Traditionally, a new therapist seeks out an office space to rent part-time from a more seasoned therapist. Sometimes we get lucky and fill our caseload quickly and all the stars align so that all our clients can see us on one particular day of the week. Sometimes we're not so lucky and we end up paying a lot more for overhead than we expected. Is there a better way? Yes! Jen Kim, co-founder of Ethera, leveraged many of the disappointments she faced when looking for office space, and put in major...
Aug 19, 2024•26 min
Soo Jin Lee and Linda Yoon co-wrote an EXCELLENT book called "Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity." But this book didn't appear out of thin air. How did it go from idea to the shelf at Barnes and Noble? Linda and Soo Jin saw the lack of resources written by people of color, and decided to contribute to the solution. We hope that the telling of their publishing story will inspire those of you who are thinking of writing your own book! https://yellowchaircollective...
Jun 24, 2024•46 min
By now you may have heard about the No Surprises Act and the Good Faith Estimate. It's a law meant to protect the consumer from charges they were not expecting. It's still early in the execution stage, and I am in the process of wrapping my head around it while putting it into action in compliance with the law. As a way of helping you also wrap your head around it, I have enlisted the help of my wife Jenn Hsu to talk with me about this new law. She is a huge proponent of mental health, and she l...
Jan 11, 2022•27 min
What should I consider before making the decision to get on insurance panels? Dr. Lynn Raine chats with me to help you make a more informed decision! Find out more about Dr. Raine's services: therapywithlynn.net [email protected] And as mentioned in today's conversation, I think Simple Practice is an EHR tool that will help SIMPLIFY your practice so that you can invest MORE of your energy and time into client time, and me-time. Here's $50 off when you use this link!...
Jun 01, 2021•35 min
Being organized can be so tough, but it can be so helpful in our private practice. If you need some inspiration to get more organized, I think you will enjoy listening to this episode! Helen Kim is a registered associate MFT who shares some things that have allowed her to stay organized. She also provides some tips on how she has stayed motivated, which can be hard to do for new therapists and veterans alike! Some things we touch upon: How to use color coding in your calendar How to define and c...
Mar 02, 2021•24 min
Today we are going to be talking about social media again! Nearly all your clients are on social media for hours every day. How do you leverage this and give them helpful content, plus get more visibility for your practice? We’re going to talk more about this today with Dr. Marie Fang, she is a licensed psychologist practicing in San Jose, CA. She is the host of Private Practice Skills, a popular youtube channel for therapists in private practice, and she is going to help me answer the frequentl...
Feb 01, 2021•23 min
Everyone has had to make sweeping adjustments to account for doing therapy exclusively online. Perhaps no one more than child therapists. Child therapists can no longer use their wondrous magical office space to allow their kid clients to do non directive play therapy. Vanessa Longnecker has helped me to reimagine what is possible and impossible. She has adjusted not only the way she conducts child therapy, but also her mindset. This is important because it helps stave off the constant disappoin...
Dec 08, 2020•29 min
The person who submitted this question added the phrase "as a White therapist," and I'd just like to add that I as a Korean-American therapist would ALSO like to know how to become more culturally competent! Helping me answer this question is Dr. Shawan Worsley. I am SO glad she agreed to be on this episode. She teaches cultural sensitivity to clinicians with wisdom and warmth, and I think you will really love listening to her speak on this subject. If you'd like to find out more about Dr. Worsl...
Nov 09, 2020•44 min
How do I gain hours for licensure when I have little to no experience? I've only done waitressing! I've only done babysitting! Would a potential employer think I am qualified? Believe it or not, you probably have transferrable skills that you are not aware of. And there is is ALWAYS something else you can do to further make yourself an attractive hire. Dr. Lynn Raine joins me today to share her insights and help answer this frequently asked question. Please share with a colleague or friend! Cont...
Oct 04, 2020•22 min
Today's episode is all about getting into the minds of pastors. Pastors are extremely under-represented as far as therapy clients go. This is troubling considering the amount of stress pastors experience. Joining me today is Dr. Ben Shin. He is an associate professor at Talbot School of Theology , teaching in both the masters and doctoral programs. He is the teaching pastor at New Life Vision church, and a dear friend. Some of the questions I ask him: What percentage of pastors do you think are ...
Sep 12, 2020•25 min
Joining me again is Hatty Lee, the founder of Oak and Stone Marriage and Family Therapy, Inc. in Los Angeles. She has a thriving Instagram account with active engagement with her followers. She provides great perspective today for any of you considering starting a professional social media account! Some talking points: Is social media important for therapists? How do potential clients find you? And if they find you, how do they decide to work with you? How do I overcome my fear of being an impos...
Aug 29, 2020•42 min
You want to start collecting your hours for licensure. Some friends are telling you they love their private practice site because of the freedom and flexibility. Others are telling you they love their DMH site because they make good money and there's no shortage of clients. Which one is right for you? Migum Gweon joins me to discuss this important question. She serves as director of clinical training for the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA. She will l...
Aug 13, 2020•34 min
Joining me again is Dr. Marie Fang! Marie is a licensed psychologist practicing in San Jose, CA and she is the host of Private Practice Skills, a wonderful and helpful youtube channel for therapists in private practice. Today we tackle the question: How do I master confidence? (Hint: Such a thing doesn't exist!) Private Practice Skills https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQikIOuT7ZqLcyUJOEMq1mQ Please take a moment to give this podcast a rating and review if that feature is available. Sharing it wi...
Jul 30, 2020•19 min
What an anxiety filled question! We all want to pass our exam this time around so we don't have to wait a long period of time before re-taking the exam. Plus we really want to get started with the career we love. Helping me answer this question are Jessica Sotelo (LCSW) and Ryan Forsell (LMFT). They recently passed their exams and graciously offered their time to talk about the experience. They will talk about which prep program they used, what their exam day was like, and many practical tips. B...
Jul 24, 2020•27 min
There will often be times when our client experiences deep grief. And we as therapists help them get through it. But what if we the therapist are also experiencing our own season of personal grief? Today’s question is: How do I hold my client’s grief when I’m experiencing my own grief? Helping me answer today’s question is Lynn Raine, Ph.D., LCSW. Lynn is a professor at Azusa Pacific University's undergraduate social work department. She has worked in domestic violence treatment and prevention w...
Jul 03, 2020•22 min
Some of your clients will need medication in order for you to really help them achieve their therapy goals. Do you have a list of local psychiatrists whom you trust? Do they treat their patients with care? One of the best ways you can serve your client is by having trusted psychiatrists to refer them to. But how do you build such a list of referrals? Helping me answer this question is Dr. Esther Park from Oak Health Center with different locations in Southern California. Some of the subtopics we...
Jun 25, 2020•23 min
We have a 2 part question for today: What kinds of workshops do churches most desire from a therapist? How does a therapist start a relationship with a small Korean church? I know this 2nd question is very ethno specific, but our guest answers it in such a way that applies to most any situation. This is a crucial time in our history to be partnering with churches. Many churches want to know how to talk about black lives matter, how to better cope with injustice and grieving and reconciliation, a...
Jun 19, 2020•27 min
Many of you will be, or are already working with, couples or individuals who are getting divorced. The more you get to know trustworthy lawyers in your area, the better you can serve your client. So how do we actually get to know them? Rather than guessing, I felt it would be most helpful to actually ask a family lawyer. Helping me answer today’s question is Cheryl Kang Prout, the managing partner at Cordial Family Lawyers in Orange County, CA. Hope you get your questions answered and you find g...
Jun 11, 2020•32 min
What an important question! There are definitely pros and cons to both. We’re going to answer today's question with the point of view of someone who has just gotten licensed, or is almost there. And for all of you in the process of trying to gain hours for licensure, we’ll have a separate episode addressing earning your hours so stay tuned for that. Helping me answer today’s question is Hatty Lee, a licensed mft practicing near Los Angeles CA. She is the founder of Oak and Stone Marriage and Fam...
Jun 04, 2020•28 min
The pandemic has necessitated a new way of offering mental health services via telehealth. Whether we like it or not, telehealth is here to stay. So how do we start a practice that is (for now) done entirely through telehealth? Migum Gweon joins me to discuss this important question. Migum serves as director of clinical training for the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA. ( https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/migum-gweon ) To further help you, here is a simpl...
May 29, 2020•26 min
My guest is Dr. Marie Fang, a licensed psychologist practicing in San Jose, CA. She is the host of Private Practice Skills , a wildly popular youtube channel, and she is going to help me answer the frequently asked question: What is the first step in starting a private practice? As an added bonus, Dr. Marie has shared a worksheet to accompany some of the main points of our discussion today. This worksheet will help you center and focus on first things first. Head shrinking for head shrinks :) Cl...
May 21, 2020•24 min
In this first episode of New Therapist FAQ, I interview 3 Associate Marriage & Family Therapists practicing in California: Moet Monroe, Naomi Choi and Jed Meyers. I invite them to share what questions they have as they embark on their mental health career. My hope is that some of their answers will validate your own questions and emotions, while others will spark some reactions such as "Hey that's a good question!" By the way, have you tried Simple Practice yet? Simple Practice is an Electro...
May 20, 2020•43 min
