Clinical Skills

What makes a great therapist? We will explore this together as you move through the real work you do each week with your clients.

Counselor trainees will spend their two years developing themselves as professionals, with a personal style, a well selected tool kit, and strong boundaries; navigating a range of challenging clinical aspects of the work. This might include diagnosis and treatment planning, case conceptualization, rapport building, ethics, communication, complex trauma cases, treatment resistence, crisis management, and more.

Counselors will also develop their ability to authentically connect with their clients. They’ll deepen their theoretical orientation, practice methods and approaches, to gain confidence and mastery. These clinical skills build the compitance each practitioner needs to go into their independent practice feeling prepared.

Practice Management

Outside of the sessions, there is a lot that goes into running a private practice. It begins with the licensing process, including board exams, then later, the credentialing process and getting contracts with insurance companies. From there, it’s a small business that must be set up to run smoothly and efficiently, not to mention legally and ethically.

From managing client charts to filing insurance claims, outreach, licensing and compliance, billing and bookkeeping, taxes and insurance, we will cover it all. Each counselor trainee will leave the program able to set up and manage their private practice as a small business in an efficient way using Simple Practice software.

All of these details can seem daunting and we all need guidance navigating our way through. I’m happy to share my knowledge and experience with all of this to help you get started.

Supervised Billing

I am offering supervised billing to Master’s level counselors working toward VT state licensure, as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). 

Supervised billing is the only way for pre-licensed clinicians to be paid through insurance companies while they are working for the two years and 3000 hours toward Vermont state licensure.

Supervisors bill insurance companies on behalf of the Supervisee. Reimbursement rates follow a graduated schedule as practitioners complete their hours and gain experience.

Counselor trainees are able to bill Vermont Medicaid and MVP, and are able to accept private payments directly from clients. Credit card services are available to clinicians at the rate set by our processing service provider.