Compassionate Climb

In this consulting episode we meet Venita Qualls, licensed mental health counselor and licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor who is expanding her counseling practice, Soulful Essentials. She describes her career climb from the trial court system, to obtaining two master's degrees, to becoming a business owner. She is trained in brain-spotting, EMDR, and IFS and shares her decision to build a team. She identifies hesitations including supervising other clinicians and investing in them and then having them leave. Julia encourages extending the hiring process and taking the time to get to know candidates as well as getting clear on mission, vision, and values.

https://www.soulfulessentials.com

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/venita-qualls-burlington-ma/278057

Meet Michelle Salazar, a licensed social worker and chemical dependency counselor who owns a counseling practice and is a relationship consultant. She describes the 27 years she spent at an agency in multiple roles and her decision to start her practice 6 years ago. She discusses her role as a leader and the team she has built, her work with couples, and her experience as a retreat participant that led her to start the Endeavor Academy where she hosts retreats for therapists.

Key takeaways:

-systems help your business run on autopilot

-be true to your inner spark

-consider how someone makes you feel when hiring

-monitor and nudge growth as a leader

-be kind and fearless in relationships

-be your own best friend

https://momentumcounselingandconsultation.com

https://www.heymichellesalazar.com

https://www.theendeavoracademy.com

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.renee.salazar

In this consulting episode we meet Nicole Campbell, an LICSW who recently started her own practice Next Chapter Collaborative and is concerned about the potential for a scarcity mindset. She describes her career climb working in agencies and in group practice and her ultimate decision to transition to clinical work full-time. She inquires about knowing when you have taken on "enough" clients and asks Julia, "how do you challenge scarcity mindset and trust that you will have security?" She also describes her compassionate empathetic nature and tendency to accommodate rather than say "no" to potential clients after an initial consult.

Julia encourages:

-calculating the number of clients that need to be seen to achieve your financial goals at the outset

-remembering there will never be a shortage of clients

-not forgetting to take the time to get clear on your ideal client

-remaining clear on the purpose behind your decision

-outsourcing to an administrative assistant to field calls and help with screening

-considering the short term gain of helping someone by offering a session versus long term consequences of overwhelm

https://www.nextchaptercollaborative.com

Meet Natalia Hernandez, a certified Enneagram and relationship coach who helps couples heal, mend, or end their relationships. She shares that she discovered the Enneagram after multiple failed relationships and it helped her understand her tendency to end things when she experienced intense emotion. We provide an overview of this personality model and how it expedites the process of getting to know someone, identifies the motivation behind their behavior, and helps to depersonalize the actions of others. She describes how she incorporates the Enneagram in her work with couples to turn disagreements into conversations. Be sure to check out her podcast, Total Relationship Mastery.

Key takeaways:

-Your weakness can be your superpower

-Information is not what changes you but rather what you do with it

-Knowing your triad and the order in which you think, feel, or act helps with conflict resolution

-Viewing a disagreement through the lens of the personality type of the other person improves your ability to relate

https://www.nataliahernandezcoaching.com

https://www.facebook.com/natalia.hernandez.77312

https://www.instagram.com/nataliahernandezcoaching/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enneagram-in-love/id1529623401

Julia shares the things to consider when deciding whether to expand to group practice as well as the pros and cons and steps.

https://www.facebook.com/compassionateconsultingco

https://www.instagram.com/compassionateconsultingcompany/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/compassionate-consulting-company/

Meet Premela Deck, forensic social worker and family law attorney who owns a private practice in Canton, Massachusetts. It was engrained in her early on that families do not belong in court so when she pursued her law degree it was important to incorporate social work. She discusses the challenges of navigating her dual roles of lawyer and social worker which ultimately landed her in forensic mental health. In the family law arena this includes: child custody evaluations, parenting coordination, and reunification therapy. She describes the growth of her practice SD Family Services (SDFS) and their work with high conflict families.

Key takeaways:

-Diversification and consultation groups can be a helpful way to promote longevity in this field.

-She is one piece of the puzzle and has developed faith in other professionals to do their part.

-Proceed with caution because it is a litigious field.

-Recommended BIFF by Bill Eddy and Mending Fences by Benjamin Garber.

-Even if a co-parent is unwilling to engage an individual parent can still make meaningful changes.

https://www.premeladeck.com

https://sdfsmass.com

https://www.facebook.com/SDFSMass/

https://www.instagram.com/sd_family_services/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sdfamilyservices/

https://www.williamjames.edu/centers-and-services/forensic-and-clinical-services/children-families-law/court-ordered-classes.html

Meet Whitney Owens, a faith-based practice owner, consultant, and podcaster who helps therapists appropriately integrate faith in their clinical work and their businesses. She describes several obstacles that she did not allow to stand in her way and perseverance on her entrepreneurial journey. She provides strategies for building  a team and responding to criticism and also shares her ventures into retreats and summits.

Key takeaways:

-God only takes us as far as we can go

-When we go through brokenness we find the sunshine

-Hire people you want to spend time with

-Encourage relationships among your team

-Think about the relationship you are creating when you reach out to someone for help

-Don’t do things for money, do them because you want to do them

-Stop working so hard and enjoy what you do

https://www.whitneyowens.com

https://www.facebook.com/whitney.owens.963/

https://www.instagram.com/whitneyowensconsulting/

https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/7kcf8-28f861/Wise-Practice-Podcast

In this consulting call we meet Lauren Glynn, an LMHC who recently started her own practice and is striving to achieve work-life balance. She describes her career climb working in a prison and residential setting with sex offenders and at a community mental health center. She shares her experience starting her own business while recovering from burnout and asks Julia, "How do you navigate and balance meeting your needs and meeting your client's needs?"

Julia encourages:

-being clear about your schedule and sticking to it

-documenting your cancelation policy, reviewing it, and keeping a credit card on file

-maintaining a list of other providers to refer to in your area

-considering a virtual assistant to assist with administrative tasks

-completing a time audit to determine what to outsource

Lauren works with all ages but particularly enjoys teenagers and young adults. Her office is located in Warren, Rhode Island and she is private pay only. More information can be found here:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/lauren-glynn-warren-ri/944029

https://zencare.co/provider/therapist/lauren-glynn