I wanted to share my recent journey as I try to navigate offering my counseling services. It's been quite the adventure figuring out the best way to support clients while balancing my personal and educational life.
Private Practices: The Options
So, I started looking into private practices. They have different setups—some do a 60/40 split, a few offer more than that, and some recruit clients while others provide supervision, case consultations, and marketing support. A big plus is that they all handle insurance credentialing and billing, which is a huge relief. Some places even have offices you can use, but many prefer more in-office presence, which, honestly, isn't ideal for me right now given my hectic schedule.
Platforms: Headway, Sondermind, and Rula
Then, a therapy friend recommended I try some platforms. Here’s how it’s going so far:
Headway
Pros: Amazing onboarding support. They really guide you through the process. They also offer CEUs.
Cons: They don’t accept many local Wisconsin insurances or national ones, need your own malpractice insurance, HIPPA portal and phone
Sondermind
Pros: Super easy to navigate the portal, and their documentation guides are straightforward. They also offer CEUs, HIPPA vido portal, malpractice insurance.
Cons: Minimal onboarding support, but they did refer a client to me in the first month.
Rula
Pros: Offers limited reimbursement rates and CEUs, HIPPA vido portal,malpractice insurance.
Cons: Limited support and only one client referral so far. The client shared it is lengthy and multi-step process to access messages I send through Rula.
Making It Work
Right now, Sondermind seems to be the easiest for me. Their portal is user-friendly, and the documentation guides are clear. Rula and Sondermind both referred one client to me in the month I’ve been active. Headway stands out with the best onboarding support, which was really helpful since the other platforms didn’t offer much guidance.
Moving Forward
So, what's next? I'm balancing my personal and professional life while making the most of these platforms. Each has its strengths, and I’m leveraging them to provide the best support for my clients.
I'm excited to continue this journey and see where it leads. Thanks for joining me on this adventure! If you have any tips or experiences to share, I’d love to hear them.
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