Succeeding As a Therapist: How to Create a Thriving Practice in a Changing World

This user-friendly, practical guide summarizes everything therapists need to know about setting up, growing, and protecting their independent therapy practice. In this book, a team of experienced psychologists with diverse experiences and perspectives guides readers through the common and not-so-common challenges inherent in managing an independent practice. Given that the COVID pandemic has changed therapy from a service typically delivered in person to one often conducted via teleconference, therapists need to ensure that their practice meets the changing needs of their clients as well as themselves. The chapters flow from initial preparation for successful independent practice and creating a business plan, to closing or selling a practice, and everything in between, including: Helping clients find you Preparing for emergencies Self and community care Legal, insurance, and financial issues The authors also provide key resources including professional guidelines relevant to therapists, recommendations for responding to subpoenas and submitting records testimony, providing information to professional will executors, and semi-structured interviews and assessments with different types of clients.

Table of Contents:
Preface Our Personal Journeys Acknowledgments Part I. INITIAL PREPARATION . Creating a Practice That Matches You, Your Values, and Your Vision 2. Creating a Realistic Business Plan 3. Finding the Right Attorney 4. Finding the Right Professional Liability Insurance 5. Finding the Right Office . Finding the Right Accountant 7. Finding the Right Software and System for Scheduling, Billing, Forms, Client Communication, and Documentation Part II. FINDING CLIENTS AND HELPING CLIENTS FIND YOU 8. Creating a Website, Business Cards, and Stationery 9. Advertising Ethically, Efficiently, Effectively, and Economically . Getting Onto Insurance Panels-But Do You Want to Do That? . Building and Maintaining a Presence on Social Media Part III. RECORDS 2. Creating a Thoughtful and Useful Client Record 3. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Privilege 4. Responding to a Subpoena and Dealing With Law Enforcement Part IV. PREPARING FOR URGENT AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS 5. Office Safety Measures and Precautions . Suicide Risk 7. Clients Who Pose a Risk of Danger to a Third Party 8. Assessing and Responding to Interpersonal Violence 9. Reporting Child Abuse and Reasonable Suspicions of Child Abuse 2 . Assessing and Responding to Possible Abuse of Older, Vulnerable, and Dependent Adults and Adults With Disabilities 2 . When the Therapist Is Stalked, Targeted, or Threatened by a Client or Someone in the Client amp rsquo s Life Part V. TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR PRACTICE 22. Keys to Thinking Clearly and Making Good Decisions About Your Practice 23. Eight Common Missteps That Can Lead to Disaster 24. Navigating Boundaries 25. Addressing the Hazards of Loneliness 2 . Addressing the Hazards of Vicarious Trauma 27. Navigating and Nourishing Personal Relationships 28. Asking for Help When We Need It 29. Creating a Practice Grounded in Human Rights 3 . Creating, Embracing, and Serving Communities 3 . Applying for American Board of Professional Psychology Certification Part VI. MANAGING THE (SOMETIMES) UNEXPECTED 32. When the Therapist Becomes Pregnant 33. When the Therapist Becomes Ill 34. What to Do When You amp rsquo ve Made an Error 35. What to Do (and Not Do) When Facing an Ethics, Licensing, or Malpractice Complaint Part VII. ENDINGS-PLANNED AND UNPLANNED 3 . Successful, Unsuccessful, and Incomplete Terminations 37. Closing or Selling a Practice 38. Creating a Useful Professional Will Afterword: Creating Our Dream Practice in a Changing World Resource A: Professional Guidelines Relevant to Practitioners Resource B: The Clinical Interview With Immigrants Resource C: Strategies for Private Practitioners Coping With Subpoenas or Compelled Testimony for Client/Patient Records or Test Data or Test Materials Resource D: Sample Professional Will Published by the American Psychological Association Resource E: Information for Professional Executors: Files, Passwords, and Contacts List Resource F: The No Surprises Act: Frequently Asked Questions and Responses References Index About the Authors

About the Author :
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD, received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University in Ohio and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Boston University School of Medicine's Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP). Currently, he is a licensed psychologist and a Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus and the Co-Director of the IC-RACE Lab (Immigration Critical Race and Cultural Equity Lab). He has earned several awards including the 2 8 Distinguished Emerging Professional Research Award from The Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race, a Division of the American Psychological Association. Follow Dr. Adames on Twitter, Instagram, or visit the IC-RACE Lab. Nayeli Y. Chavez-Due amp ntilde as, PhD, received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She is a Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) where she serves as the faculty coordinator for the concentration in Latinx Mental Health in the Counseling Psychology Department. She is the Co-Director of the IC-RACE Lab (Immigration Critical Race and Cultural Equity Lab). Her research focuses on colorism, skin-color differences, parenting styles, immigration, unaccompanied minors, multiculturalism, and race relations. She has earned a number of awards including the 2 8 American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Citizen Psychologist Award. Follow Dr. Chavez-Due amp ntilde as on Twitter, Instagram, or visit the IC-RACE Lab. Melba J.T. Vasquez, PhD, ABPP, is in independent practice in Austin, Texas. She served as President of the American Psychological Association in 2 and is the first Latina and Woman of Color of 2 presidencies of APA to serve in that role. Dr. Vasquez also served a term on the APA Board of Directors. She obtained her doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 978. She is a coauthor of a book, Multicultural Therapy: A Practice Imperative, and is coauthor of six editions of Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling: A Practical Guide. Dr. Vasquez has also published about book chapters and journal articles in the areas of professional ethics, ethnic minority psychology, psychology of women, counseling and psychotherapy, and leadership. She has served on numerous editorial boards.  Kenneth S. Pope, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist. A Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), he served as chair of the Ethics Committees of the American Board of Professional Psychology and the American Psychological Association (APA). He received the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Service, the APA Division 2 Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Clinical Psychology, the Canadian Psychological Association's John C. Service Member of the Year Award, and the Ontario Psychological Association's Barbara Wand Award for significant contribution to excellence in professional ethics and standards. To learn more about Dr. Pope's work, visit https://kspope.com/.

Review :
Four diverse psychologists have written a comprehensive and indispensable practical guide for novice and experienced practitioners. Simply superb! - Lillian Comas-Díaz, PhD, Past President, Psychologists in Independent Practice, APA Division 42; George Washington University, Washington, DC New clinicians will benefit from the authors amp rsquo collective wisdom and extensive resources on the basics of planning, starting, and developing a practice ethically, safely, and joyfully. The book is replete with guidance. - Jana N. Martin, PhD, CEO, The Trust, Rockville, MD An accessible guide to preventing and overcoming common challenges. The authors illustrate clear pathways to creating a thriving practice by attending to values, business strategies, boundaries, self-care, and life transitions. - Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD, 2023 APA President; Pepperdine University, Encino, CA An indispensable resource. Why hasn amp rsquo t anyone written this book before? I am glad that these peerlessly qualified experts are the ones who chose to do so. - Eric Y. Drogin, JD, PhD, ABPP, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Past Chair, APA Committee on Professional Practice and Standards The most comprehensive overview of everything you need to know. The stunningly practical guide walks us through therapists amp rsquo personal needs by illuminating critical topics-therapist loneliness, vicarious trauma, and human rights. I wish such a text existed when I started my practice! - Maryam M. Jernigan-Noesi, PhD, CEO and Founder, Jernigan & Associates Psychological and Educational Consulting, Atlanta, GA