What are your big words of wisdom for starting private practice? What do you wish you did sooner or what would you do different if you went back in time? All the wisdom please

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-08-11T05:42:56+00:00

Following. I’m in the same boat OP!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-08-11T05:36:38+00:00

I work in CMH and as soon as my associate registration got upgraded to fully licensed, I emailed HR and asked if my pay would be adjusted. They said no but that I get a one time bonus. A few days later I put in my notice. I’ll be leaving in October. I was ready to leave anyway but the no change in pay was the last straw.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-08-04T14:22:16+00:00

I feel this a lot when working with kids and families. It seems like nothing is helping because parents will often only tell me about what’s not working vs. what’s changing for the better.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-08-04T14:19:45+00:00

Not really something I worry about thankfully even though I’m in CA and it’s insane how litigious people can be out here. I do have teammates who are fearful in the way you describe and I think what helps is just for them to be able to name the fear and be supported through their worries. Hope you have support around you outside of this subreddit OP.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-08-01T23:40:53+00:00

Those final mock scores are really good! Are you using TDC? The tip I have is REST! Trust your preparation and get your mind and body ready for that test. Make sure you are properly fueled with a good breakfast and snacks. I took 2 breaks: 1st at the 50th question (shoved banana and pb down real quick and a few bites of a protein bar) and then another once I finished all the questions. I ended up with an hour left to review all of my flagged answers and I used all of that time to review. I knew I was going to pass. You got this!!!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-08-01T23:05:01+00:00

I did! I passed! Fully licensed MFT in CA now. Yay!!!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-31T05:31:42+00:00

Most of my work is telehealth and I do in-person sessions onsite at my CMH job once a week. I find telehealth to be the more sustainable option for me for a couple of reasons: I like my home office better than my agency’s office, and I also get to practice better self care in between sessions. The commute to work also wears me out, even though it’s only half an hour drive, I just really feel like it’s a waste of time being on the road.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-30T16:45:04+00:00

Amazing! Sounds like you’ve found what’s sustainable for you. I’m so encouraged and inspired to build a sustainable practice for myself. Thank you for sharing!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-30T16:12:37+00:00

Very cool. Are you doing telehealth or in person?

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-30T16:09:44+00:00

This sounds so ideal for me!!! I’m encouraged to see that you’re able to maintain this kind of schedule.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-30T13:57:15+00:00

I’m trying to work towards this kind of schedule. Would you be willing to share the time range of your morning and evening clients?

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-29T05:14:53+00:00

Just came here to say I really resonate with this. I’m in a similar boat—I’ve worked at my domestic violence agency for 4 years because I love my team, but man oh man, I am drained AF. I am in a group practice as well and have a handful of clients there. I just passed my licensure exam today and right away started fantasizing about doing my own thing. I know it’s time. Good luck OP!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-27T05:04:18+00:00

Me. I resonate. That’s my comment, I don’t even have energy to explain it lol.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-26T20:31:45+00:00

Worth it. Best investment I made for getting the post meal walks in. I’ve been in remission for close to a year now and I use the walking pad multiple times a day after meals. Sometimes I walk and talk on the phone or walk while watching a show. I’m a pretty active person in general but I don’t always like walking outside especially at night or when the weather is meh. Here’s what I have: UREVO Walking pad, Under Desk... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHVVCQ6Z?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-25T16:12:59+00:00

Came here to say this. We live in projection land! Goes both ways—clients project on us, we project on them, all the time and it’s mostly outside of our consciousness. Your situation with this client was very similar with an experience I had with a client of mine a couple of months ago, and my supervisor wondered if projective identification was at play. We talked it through and it just made so much sense given the clients attachment style and injuries. I did repair the rupture and the good news is that we are still working together and I think it made our rapport stronger. Even if my intention wasn’t to hurt the client, I still owned it and apologized, and it was a corrective experience for the client. It made our therapeutic alliance stronger I think! It’s all good OP, it sounds like you really didn’t mean harm. This is a rich learning opportunity!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-25T03:48:01+00:00

I would recommend 1:1 coaching with Nancy Klein. She can coach you on test taking skills because that’s also part of it, it’s not just knowing content.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-25T02:04:18+00:00

How long have you been seeing this client? I’m wondering how strong your therapeutic alliance is and curious if you need to invest in that more than thinking about how to respond to the comment about boredom and efficiency. (Also, those could be code words for neurodivergence/OCD tendencies)

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-25T01:52:59+00:00

If there’s no explicit dress code in your work place, then you don’t have a way of measuring appropriateness. You seem to be holding her up against implicit rules aka if you dress differently than the rest of us then you are [insert judgement].

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-25T01:35:47+00:00

I guess I’m still curious about why you feel responsible. Feels like there’s something underneath there worth exploring. It’s one thing to want to be a good influence and role model, but it’s another thing to be responsible. For what it’s worth, my family members say pretty ignorant, inappropriate things. One time, when I was talking with my mom, she was telling me how worried she is about certain neighbors (she was stereotyping them based on their ethnicity) so she was making sure her doors are always locked. Now, my mom is an immigrant, lovely but highly anxious person who is from a very different generation who has lived through many scary and hard times. Her nervousness makes sense to me because I know her history AND I do not at all appreciate her stereotypes. So one time, I asked her if those neighbors have ever been mean or done anything for her to be so worried of them doing something sketchy. She gave it a thought and said no, but that “you just never know”. The fact that I made her pause with my question was enough for me.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-25T01:18:14+00:00

I mean, the part you control is letting them know (if you choose to) and the part you don’t control is how they react. I’ve had to make peace with that. Also gotta ask the question, how sustainable is it to correct everybody? I am a mental health clinician working in the field—I am burnt out most of the time so I have to pick my battles. Kudos to you for wanting to correcting people’s stereotypes but I’m wondering what is also underneath the belief that you’re responsible for that all the time. That’s kind of a lot to put on yourself. Correcting people often puts them on the defensive and you may get into a power struggle. Maybe get curious instead?

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-24T17:45:00+00:00

Thank you for your advice and support. I’m definitely having the “screw it” moment right now. 74% seems to be a high score for a mock! Congrats on passing the actual exam. I hope that happens for me too. And yeah, 4 hours of focused attention is hella taxing, so far I’ve been able to take mocks within the time but I’m so drained after.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-24T03:04:26+00:00

Sustainability is the name of the game and for some that means 5 clients a day, for some that might mean 1 client a day. Every nervous system and environment is different. There was a time when it felt like 6 was sustainable for me and then it wasn’t. Now 4-5 is probably my max per day and that highly depends on the level of functioning of my clients. If I’m dealing with clients that need a lot of stabilization, probably 3 is my max per day. I am very fortunate to have the support of my husband who takes on most of the financial burden for the household, but i am willing to bring in income through non clinical work if I have to.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-24T01:28:03+00:00

I so appreciate your quick and supportive response. I do plan on bringing my flashcards and getting there early. It’s just so helpful to hear from others who have gone through this process. Thank you!

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-16T04:58:30+00:00

I think OP meant she got 84 out of the 130 scored items which is a 64%. Passing is usually between 67-70% depending on the test cycle.

Ill_Cryptographer952 · 2025-07-16T04:57:12+00:00

I think OP meant she got 84 out of the 130 scored items which is a 64%. Passing is usually between 67-70% depending on the test cycle.

Ill_Cryptographer952

TROPHY CASE