Thank you for all your support over the years!  I appreciate you and look forward to continuing to connect in a new way. I welcome email connection from therapists at sarah@sarahleitschuhcounseling.com.

Below you will find a pep talk that I shared to my email list earlier this week.

Take Care,

Sarah

A Final Vibrant Therapist Pep Talk

Be curious.

Be authentic.

Listen to yourself  and trust yourself even when it feels hard

Embrace flexibility and give yourself permission to change course or to change your mind.

Take your time when you can; don’t give into a false sense of urgency.   

On the other hand, don’t let perfectionism hold you back from taking the right next steps.

Prioritize yourself and meet your needs

Utilize systems and boundaries to support yourself.

Create space to shine as the vibrant therapist you are!

I continue to see the vibrant therapist that is within each of you.

You’ve got this!

The post Final Vibrant Therapist Pep Talk appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

Here’s what Sandy has to say:

“Remember that the minute you take your first step into the life of your dreams, the first to
greet you there will be fear. Nod. Keep walking.” ~Brianna Wiest

I have this quote on the cork board by my desk-my “Cork Board of Inspiration.” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve looked at it during this entire process and what a comfort this quote has been for me during my evolution as a therapist.

I took the scenic route to becoming a therapist and entered the counseling field after almost
eighteen years in the medical field. Choosing the medical field was a practical decision and
during my stint in pharmaceutical research, I was told, “Your patients always get better…whether they receive drug or placebo.” This told me that relationship mattered, and it’s not lost on me that many of those patients had chronic disease and trauma. I was hearing the stories long before I was getting paid to do so.

Ongoing Learning + New Modalities

It wasn’t long before I discovered body-based modalities for the treatment of trauma. I binge-read the works of Bessel Van der Kolk and Peter Levine. I devoured everything that Dr. Leslie Korn produced. I knew the intricacies of the body and now I saw the fascinating mind/body
connection. Because the connection is so powerful and healing happens when we harness all parts of self, I became trained in Brainspotting and am in the process of becoming certified in Somatic Experiencing. I am also working on a Functional Medicine certificate.

Transitioning to Private Pay

Along this journey, I realized that I would never be paid enough by insurance companies to
compensate me for all the training that I have completed. I also knew that seeing the number of clients a week that I was seeing wasn’t sustainable. In addition to this, insurance companies didn’t appreciate (READ: want to pay for) the type of work I was doing. As therapists, we are encouraged to stay within the lines of traditional talk therapy models. While there is a shift happening, psychoeducation about how gut health affects mental health are not commonly provided.

In May 2023, I left Blue Cross Blue Shield’s panel. This was 90% of my caseload. Prior to coming off the panels, my caseload was so full that I couldn’t advertise for self-pay clients. I also didn’t have time to update my website so that it spoke to my ideal client. Most of my clients stayed with me but most also reduced frequency. I find that self-pay clients in my area generally will be seen once a week for three to four weeks and then they begin to extend the time between appointments to every other week. Marketing to self-pay is completely different skillset and one that I am still working to master. I learned quickly that I had to set myself apart from insurance-based therapists and that’s where niching into body-based models works well. There aren’t many therapists doing this kind of work and with the challenges in our medical system,
there appears to be a desire for it.

Strategies to Facilitate Change + Becoming Vibrant

I tend to get bogged down in research and become stuck, so Sarah encouraged me to “take the next ‘good enough’ step.” Working with Sarah helped keep me focused- I love all things continuing education and I can always find something to do to avoid the task I dread. Sarah also helped me to lean into my inner knowing to realize what my ideal was and how to show up as I authentically am. Leaning into the discomfort of leaving insurance panels and adding services outside of traditional talk therapy took more courage than I imagined. There has also been some backlash- things like “How are you not outside of your scope” and “What about access to services?”

It has not been easy, but it has been worth it. My clients deserve a vibrant therapist that does meaningful, sustaining work. After all, isn’t that what we encourage our clients to have?

Thank You + Reflection Questions

Thank you for sharing your experiences, Sandy! Feel free to leave a comment below if a part of Sandy’s story resonated with you.

What changes are you contemplating?

Are you ready to lean into the discomfort that may be required to make those changes a reality, too?

The post Vibrant Therapist Spotlight: Sandy Boone LPC (SC & GA), LCMHC (NC), LCPC (ME), NCC, CCMHC, CIMHP, BC-TMH appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

Fitting for the owner of a business called The Vibrant Therapist Consulting, LLC, right?

The dictionary definition of vibrant is:

Full of energy and enthusiasm

Pulsating with life, vigor or activity

Outside of the One Little Word course prompts, I’ve decided to be intentional in collecting evidence about how feeling vibrant shows up in my life.  Sometimes this happens through snapshots captured on my phone.  Other times, it has been through short blurbs captured in a journal.  

Taking the time to pause and notice the times that I feel vibrant has helped me be more present and intentional; contributing to more vibrance!

Oftentimes, feeling vibrant re-affirms a decision I have made and a lack of that vibrant feeling (when I would have expected it to be present) lets me know that something is off or I may be ready for some type of change.

I’m sharing a sampling of my evidence with you here.   It is worth noting that the written words in my actual journal are often more specific than what I shared here, as I want to protect the privacy and specialness of the specific experiences I have had with my family, friends and colleagues.  I think you’ll still get the idea.  

Vibrant= Sticking to my boundaries and wrapping up work on time.

.

Vibrant=Reading in the sunshine in my office; allowing myself spaciousness without rushing into dos

Vibrant=Laughing with my kids

Vibrant = Walking in the snow.  The feeling in my lungs when I come in the house after being out in the cold.

Vibrant = Moving slowly and having spaciousness in my morning.

Vibrant = Asking for what I want

Vibrant =Connecting with friends & colleagues (So many specific examples are recorded in my journal!)

Vibrant=Playing games with my family.

Vibrant = Prioritizing activities for me over to dos.

I’m curious to know what vibrant looks like for you these days.   Feel free to share in the comments below or send me an email.

When we are overwhelmed and exhausted by keeping up with the day to day responsibilities of life + running a therapy practice, it can be hard to find moments when we feel vibrant.  Lets connect if you are struggling to feel vibrant.  Check out my calendar and claim a complimentary call, so we can come up with a plan of attack to better support you!

The post Vibrant is….. appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

Connect2Therapists is a service that helps both therapists + clients who are seeking a therapist.  I thought that you might be interested in reading about how this service can support us as therapists, but also how Dr K and Dr. Z are managing thriving therapy practices + the addition of a new business.

The below content was written and shared by Dr. Katarina Zoltan:

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, we (the therapist collective) have seen a big spike in the need for services. Perhaps you have thought about beginning therapy and taken the big important step in deciding to find a therapist for yourself. Have you found the process frustrating, overwhelming, daunting? Maybe all of the above? This is where the service Connect2Therapists comes in – to help connect people to a good therapist match and make the process the least frustrating, overwhelming, or daunting as possible.

What is Connect2Therapist and how did you come up with it?

In the summer of 2020 and the subsequent two years after that, we had more and more people reaching out to us to connect for the various therapy needs. It always feels so difficult to turn people away simply because I no longer have the openings or capacity to accommodate people’s needs. I had conversations with my colleague Shanta, who expressed similar sentiment. 

We both had to start referring people elsewhere, but our general referrals were also filling up. We never want to provide referrals to people that ultimately are not going to work out for them. We took the time to search for therapists who had openings, who took the type of insurance that people needed, and who were able to address the concerns that people were seeking services to address. 

Finding a therapist can be a bit of a process. It is even more challenging when you’re unsure what it is that you’re looking for or even where to begin looking for it. 

This is where my colleague Shanta and I felt we could provide a service that could meet these important gaps/needs. In the summer of 2022, during a summer outing to a new restaurant to catch up, the idea for Connect2Therapists was born. 

What exactly is Connect2Therapists?

Connect2Therapists, or C2T, is a service that helps people make the process of finding a therapist simple, smooth, and effective so that they can focus on therapy and not on the process of finding a therapist. 

How does C2T work?

Our website provides an overview of the service as well as scheduling times. By simply scheduling a 15-minute call with either of us (Dr. K or Dr. Z), clients will have an opportunity to share with us what they are looking for. Additionally, we will ask clients questions based on our professional knowledge of therapy and after the 15-minute phone call is complete, we will begin the process of searching for a therapist that will be the best match possible.

How can sending potential clients to Connect2Therapist help an overwhelmed therapist?

As therapists, we want to provide help to those who reach out to us for services. When we cannot accommodate that, because our caseloads are full or we do not specialize in the areas the client needs help in, we provide referrals. This can take some time, as you may have to make sure that the referral would be a good fit, or the provider specializes in what the client needs, or they accept the client’s insurance, etc. As therapists, this may be time that you may not have. This is where C2T can also help therapists who may be overwhelmed and do not have the time to make specific referrals to people who call/request services. Therapists can provide C2T information and we can certainly do the work for them. 

How do you ensure that these referrals are a good match?

As providers, we connect with different providers and both Shanta and I have been practicing for well over a decade. That’s a lot of connections, in different states as well. We also know where to look, what questions to ask to ensure that clients match with someone that fit their needs and we are continuously adding providers to our database. 

In what states does C2T help people find a therapist?

We are available to conduct therapist searches/matches in all 50 states. 

How do you respond to questions about why there a fee for this service?

There is a fee for this service because it takes time to not only gather information about what you’re looking for, but it takes time to search through various provider websites and our database to ensure that we find you referrals that match your needs.

How did you free up time to work on a separate business while having thriving practices?

Shanta and I certainly recognize that having a thriving practice, personal lives, can all be time-consuming. But we also feel very strongly about wanting to help people connect to a therapist that will be helpful to whatever struggles they’re experiencing. So, we schedule out our time slots for intake calls, incorporate those into our schedules and ensure that we make the time but not sacrifice our other work or our personal time. We schedule brief calls/meetings to ensure that we are on the same page about the business, divide up tasks based on our skill-sets as well as time, and we support each other when needed. We are also firm believers that there is more than just clinical work when it comes to therapy services. I think it can feel helpful to be involved in multiple projects so that we do not burn out on just clinical work (as long as everything can remain balanced, of course). 

Thanks to Dr. Shanta Kanukollu (Dr. K), Dr. Katarina Zoltan (Dr. Z) for contributing to this month’s Vibrant Therapist Spotlight and introducing us to Connect2Therapists. You can find Connect2Therapists on Facebook and Instagram.

The post Vibrant Therapist Spotlight: Connect2Therapists appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

This post offers you a peek into my practice for the Week of June 12, 2023.

You can also check out the previous This Week in The Life of A Vibrant Therapist posts linked below:

February 2023

October 2022

Week of 6/12/2023

Second week of the month

First week of my summer 2023 schedule

Last month of the second quarter of 2023!

A little context about the week of June 12, 2023

This is the first full week of my summer 2023 schedule.   During the summer months I reduce my work hours to spend more time with my family.   This means that my primary focus during the summer is seeing clients and documenting sessions; I do not expect myself to do any “projects” during the summer months.   I keep things as simple as possible and rely on my systems to support me.  In the spring, I focused on things like wrapping up my continuing education credits and closing files so that I wouldn’t need to find time for those types of tasks during the summer when time is more limited.

This week 36% of my sessions were held in person.  64% of sessions were held via telehealth.  I had one client cancel their session this week and decided to head home early as the cancellation was for a session at the end of my work day.

This Week In The Life of A Vibrant Therapist-The Week of 6/12/2023

• Tuesday is the start of my work week during the summer months.  I spent time on Tuesday reviewing my schedule, reviewing my priorities + the “to dos” I had written for myself at the end of the previous week and preparing for the week’s sessions.
  
  
• I worked on cleaning up my email.   This includes emails that came in over my long weekend, but also getting through older emails that I had saved to review later.   
  
  You can view the out of office email reply I use every weekend here + adapt it for use in your own practice.
  
  The saved emails I referenced above are emails that are not urgent, but have content (blog posts, podcast episodes, etc)  I am interested in reviewing when I have more time.  I am intentionally working my way through the emails that have content I am still interested in and deleting those emails  that no longer interest me.
  
  
• I reviewed and decided how to respond to potential client inquiries.
  
  These referral templates & scripts make responding to potential clients that I cannot accommodate much easier.  
  
  
• I worked on arranging coverage for the two weeks I am taking off this summer.
  
  
• I virtually met with my billing service.   We meet monthly to review all my accounts and any outstanding balances.  This is a quick meeting, but so helpful in identifying and troubleshooting any insurance issues.   Everything looked good this month, so there was no follow up needed on my part.  Yay!
  

What does a week in your life look like this month, Vibrant Therapist?

Take Care,

Sarah

The post This Week In The Life of A Vibrant Therapist-The Week of 6/12/2023 appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

However, therapists can implement systems that support us in feeling like our documentation is manageable.  Systems that allow us to navigate this portion of our work with more confidence + ease.

 
In today’s post, I have compiled a list of the best resources, strategies and supports for therapists who want to refine their approach to documentation.

This post is a continuation of our “Best Of…” Series.  You can check out the previous posts in this series here:

Therapists & Time: Best Resources

Best Resources for Overwhelmed Therapists

Blog Posts to Support You In Refining Your Approach to Clinical Documentation:

Targeting Therapist Overwhelm: Clinical Documentation

5 Areas Where Therapists Need Systems

A Strategy for Support as you Navigate Documentation Backlog: Co-Working

Co-working is a great way for therapists who are working on catching up on documentation backlog to get some extra accountability.    Read more about the benefits of co-working for therapists in this post.

Want to give co-working a try, but don’t have the capacity to create a co-working group of your own?  I offer two co-working formats for therapists:

Vibrant Therapist Virtual Work Sessions

Vibrant Therapist Documentation Day

A Strategy to Consider: Collaborative Documentation

Collaborative Documentation is not for everyone, but it’s definitely worth considering as a way to save time on clinical documentation.   Read more about this approach as described by QA Prep here:

Writing Progress Notes During Sessions: Why it helps and the big mistake to avoid

Clinical Guidance for Documentation

As a coach, I am not able to address documentation from the clinical perspective (that is the role of clinical supervision or consultation), however, I often direct my clients to the following resources for the answers to their documentation questions that are of more of a clinical nature:

Therapy Notes FAQ

Detailed or lean therapy records?

Suicidal Ideation: How to Document

Streamline other work in order to carve out time for documentation:

Don’t let other work be your excuse for avoiding your documentation.  The following templates, scripts and tips can help you streamline other areas of your practice in order to free up extra time and energy to focus on your documentation.

Scripts for referring

Scripts for out of the office

Email Tips

I hope that at least one of the resources, strategies and supports shared in today’s post will help you find more confidence and ease as you approach clinical documentation in your practice.

Feel free to share this post with a colleague who may benefit.  

The post Best Clinical Documentation Resources appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

The post  will offer you a peek into my practice for the week of February 27, 2023.  

You can read the October 2022 post in this series here.

Week of 2/27/2023

Last week of the month

Two thirds of the way through the first quarter of 2023!

If you are unfamiliar with my practice, it is worth noting that I see therapy clients part time with sessions scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  I spend Mondays and Tuesday mornings working on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.   Fridays are days I reserve family/household activities, personal appointments and routines that support my well-being.

A note about my practice this week.  50% of my clients were seen in person and 50% via telehealth.   This is my highest percentage of in person sessions in 2023.  I had one client session that was canceled this week and intentionally decided to use that time for rest. 

This Week In The Life of A Vibrant Therapist-The Week of 2/27/2023

• I spent time each day actively working on my mindset.  This includes writing exercises as well as reading or listening to content to help me recognize and work through my own mindset blocks/limiting beliefs.
  
• On Monday, I reviewed my schedule + priorities and prepared for the week ahead.  I also reviewed my notes to myself to help me develop a plan to wrap up tasks I didn’t finish the previous week.
  
• Also on Monday, I took time to prepare for this week’s sessions.
  
• I reviewed data I collected about my practice for January and February 2023 to determine what changes I may want to make in March.  This data + looking at my March schedule allowed me to determine that I had space to schedule 1-2 new clients for March.
  
• Additionally, I reviewed my progress towards my annual and first quarter 2023 goals and determined what adjustments I need to make in order to achieve my goals.  Aspiring to take more bold actions in March!
  
• Paid myself.
  
• Responded to new client inquiries.

What does a week in your life look like this month, Vibrant Therapist?

The post This Week In The Life Of A Vibrant Therapist-February 2023 appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

In a past post, I wrote about identifying routine tasks that we complete in our practices, so we can create systems for effectively managing these tasks.    

I thought you may also like to see a more specific sampling of what some of my weeks look like and how those routine tasks fit into the mix.   Thus, I am starting a new series of posts called This Week In The Life Of A Vibrant Therapist.    I will periodically add to this series throughout the upcoming year, to capture what is on my mind at different times of the year and different times of the month.

This series of posts will capture some of the extra tasks I am working on each week, but will not include the more regular tasks such as seeing clients or documentation as we all know those are the tasks we all know therapists need to be doing.  

Week of 10/3/2022

First week of the month

First week of 4th quarter 2022

Note: This was a lighter week in terms of the number of client’s I saw and instead of getting anxious about this fact, I used the extra time and energy to focus on my well-being + tackling projects that may otherwise slide to the bottom of my list of priorities.

A Week In The Life of A Vibrant Therapist-The Week of 10/3/2022

• Morning walks every day before I sat down to start my work.
  
• Monday brain dump + getting organized for the week.
  
• Updates to insurance company directories/attestations for this quarter. This also included updating my passwords for these sites.
  
• Reviewed the No Surprises Act to determine if there were any relevant updates that would impact my practice.
  
• Planned my continuing education hours for the remainder of 2022 and signed up for the courses I will take.
  
• Started to map out my content for the remainder of 2022 (emails, blog posts, social media themes).
  
• Closed multiple files.
  
• Reviewed a chunk of my HIPAA Policy & Procedures manual. I have been reviewing several sections of this manual each month to make sure my day to day operations are in compliance and to prepare for my annual HIPAA Risk Assessment which I am planning to complete in December.
  
• Networking with colleagues.  Note: This is a three for one activity for me–self care + sharing about my therapy practice + sharing my work with the Vibrant Therapist Consulting, too.
  
• Left work one hour early on Thursday to grocery shop! My kids had a day off of school this week, so I made an intentional choice to end my work day early and complete this family task during work hours since I wouldn’t be able to do it solo on Friday as usual.

What does a week in your life look like this month, Vibrant Therapist?

The post This Week In The Life Of A Vibrant Therapist-October 2022 appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

Evaluating this possibility can stir up lots of questions…and overwhelm.

This month, I invited Dr. Lisa Lovelace to share some considerations for therapists who are evaluating whether expanding into a group practice is a good fit for them.

Dr. Lisa Lovelace is the owner of Synergy eTherapy and provides guidance for therapists who want to build online group practices by offering a variety of resources and courses.

Onto the guest blog post;

If you’re a solo online therapist and thinking about expanding to become an online group practice owner, you’re probably overwhelmed with all kinds of questions, concerns, and “what ifs.” 

How will I find good, loyal clinicians to hire? 

What if I don’t bring in enough clients for my clinicians?? 

If I expand to multiple states, where do I pay taxes and how do I bill insurance??? 

What if I completely fail????

The list just keeps going on! And trust me…I’ve been there. 

When I started my online only group practice in 2016 with just 2 therapists, nobody, especially me, knew what the heck we were doing. I didn’t even know what else I needed to know or how to run a group practice and be compliant. All I had was an idea, and I knew I wanted to go for it. 

After much trial and error and many lessons learned along the way, my practice now serves 16 states and counting with over 20 licensed therapists on board our team! We have several partnerships, EAP contracts and a wonderful community of amazing people.

It wasn’t quick or easy, but it was WORTH IT. If more freedom, balance, and money is something you’re after, you can do it too! 

Expanding to a group therapy practice comes with all kinds of benefits like…

• Reducing your weekly clinical schedule
• Being surrounded (virtually) by clinicians that YOU handpicked to learn from you
• Increasing access for clients & serving MORE clients
• Having a day or two off each work to think, work on, and grow your business
• Being able to go on vacation AND earn income 
• Make more money spending time doing the things you enjoy most

However, there are also a lot of things to consider and as much as we may wish it wasn’t, deciding whether or not to expand your business is a HUGE decision. The benefits are awesome, but the fears, questions, and doubts can feel overwhelming. 

So if you’re on the fence, and not quite sure if expanding from online solo therapist to online group owner is right for you, here’s my top 3 things you should consider when making your decision! 

Make sure you know WHY you want to expand and who YOU are as an online therapist/online group owner. 

What do you want your practice to stand for, and what makes you / your practice UNIQUE. 

There are so many more remote practices now (I know this is true because I’ve supported tons in their expansion over the past few years!), so you must be able to convey this to therapists so you get the right applicants who align with your practice and style. You’ll also want to express these things in all areas of your marketing (website, social media, advertisements, etc.)

Ensure you have some time and money to invest in expanding. 

One thing I encourage therapists I work with to do when building an online group practice is to ensure they have enough time to devote to expansion. You don’t need a lot, but you do need at least a few hours per week of dedicated time. There is a lot to do on the backend to get a group going from getting your NPI2 to making sure your business entity is set up correctly (ie., LLC, etc).  

Find a mentor or coach you trust.

When I started, I had NO mentor. I didn’t know anyone who owned a fully online group practice. Gosh, online therapy was still so rare when I began in 2016! I wish I had support and a course or someone to guide me. Today, I’ve built several options for therapists at all levels of readiness! Find more information here.

Running a profitable online group practice may take some time, energy, and growing pains, but it’s absolutely possible and you don’t have to be an expert at everything to do it!

If you are curious if this is a good move for you, join my Facebook community (How to Build an Online Therapy Group Practice) and see what on-demand courses I have for you to explore!

We are in this together!

Dr. Lisa Lovelace

Owner, Synergy eTherapy

DrLisa@SynergyEtherapy.com

The post Is an Online Group Therapy Practice Right For Me? (Guest Post: Dr. Lisa Lovelace) appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.

As we continue with the series of “Best of” posts highlighting some of my favorite resources, blog posts and strategies; we shift to those focused on the theme of time.

You can check out last month’s post about the best of my resources for overwhelmed therapists here.  

Some Strategies for Therapists Looking to Free Up Time

Complete a time study.  Track your activities for a minimum of one week to see exactly where you are spending your time, so that you can make adjustments as needed.  Often, we are spending more time in certain areas of our practice than we really realize.   A time study can help you determine what tasks you want to eliminate, table, delegate and/or outsource.

Use time blocks and batching.  Read more about these approaches here.

The Best Blog Posts Related to Therapists & Time

• 5 Minute Tasks for Therapists Who Need to Free Up Time Now

• Co-Working for Therapists

• Common Leaks for Therapists

• 5 Ways Therapists Can Free Up Time in Their Schedules This week

• Targeting Therapist Overwhelm: Use of Templates & Scripts

Vibrant Therapist Services to Support Therapists in Refining Their Approach to Time, Structure and Schedule

Vibrant Therapist Virtual Work Sessions

Vibrant Therapist Virtual Work Sessions are 2 hour co-working sessions in which therapists carve out dedicated time to work a task of their choosing, but get the added support and accountability of working alongside other therapists via Zoom.    

The Vibrant Therapist Clarity Call

The Vibrant Therapist Clarity Call is a complimentary 20 minute call.  By the end of the call, you will have at least one clear action step to take in order to reduce your sense of overwhelm, re-claim your time + energy and start feeling more vibrant.  We can discuss how to free up time and create a schedule that allows you to feel more vibrant.

If you are a therapist who feels like you never have enough time, I hope that one of the resources shared above will help you free up some time and move towards more ease.

Take Care,

Sarah

The post Therapists & Time: Best Resources appeared first on The Vibrant Therapist Consulting.