.

• The Department of Health application process may take six to eight weeks. Please factor in this time if you plan to test in a specific testing window.

• You may register for the exam any time after applying for the licensed marriage and family therapist or the licensed marriage and family therapy associate credential.

• You'll need to submit your request using the request for examination form (PDF) to the department to request to sit for examination at least 60 days before the administration of the exam you wish to take.

• Based on your contact information in our credentialing system, we'll email or mail you an exam approval letter with instructions on how to register for exam once we've processed your request.

Mental Health Counselors

• NCE & NCMHCE Exam

• Applicants register to take the exam directly through the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), which is an affiliate of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).

• The National Counselor Examination (NCE) and the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) are accepted for licensure in Washington State.

  
  

Social Workers

• Social Work ASWB Exam

• Applicants for licensure must pass an American Association of State Social Work Board's (ASWB) exam.

• If you're applying to be a licensed advanced social worker, you must take the advanced generalist exam.

• If you're applying to be a licensed independent clinical social worker, you must take the clinical exam.

• You can't register for the exam until the DOH approves your application, experience and education.

• Once approved, they will send you information on how to register for the exam.

• The exams are administered by appointment at test centers. There are no set test dates. You must schedule a time to take the exam.

• Saying goodbye

• Completing necessary paperwork

• Submitting paperwork, documentation, and hours to DOH

• Celebrating by: taking time off, traveling, staycation, buying something, going out to eat, cooking with friends, sharing news with friends, family, and support system, etc.

• Continuing to engage in professional consultation with a consultation, peers, or colleagues

• If we do not continually engage in lifelong learning, we are prone to overestimating our abilities and/or underestimating our abilities

• Under estimation of our abilities as therapist is common and is actually helpful in small doses to avoid over estimating our competence in an area we lack skill and training in

• To reach our full potential of being an exceptional or extraordinary therapist, we must work at it, receive ongoing support, and skills must be cultivated and practiced with others (e.g. receiving ongoing consultation or supervision from a trusted advisor)

• Continually exploring our own implicit biases and areas of growth

  • Look up and read more on: Johari’s Window

• Reading books and articles

• Listening to podcasts

• Watching videos

• Attending our own personal therapy

• Engaging in continual self & community care as we are the vessels for change

• Meeting up with other professionals to network, learn more about them, build community, and feel more connected

• And more

• Spend more time, money, and effort into learning 1-2 modalities in depth.

• This can mean: enrolling in a substantial workshop/training/seminar along with continued consultation hours

• When you attend a training or workshop, you will learn something about yourself, your work, your clients. Or you may realize you are already doing something the training is teaching and this will affirm and reaffirm your confidence and trust in yourself as a clinician. You will meet other therapists, build community and feel less alone.

• Essentially, you will be given new insight and perspective. This is the power of attending an effective and compelling workshop or training.

• With increased training, learning, time, practice, effort, repetition, reflection, awareness, you will feel more confident in yourself and your work.

• Increased confidence possible and is part of the developmental process.

• This could show up as: less impostor syndrome (increased confidence), less questioning in your abilities (increased sense of affirmation), less focus on the client during peer or professional consultation (more focus on your own reactions and feelings), less worry about “messing up the client” because of lack of training and skill (increased ability to understand your areas of strength and continued areas of growth),

• In this phase, you will integrate the science/evidence base as well as the art/style of therapy. Instead of adhering to a modality in a rigid or strict manner, you will learn more to trust in your intuition, develop a style of therapy, and know when to intervene with a skill or question.

• Your identity as a therapist is who you are as a person.

• Eventually, the bridge between professional and personal will be less divided and merge. Essentially, you will become more congruent. You may be more comfortable showing up as you are in session. Alternatively, you may learn to psychoanalyze less in your personal life and just be a human being vs. a therapist.

• Developing your identity as a therapist requires working on yourself, reflecting on your values, engaging in values oriented work, engaging in hobbies, discovering more parts of yourself, experimenting and trying new things out, and more.

• Eventually, you might want to supervisee early career associate therapists, passing along the knowledge and wisdom you’ve learned for the past 4-7 years to the next generation of therapists

• Or perhaps you want to expand out of 1-1 therapy and become an adjunct lecturer and teach at your alma mater. Or perhaps you’d like to present workshops and presentations to local agencies or corporations.

• You might want to change the way you practice such as incorporating a new modality or approach.