Protecting Your Practice

As you can imagine, there are plenty of in-the-moment challenges that come up when you are a psychologist who regularly does forensic work. In this episode, you'll hear Jessica Hasson's perspective on doing this work and the ways that she navigates the realities of social injustices and life as a female in the courtroom. About Dr. Hasson: Dr. Hasson is licensed as a psychologist in Maryland, Virgi...

When you have your own practice, there are already so many things to think about, but have you ever considered the possibility of a payroll tax audit? If you're like me (Melissa), that might not have been on your radar. In this episode with Uriah Guilford, you'll learn the following: 1. The importance of correctly classifying workers in a group practice, i.e. independent contractor vs. W2 employee...

Many group practice owners dream of selling their practices one day, but what happens when you're approached with an opportunity that sounds too good to be true? In this insightful episode, Laura Vaillancourt, shares about her personal experience and the lessons the rest of us can learn from it. You'll also get to learn how Laura weathered a challenging situation and came out on the other side. Me...

In this episode, you'll get to hear from Christy Pennison, Owner of Be Inspired Counseling & Consulting, who has had the unfortunate experience of helping her group practice and clients get through not one, not two, but 3 natural disasters!! She's here on the other side to share what she has learned as a result of that experience, so you can consider how you can protect your practice in situat...

As a mental health provider who is trying to get a new project off the ground, advertising about the great, new thing you're doing is a MUST. But what happens when that great new thing you're doing gets met with some push back from people in high places? In this episode, Joe Sanok will tell you about his personal experience with this, and as you can imagine, he found a creative way to pivot and ad...

Season 2 will be starting off with Attorney Dan Mayer talking with us about conflicts of interest that can come up in working with mental health providers, steps that can be taken to prevent those conflicts, & steps that can be taken once you realize that a conflict has occurred. Dan also talks about the importance of knowing who your client is when it comes to your work! You can find Melissa...

In this episode, Protecting Your Practice co-host, Melissa Wesner, shares about her experience being stalked as a result of her work as a mental health therapist. She'll talk about that experience, what she learned, and supports that were helpful to her while navigating this unexpected situation. Connect with Melissa & Dan: protectingyourpractice.com Forms to protect your practice: https://www...

Some of the most challenging decisions for group practice owners involve issues related to HR. How do I hire new clinicians? Where do I get the documentation that I need for the people who work at my office? How much should I pay? What benefits should I offer? All of these questions can be addressed with the support of an HR Consultant. In today's episode, you'll get to hear HR Specialist, Megan S...

We all know that sexual relationships with clients is a big no-no, and yet sexual boundary crossing with clients tends to be in the top 3 issues that get reported to licensing Boards. In this informative episode with Dr. Daniel Watter, an AASECT Certified Sex Therapy Supervisor, we talk about how therapists can go from knowing this clear cut boundary to sitting on an ethics Board's disciplinary co...

Mental health providers work hard, so you want to make sure that your hard work pays off! That's where meeting with a financial advisor comes in! In this guest episode, Ben Offit talks about the importance of financial health as it relates to healthcare providers. He also answers frequently asked questions about working with a financial advisor. Be sure to keep some of these questions in mind if y...

This week, we're talking about accessing your creativity as a mental health clinician and preventing burnout. In this episode, Reina Lombardi talks about ways that she helps clinicians tap into their creativity and consider their lifestyle needs when designing their practice. About Reina: Reina is host of The Creative Psychotherapist podcast, a podcast for creative, expressive, and experiential fo...

Join us for this really helpful conversation with Julie Herres from Greenoak Accounting as she talks about the common money mistakes that practice owners make. You'll also get to hear about some of the trends she sees in her accounting and bookkeeping work with mental health practitioners. Learn why you might not want to DIY your accounting! Want to connect with Julie? You can find her at: http://...

Are you the person who's afraid of making mistakes? If so, it's possible that this content makes you a little nervous. After all, you might have only had one class in grad school about some of these topics. In this episode, Dan and Melissa talk about steps you can take to manage that nervousness while still moving forward with your desire to protect your practice. And...we've got some updates for...

While there's much debate about whether or not to accept insurance at your mental health practice, today you'll hear Dr. Ajita Robinson talk with us about breaking out of shame, frustration, and either-or mindsets. You'll hear her talk about: knowing your contracts advocating for yourself making decisions related to billing staying ahead of the game, so your practice is audit-ready If you're alrea...

Some of the most challenging decisions for group practice owners involve issues related to HR. How do I hire new clinicians? Where do I get the documentation that I need for the people who work at my office? How much should I pay? What benefits should I offer? All of these questions can be addressed with the support of an HR Consultant. In today's episode, you'll get to hear HR Specialist, Megan S...

There are certainly a lot of debates when it comes to providing couples counseling services. In this episode, you'll get to hear from Dr. Heidi Sauder who is a psychologist, sex therapist, and group practice owner on some of these debated topics. You'll also get to hear about some of the ethical issues she has witnessed as a provider. She'll also talk about important legal and ethical consideratio...

You've likely been practicing telehealth for some time now, so now it's time to double check to make sure that you have the documentation you need in place. Clients who have never received telehealth services before might not be sure what to expect. Some might be nervous about new technology, and others might have concerns about confidentiality. Your telehealth informed consent helps answer client...

If you're like many, the pandemic forced you to do a crash course in telehealth, and you've probably been doing it for some time now. Now that the dust has settled, we want to make sure that you're following best practices when doing telehealth to make sure that you're in compliance with state guidelines and ethical codes. While we've been doing telehealth for a while now, we know that there are s...

Practicing within your scope of competence might not sound like the most stimulating topic, but it is an important one. If you're not practicing within your scope of competence, you're likely feeling the impact of that, and your clients might be feeling that as well. Practicing outside of our scope of competence also puts us at risk. Take a listen to today's episode to hear more on this topic! Wan...

We all know that sexual relationships with clients is a big no-no, and yet sexual boundary crossing with clients tends to be in the top 3 issues that get reported to licensing Boards. In this informative episode with Dr. Daniel Watter, an AASECT Certified Sex Therapy Supervisor, we talk about how therapists can go from knowing this clear cut boundary to sitting on an ethics Board's disciplinary co...

There's a big difference between what people THINK group practice ownership is like and what group practice ownership IS ACTUALLY like. In this episode, we'll be talking with Maureen Werrbach, a group practice consultant and owner of a multilocation group practice in Chicago on how to take care of yourself emotionally as a group practice owner. On top of that, she'll be talking with us about: lead...

Large practices need to operate smoothly! In this episode, we speak with Dr. Hayley Porter, the Co-Owner and Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer a very large mental health and wellness center. She talks with us about: Steps for ensuring compliance Creating systems Getting the business support you need If you're looking to integrate systems & strategies for compliance, we hope you'll check this...

Do you know what your profession's code of ethics has to say about pro bono work? If not, you'll be hearing all about that in this episode. You'll also get to meet Amy Greensfelder who is the Executive Director of the Pro Bono Counseling Project whose work focuses on increasing the uninsured or under-insured's access to mental health care. In this episode, you'll get to: learn what different profe...

Mental health providers work hard, so you want to make sure that your hard work pays off! That's where meeting with a financial advisor comes in! In this guest episode, Ben Offit talks about the importance of financial health as it relates to healthcare providers. He also answers frequently asked questions about working with a financial advisor. Be sure to keep some of these questions in mind if y...

This week, we're talking about accessing your creativity as a mental health clinician and preventing burnout. In this episode, Reina Lombardi talks about ways that she helps clinicians tap into their creativity and consider their lifestyle needs when designing their practice. About Reina: Reina is host of The Creative Psychotherapist podcast, a podcast for creative, expressive, and experiential fo...